I attended a Bikram Yoga class in Pasadena, CA yesterday and toward the end of the class the instructor said, “Lynn, the studio you attend must be great as you have a really good practice.”
The best part of what she said was “the studio you attend”. What a great compliment to you and my other instructors in Decatur. It was a reflection of not me but the studio I came from. It made me proud of our community - the Decatur studio.
Thank you to all my Decatur instructors for giving me a solid foundation to develop my practice. You’re the greatest!
I am a long term government employee with an interest in insects. Also, like Eric, I have found that wine and all its subtle nuances makes for a fun hobby.
How often? Usually 2 times per week
How long? 3 Years
Benefits: For years, I have had back problems. I tried many of the usual things to find relief (chiropractors, muscle relaxers, analgesics, physical therapy) with little success. Further, years of running and not stretching left me with iron hamstrings and no flexibility. After a few weeks of Bikram yoga I started noticing less and less pain. Now, I am relatively pain free, can sleep better and do not pop ibuprofen like candy.
Challenges: When I first started, I found out I had TERRIBLE balance and that I had to use the back wall to balance in several of the postures. Gradually, the balance has greatly improved. I am still working on the flexibility.
Many of my postures may not be picture perfect and I still struggle with many of them. However, for me, being relatively pain free after many years is certainly worth it. Bikram yoga may not help all back problems, but it did mine.
Raj Bhavsar is an alternate on the US Olympic Gymnastics team and he’s been chosen to replace Paul Hamm who had to pull out due to an injury. The NBC schedule has been hard to find so I’m not sure but I think he’s competing tonight. Here’s an inspiring video that was made before he was selected to compete.
How often? When I lived in the city, I averaged two/three times a week. Now that I’m in McDonough, I barely make it twice a month…(sigh)
How long? A year before you opened [2001] - I’ve been attending Bikram Yoga Decatur since it opened and continue to enjoy the practice, staff and atmosphere.
I own EA Incorporated which provides services in the area of written and oral communication skills (training, writing, editing, proofreading, transcribing to corporate, government and academic clients).
Benefits Seen: Health-wise it’s been GREAT!! I have three damaged discs in my neck and the heat helps tremendously. My body has really toned and I can actually see hips now!! Tummy was about 33 inches (pre-menopause spread), it’s down to 27 now. The practice has kept me flexible and energized. When folks ask how do I stay in shape, I proudly encourage them to give Bikram a try.
I am a hobbyist musician and career accountant with a degree in philosophy. I live with my wife in Decatur GA. Bikram yoga has transformed me by adding a physical and meditative practice to my life in a way that is directly applicable to my daily experience, fulfilling for my mind and immeasurably beneficial for my health.
Benefits Seen: Among the many benefits of Bikram yoga, I have experienced significantly greater patience, concentration and mindfuless accompanied by greater flexibility, higher energy level and overall improved physical condition.
Challenges: allowing my body to connect with my breath by finding the appropriate level of effort, while recognizing and discarding all of the different manifestations of my ego as they appear. The greater challenge is accepting that the level of effort that is appropriate and the manifestations of my ego will be different every single class that I take. And the heat…that’s challenging too….in a good way.
“In a world of so much furry fury and madness, there is a place where peace can be found, through the unspoken connection: the understanding of the universal soul, found only in the rhythmic inhale and soft exhale breath of yoga.” - Susan Lippert, BYD Instructor
I’m an English professor living in Decatur. I like professional sports as much as I like 19th-century novels. I like when my toddler plays on my yoga mat. I dislike the way my yoga mat smells (and sometimes the way my toddler smells).
How often? 3 times a week
How long? 4 years
Benefits: I started doing Bikram yoga when I moved to Beijing, and my regular practice helped me find the mental calm I needed to deal with the stresses of living in a foreign country. Also, I could notice improvement in my yoga more readily than in my Chinese. Back home, the calm of my yoga practice helped me finished my dissertation. Also, this yoga helps me sleep (instead of counting sheep, I rehearse the series in my head).
Challenges: Initially, the heat was the most challenging. I notice that less these days, and am more challenged by staying present in each posture, not mentally jumping ahead.
I’ve been taking Bikram classes on and off since BYD opened. At first, I took classes because I thought it would be challenging exercise, and, of course, it is. But I keep coming back to Bikram, sometimes after an absence of months, because it is the best, most affordable, and most convenient therapy I can get.
I’m 47 years old, and my job as a judicial law clerk keeps me at a desk or a computer all day long, crunching up my neck and shoulders. I’m also an avid gardener and work my half-acre garden year-round – hauling rocks and digging holes and pruning shrubs. That’s hard on the back and joints. But an hour and a half in a Bikram class and I’m limber and pain free again. More importantly, I’m stronger.
Bikram yoga works the spine and back like no other exercise I’ve done. The 26 postures are designed to keep the spine flexible and the muscles supporting it very strong which helps maintain the core strength and balance needed to continue doing the things I love as I get older. The postures also work the internal organs and the endocrine system. Although I’m perimenopausal, and the occasional hot flash makes hot yoga challenging, it is worth it because the postures keep my hormonal systems balanced, too.
Finally, Bikram yoga is mental therapy, the perfect adjunct to my regular meditation practice. Ideally, yoga should be meditation in motion. During a Bikram class, I couldn’t dwell on the stresses and worries of the day even if I wanted to! Intense focus on the present, on how my body and breath work together to stay in the posture, pulls my mind away from nagging thoughts. After a class, my mind is peaceful, and that peace stays with me for the rest of the day.
Eric…. you Run a GREAT place! I just want to tell you that you hire very SMART, KNOWLEDGEABLE, SERIOUS and reasonable instructors and make the learning enjoyable and intense. I think your clients are proof of the nice/fun and hard working practice you run!!!
When I was in the Bikram Yoga teacher training program Bikram talked a lot about celebrities and athletes who practiced at his studio, one of whom, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, brought his whole family to the studio. I’ve heard that Jabbar’s son went so far as to become a certified instructor and later won second place in the International Yoga Asana Championship (no link because I can’t find any). Abdul-Jabbar is inarguably one of the most well-known and respected athletes of all time. He’s in his fifties and retired as a professional athlete but he still practices yoga daily. And he blogs for the LA Times. And in a recent blog entry he has some inspiring words about yoga, including Bikram Yoga. I’ve pulled an excerpt below in which he offers some encouraging advice for those just getting started. The article is titled, “Fit after 50: Staying flexible with yoga,” but his suggestions are appropriate for any age.
1. Be consistent. Any new endeavor requires a period of commitment. At first, you may feel awkward or self-conscious, but promise yourself that you’ll stick with it for two months. At the same time, to receive the most benefits, you’ll need to practice yoga at least three times a week.
2. It’s not a competition. As a beginner, your body needs a period of adjustment as it adapts to new demands. Don’t push yourself beyond your limits just because you see others able to do what you can’t. We don’t throw the teen that just got his driver’s license into the Indy 500. Take your time.
3. Practice with a friend. It’s easier to keep motivated if you have someone you work out with. So, if you intend to take a yoga class at your fitness club, or practice at home with a DVD, see if you can get a friend to practice with you.
