Tip of the Week: Rabbit Pose

Question sent in to us via email from student Marty: "I have the hardest time getting into rabbit pose. I feel like I have a tight spine and it doesn't round very easily in this posture."

Many yoga students have difficulty even getting part-way into Rabbit posture because they focus too much on pulling on the heels, and do not put enough attention into lifting the hips up. As Bikram's Beginning Yoga Class explains, the way to overcome this is to lift the hips up first, bending forward while gripping the heels, from the beginning of the posture. Once the body is curling forward and the hips are lifting, then it's easier to pull on the heels and work towards straightening the arms. While pulling on the heels, lift the shoulders away from the ears.

Also remember to really suck your abdominal muscles in. By doing so you'll be able to stretch further and with more ease.

Don't over do it or go too far. Over time your spine will become more flexible and you'll feel the incredible benefits of the posture!

Congrats to the Winners!

It was quite a nailbiter watching the Top 15 contestants of our "Yoga Everywhere" photo contest rack up votes on Facebook over the weekend! Thank goodness we decided to leave the decision in the hands of our Facebook Fans because there was no way we could have chosen a winner on our own. Every photo submitted was just too amazing! 

Winslow Passey's photo on the summit of the Grand Teton and Stef Charlesworth's photo at the Salt Flats got so many votes that we decided to not have only one winner, but TWO! Congratulations to you both Winslow and Stef. We hope you enjoy your One Month Unlimited Pass to Bikram Yoga SLC! And because we couldn't leave out the other 13 contestants in the Top 15, it's our pleasure to give you each a $10 studio credit! 

Thanks again to everyone for making this contest so fun, exciting, and inspiring!

Namaste

 Winslow Passey

Stef Charlesworth

Help Us Choose a Winner!

It has been so exciting seeing all the beautiful and inspiring photos our students have submitted for our "Yoga Everywhere" photo contest! We appreciate you all for putting yourselves out there and sharing your practice and artistry with us. We had a whopping 125 photos submitted! We had the hardest time narrowing it down to the Top 10, so we stretched it to the Top 15. Please help us choose the winner by Liking us on Facebook and clicking "Like" on your favorite photo. Click here to vote on your favorite photo!   You have until midnight tonight to vote. The winner will be announced tomorrow!

 

 

 

Tip of the Week: Balancing Stick

This posture is one of the most exhilarating, yet challenging postures in the Bikram Series. Just like Standing Head-to-Knee Pose and Standing Bow Pulling Pose, bringing the chest parallel to the floor helps to stimulate and bring strength to the heart, which is exactly why it is also known as “heart attack on a stick posture”! 

Tips to help improve your Balancing Stick

 

Your set up will determine how well you will perform your posture.  

 

Lean back slightly in the set up to stretch up toward the ceiling. 

 

Lift your chest and as you step into the posture LOCK your knees and elbows and CONTRACT every muscle, even before you start. This will improve stability in the posture.

 

Point your toes from beginning. After you step forward and before you bring your body down, lift your back leg one inch off the floor, and point your toes.

 

As you bring your body down, keep your back leg and arms in one solid straight line. If your arms come down before your leg comes up, or your leg comes up before your arms go down you are NOT in a straight line. You are a "broken umbrella".

 

With your arms glued to your ears, keep them and your back leg completely parallel to the floor.

Breathe slow and even! Because this posture is only 10 seconds long, people often try to hold their breath here.

 

Stomach, stomach, stomach! Stabilizing your core is key in this posture and will help you balance. Remember dead weight is heavy weight, so keep everything contracted and you’ll feel light as a feather.

Imagine like your body is being used in a game of tug-of-war. Your arms and legs should be stretching each other apart in opposite directions!

Benefits of the Balancing Stick Bikram Pose:

This particular Bikram yoga pose improves balance, increases endurance, increases lung capacity, stimulates the heart and arteries (strengthens the heart), helps to clear blockages from arteries helping to prevent future cardiac issues, helps varicose veins, burns fat, relieves tension spine, improves concentration. Physiologically, this posture stimulates the pancreas, liver, spleen, kidneys, and nervous system.

Rajashree Choudhury says that 300 calories are burned in this 10 second posture. That’s how much internal work your body is doing!

