Student Spotlight: Sue

This month, Sue will celebrate her 3-year anniversary of practicing Bikram Yoga. In just 3 short years, Sue has taken over 1,050 classes! That's amazing!

Over the past year, she has been practicing every day, at different times during the week. "It is challenging, cleansing and healing", Sue says. She continues to workout, bike and keep active as she did before yoga. Now, she does all with less intensity yet more ease.

Bikram Yoga hooked me gradually, as it "worked for me and was a changing structure, it gave me purpose and inner joy."

"I no longer have as many minor aches and pains. My body heals from injuries quicker and cleanses itself from the inside out, flushing both mental and physical toxins more rapidly. While doing Bikram Yoga, I healed broken ribs and even did the series with a broken bone in my foot!"

Sue says asking her which posture is her favorite is not a fair question! "Camel heals the spine, thus everything else because as we all know, everything is connected to the spine. Throughout the day I break out into backbends, both mini ones and full ones. They instantly rejuvenate me!"

When Sue talks to new students about BY (even random people on the street, haha), "I froth at the mouth because it encompasses everything positive for your well-being. I tell people to just give it a try and then come back a few times, to really give it a chance."

Student Spotlight: Jen

I have always been active in lots of sports - swimming, tennis, softball, basketball, golf, skiing - but as the work life takes over and age prohibits playing some sports at the level I would like, I found myself wanting and needing something else to challenge me. Before Bikram Yoga, I had never taken a yoga class of any kind. I always thought yoga would be boring and not active or challenging enough, and that the "monkey mind" would not meditate long enough. Boy was I wrong! I bought a Groupon and thought I would try one class and if I hated it, I figured I've spent $20 in worse places. After the first class, I was hooked. It felt so good to sweat!

After years of playing many sports and the wear and tear on all the joints, BY has helped my hips and knees tremendously. Before BY, I couldn't sit on my knees as in Fixed Firm. After just 6 months of practicing, I could feel a difference in my knees and hips, and now they are so much more flexible. Organized sports teach you to be competitive, so with BY, it's a competition within, both physically and mentally, and that's been a wonderful learning experience. Bikram Yoga has taught me to be calmer and carefree, and yet dedicated, motivated and enthusiastic about this practice. As weird as this will sound, I've always had a battle with sinuses and breathing through the nose, allergies as well as physical limits (even had sinus surgery!), so the biggest challenge has been learning to fight past this and breathe through the nose the whole 90 minutes. At first, it was a big struggle for me and I felt like I couldn't get enough oxygen into the lungs and would have to sit several of the postures out just to catch my breath. Cardio has never been my strong feature, so learning the 80/20 breathing has been and still is a learning process, as well as having power over the mind when it tells me to get out the posture early. From all the sports and sitting at a computer for work, tightness in the hips, knees, low back and shoulders are still trying to loosen up, but are definitely getting better. I feel like a million bucks!

Bikram Yoga is not only a physical challenge, but it's a mental challenge and a spiritual journey for me. I experienced a tragic loss 9 months ago and just wasn't physically or emotionally able to practice the yoga without having a total breakdown and cry my eyes out. After a grieving process, I pushed myself back into the yoga room. Yes, I cried a few times and felt like I was starting over, but there is something about the BY that is healing and very powerful and very spiritual. And the best part is 5 minutes into the final savasana after 90 minutes of hard work - it is the best meditation, awareness and enlightenment, almost like you're floating or weightless. I have finally reached the point where I can make the "monkey mind" pause, even if it's only for a brief moment. And I love the fact that I learn something new each and every class, whether it's something the instructor said, new awareness about my body, or just the moment I can push myself to a new limit.

I would probably have to say right now my favorite posture is Standing Head to Knee, only because I'm finally getting my head down without falling over! When I can nail it in class, I feel awesome. And Triangle used to be my nemesis because my hips would hurt and I couldn't breathe, (I used to sit a round of this one out!) but now I've almost conquered it. I find the Full Locust and Bow to be my most challenging because I feel like I'm hardly bending in the direction needed!

