Focus Forward Friday: Share Your Story

Photo by farm1.static on Flickr Photo via Dudes Doing Yoga.

Focus Forward Friday: 
A weekly ritual for deepening your practice.

Today's focus: the Real Men Do Yoga series! I couldn't be more excited about launching this new feature on Alive in the Fire and I highly encourage you to write in and participate. Comment on the stories. Think about how gender affects our yoga, how we can change stereotypes, how we can make yoga an inviting and non-judgmental practice.

Then share your thoughts!

Have you considered your yoga story and what makes your practice unique? How has yoga transformed you?

Photo via Dudes Doing Yoga. Seriously, if you can do this, you need to write in!

I'm especially looking for guys who yoga to tell their story about life on the mat and what it's like being in the minority (or not) in class. I'd also love to hear from women who have compelling opinions about gender and yoga, who have guy friends and family who practice, or who have respect for their fellow male instructors and yogis.

I want the Real Men Do Yoga series to be electric and dynamic. I want it to get people talking, whether they practice or not (and maybe it'll bring someone to the mat who otherwise never would have planned to try yoga). I want it to be an ongoing conversation between yogis in a respectful, open and creative environment.

Most of all, I want to hear from you! Get talkin'.

Photo via Dudes Doing Yoga.

Bikram Yoga Minneapolis on Black Friday

It was snowy out on Black Friday, so the heat felt great!

I'm way overdue to post about my adventure to Bikram Yoga Minneapolis during Thanksgiving weekend, but I'm excited to share about my visit to the studio. Also keep an eye out for several Minneapolis-themed giveaways today.

Instead of getting caught up in the hustle and bustle of Black Friday shopping, my cousin, a friend, and I toughed it out in the Torture Chamber. We were workin' off all that food from our family feast.

Photo by Joelle.

Last Friday I brought my cousin Joelle and her friend Matt to Bikram Yoga Minneapolis for an intense first class. Even I was surprised by how humid it was in there!

Joelle and Matt are Bikram badasses.

Minneapolis' studio is a beautiful space with artsy details, cool lounge chairs, and colorful decor. The hot room was a little cozy but we fit quite a few yogis among the two rows. 

Here's the studio space.

My only wish was for a new carpet. That Minnesota humidity can make things a little stinky! But that breeze at the end of class? Heavenly.

Loved the decor.

Our teacher Lori led with energy and spirit as she delivered a crystal-clear dialogue. My favorite was the way she pronounced "squeeeeeze" during Eagle as though she was wringing out a towel with her words. It definitely motivated me to wrap my legs tighter and sit deeper into second set!

I was super proud of Joelle and Matt for getting through class and performing some impressive postures. They are natural Bikram yogis, that's for sure! Both said they felt a little lightheaded at times and thought they might pass out, but they made it :) Whew!

No guns allowed... except those sexy biceps you bring to class!

After our showers and a refreshing Zico Lima Citron, we chatted it up with locals at the studio, Lori, and the studio owner, Martha. I realized that these ladies run a tight ship at Bikram Yoga Minneapolis and truly have a deep passion for the yoga, for teaching it the right way, and for sharing it with others.

When I handed her one of my business cards, Lori immediately mentioned her love for the phrase "at home in the hot room" on the card. 

The cards that help me yogavangelize!

"That's one of the best parts about this yoga," she said. "Anywhere you practice Bikram, you bring a little bit of your home with you."

I couldn't agree more, and I felt right at home at the Minneapolis studio. Hope to be back soon to take class again and teach one day! Namaste, Minnesota yogis.

Our lovely teacher, Lori. 

Here are a few words from Joelle's reflections on her first Bikram class. Great job, cuz!

As I stand, the sweat is everywhere: pouring off my arms, running down my legs, dripping down my face and nose, and turning my stomach into a shinny, glossy pool. The towel underneath my feet is soaked. 

I’m almost out of water. My head starts to slightly spin as I go into the next pose and hold it for what seems like five minutes. Pretty sure if was only about 30 seconds, though. 