Tip of the Week: Triangle

This is a great video demonstration of Bikram Choudhury doing Triangle (Trikonasana). Keeping two heels in one line, when he sits down he keeps his spine in the center. Notice how he brings his hips forward and his right knee back before bringing his fingers to his toes in order to get the proper alignment and triangle formation. When his fingers don't quite reach his toes, he stretches his right shoulder down without bringing his hips up. Keeping his left knee locked and squeezing his left glute muscle he twists to the left as in spine twisting posture.

What I Wish I Had Known as a Bikram Beginner

By Lisa Jones

There are the classic do’s and don’ts that every hot room newbie hears, as they nervously prepare for their first class. It’s usually about setting up, drinking water, and where to leave their sweaty rental towel.

But the practice of Bikram yoga is full of subtleties that I wish I had known when I got started. Here are just a few of them:

~ Sweat is sexy. I know you think it’s gross. But it’s so not. Sweat means passion. Dedication. Hard work. Health. It’s hot. Seriously.

~ Don’t worry about getting into better shape or getting more flexible before you come to your first class. We were all kinds of broken down messes when we first came. Fitness and flexibility come from going to class. Just start where you are.

~ Don’t set up in the front row on your first class, but stagger your mat so that you can see yourself in the mirror. You don’t like to look in a mirror, you say? You cringe at the sight of yourself in work-out clothes? That is exactly why you are here. It’s not to get the cute yoga ass you’ve heard so much about; that’s just a side effect. You are here to learn to love your reflection. We all had that critical voice in our head when we got here; you are here to kill that voice. You are here so that you can look in the mirror and smile kindly at yourself, like you are an old friend. You are here so that someday you can look yourself in the eyes and bow to your own grace and strength.

~ You will learn that us Bikram yogis love our bodies. Not that we are all perfect, by any means, but we love the incredible things that our forms are capable of. We treat them with respect and pride. This means we are not afraid to wear the smallest yoga clothes possible and we’re fine with nudity in the change room. We gave up shame around class #5. You will, too.

~ Savasana really is the hardest posture we do. When you are in camel, you might think I am full of it. But really, it’s savasana. It’s brutal to be still, in both mind and body, but that is OK. This is a lifelong practice.

~ The postures build on themselves; there will be a first step, then a next step. If you feel too challenged by a posture, go back to an earlier step and work on mastering that. Substituting different yoga postures or crunches or wind-sprints does not impress us. It makes us worry you will hurt yourself. You can take an improv class on a different night.

~ When you begin, you might think Bikram is all about the work-out because it’s all you can get your mind around. Be reassured that this practice is about embracing stillness, managing your ego and getting control of your monkey mind. It’s a profoundly spiritual meditation practice – it just takes a few classes to get your mind to shut the hell up long enough to realize that.

~ I promise you that even though it is all you can think about – leaving the room will not help you. I’ve seen several people pass out, all of them were attempting to leave the room when they went down. Sit or lie down on your mat and let the community energy and the watchful eye of the instructor support you. Breathe.

~ Get ready. If you decide to stick with this, get ready for a community more supportive that you could ever imagine. Get ready for huge challenges and more huge rewards. Get ready to cry in postures because you never thought it was possible that you could ever do them. Get ready to crave time in the hot room. Get ready to wonder what you ever did without it. Get ready for the yoga to change your body, mind and relationships in ways that will shock you.

Top 7 Reasons Why You Should Do Bikram in the Summer

If you're like most people, the thought of sweating it out in a 105 degree room is the last thing you feel like doing in the middle of a sweltering hot summer.

But practicing Bikram Yoga during the summer months can help acclimate you to the season's heat and actually make the summer more bearable. Also, without the large difference between the temps outside and inside the studio, you'll be able to warm up faster once you get to class.

Here are the Top 7 Reasons Why You Should Do Bikram in the Summer:

1. When you first walk into the yoga room, it actually feels cooler than outside! Piece of cake!

2. When you leave the yoga room, the outside feels cooler than inside! So you are getting best of both worlds! Bikram Yoga makes the summer more manageable!

3. The relentless heat from the summer can leave you feeling sluggish. Every time you take class, you fill your "gas tank" by hyper-oxygenating the nerves and blood vessels in your body.

4. Your body is more warmed up before class. Muscles are more relaxed in the heat. In the afternoon classes especially, you may find that you are more flexible and go deeper in the postures since your body had all day to warm up.

5. You will save money on your air conditioning bills by acclimatizing your body to a warmer temperature in your house so you won't have to run the A/C as much!

6. You will release toxins faster. Your body is warmer, you start sweating sooner, and you lose more of the stuff. 'Nuff said. (Just don't forget to be super-hydrated before and after class, and add some replacement minerals to your during-class water).