When asked what advice she would give a new student, she said, "Be patient with yourself as your body changes. It's not about how far you can bend, it's about doing the postures right and depth will come. I read Bikram's books in the very beginning which helped me learn more about the postures, and I highly recommend taking a Boot Camp class or a private lesson!"

Yoga at the Office?

Having good posture throughout the day can help to relieve a number of common ailments. If you work at a desk, these tips may help you have a more comfortable, enjoyable work day! The following video contains some great information about our natural body posture and alignment, and below you'll find suggestions of "Good Working Positions" from OSHA. Happy sitting!

Setting up a Workstation & Good Working Positions (from OSHA)

To understand the best way to set up a computer workstation, it is helpful to understand the concept of neutral body positioning. This is a comfortable working posture in which your joints are naturally aligned. Working with the body in a neutral position reduces stress and strain on the muscles, tendons, and skeletal system and reduces your risk of developing a musculoskeletal disorder (MSD). The following are important considerations when attempting to maintain neutral body postures while working at the computer workstation:

• Hands, wrists, and forearms are straight, in-line and roughly parallel to the floor.
• Head is level, or bent slightly forward, forward facing, and balanced. Generally it is in-line with the torso.
• Shoulders are relaxed and upper arms hang normally at the side of the body.
• Elbows stay in close to the body and are bent between 90 and 120 degrees.
• Feet are fully supported by the floor or a footrest may be used if the desk height is not adjustable.
• Back is fully supported with appropriate lumbar support when sitting vertical or leaning back slightly.
• Thighs and hips are supported by a well-padded seat and generally parallel to the floor.
• Knees are about the same height as the hips with the feet slightly forward.

Regardless of how good your working posture is, working in the same posture or sitting still for prolonged periods is not healthy. You should change your working position frequently throughout the day in the following ways:

• Make small adjustments to your chair or backrest.
• Stretch your fingers, hands, arms, and torso.
• Stand up and walk around for a few minutes periodically.

These four reference postures are examples of body posture changes that all provide neutral positioning for the body.

Upright Sitting

Upright sitting posture. The user's torso and neck are approximately vertical and in-line, the thighs are approximately horizontal, and the lower legs are vertical.

Figure 1. Upright sitting posture

Figure 2. The user's torso and neck are approximately vertical and in-line, the thighs are approximately horizontal, and the lower legs are vertical

Standing

Standing posture. The user's legs, torso, neck, and head are approximately in-line and vertical. The user may also elevate one foot on a rest while in this posture.

Figure 3. Standing posture

Figure 4. The user's legs, torso, neck, and head are approximately in-line and vertical

Declined Sitting

Declined sitting posture. The user's thighs are inclined with the buttocks higher than the knee and the angle between the thighs and the torso is greater than 90 degrees. The torso is vertical or slightly reclined and the legs are vertical.

Figure 5. Declined sitting position

Figure 6. The user's thighs are inclined with the buttocks higher than the knee and the angle between the thighs and the torso is greater than 90 degrees. The torso is vertical or slightly reclined and the legs are vertical

Reclined Sitting

Reclined sitting posture. The user's torso and neck are straight and recline between 105 and 120 degrees from the thighs.

Figure 7. Reclined sitting posture

Figure 8. The user's torso and neck are straight and recline between 105 and 120 degrees from the thighs

Yoga for Panic Attacks

By Lisa Jakub

I’ve heard several people say that they don’t like Bikram yoga because it’s not meditative or spiritual. I suppose on the surface it looks like boot camp, but it is not purely physical; it is an incredibly deep meditative practice.

I get panic attacks. I have been carried out of restaurants, bars, house parties and art galleries because I am a hyperventilating, sobbing mess. For a time they were so debilitating it was difficult to leave my house.

