"This Yoga Saved My Life"

 Above photo via the Bikram Women's Retreat on Facebook. Photo below via FYeahYoga.

"Yoga saved my life. I now have the flexibility to cope, the calm to breathe, and the strength to hold on."


Have you ever heard a story like this? Or perhaps your yoga journey involves one that's similar?


I recently read a Patch article starring a yogini with a comparable tale. It reads:


"This yoga saved my life," said Curnett, who said she went went from having terrible asthma and allergies, being overweight, and being stressed out to becoming more forgiving, patient and loving. She's also given birth – twice – and returned to her pre-pregnancy weight both times.


I'm constantly astounded by the way a strong yoga practice can change a life so intensely. Yoga opens up so many possibilities, so many opportunities to grow -- both physically and mentally.


I'm taking a Bikram yoga class tonight after having been away from the studio on a slight hiatus. While I'm a little nervous to return to the heat, I can also feel by body longing for the medicine it so needs and has been missing. Then I've got a massage afterward... can't wait!


How has your yoga changed you lately? Do you find that change comes in waves when it comes to your yoga?


Sometimes it seems like what's happening in our lives is mirrored by what's happening in our yoga practice. Our strength on the mat leads to our strength in the world... and that, dear readers, is a wonderful thing.

 Above photo via Clayton Austin Photography. Below photo via Max Wanger.

Fun Findings: Yogi Uprising, A Giveaway, and The Perfect Photography Bag

Photo via Trevor Dye of Yogi Uprising.

I have some fun findings to share this afternoon. The first: Trevor Dye of Yogi Uprising, a San Francisco yogi and teacher who offers sliding scale classes (meaning you pay what you can afford).


He's all about getting yoga to the people and practicing anywhere, including the grocery store or the local park. 


Inspiring stuff! It reminds me: guys, you should submit your stories to the Real Men Do Yoga series! I would love to hear from you. Send an email to aliveinthefire at gmail dot com today.

Photos via Trevor Dye of Yogi Uprising.

Next up: a lovely giveaway from another blogger I love. Julie of Wearing Mascara is doing a challenge and using it to give to an amazing charity, the Tourette Syndrome association.


Participate, support her, and enter to win an amazing organic garlic cooking kit here!

Photo via Wearing Mascara.

Finally, I have discovered the perfect photographer's carrying bag via Sarah Rhoads, one of my favorite photographers of all time. I so want to get one of these for the Hubs!

Photo via Kelly Moore.

Check out Kelly Moore's site for more info on these handcrafted beauties!

What fun tidbits are you discovering out there today, yogis?

Everywhere Yoga

Bring your yoga anywhere. Photo via FYeahYoga.

I love that you can bring your yoga anywhere. What we learn on the mat can be used at any moment: at a friend's birthday party, when you're upset with someone you love, when you've stubbed your toe or missed the bus and need to deal.


Especially in Bikram, you learn this sort of 'everywhere yoga.'


Standing face-to-face in that heat, you've got to decide not to suffer, or chances are, you will. You must ignore the rest of the room -- the day, the thoughts, the world -- and enter your meditation.


Lately I've been so grateful that since I returned from the holidays, it feels like my yoga is back. Not only while I'm practicing (and I have had two of the most electric, ecstatic classes I've ever experienced this week), but also during the small moments of my day, I am calm, at peace, in the moment.


I am patient, even during the annoying moments or when I encounter frustrations or sadness.


I am my yogi self again, finally! Body, mind, and spirit have aligned, and it feels beyond wonderful. Have you experienced this sort of interconnected joy? Once you have, losing it can be really hard. And during our travels and my hiatus from the home studio, I felt as though I had lost that self-loving, flexible, upbeat yogi me.


Well, welcome back, yogi me!

You are your meditation, not the world around you. Photo via FYeahYoga.

Today at the studio I practiced in a class of 60 people. 60 yogis! We were sardines, piled in the room. I was in the first row, on the hot side. I was a puddle before pranayama even got going! At one point, I literally felt as though I had melted. I was a wet noodle.


It was awesome.


I was definitely the flower petal blooming! I loved the warm up series, and the way my body just moved to the words, bending and opening and relaxing into each posture. There was no resistance; I could not resist any posture because I had no energy to overcome the intense heat. (Before class, I checked the little thermometer up on the teacher's podium. It read 107! And that's before everyone was in the room, working up a sweat.) Incredible. It's amazing to me what a difference those two to three degrees make!


It was a beautiful class. Such an intense mixture of concentration from the new students, as they strained their ears to listen to the words and do the postures correctly, and joy and strength from the advanced students, as though their energy and expertise were pulling the rest of the bodies through when they thought it was time to give up.