7. You will look and feel more confident in your skin, and of course your swimsuit!

2012 Olympic Athletes Prepare With Yoga

By Ann Pizer

When the U.S. national yoga asana championships were held in New York City in March, 2012, the media was all abuzz about the campaign to see competitive yoga become a new Olympic sport. This idea, spearheaded by Rajashree Choudhury (the wife Bikram yoga founder Bikram Choudhury) has been in the works for a few years, but seems to have gathered momentum recently. The United States Yoga Federation (Yoga USA), an organization led by Mrs. Choudhury, has stated that their goal is yoga's inclusion in the 2016 Games, but whether or not it makes the cut, yoga already plays a big part in the Olympics, offering strength training, improved flexibility, and, perhaps most importantly, psychological tools to many of the athletes who are set to compete under intense pressure in a wide range of sports at the summer 2012 Olympics in London. 

 

Strength and Flexibility

 

 

Top U.S. athletes report that yoga is an important part of their training routines, with improved core strength, flexibility, and alignment topping the list of physical benefits the practice imparts. For cyclist Evelyn Stevens, who rides on the Specialized - lululemon team, her interest in yoga predates her professional cycling career, as she was first introduced to yoga as a member of the tennis team at Dartmouth College. Though it can be difficult for an athlete on the competitive circuit to attend yoga classes regularly, Stevens finds that frequent power yoga classes improve her core strength and balance, both critical to cycling. When on the road, she maintains her practice by using yoga podcasts in her hotel room. 

 

Swimmer Rebecca Soni is also a yoga enthusiast. Soni is a breaststroke specialist and already an Olympic medalist, having won a gold and two silvers at the 2008 games in Beijing. She recently began taking yoga classes to help improve the flexibility in her shoulders and back. “I think my body is much better aligned as a result of my yoga work, which is an advantage in the pool," Soni says. She also finds that yoga helps her recover from the intense workouts her training necessitates. 

 

Listening to the Body

Fellow swimmer Ariana Kukors, who is the world record holder in the 200 Individual Medley, hopes to make London 2012 her first Olympics. The 22-year-old began doing Bikram yoga with her mom while still in high school. Kukors has found that yoga helps her be more in tune with her body, which in turn improves her swimming. Better body awareness and relaxation are also cited by gymnast Rebecca Bross as benefits she enjoys from doing yoga consistently. Bross, who is hoping to come back from a knee injury to represent the U.S. in the London games, has been complimenting her gymnastic training with weekly hatha  yoga classes for several years. 

 

Preparing the Mind

Aside from the physical advantages yoga offers, cyclist Stevens finds breath work and visualization to be exceptionally beneficial for her racing preparation. Stevens says. "I always finish my yoga practice feeling calmer, mentally stronger, and with a smile." Kukors agrees that yoga's primary benefits to her competitive performance are mental. Yoga "teaches you to block out the distraction from the outside world and really become in tune with how you are feeling," she says. "I think being able to center myself and retreat into my own little world is the best thing I've taken away from yoga."

We'll have to wait and see if competitive yoga will be included in future Olympics, but in the meantime, yoga students may find that the person on the next mat is one of the country's most elite athletes. Hopefully yoga will help give them the mental and physical advantages they need to succeed at the highest level of competition.

Namaste

In India when people meet and part they often say, "Namaste" which means: "I honor the place within you where the entire Universe resides; I honor the place within you of love, of light, of truth, of peace; I honor the place within you, where, when you are in that place in you, and I am in that place in me, there is only one of us."

The gesture Namaste represents the belief that there is a Divine spark within each of us that is located in the heart chakra. The gesture is an acknowledgment of the soul in one by the soul in another. "Nama" means bow, "as" means I, and "te" means you. Therefore, Namaste literally means "bow me you" or "I bow to you."

For a teacher and student, Namaste allows two individuals to come together energetically to a place of connection and timelessness, free from the bonds of ego-connection. If it is done with deep feeling in the heart and with the mind surrendered, a deep union of spirits can blossom.

Ideally, Namaste should be done both at the beginning and at the end of class. Usually, it is done at the end of class because the mind is less active and the energy in the room is more peaceful. The teacher initiates Namaste as a symbol of gratitude and respect toward her students and her own teachers and in return invites the students to connect with their lineage, thereby allowing the truth to flow—the truth that we are all one when we live from the heart.

