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.

Student Spotlight: Ron

Before practicing Bikram Yoga, I had been a long distance bicyclist and competitive tennis player but had to give up both sports due to advanced osteo-arthritis. I also had my larynx removed due to throat cancer and had gained a lot of weight due to inactivity and an inactive thyroid due to the throat surgery. I had a stressful job at the City of Scottsdale and at the time was working on my masters in "Good and Sustainable Communities".

Two days before my retirement I met a co-worker coming out of CVS Pharmacy. She asked me what I planned to due during retirement. I said maybe some golf and that I had always wanted to try yoga. She then spent over a half hour talking about Bikram Yoga and its benefits. She got me hook, line and sinker and I was in my first class six days later. My first class was December 19th, 2003. I had always enjoyed work outs and she convinced me of the physical nature of BY and how much it would improve lack of flexibility. My masters studies were moving me in the direction of meditation and mindfulness and she emphasized the mental aspect of BY practice. On top of that, I always like the summer heat, so BY is perfect!

I have been practicing for nearly 9 and a half years now! I have lost between 20 and 25 pounds. This particularly began after my first 30-day challenge. I ended up needing a hip replacement 7 years ago and after my surgeon reviewed my knee X-rays, he said they were ready for replacement and he would do them any time I asked. When I told him I could still walk 18 holes of golf, he said based on my x-rays, impossible. I believe that is due to Bikram Yoga. My physical therapist compared the flexibility of my knees over a 3-year period and she was amazed that my flexion increased by 12 degrees and extension by 7 degrees. I not only have arthritis in my knees, but also in my shoulders and one of my ankles. In the past few years the shoulders and ankles flared up and my response was to take even more classes, because just standing in the hot room always makes things feel better. In addition my thyroid medication has been reduced since I started BY.

I had another bout of cancer about 5 years ago and I believe my BY practice helped me get through the radiation and chemo therapy. In addition, being a laryngectomy means that I breathe through a hole in my neck, called a stoma. Laryngectomies no longer breathe through their nose which naturally keeps the trachea moist and prevents mucous drying up, which can block the airway. Spending 90 minutes in a BY room at 104 degrees and 46% humidity, at the very least helps keep the trachea moisturized.

My practice has led me on a journey that includes daily meditation and increased mindfulness. I am less bothered by the ups and downs of life and try to enjoy each and every moment.

My favorite posture is "rabbit", even though my first few classes I had no idea what I was doing, but it has always felt good and stretches out my lower back just right. I seem to connect with my breathing as I work on the pose. (On a side note, in the beginning I hated "camel", and would always tell myself, "Just get me through camel". Now camel is one of my favorites.)

Some suggestions to new students are: make sure you are hydrated before, during and after (I've seen too many blooming practices halted due to lack of hydration). Come more than once a week, try at least 2-3 times a week. There is too much information to absorb and if you come once a week or less, it's like starting over every time. We humans thrive on improvement and improvement comes with practice, but at the same time, don't judge but observe. There is fine line between the two, but when we observe, we become what we attend to. For my fellow males and people with physical disabilities, focus on form over depth. Good form produces depth over time. Learn the postures step by step.

One last thing I have to mention is our yoga family. Folks who practice yoga have a special attitude. Egos are pushed aside and compassion is spread throughout the room. Namaste to all my fellow yogis!

80+ Year Old Teacher Emmy Cleaves Schools Us in Yoga

We love this interview by Yogin’ It of Master Teacher Emmy Cleaves, who discovered Bikram Yoga after suffering a brain hemorrhage at age 35. Now in her 80s, Emmy continues to teach at Headquarters in L.A., inspiring students of all ages to heal their bodies and improve their lives with Bikram Yoga.

In the video, Emmy calls yoga “the best health-maintenance system that I’ve ever discovered. … I wouldn’t stick with something for 60 years if I found something better. … It’s really a science of life, of humanity.”

Intro quoted from Bikram Yoga Vancouver Blog courtesy of Trevor Ellestad & Noa Glow.

Student Spotlight: Karen

Karen started going to BYPV in January of 2005. "My daughter Tamara had started doing yoga at BY Paradise Valley in November 2004. She would come home exhausted and tell me how wonderful Bikram Yoga was - it became her mind, body, and spiritual workout. She said it was hot yoga and you really sweat.

When I worked out - running or hiking - I already sweat more than anyone else so I figured why not give Bikram Yoga a try. Also, I did yoga at the gym and really liked the stretching and mediation." She says even though it has been 8 years, she will always remember her first class. That first class seemed to go on FOREVER but when I was done I was hooked; I have been coming ever since.

Karen says there are so many reasons why she loves Bikram Yoga. Here are just a few: It is a "practice" and not a "perfect" - just need to do my best each time, builds strength, core workout, meditation, sweat, improves flexibility (my husband likes this too), all I need to do is show up (not so hard) and set aside everything else that is going on in my life (that can be hard) for 90 minutes. I deserve 90 minutes just for me.