A gush of cold hair whooshes down from the ceiling and hits my face. I breathe it in, close my eyes and exhale a very long, happy exhale. Time for a shower. It’s not until after my shower that I realize how incredibly loose, free-minded, and amazing I feel.

After class, a clear mind hit, a sensation of refreshing wonderfulness, no back pain, muscles all stretched out. It felt amazing. Bikram yoga. Mmmm!

Some of the awesome details in the studio: a note about how to lock the knee, and a stunning print of a pregnant yogi.

Thanks again, Martha and Lori and the Bikram Yoga Minneapolis team, and to Joelle and Matt for rockin' their first class. 

Check out the upcoming posts from some Minneapolis Etsy sellers to win local goods!

On the Go

Can't wait to be on the beach! First three photos via this dreamy blog.

Friday the Hubs and I leave for Puerto Rico! We're getting away from the cold and clouds and snow piles.

We're leavin' on a jet plane.

We'll be staying here. I can't wait for the party in white on a private island. Hoping we can sneak off for a sushi date + massage at the spa sometime, too. Oh, and don't forget the kayaking adventure in a bio-luminescent bay!


Dreamy happy travelers on the go. I'll be posting and thinking of you from afar. Keep your eye out for beachy posts and more giveaway fun, perhaps even from a Puerto Rico vendor or two. Ooh la la!

We'll be all smiles on the road.

Check out this sexy swimwear. Wish I had a new suit for Puerto Rico!

Finally, an exciting announcement! 

We've got a winner for the "some like it hot" yoga towel...

Congrats to Kirsten @ Bikram Yoga Journey. Enjoy your sarcastic towel!

We Adventure and Encounter Ourselves

These photos and their beautiful picnic ideas brought to you from this lovely blog.

Put some Tresspassers on the stereo. Breathe deep. 

Wrap up in a cardigan, your hands in your pockets. Dig your toes into the sand. Bring friends, table settings, twinkly lights.

We'll set up a beach picnic beneath the Golden Gate.

Or a rooftop celebration in the afternoon, before the sun hides away and the cold comes creeping out.


We're ready for some adventure.

A Winter Extravaganza

A new header for the winter season. Exciting times here at Alive in the Fire!

Is it snowing yet where you live?

Chicago has yet to see our first big winter storm, but Minnesota got a couple feet recently. The Hubs and I head north to snowy territory on Wednesday afternoon, and I'm excited.

Another reason I'm giddy with joy: it's the season of giving!

Not only in our families and with our friends, but also here at Alive in the Fire. Time to celebrate the year together, drink warm drinks by the fire, and exchange some great gifts. Coming up we've got: a Black Friday hot yoga giveaway you won't want to miss, some manly products for you guy yogis, and other fun surprises. :)

Whether you're braving cold weather or enjoying a California 'winter' and regardless of whether you're a new Bikram student or a recently-graduated #BKTT 2010 teacher, Alive in the Fire's got something under the tree for you.

Stay tuned to win!

Ready for the season of giving? Me too. Photo via acd111's Flickr Photostream.

Focus Forward Friday: Take Your Yoga with You!

Lindsay on top of a west-coast mountain doing Triangle. She is mighty!

Focus Forward Friday: A weekly ritual for deepening your Bikram practice.

Today's focus: travel! It's time to celebrate the upcoming trips that Hubs and I have coming up: Thanksgiving in Minneapolis, first week of December in Puerto Rico (for work), and Christmastime in California. I'm so excited!

I'm also thrilled to try some postures in exotic locations: maybe on the beach, in the woods, or even by a lake. Perhaps I can fit in a few classes at new studios.

Do you take your yoga with you when you travel?

Bailey at the beach. Love that Balancing Stick!

A graceful backbend.

My CA friend Lauren does a playful headstand overlooking San Francisco.

I love enjoying nature in an urban setting. Nice Standing Bow, lady!

