A Thought On Fixed Firm and a Little Ramble Thrown In for Good Measure

They say Fixed Firm improves the mobility in the knees and the ankles. They say Fixed Firm pose saved Bikram from having to have his leg amputated after a bad weight lifting accident. They say to take Fixed Firm slowly and to breathe into it. They say, "You can mess with the Gods but not with the knees."

When I first started my practice, my legs would tingle like crazy after the compression. Lying in Savasana I could feel the blood rushing - zoom - into all my cells and ligaments in my knees and ankles. It would feel amazing. About 6 months into my practice this feeling went away. I enjoyed Fixed Firm but wouldn't get that blood rushing feeling. On the plus side I had noticed a HUGE improvement in my knees and ankles. Especially in my right ankle that used to roll constantly - it became much stronger and more stable.

Today, I found a new love for Fixed Firm. My ankles and knees seemed to collectively sigh when I went into the pose. I didn't get the tingles and pins and needles sensation when I stretched back out again but they felt renewed and refreshed after the impact that they take on my workout days. I said to my instructor, as I was leaving, that I firmly believe that the yoga improves my ability to work out as hard as I have been.

I believe that the combination of the HIIT and BodyRock with Bikram yoga is absolutely perfect for me. The impact that I put on my body during my workouts is then balanced out perfectly when I walk into the hot room and stretch and compress and twist and sweat every muscle that I worked out hard the day before. And my Bikram yoga has benefited a lot from the strength that I've gained from my workouts. I feel as though my back bends are stronger - I have more control going into and coming out of the poses. And my legs are much tougher! I can withstand the second part of Awkward with only a slight inner groan and I feel as though my Triangle pose has improved greatly. I don't have to focus as much on keeping my legs strong - they just are - I can focus more on the lifting of my chest and creating a triangle gap as well as sitting my hips down lower.

Yoga does a body good!