Another Contest for Free Yoga

In addition to our photo contest Yoga Everywhere (click here for more info), we have another way for you to try to win some FREE Yoga! Michael Harris, a fellow Bikram Yoga studio owner from Oregon, is promoting his new book "Falling Down Getting UP" and you may enter to win Six Months Unlimited Bikram Yoga at any studio of your choice including ours with no purchase necessary at Win Six Months Unlimited Yoga!

You must enter today – the winner will be announced Friday, July 27^th!

This Special Prize is being offered by a long time leader and teacher in the Bikram community Michael Harris. Michael is releasing his first book, “Falling Down Getting UP” with great fanfare and reviews from many people. The book is really about you and that place where we all go when we struggle. This book details the power of Bikram Yoga and how you can overcome virtually anything through regular practice.  If you want to see yoga principals come alive and how they can help you, order this book today.  It is about facing your struggles with determination and courage.  

Today Tuesday, July 24^th a very special opportunity exists to buy Michael’s book “Falling Down Getting UP.” Michael has partnered with Morgan James Publishing and Amazon to launch this book. In addition to the book he is offering a number of special bonuses valued at more than $10,000 with a Grand Prize of Six Months Unlimited Bikram Yoga!

This book tells Michael's true story of his personal destruction and recovery. The story details how he lived through a near fatal accident, vascular disease and addictions.  Michael then discusses exactly how Bikram Yoga changed his life and how it can change you. This is a must read for everyone that practices Bikram Yoga and for anyone you know that could benefit from new hope in their life. I highly recommend you get your copy today. 

Enter here for your chance to Win Bikram Yoga:Win Six Months Unlimited Yoga! and Order the Book Today!  

Evette's 200 Day Challenge

Bikram Yoga SLC student Evette has embarked on a journey of challenging herself to practice 200 sessions in 200 days. Pushing herself to go above and beyond, she doubled her goal from 100 to 200 sessions, and recently did 4 classes in one day. We admire your determination Evette and thank you for allowing us to share in your quest! 

Below are a couple of her latest entries from her blog 200 in 200 Bikram Yoga Challenge

Practice 200 Bikram yoga sessions in 200 days is my challenge. Initially I committed to 100 sessions in 100 days. After reading yoga philosophy on determination I upped my goal to 200 in 200. According to the philosophy to truly test determination, set a goal that is challenging and attainable, then double it. This blog documents my journey to 200 and if you get something from reading my thoughts, fantastic.

 79: Soft and Strong
79 of 200, day 70, July 20

My practice has shifted from pushing hard to being soft and strong. Previously I forced myself into asanas in practice. Now I focus on being present and strong in asanas. This allows me to be relaxed in practice.

73: Action to Shape, Stillness to Be 

73 of 200, day 66, July 16

I'm sure teachers have mentioned action and stillness many times in practice. The difference today is that I listened. In yoga practice consider the action & stillness, the balance and strength required in postures then the calm stillness of savasana. It is the action that shapes me, then being closer and closer to stillness that makes me become more. The physical challenge and mental focus required to do postures shapes me mentally, physically, spiritually, socially and emotionally. My body seems to be able to take on more challenge at times than my mind. Some days it is my body that heals my mind. Other days it is my mind that heals my body. All days it is savasana that takes all this shaping in practice and converts it to being more aware. The stillness releases the limiting behaviors and beliefs of the past. And I am  aware of something new in myself. It has always been there but now it has surfaced.

Yoga Everywhere Photo Contest!

  WIN A

ONE MONTH

UNLIMITED PASS!

Yoga Everywhere
Photo Contest!

·      Strike a pose anywhere, capture the moment in a photo

and post it on our Facebook page!

·      It could be in a crowd, somewhere funny, inside/outside, somewhere beautiful

or somewhere unusual and unexpected!

·      Enter as many pictures as you’d like, and submit them by

Sept 30th at midnight!

·      Be creative and do yoga EVERYWHERE!

A few words From Rajashree Choudhury

 

 

Overcoming Boredom

 

"Bikram's method is really consistent with people in building their personality; their perspective of life, their will power, and self esteem is helped by the 26 2. At the same time, Bikram's classes have been viewed as boring: it's 90 minutes, the same postures, same routine - you don't (feel you) find something new. But that boredom is something we have to conquer in our own mind because a lot of times, in adults especially, we like to constantly change, change, change. In doing the change, we lose the concentration and focus... Yoga helps us disconnect from the world and find something new."