A Labor Day Weekend to Remember: Yoga, Boating & A Midwestern Car Auction

A panorama view of the spot where I just practiced a little yoga on my own. Beautiful, eh?

This has been a Labor Day weekend to remember! On Friday, the Hubs, Best Man and a lovely friend of mine headed out of Chicago on our great adventure to eastern Indiana. We spent Friday through Monday morning with an awesome family with three NU guys we know, some awesome parents who attended our wedding, and their daughter who I hadn't met yet. They are one of the loveliest families we know, and their place is rockin'!

They offered us sweet digs in their Honeymoon Suite room -- complete with super-comfy king size bed and our own bathroom, plus a quality room for our friend, too. Then Mrs. P cooked delicious meals all weekend, we boated in the sunshine, and rode golf carts around the place to get from their office house to their main house and their fitness center. It's been fantastic!

And the best part is, it was a weekend filled with friends, great conversation, sleeping in, playing with dogs and cats, golf cart football, swimmin in a lake, and appreciating gracious hospitality. Quite splendid, if you ask me!

One of the highlights: doing some yoga on my own in their Japanese sun room. You know, one of those incredible spaces that is perfectly serene with lush carpet and the sliding paper doors? See below:

Yeah, that's the room I'm talkin' about. Pure peace. Complete with incense burner, birds chirping in the distance, and gorgeous chandelier light overhead that looked like this...

Can you believe it? Straight out of a movie, I say. Which isn't entirely unlike the way the whole weekend felt, actually...in the sense that it was super awesome, the whole time!

We relaxed. Enjoyed the scenery. Ate homemade lasagna and gumbo (um, YES?!)...

This is where I spent my weekend. Yeah. Wondrous!

Killer view from (one of the) killer boat(s) I chilled on. Beautiful sunset included!

Oh, we also attended the largest Midwestern car auction! It was excellent. Something my dad would have been super proud of. Lamborghinis, Porches, Camaros all around. Everything in ridiculously good condition, plus a real live auctioneer selling them at full speed. And all the fair food you can imagine! Well, except for funnel cake. We did eat a pretty tasty chicken pita, though.

Then on Sunday we went for the boat ride of a lifetime! Talk about style. Italian-looking wooden speed boat with sweet red and white interior. An American flag billowing off the back. It was hot. I felt like a girl from a James Bond movie!

Plus, under my dress I was wearing a sweet Bond-style / Kill Bill style swimsuit I just bought on sale recently. Black and yellow and silver -- bikini bottoms and a zip down strapless top that totally makes me look like I'm either a superhero or out of a movie for sure. It was excellent! Plus we jumped in for a most-refreshing swim. Ahhhhhhh.

Hey if you can't make it to Bikram, you should swim or bike, I say!

I'm pretty darn excited to get back to our new place tomorrow night and get back to the Bikram first thing Tues morning, but I have to say: this was one of the best weekends I've had in a long time. So relaxing, so fun.

Thanks, P family! We love you guys and man, you sure know how to treat your guests well. :) Thanks for everything!

Blog world, what did you do for Labor Day? Who attended a crowded class? Tell your stories here!

Follow the Rules, Do It Right & Get Better: On the Road to Teacher Training

Photo illustration by yours truly. Photos via Ron Sombilon on Flickr. Artistic versions my own. This guy's got yoga-photog talent!

I'm in love with the yoga. I'm at a natural moment in my life to pursue something that I'm passionate about. It's been a summer where I have the flexibility, creativity and time to really stop and consider what I want to be my next move, what dream I want to pursue.

And yogis, readers, lovely peeps out there who have stumbled upon Alive in the Fire...

I think I'm going to push for Bikram Teacher Training in the spring of 2011!

I met with my studio director last night for a lovely chat at the charming local Bat 17 pub and deli. I sipped a refreshingly cold Blue Moon while he told me ridiculously awesome stories from Teacher Training about The Boss himself; the madness that is learning the dialog (hello, studying while in "savasana?" Crazy town!); and getting to know some of the coolest, kookiest people out there, who are now some of his best friends.

