Happy New Year from Bikram Yoga Birmingham

Greetings Yogis and Yoginis!

This will be our last update of 2010! I hope to have more news to share with you in next week's update. We are still waiting on permitting from the city. There are a few complications that have arisen and we are waiting on the property company to resolve them. We are using our English Bulldog determination to motivate those involved to move forward with what needs to be done!

This morning, we received word from Bikram Yoga Headquarters that we are now on the website's ClassFinder! We're official! Alabama now has a spot on the Bikram Yoga Website! Check it out-

http://http://www.bikramyoga.com/studioListing.php?type=CO&id=1

Have a wonderful New Year! We look forward to making you sweat in 2011!

Kate Jenkins

Director

Bikram Yoga Birmingham

www.bikrambirmingham.com

Bikram Fall 2009 Teacher Training Las Vegas

Bikram Yoga Timelapse

I'm a Lululemon Ambassador!!!

Aside from all the new studio business, I had the most pleasant surprise this past weekend at Lululemon Athletica Birmingham! They asked me to come over so they could take some pics of me in their workout gear. They said they would place the pics in a facebook post to feature hot yoga. So as I came out of the dressing room, they held up the signs as seen in the pic on the left. As you can see from the other pic, the Lululemon ladies totally caught me off guard!

Their website reads, "The lululemon ambassador program is extended to unique individuals in our store communities who embody the lululemon lifestyle and live our culture. "
I will do my best to continue to live this sensible manifesto every day!

the lululemon manifesto

• Drink FRESH water and as much water as you can. Water flushes unwanted toxins from your body and keeps your brain sharp.
• A daily hit of athletic-induced endorphins gives you the power to make better decisions, helps you be at peace with yourself, and offsets stress.
• Do one thing a day that scares you.
• Listen, listen, listen, and then ask strategic questions.
• Write down your short and long-term GOALS four times a year. Two personal, two business and two health goals for the next 1, 5 and 10 years. Goal setting triggers your subconscious computer.
• Life is full of setbacks. Success is determined by how you handle setbacks.
• Your outlook on life is a direct reflection of how much you like yourself.
• That which matters the most should never give way to that which matters the least.
• Stress is related to 99% of all illness.
• Jealousy works the opposite way you want it to.
• The world is changing at such a rapid rate that waiting to implement changes will leave you 2 steps behind. DO IT NOW, DO IT NOW, DO IT NOW!
• Friends are more important than money.
• Breathe deeply and appreciate the moment. Living in the moment could be the meaning of life.
• Take various vitamins. You never know what small mineral can eliminate the bottleneck to everlasting health.
• Don't trust that an old age pension will be sufficient.
• Visualize your eventual demise. It can have an amazing effect on how you live for the moment.
• The conscious brain can only hold one thought at a time. Choose a positive thought.
• Live near the ocean and inhale the pure salt air that flows over the water, Vancouver will do nicely.
• Observe a plant before and after watering and relate these benefits to your body and brain.
• Practice yoga so you can remain active in physical sports as you age.
• Dance, sing, floss and travel.
• Children are the orgasm of life. Just like you did not know what an orgasm was before you had one, nature does not let you know how great children are until you have them.
• Successful people replace the words 'wish', 'should' and 'try', with 'I will'.
• Creativity is maximized when you're living in the moment.
• Nature wants us to be mediocre because we have a greater chance to survive and reproduce. Mediocre is as close to the bottom as it is to the top, and will give you a lousy life.
• lululemon athletica creates components for people to live longer, healthier and more fun lives. If we can produce products to keep people active and stress-free, we believe the world will become a much better place.
• Do not use cleaning chemicals on your kitchen counters. Someone will inevitably make a sandwich on your counter.
• SWEAT once a day to regenerate your skin.
• Communication is COMPLICATED. We are all raised in a different family with slightly different definitions of every word. An agreement is an agreement only if each party knows the conditions for satisfaction and a time is set for satisfaction to occur.
• What we do to the earth we do to ourselves.
• The pursuit of happiness is the source of all unhappiness.

The Creek

Ah, Patton Creek. This is the beautiful, clear creek that flows behind the studio. I can imagine this creek as an oasis for the adventurous students after hot, steamy classes. I imagine this creek as a scenic backdrop for our studio cookouts, badminton games, and other festive yoga gatherings.

Currently, though, it is the named source of our permit process being stalled by the city. The area is technically a flood plane and FEMA has new standards to protect commercial tenants. In the event of a flood, we will hopefully be well protected and this current wait will be worth our while. I'll practice patience while the property management, the city building department and FEMA get things straightened out. Trust the process.

Last week was a whirlwind! I spent the weekend of Dec 4-7 at a teacher's seminar in NYC. It was incredible! It was also a mini reunion to see so many that I went to training with. I'm continuing to recruit some fabulous teachers for our studio. I also had time to catch a class at Bikram Yoga Grand Central in Manhattan. Denise Naan, a teacher training classmate of mine just opened the studio. She was a wonderful wealth of information and I learned so much from her.

Later in the week, bids came in from the 6 contractors who were competing for the job. My husband, architect and I carefully chose from the pool of bidders and decided on Cooper Construction. They are ready to roll as soon as we get the permit! Woohoo!