We had a fair amount of drama in class, too. During the warm up, a new guy decided he had to leave the room. He was muttering "I'll be fine, I'll be fine" as he marched out of class, our teacher desperately asking "Where are you going?!" in between sets. He did come back, which was impressive. And the yogi by the door who didn't have enough room for Triangle finally figured out that it would help to scoot up toward the mirror.


We got through. We made it. And I was actually laughing the whole way through, marveling at what an interesting psychology experiment a yoga room really can be sometimes.


The lady next to me and I were chuckling at a few points along the way, too. Right before Full Locust she put her whole arm on my arm, locking us together as if we were one strong yogini, a force to be reckoned with.


We both smiled, dripping sweat in each other's space. And then we rocked the posture.


This was truly the bliss of Bikram: to be so close to your fellow yogis, so overwhelmingly given in to the situation, so intensely and intently present in the room. Unable to resist, and not wanting to.


To be able to smile through the second set of an exhausting posture while most other yogis are cringing and letting themselves to suffer instead of relax.


To, quite simply, be there.


To be.


I felt exhilarated. I'm going back as soon as I can.

Enjoy your yoga in the everyday. Photo via FYeahYoga.

Healthy Lifestyles Workshop from Heaven Meets Earth Yoga Studio in Evanston

Ashley, a friend of mine and an amazing yoga teacher at Heaven Meets Earth, is teaching a workshop on healthy lifestyles, weight loss, and mindful exercise and eating.


If you're in Evanston or the Chicago area, consider attending!

Healthy Yoga Body

with Ashley Moran

6 Week Monday night series 

Mondays 7:30-9pm, January 3-February 7.

Starts tonight!

Photo via Heaven Meets Earth.

 Please feel free to share with friends you know who are always dieting or who could use a boost in their body image and self-confidence.


A few details:

Whether you want to lose weight, detoxify your body, or learn more about the ancient art and science of Ayurveda, this class is for you!


Healthy Yoga Body is a mindful approach to weight loss through yoga and the Ayurvedic lifestyle.

Photo via Heaven Meets Earth.

We will explore the basics of Ayurveda, the doshas (body types), and identify appropriate foods and exercises for your type. You will learn how to create a personalized home yoga practice and a community of support. Discover how mindfulness can transform your relationship with food.

Each class will include a lecture, yoga practice, and meditation. Students will leave class every week with amazing resources --delicious, healthy recipes and short mindfulness exercises to support your efforts during the week.

Cost: $120 for six-week series. Beginners welcome! No yoga experience necessary.

Materials: This class will reference texts “Yoga Body Diet” by Kristen Schultz Dollard and John Douillard and “Eating Mindfully” by Susan Albers, psy.d. These books are fantastic resources for your body/mind transformation!

Ashley Moran, CYT, was inspired to create Healthy Yoga Body community after taking a Yoga and Ayurveda workshop with John Douillard. 


Register at Heaven Meets Earth or call 847-475-1500.

Photo via Yoga Journal of a Not Very Calm Character.

Bikram Yoga Time Lapse

Ever wondered what a Bikram class would look like on fast forward?

You're in luck. I just discovered this amusing time lapse video via Being. Love it! Sort of makes you aware of how little time you actually spend in the posture, huh?

Practice, Not Perfect Execution

Photos via Brandy Lyn Winfield, an incredible yogini who won the 2010 Bishnu Charan Ghosh Cup and who teaches at Bikram Yoga Summerlin in Las Vegas, NV.

How many times does a Yoga Asana Championship-winning yogi practice a posture before taking home that trophy?

You'll never know. They lost count.

Or better yet, they never counted to begin with. Because it wasn't about the number of times they got it right. It was about trying again. Doing the best they could. Letting go of the rest.

Taking flight.

I recently read a lovely blog post by Bikram yogi Hannah over at Hannah Just Breathe about how there is always something we can learn from our practice. Even if we mess up and eat right before class, sitting in savasana can teach us to prepare better next time. Even if we've been to Teacher Training and back, we have more to learn from our instructors and the yogis around us about how to focus, how to let go, how to have fun.

Whether it's our first class or our 100th in a challenge, we are practicing strength and getting better by letting go of expectations instead of demanding perfection of ourselves.

As Hannah's teacher said, "Each time you come, each time you practice, you learn something new, about your body or yourself or the yoga.  It is the practice that’s important, not the perfect execution.”

Next time you get overwhelmed by your own mistakes, or frustrated by your yoga performance, I challenge you to reconsider the way you define your practice. Are you at the studio to experience the yoga and to detox your body and mind, or to impress your fellow yogis by executing the posture perfectly?