I oohed and aahed and laughed and was oh-so-happy. So refreshed. So empowered!

Stu, who is also a musician and has had creative genes in his blood since birth, talked a lot about really being aware of your choices in life especially as they relate to careers. How do you see the yoga fitting into your life? was one of the questions he asked, eyes wide and, as I could easily tell, his words coming from a heartfelt place.

I paused, thinking for a moment. "You know," I said, "the more I think about it, the less possible it seems that I could keep moving forward and not have this yoga be a big part of my life."

Saying that sentiment aloud really resonated with me. Struck something deeper than the typical "Here's my two-year plan" schpeel that I rattle off to friends and family who are wondering what my goals for the future are.

And of course I couldn't have been happier thinking about what a rockin' time it would -- er, WILL! -- be to teach at my home studio. My little refuge. The one and only Bikram Yoga Evanston. It basically rules the North Shore and really maintains a strong reputation in the Chicagoland area for a welcoming atmosphere, kick-ass teachers (who are not afraid to kick your ass in the heat, thank God!), and very high-quality standards for the yoga.

It is, in short, the perfect place to train. And Stu, I can tell (and could from the first few times I even talked to him, way back when) will be an incredible mentor! He already is, in many ways. All of our instructors are!

I'm so grateful to have been introduced to Bikram at a spot where the quality comes first and there is a real emphasis on following the rules in order to achieve the benefits. In order to hit every posture. In order to get the overall experience the right way. And, most of all, in order to transform yourself, prove that your own ego needs to get left at the door in order for you to reach your true potential.

We have a big bold sign outside the studio that says,

"We don't sell cheesecake. Leave your ego at the door!"

and it's so, so true. Not just on the literal level of not providing sweets after class (although another teacher and I laughed about this the other day -- I mean, who wouldn't enjoy a little slice of cheesecake post-Bikram? You've earned it, eh?)

But back to the yoga: Bikram wasn't made to be like pie. Never easy. Sure, your body adjusts and you begin to train your mind so that it knows how to more easily survive the 90 minutes... but it's still a challenge. Every class you face a different struggle -- one posture today, an injury tomorrow, and sometimes a crazy person or two surrounding your mat and towel.

Sometimes all of those, all at once. And always: the mirror right in front of your face. The mirror that Boss intended to put up, close and threatening, a constant reminder of who you are right here, right now. Who you are choosing to be. What you are choosing to practice.

As Stu and I discussed last night, what a thing to practice!

What a thing to practice: not just the postures, but the attitude. The life of the yogi. To practice compassion, empowerment, love. To appreciate beauty. To embrace and participate in community.

To take what you learn in the heat outside of that room and let it rule your life for the better, quieting your mind and enriching your spirit as you move through every day, not just every asana.

You begin to thrive in ways you never realized possible. Instead of just passing the time, wasting the days, hating your career, you are alive -- not only in the fire, but also on the streets, in your home, at your work, and during all the in-between moments that would otherwise slip away, unnoticeable.

The more I consider the commitment that Training requires, the more I want to dedicate myself not only to the practice of the 90-minute Bikram class which has in many ways saved my life and helped me detox my body and mind from pessimism...but I also want to focus my energy, time and efforts toward a transformational life experience through the yoga.

Plus, it's National Yoga Month -- what better time to get serious about your practice?

I certainly want to get the most out of the nine weeks as I can. I want to open myself to the opportunities that will follow, the path the practice takes me on. I want to learn, to grow, to strengthen myself inside and out.

I want to practice until it's like breathing to speak the dialog. I want my classes to be a dynamic, inspiring experience for other yogis -- nothing boring or mediocre, because we've all been there and we know it doesn't improve our practice at all. It doesn't change us. It should.

If you haven't been changed by the yoga and you've been practicing awhile, something's up. It should change you!