I thought Bikram might help me manage stress but I was very nervous about trying it. It involved going to a place I had never been and staying in a room for 90 minutes with people I didn’t know. This is a terrifying prospect for someone with panics like mine. I literally had an entire therapy session dedicated to discussing if I could survive my first Bikram yoga class.

I did survive. In fact, I thrived.

It is all well and good to meditate in a candle lit room with soothing music and people using gentle voices. It does feel great and I enjoy those types yoga classes, too. But they didn’t help me with my reality. I need to learn to relax when my brain throws some serious, hardcore panic at me.

Bikram has trained me to breathe and meditate when I am trapped in a room that is really bright, a million degrees, packed with people who smell and a teacher who is loud. That’s why I can now survive life in my head.

When I panic, it is bright and loud and I’m dizzy and nauseous. I can’t run away from that situation, either, but that’s fine because this yoga has taught me that there are options beyond fight or flight.

I rarely get panic attacks anymore. I have the same stress and the same triggers. The panics rise up and threaten me; they insist that I can’t breathe and I am going to die immediately. Then, I hear my teacher:

Meet resistance with breath. – Lizzie.

Don’t meet panic with frustration or defeat or anger. Just take a moment. Then, I hear another teacher:

This is going to hurt like hell. It’s O.K. Don’t be scared.  - Kirk.

I know I can do it, I can make it through this just like I make it through class four times a week. Then, I hear another teacher:

Deep breath in. Let it out slow. – Amy

And that’s exactly what I do.

The hot room is my training ground for the real world. Those instructions – seemingly about my physical practice – are the deepest, most spiritually profound lessons I could imagine.

Maybe it looks like boot camp to you, but to me, it’s church.

Lisa Jakub retired from acting so she could be a writer, yogi, wife, traveler and dog-mom. Read more from her at 

JustHereJustNow.com

 and 

LisaJakub.net

Student Spotlight: Vikki

Walk into the Bikram Yoga Paradise Valley studio and you will see Vikki's beautiful mandala artwork throughout. Being an artist, she says, "one of the first things I noticed (when I started practicing BY) were the mandalas that I began creating - "Well-Being" and Letting Go". I like the cleansing, detoxifying effect of the sweating and the postures working my entire system. I feel more empowered; being able to do Bikram Yoga helps me know that I have great endurance. I have learned that my tolerance is greater than I thought it was, both inside the yoga studio and out. There is something to be said for staying and "sweating it out". I generally feel more peaceful, capable and competent when I am consistent about the yoga. It also helps keep me disciplined about my eating and drinking choices.

Vikki started the yoga back in 2008 after hearing JohnJay talk about it on the radio. "Picture it, 2008, JohnJay had just discovered Bikram Yoga and talked about it every day on the radio, how challenging and yet awesome it was. I had to see if I could survive a class! My first class was with Misha, I'll never forget it. I really wasn't sure I could make it through, but SO grateful now I never left the room, turns out I can handle a lot more than I thought I could." Ever since the first class, I have been consistently challenged and rewarded. It is not something that can be mastered, always a new experience, even though it is "the same". She advises new students: "Stay....in...the..room. There is great strength in realizing you can endure something you previous believed was intolerable." Her favorite quote goes perfect with this thought, stating, "The simple truth is that every moment in every person's life contains the teaching that he or she most needs at that time" from the "I Ching" by Brian Brown Walker.

As for the medical and healing benefits of Bikram Yoga, Vikki says, "the yoga was a diagnostic tool for me, I have learned to move differently after the yoga brought to my attention imbalances in my hips and low back. Now I rarely experience the low back pain that made things very challenging in the beginning." Her favorite posture? "I really like Half-Tortoise, it is a great stretch and who can't use the relaxation equal to 8 hours sleep?!"

I LOVE the experience at BYAZ. I appreciate the passion and dedication of the instructors, the generous portions of humor, fun and special events, the commitment, compassion and camaraderie of the students.