Will you fix your hair and shorts and wipe sweat so you look OK, or let it go and get down to business?

Who are you making eye contact with in the mirror -- your neighbor or your own steady gaze?

Do you bring home pride, or humility after class?

I was so proud of Joanna over at Lock the Knee when I read her recent post about how well she took disappointment when competing in regional yoga championships did not go exactly as planned. Basically, she didn't hit her Standing Bow the way she had been hoping to, and practicing for, but that didn't mean she was about to give up. And in case you were wondering, she's got a killer Standing Bow:

A true Bikram yogi and teacher. I mean, this lady's got it goin' on.

Instead of slinking off-stage, Juliana took her time completing the rest of the postures she had been practicing (as she says, "because at this point I didn't really care about the clock and I was still on stage in front of a whole ton of people.  I might as well do something nice before hanging up my leotard until next year!").

Sarcasm aside, instead of freaking out or getting upset, J was able to laugh off what didn't go as well as she hoped it would -- and she even posted about it on her blog in one of the most hilarious throwbacks to the awesome web comic Hyperbole and a Half I've ever read. She had fun, she did some great yoga, and she took home no regrets -- she practiced being calm and carrying on! -- and for that, The Dancing J should be super proud.

As should Hannah, her wise instructor, and the novice yogi who he counseled about coming to class on and empty stomach.

With these inspiring Bikram yogis in mind, I challenge you to reconsider your habits at the studio, and your true motives for engaging in this practice called yoga.

Next time you find yourself whining at yourself in the mirror about how you didn't achieve that last inch of depth in Half Moon, or how you didn't get your chin to shoulder in Standing Bow before falling out, shut your brain up.

Relax.

Bikram yoga is about practice, not perfect execution.

I love how delicate her toes are in this picture. So beautiful! You can believe it took some practice to get to this perfect execution.

The Yin to Your Bikram Fire

All photos are from Kelly Loves Whales' Flickr Photostream. She has a beautiful practice!

So my bold, beautiful yogi friend Lindsay and I expanded our yoga views today with a great Yin Yoga class at Heaven Meets Earth Studio in Evanston. Our teacher Ashley led with a lovely, calm, encouraging style and we were lucky to have a small and intimate 3-student class.

Heaven Meets Earth is home to a wide variety of classes, eye-opening workshops, and some really sweet retail offerings (clothing, props, mats & amazing candles that I managed to resist!). And Katie, the receptionist up front, was very friendly and welcoming. It made for an A+ experience at the studio.

Yin class is the perfect way to balance out the heat, madness, and high-energy dialogue of Bikram Yoga. To me, it felt like a refreshing yogic nap with gradually-intensifying hip openers. You spend a lot of time in postures (generally three to five minutes!) and there are a lot of calm, peaceful asanas.

Now my pigeon can fly, instead of just waddle around.

Pigeon was my favorite and I'm pretty sure I got deeper into the posture than usual, even though it was a bit chilly in the room (but then again, what isn't in comparison to Bikram's Torture Chamber?!).

Afterward, I enjoyed a lovely release of tension in my lower back, a general feeling of ease and well-being... and a delicious gluten-free cupcake at Rose's Bakery! Linds and I splurged. Their menu is delightful (I especially enjoyed fresh half-and-half from the farm!). Such a fun start to the weekend!

Mmmm, Bridge Pose. Thanks for making my lower back feel lose, easy, flexible, comfortable! And for strengthening those quads.

Legs up the wall is the most relaxing of them all.

I'm hoping the next Yin class will feature a few more advanced postures. Headstands, for example -- I could really use some work on my headstands (and conquering my fear of them!)

Leg warmers would be great in class! Toasty toes!

Nothing like some inversions to give you a new perspective on the weekend ahead.

Thanks again to Lindsay and the lovely staff at Heaven Meets Earth for such a wonderful afternoon. I'll definitely be back!

Eventually, In the Future

 

Juliana and the Boss himself. Love those Bengal tigers!

One of my favorite parts about this blog is that it's put me in touch with some amazing Bikram yogis, teachers and bloggers out there, including the lovely Juliana, also known as Dancing J, over at Keep It Locking!

Lately I can't stop thinking about those crazy nine weeks and how excited I am for them :)

I recently chatted with J on the phone about her amazing Teacher Training experience and her transition into teaching after the nine weeks. It was lovely catching up and getting the inside story from a talented Bikram teacher on how to prepare, get the best out of training, and live a balanced life afterward. Here are some bits from our convo! 

Also, see below for some of my favorite posts on Juliana's blog.

Sweet photo from J's Teacher Training.