 

Meditation

 

"People understand the mediation benefits (of the class). Practicing meditation... is sometimes very hard. What's the purpose of mediation? It is two things - concentration and relaxation... This all depends on breath. Many times when you try, if the mind is full of worry and excitement, it will affect your breath, no matter what. If you are not healthy, then you are not ready yet to concentrate and focus and properly train to do your breathing. Practicing Bikram Yoga helps check that mind off and breathing is part of surviving in the class. In the end, you do the proper utilization of the breath and find the concentration, focus and relaxation which is the purpose of meditation. Breathing connects your body and mind."

 

If You Grow With It, Stick With It

 

"One thing is this - people should see the result. If the result is effective and positive in their life, they should stick with it. I always say my Guru is my heart because I always listen to my heart - is it mentally, spiritually, and physically enhancing me, or not? If I see I am growing and it is helping me, then I'd rather stick with it. Why should I change it?"

Jade's 30 Day Challenge

The following is an entry from Bikram Yoga SLC student Jade Tinker's blog Journey to the Center of Myself.

She welcomes us to share in her journey as she endures her first 30 day challenge, and offers insight to some struggles and benefits she's already experiencing 11 days into the challenge.

We'll continue to update you with her latest blog entries so she can be your motivator and you can be her cheerleader! Way to go Jade!

 

 

 

11 days into my 30 day challenge

I did not get the chance yesterday to talk about about my 30-day challenge so far.

I have always read and heard that "the 30 day challenge will change your life!" but have always been pretty skeptical. I mean, 30 days is a rather short amount of time to have your life change significantly. Still, I had always wanted to try a 30 day challenge but had always told myself that I didn't have the time to commit to it. Well, the past couple months that I had payed for my Bikram membership, I had (as usual) had a difficult time being consistent in my practice. So, 12 days ago I decided that I couldn't just wait to have the time for a 30 day challenge, I had to make the time or it would never happen. It was a relatively spur of the moment decision, but I have been to 11 classes so far and have loved every minute of it!

It was definitely a rough start though. The first four classes/days were hard. For the first week, I woke up every morning feeling like I had been run over by a truck. I was so incredibly sore. Everywhere. Like, in places I didn't even know I had muscles! Still, I made it to every class and always felt amazing on the way out, no matter how hard it was to get there.

The main difference I have noticed is how my body is reacting to the heat. I am hardly sweating anymore. Even when I do sweat, I don't feel so hot that I am nauseous (which has always been a big battle for me). I know some people really like it when they get really hot, but I don't think I'm one of those people. I find lately that the room is definitely hot enough that I'm very stretchy and pliable, but not so hot that I feel like I'm dying (not an exaggeration! it happens!). In fact, there have been have been some really cool moments when I have gotten goosebumps while in savasana (dead body pose).

This is how it happens: I am lying there, focusing on relaxing every muscle in my body. I can feel beads of sweat slowly sliding down my body, on my stomach, legs, arms, forehead, even off and into my ears. And then I get goosebumps! And I feel cold on the outside but still very warm on the inside. I mentioned this to my mother the other day and she said it reminded her of how some people can meditate to walk on coals. This makes me wonder if the goosebumps are some sort of sign of my level of meditation. Hmmm....

Not feeling so sick and hot during the class has definitely enabled me to really focus on my postures and my meditation. It is sooooo much easier to clear your mind when you are not thinking, "Don't throw up, don't throw up.... God, its hot in here!" In the past, it felt like I really tortured myself for 90 minutes to feel amazing the rest of the day (which was well worth it!). Now, I find myself really enjoying each class. I occasionally smile at myself in the mirror and I laugh when the teachers make corny jokes, things I could never do before because I was so uncomfortable.

Another thing I have noticed is that classes are flying by now. I used to count down the minutes and watch the clock starting halfway through class. Now, class seems much shorter than the 90 minutes it is. I attribute a lot of this to my deeper meditation during class, especially since I am able to ignore the heat more than before. It has been an amazing feeling to turn my brain off for those 90 minutes and let the instructor "drive" my body, so to speak. I don't think about anything and listen to the dialogue, and my body follows the instruction like a robot. This mental checking out helps me to meditate as well because I am thinking about nothing, versus thinking about what my body is going to do next.

