• Standing Bow Pulling pose is the sixth posture in the Bikram Yoga series. It is directly after Standing Head to Knee Pose, so before you set up, breathe deeply to recover and prepare for the demands of this posture.

• The set up is vital in all the Bikram postures but in Bow the set up is often the most challenging aspect. Many students have difficulty reaching their foot and bringing the knees together to start. This is most often due to tight hip flexors and/or quadriceps. These muscles are commonly tight on athletes and non-athletes alike; so don’t be discouraged if you have difficulty. Remember that you should “never build a house on a weak foundation”. Be patient and set the posture up properly.

• The most common error I see in Bow is students allowing their ego to get the best of them. Leave your ego at the door and do the posture with your best form and alignment; depth will come with time. Bikram says, “Take the time to get yourself firmly grounded and set on your standing leg before you bring your body forward and down. When you begin to move, take your time and stay in control. The most important advice I can give you here is don’t be in a hurry to dive into this position.”

• When you enter the posture, stretch forward and kick back equally and simultaneously 50/50. “In one solid piece from the hips to the fingertips, roll forward like a wheel until your abdomen is parallel to the floor.” Lock your standing knee and “let the power of the kick do the work”. Watch for your bent knee in the mirror. If you see it peek out to the side of your body, bring it back into alignment, straight back and up. Do not let your knee “wing” out to the side. If you can see your knee it should be above your head in the mirror. Most humans will be happy to see their foot above their head but make sure it is in the centre of your head when you see it. Stretch your fingers forward toward the mirror and try to “touch your eyebrow, not your chin, not your nose”. Encouraging words from Craig Villani.

• If you fall out of Bow (and sometimes you will), try to get back into the posture, but be sure to set it up again from the beginning. Don’t rush! Personally, I use the first set for endurance, adjustments and alignment, so I don’t try for my “edge” in the first set. In the second set, I push myself to that “edge” and work on greater depth.

• Benefits of the Bikram Standing Bow Pose:

• • Standing Bow moves the blood from one side of the body to the other, then back again.

• • It develops balance, increases the size and elasticity of the rib cage and firms the abdominal wall and upper thighs.

• • It improves the flexibility and strength of the lower spine.

• • Standing Bow builds patience, determination and concentration.

• As I stood at the back of the room before beginning my first Bikram Yoga class I had a lot of thoughts running through my mind. Most of them were regarding pain. My whole body was riddled with Rheumatoid Arthritis, a chronic disease that doctors agree has no known cause and no known cure. It is a chronic state in which the body is attacking it’s own joints, in a state of innocent confusion. My prognosis was poor and I was told by the best medical doctors that I would spend the rest of my life on toxic drugs that would prevent me from having children.

• At the back of the Bikram Yoga class I was standing on one leg. My left knee could not support any weight due to the enormous swelling and inflammation, and so the knee was bent forward the way that footballers get carried off fields when they tear a cruciate ligament. The balls of both of my feet hurt, my fingers ached and every exhale breath caused me pain in the chest bone. As we begun Pranayama breathing, I noticed how my left elbow would barely raise up to my shoulders due to the chronic swelling which was dramatically restricting my range of movement. By that day I had already spent thousands of dollars on acupuncture, massage therapy and natural supplements to try and reduce my pain, but my condition was worsening.

• After the breathing process I struggled through the standing series on my one good leg. Then I battled my way through the floor series, feeling stiff, swollen and sore everywhere. At one point, somewhere in the middle of my floor-series hell, the teacher walked past me and said ‘Clint, you need to come every day’. I managed an exhausted laugh and thought he was joking. Go through this torture? Every single day?! You’ve got to be kidding! But he had planted a seed.

• When I woke up the next day after my first class I noticed something remarkable. My morning stiffness in my joints was dramatically less and I was able to get out of bed with more ease. The improvement after that single class was so obvious that I thought I would go back again a few days later. Once again, I noticed the dramatic improvement from my second class which confirmed to me that this particular yoga style was indeed life-changing. Thus, I decided to go to Bikram Yoga 2- 3 times a week and keep that up as long as I continued to see improvements.

• Now, 4 years later I am off all medication. My feet, ankles, chest, wrists, fingers, knees are all pain free and my blood results are now back to normal. Best of all, I have been able to run up to 4km on my left knee that was previously facing replacement surgery. I can now also work out at the gym and I have put 7kg of muscle back on my body that had become stick thin. Not only that, I am now a teacher of natural healing methods, helping and inspiring others around the world to dramatically improve their Rheumatoid Arthritis, and in some cases, get rid of it altogether. (For more information see www.rheumatoidarthritisprogram.com)

• Why does Bikram Yoga work so incredibly well for Rheumatoid Arthritis? My personal journey has led me to believe it is a unique combination of:

• Thus, I found Bikram Yoga to be the single best exercise for reversing RA pain, stiffness and damage. To achieve results like mine, all exercise should be done with the appropriate diet. I believe that a sufferer of Rheumatoid Arthritis can do no better than to adopt a unique, plant-based diet program like my Paddison Program for Rheumatoid Arthritis and attend Bikram Yoga classes on a regular basis. In fact, I believe that if you have Rheumatoid Arthritis and you have nothing else available to you except the right foods and Bikram Yoga I you have a good chance of turning your condition around dramatically.

• From the bottom of my heart, thanks to the team at Bikram Bondi Junction in Sydney for not judging me. For allowing me to come in, do my thing, and slowly heal without ever drawing attention to me or making me feel self-conscious. Now I look forward to more hot, challenging and life-changing classes in the future. On both legs.

• Clint Paddison

• We’ve given examples of high profile athletes  who swear by yoga … well, here are three more to add to the list! NBA All-Star Joe Johnson and NFL Pro Bowl running back Steven Jackson and wide receiver Torrey Smith all credit the ancient practice with helping to improve their game.

• Joe Johnson, Brooklyn Nets

“It’s pretty strenuous as far as a workout,” Johnson recently told the Huffington Post. “It loosens me up, actually. If we have to be at the gym at 5:30, I’ll go about 3 and I get out at 4:30. I go straight to the arena. I’ll already be loose and ready to go. It’s very relaxing.”

“I’ve never meditated before, or anything of that nature, but when I started doing Bikram, it just kind of goes with [it],” he said. “I found myself meditating and really relaxing and clearing my thoughts.”

Steven Jackson, Atlanta Falcons

• Practising yoga once a week, this NFL running back, who happens to be the league’s active rushing leader, hopes that stretching will extend his football career.

• “It keep the limbs limber; it’s a form of mediation, too. I feel good when I stretch, especially after travelling so much,” he said in an interview.

• With the average NFL career estimated to last just three to six years, Jackson is doing well so far. He has missed only two games over the past four seasons and only 13 in his entire career.

• Torrey Smith, Baltimore Ravens

• Although Smith first turned to yoga for such physical benefits as improved flexibility, but the NFL wide receiver found himself embracing its mental benefits, too.

• “Yoga is hard; it is some kind of workout,” said Smith, who practises two to three times a week. “It’s helped a lot. I’ve definitely benefitted from the mental aspect of it.”

• Mind-Body Benefits of Bikram Yoga

• Yoga, considered a mind-body activity, has many athletic benefits, including:

• Stress reduction
• Reduced anxiety/depression
• Less pain
• Improved self-esteem/self-efficacy
• Elevated mood
• Enhanced personal control
• Increased strength, balance, co-ordination
• Heightened body awareness