Karen says she loves Bikram Yoga Paradise Valley because it is a beautiful, big studio with the best teachers anywhere! Other things that keep her coming back are:my fellow yogis, support and encouragement from the teachers - I am always learning more about the postures, opportunities to take special classes (like Niki's intensive class), and guest teachers!

Karen says, "this May I will be 63 years old. By my age my mother had osteoporosis. Knowing I have a number of risk factors for osteoporosis, I have taken steps to keep my bones strong. Before I stared BY my bone density tests showed signs of osteopenia (pre-osteoporosis) but after I did yoga for 2 years my bone density tests improved and have stayed at the same level since. Prior to BY I ran 20 plus miles a week and hiked but my bone density was steadily getting worse.

In the past I never thought I could do a challenge - between family and work I had too much going on to consistently do yoga everyday. Then in October 2011 I was part of a "reduction in force" and figured if there was one good thing about not having a job it was more time to do yoga so I started my first challenge, the Olympic Challenge. As it turned out I started a new job the day after the challenge ended. I even did a few doubles (2 classes in one day), another first for me. To keep my practice consistent, I look at my work schedule each week and plan the class I will be taking.

My favorite posture - hands down - it is the half tortoise. The stretch through my shoulders feels so good (my daughter, Danielle, who is a physical therapist tells me shoulder problems are common as you get older), stretch through my back feels great, and improving the blood flow to the brain cannot hurt.

My personal goal - do Bikram Yoga when I am 72, 82, 92 and beyond. My teachers tell me it is doable; I just need to keep coming. This is one of the reasons I always do the 1-year unlimited package. One of my favorite quotes: "Life is not about waiting for the storm to pass - it is about dancing in the rain."

3 Reasons Why Yoga Is Great For Your Heart: A Cardiologist Explains

By Dr. Joel Kahn

The practice of yoga is growing in popularity but it is still rare to see yoga classes incorporated into hospital programming or office based clinics. There are obvious mental and physical benefits to the combination of physical exercises, breathing and meditation.

Recent scientific studies have documented benefits of a yoga practice on important heart functions and a wider use of yoga in therapy of heart patients should follow.

1. Yoga reduces the frequency of atrial fibrillation (AF).  

Atrial fibrillation is the most common cardiac rhythm disturbance and leads to frequent office and hospital visits, costing millions (if not billions) of health care dollars.

 

It's an unpredictable disorder of the heart rhythm and can interfere with work, vacations and family gatherings when out of control.

Recently patients with intermittent AF were studied for three months as a baseline and then followed for three more months while practicing yoga twice a week for 60 minutes.

During the three months of yoga practice, episodes of AF dropped in frequency and patients rated their quality of life as better.  There were also decreases in blood pressure and resting heart rate. Patients up to age 80 were studied.

2. Yoga is good for people with high blood pressure. 

High blood pressure or hypertension (HTN) effects millions of people worldwide and can result in heart disease, stroke, and kidney failure. The usual therapy is medication and dietary.  Recently 50 patients with HTN participated in a yoga practice for 15 days lasting 2 hours each session. Cardiac function was assessed before and after this training.

After practicing yoga for two weeks the resting heart rate, systolic and diastolic blood pressures were significantly reduced.  A comparison group that did not do the training did not experience these beneficial trends.

3. It reduces stress. 

The autonomic nervous system (ANS) controls silently controls the function of the heart rate and blood pressure. A heart that is healthy demonstrates a wide swing in heart rate and blood pressure during inspiration and expiration and a disease heart shows little of this variability, a measurement called heart rate variability (HRV). HRV is influenced by the two parts of the ANS: the parasympathetic and sympathetic nervous system.

Scientists compared HRV in long term practitioners of yoga compared to matched controls who did not practice yoga. The HRV was increased in the yoga practitioners and they showed less sympathetic tone (stress, adrenaline) and more parasympathetic tone (relaxation, vagal) of their ANS. Their cardiac response to day-to-day stress was improved with yoga.

Yoga should be considered by patients and practitioners as another "tool" in the tool box of controlling stress, HTN, and heart rhythm disorders. As many cardiac patients are elderly, modifications such as chair yoga and predominantly pranayama breathing exercises may be necessary, but are still beneficial.

Namaste.

Photo Credit: Shutterstock.com

About Dr. Joel KahnDr. Kahn is a Clinical Professor of Medicine at Wayne State University School of Medicine and Medical Director of Preventive Cardiology at the Detroit Medical Center. He is a graduate Summa Cum Laude of the University of Michigan School of Medicine. He lectures widely on the cardiac benefits of vegan nutrition and mind body practices.Connect with Dr. Joel Kahn: drjkahn.comMore from Dr. Joel Kahn on MindBodyGreen