Yesterday, I took a big step! I ended up in the front row of class. Being in the front row is usually reserved for experienced yogis because they are setting the tone for the rest of the class. Technically, they aren't supposed to sit out any poses, because it often causes a domino effect. If they sit out, other people feel like they have been given "permission" to sit out poses as well. Don't get me wrong, everyone is allowed to sit out if they feel the need, but people on the front row are supposed to set an example. I have always felt like that was a lot of pressure and have avoided the first row like a plague.

Well, I walked into class yesterday and most of the spots were taken but the front row was wide open. I decided to go ahead and take a first row spot. "Why not?" I asked myself. I haven't needed to sit out any postures in about 4 classes, but that did not mean this class was going to be the same. I decided to go for it, and it was a very rewarding experience. Being so close to the mirror, it was easier to focus on myself and not be distracted by the people in between the mirror and myself. At the end of class, the instructor thanked the first row for the wonderful energy we were sharing with the rest of the room. Boy, did that make me feel good! Taking a spot in the first row is something I will definitely be trying again.

This post is getting a little long for my taste, but talking about 1/3 of my 30 day challenge deserves some space! The last thing I want to say is that I was really ( really) wrong to think that 30 days was too short of time to experience a change in life. Over just the past week and a half, I have noticed that my mind is much clearer and more calm. I feel more peaceful, less stressed. I agree with how this one yogi put it after her 14th class in her 30 day challenge:

"Yesterday, my friend told me that he had been reading this blog, and that I sounded like I am on a whole different level when writing it. I don’t feel as though this challenge is really changing or altering me, only that it makes day-to-day decisions and interactions more clear and easy. Outside of class, I definitely feel healthier, more fit, and less bogged down by any baggage – mental or physical. I still feel like me, but maybe a bit of change is taking place afterall… "

My thoughts just seem to flow easier and I am thinking clearly. It kind of feels like my brain has been cluttered all my life, and I am finally learning what it is like to have a clear, calm mind. Man, I didn't know what I was missing!

Time to start getting ready for class! Then the rest of the day :) Ciao. 

Abbie's Story

Below is the inspiring story of Bikram Yoga SLC student Abbie who suffered a stroke last January and has learned to walk and balance again with a strong Bikram yoga practice. We are so happy you are back Abbie and thank you for being an inspiration to us all!

I started practicing Bikram yoga in 2003 and instantly became a fan. At the time I was out of shape and struggling with depression. With regular practice, I quickly became light, lean and limber. Within a year I was completely off antidepressants. These benefits made a significant improvement in my quality of life and sealed my future as a permanent practitioner.

I continued to reap the rewards of regular practice until January 2012, when I suffered an acute stroke due to an injury to my right vertebral artery. My body was impacted through loss of vision, balance and the inability to walk. I went from being able to hold toe stand for 30 seconds to not being able to stand on one leg for 3 seconds. I was devastated about the breakdown in my body and craved that space of moving meditation I experienced in Bikram class.

Having a strong foundation of yoga practice prior to the stroke empowered me to look beyond the disappointment and get laser focused on healing. I had my yoga mat brought to the hospital and practiced floor postures while undergoing therapy to learn to walk and balance again. I posted this affirmation where I could see it all day long: “I am absolutely capable of healing. My body and brain know perfectly how to heal.” After two and a half weeks I returned home and continued practicing yoga as often as I could. I started practicing yoga with Bikram’s CD, and used my bedroom walls to keep me supported in standing postures. My physical therapist was amazed at how quickly my body was relearning proper movement and balance.

By March I was walking relatively well and decided it was time to progress my healing and return to Bikram class. I was nervous that first class back - worried about the risk of falling and the impact the heat would have on my dizzy vision.  I received an abundance of encouragement from Greg, Becky and numerous teachers that countered any feelings of anxiety. To participate in the standing series I had to use the bar and back wall, yet I was still filled with love and light when I left class that day. I returned to class again and again, and each time experienced remarkable improvement. 

It has been two months since I returned to my Bikram practice, and I no longer need to use the bar or back wall for any posture. My balance is significantly improved. My vision is no longer constantly spinning. And my walk is almost what it was before the stroke. I can even wear high heels again! My neurologist is delighted at how quickly I am recovering, and most people can no longer tell I have any physical deficiencies.  I am eternally grateful to the role Bikram Yoga has played in my healing.

I have learned many important lessons in Bikram Yoga about mental determination, my body’s limitless capacity to heal, and the abundance of love in the universe. This is not the kind of yoga that you only practice in class, and then return back to your normal life. This is the yoga that becomes your way of life.

Namaste