Yoga masters turn up heat

PIPPA BROWN | Monday, February 13, 2012 10:15

GETTING BALANCE RIGHT: Yukari Miwa and Joseph Encinia take the tortoise and full standing bow poses to a new level while on a visit to Napier Bikram Yoga in Onekawa. PHOTO/GLENN TAYLOR HBT120735-01

It's a sweaty business, this Bikram yoga. In temperatures of 38C and 40 per cent humidity, up to 35 people can fill a studio in Onekawa and stretch their bodies and minds to the limit for 90 minutes in yogic asanas (postures).

This style of yoga promises to reduce stress, prevent injuries, restore health, increase circulation and benefit mental well-being.

Recently, 2011 World Yoga champions Joseph Encinia from the United States and Yukari Miwa from Japan pushed their students even further in a two-hour master class.

The two yoga practitioners are travelling through New Zealand promoting Bikram yoga.

Both have gravitated to the discipline for different reasons.

Diagnosed with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis at 8, Mr Encina suffered a heart attack at 13 from the side-effects of his medication - the type more common in 50-year-old men who have smoked and drank all their lives.

The improvement is noticeable. He describes his pain as manageable, his joints don't swell and he now has a full range of motion and flexibility. Although he has tried different yoga systems, he found the Bikram method more consistent and helpful.

Ms Miwa said winning the title had opened doors and introduced her to new cultures. As a child, she practised rhythmic gymnastics and then graduated from university as a teacher. She discovered Bikram in Los Angeles and returned to Japan to teach it.