Juliana is a graduate of MIT (Engineering) and UCSB (grad school engineering) turned Bikram yogi. She says, "I respect myself for changing paths. It's the best decision I've made. I don't actually know any Bikram yoga teachers who set out to teach. We are all accidental yogis!"


On finding the right balance post-TT:
Teaching and freelancing is nearly ideal. It's always a game of keeping your balls in the air and juggling it all, but it's totally worth it.


On benefits of being a yoga teacher:
The best part is seeing people change. Where I'm teaching now, it's fairly small, just me and the main teacher/owner. I see people change, sometimes really quickly, and it's fun to have that. I would definitely choose a smaller studio over a place where it's more like "assembly line" yoga. This way, it's really authentic and very spiritual.


On practicing and teaching:
Keeping up with my practice has never been so hard now that I'm a teacher. It's a pain in the ass to go back to the studio after you've already taught a class or two. And during Teacher Training, your practice gets so bad! Standing head to knee? Yeah, right.


On class sizes and applying the dialogue:
During smaller classes, I really learned how to teach. You have to give real corrections. Big evening classes are so easy. They give you a lot of energy. It's tricky once it gets bigger, though. You almost don't even see everyone. If you use some peoples' names, it gives the illusion that you see everyone!


Class size makes a huge difference. You don't teach the same class to a large group as you do to a small group.


Your training doesn't end when you finish Teacher Training. It's like, 'I can say the dialogue. Now what do I do with that?!'

Juliana in Triangle in front of The Bean in Chicago's Millenium Park. Beautiful!

On her experience at TT: 
Some things get exaggerated. It's insanity at the time, sure. But I remember thinking, 'This isn't that bad.' It's no worse than being in college. For all the bitching that people do, it's good to get your asses kicked.


I got tons out of it, but it's what you make of it. It's your choice. There's nothing stopping you from sleeping through lectures.

Learning the dialogue, I looked at it like poetry. I would break it down, look for repetitions, and pay attention to the order. I'd ask myself questions like: why is this phrase being repeated? Why do the pieces have to go there? On paper, nothing makes much sense, but when you're talking to a moving body, everything becomes clear.

Killer Standing Bow + ridiculous mountains = bliss.

Favorites from Keep it Locking:
A post on amazing classes.


Thoughts on preparing for Teacher Training.


"Every moment is the peak experience of your life," says Diane from Bikram's talented staff. Here are a few of Juliana's peak experiences.


The yogi hiker and how climbing mountains will transform your practice.

Thanks again, J, for your honesty. Keep up your awesome yoga!

Hardcore Supplements for the Extreme Yogi

Photo by my talented husband from our trip to San Fran last spring.

Are you one of those crazy Bikram yogis who practices five or more times a week? Do you run before class? Do you regularly do doubles?

Are you currently participating in a 30- or 60-day challenge?

I've got some hardcore supplements you should try. They will make you feel strong, hydrated, and pumped, like this:

Yup, that's me, workin' out for my sister who needed photos as part of her personal training certification.

Plus, they taste great, can be added to a variety of smoothie or drink mix recipes, and allow you to fuel your body for optimum performance.

The first is a line made by Hammer Nutrition, which I've mentioned before on Alive in the Fire. I placed an order with Hammer to try their endurolyte pills (electrolyte replenishers) and they sent me a whole package of goodies, including gel, whey mix, chocolate Recoverite drink mix, and some awesome information on all their products and the athletes who use them.

Hydration is a beautiful thing.

Hammer's got quite a variety of flavors available -- everything from your standard chocolate to espresso and apple cinnamon and Montana huckleberry. I believe they mainly target marathon runners and bikers, but their products are great for any endurance athletes. I probably wouldn't use their stuff everyday unless I was at Teacher Training or doing a challenge, but the endurolyte pills and any of the endurance products would make a double class (or triple, or whatever) a lot easier to survive.

Check out their site for more ideas on how to improve your endurance and athletic performance, the deals and programs they have going on right now, or place a quick order. Their customer service is great and you'll be set to go crazy in the heat!

I also highly recommend CeraSport which carries a line of rice-based electrolyte hydration drinks. Their powder mixes are probably my favorite, ranking up there with Ultima Replenisher and emergenC. The pomegranate acai flavor is fantastic! 

These flavors beat all the other ones I've tried so far.

Their shipment also included some detailed info on the science behind hydration. I decided to try the CeraSport with some frozen coconut water icecubes and a chunk of dark chocolate. What a tasty mid-afternoon treat! It felt tropical, too :)

Fancy and tasty. You can't go wrong there!

If you need more advice on where to shop for kick-ass supplements, I'm your girl. Hope all you Fall 2010 teacher trainees are enjoying your last few weeks of madness!


Enjoy your week and namaste.