Perhaps most of all, I want to continue to improve my practice while at the same time practicing letting go of the ego. I want to focus on doing the yoga the right way and not getting caught up on the mistakes along the way. And then I want to give that gift -- of strength, of stillness, of purity -- to others who are as passionate about the yoga as I am. And to those who are new, scared, tired, lonely, too! Those who don't realize they could have it in them to become yogis, not just on the outside but on the inside too.

Cheesy, overdramatic and lofty goals aside, I'm ready for the yoga. For the next steps. Let's do this, Spring TT '11! Let's do this.

Stick around for upcoming updates on The Plan of Attack, featuring my personal goals and timeline for the next eight months. Don't worry: you'll be hearing about it around here!

Would also love to get as much advice, support, ideas, and general excitement from any of you out there who are teachers, have dreams about being teachers, or are simply in awe of the madness that is Bikram and the work that goes into training. Let the comment-posting begin!

How could I resist posting this iconic image of The Boss? It's the first thing that comes to mind when I think of those nine weeks. I can't wait for the antics, the Bollywood movies, the hilarity of Bikram-isms, the sweat, the tears, the yoga.

Monday Night Blues? Try a Break, Baby!

Relaxin' in the summertime is required. Photo via Pixelatedhologram's Flickrstream.

It's a Monday night in the middle of summertime: can you feel it?

The weekend went by too fast and work today felt like forever.

You're crankin' the AC but you can't seem to get enough of the cool air.

All you're dreaming of is a long night drive, a little time at the beach house, an afternoon picnic to break up the mid-day doldrums. Maybe you could use a romantic evening with your special someone, no distractions, no questions asked. Or weekend getaway in the mountains?

Yeah. I'm there.

Or, if you're like me, you're simply interested in getting out of the house to mix it up after dinner. And since you've skipped the usual evening yoga class, you find yourself at a local pub/cafe where there's lively live music, interesting-looking characters and relaxingly-dim lighting (dim enough that hopefully no one will notice that you're all by your lonesome tip-tap-typing away on a little netbook!).

Tonight's one of those nights when I'm taking advantage of 100% relaxation in order to inspire my 100% dedication (coming to a Bikram studio near you...tomorrow!). As much as we'd all like to pretend it's not true, even we Bikram crazies must admit that there comes a moment when we need to back off a little in order to re-formulate our love for the yoga.

I suppose it's like they say: too much of a good thing, and it's not worth anything.

It's just like the Bikram quote my lovely teacher mentioned the other day in class. As the Boss himself says, "I have the biggest swimming pool in Los Angeles. But I don't know how to swim."

The point is true here, too: even if you've got the best resources in the world, they'll do you no good if you don't know how to put them to good use. If you push too hard in a posture and compromise integrity so you can fake depth, you get nowhere. And even we obsessive back-to-back doublers know sometimes a little break -- a day or two away from the Torture Chamber -- can do some good for inspiring your practice and bringing it to soar to new heights.

The lovely Joanna over at Lock the Knee posted about this recently, after returning from her Sequoia camping trip and discovering that -- hey! -- balancing stick posture is way more fun if you're lookin' for some seriously heart-pounding cardio.

That's what I am talking about here: finding ways to appreciate with new compassion the postures which we generally take for granted, or simply tend to make our personal enemies during class.

Often a quick break will help us realize what we've been missing all along.

It's like the crazy, mandolin-rockin', bass-thumpin' band I'm listening to is singing:

It's the freakin' weekend, baby, I'm about to have me some fun!

Alright, so it's still Monday night -- but if you wanted, you could make the choice to take a break from your mid-week blues, maybe even take a one-night breather from the Bikram, or break out of your very genre (that's right, I'm witnessing a country band cover a ridiculous R&B song like it's their first and foremost style of expertise). Surprise yourself! Breathe a little! You never know: it could do wonders.

Some unexpected Monday-night mandolin in place of yoga class. Hells, yeah! Photo via MSync111's Flickrstream.