Movin' Right Along

Hello fellow yogi's!

The plans were officially submitted to the city for review this week. Hopefully, there will not be too much to change. The yoga flooring was ordered this week and I am so excited about it. It will a combination of oranges & reds, Bikram's favorite colors. I met with my architect/ design consultant today and finalized all of the paint colors, countertop finishes and locker room fixtures. I will speak with my heating consultant tonight and order the heating equipment! It's gonna be some hot stuff!

Many folks have been asking about what the schedule will be. I will send out a survey soon to get a feel for what will be most the convenient for the most people. All comments and suggestions are always greatly appreciated!

Tomorrow, I am off to NYC for a teacher's seminar with Diane Ducharme. I attended her seminar last month in Lexington and gained so much deep insight into the postures. I am looking forward to what she will share with us! I really enjoy these opportunities to travel and to continue to learn from Bikram and his most senior and experienced teachers. Nothing with these postures ever changes, but our insight as students AND teachers will always continue to evolve.

Competition

Today, we met with 8 contractors to walk through the space and and answer any questions about the plans. The situation was a little tense with so many vying for the project, but through competition, we hope to choose the best.

Through life, whether we admit it or not, we compete to become better and stronger. Your competition could be at work, a college football game, a PTA meeting or in the church choir. Whatever or whoever YOUR competition is, it should make you want to be the best at what you do. Never hope for the downfall of your competition, just prepare yourself the best you can, and take confidence in who you are and what you can accomplish.

Progress!

Plans finalized! Contractors to do walk through with architect tomorrow.

Lexington Championship and Posture Clinic

I spent a great weekend in Lexington, KY for the 1st Regional Yoga Asana Championship in KY. Competitors of all ages and experience levels exhibited their best postures in hope of placing and moving on to the national and international competition.
The competition was inspiring. It included men and women from their teens into their 60's. Many of the competitors have conquered illness and injuries through Bikram yoga and 2 women each gave birth just 2 short months ago (1 of those women placed first overall). I learned a bit about how the competitions were judged. There are points for fine detail and execution of the postures, but many points also go towards overall flow and grace during their routine. I like the idea that you have a slim chance of winning unless you can emit a certain grace and peacefulness. Anyone can muscle their way into these postures, but not everyone can do it with peace and grace.

The following day after competition was a day long posture clinic with Diane Ducharme, from Boston, one of Bikram Yoga's most experienced senior teachers. Diane has an amazing way of breaking things down, and explaining the purpose of every small detail within each posture. What an amazing amount of knowledge! I'll be seeing Diane again next month for a teacher's only seminar in New York City.

It was a great opportunity for the Bikram Yoga community to come together. I was able to network with teachers and studio owners from Las Vegas, Memphis, NYC, Boston, New Haven CT, Mobile and of course, Lexington. I'm working on recruiting top-notch teachers to come and make Bikram Yoga Birmingham a dynamic studio and experience for our community!

Regional Yoga Asana Competition

I'm off to Lexington this weekend for the Regional Yoga Competition and a master class with Diane Ducharme, international Bikram Yoga seminar leader, teacher, mentor and teacher training facilitator.

Yoga Asana competitions originated in India hundreds of years ago and are still being conducted there today. USA Yoga is now bringing this spirit of healthy competition to the United States, where, according to a recent study, more than 25 million people either practice yoga or intend to start within the next year. We believe that the sport of Yoga Asana will inspire many of these practitioners to improve their practices and encourage many newcomers to take up the practice of yoga and the sport of Yoga Asana.

USA Yoga is developing educational programs, rules and regulations so that the necessary competitive skills can be understood and mastered by competitors, coaches, judges, administrators and yoga studio operators. Successful competitors will need to achieve mastery of physical strength, stamina, balance, flexibility, breath and concentration. Today, USA Yoga sponsors annual regional Yoga Asana competitions as well as a national competition held in February of each year. These competitions are open to competitors from any yoga school or style and all are encouraged to participate. To borrow an ancient phrase, the paths are many, the sport is one.
USA Yoga believes that the practice of yoga and Yoga Asana is beneficial for the physical and mental health of all practitioners - children, teens, adults and seniors. Increased awareness of the sport of Yoga Asana will encourage existing practitioners to sharpen their skills through training, dedication, and devotion to the sport, and will inspire new practitioners to begin a practice which leads to a healthier and happier life.

USA Yoga seeks to become the national governing body for the sport of Yoga Asana and has applied to the United States Olympic Committee to be recognized as such. USA Yoga's goal is to join with similar organizations in other countries to form an international yoga federation and to qualify Yoga Asana as an Olympic sport.

Yoga in the Bible Belt

I am a southern girl. I'm a native of Nashville, TN and now a resident of Hoover, AL. I am a Christian- Roman Catholic to be exact. I am as active in my parish as my schedule permits and I enjoy being a cantor with the music ministry.

As I plan to open my studio within the next few months, I want to identify the road blocks that potential students may find to avoid coming to a yoga class. In the conservative area of Central Alabama, I think many may have perceptions of yoga that are not quite accurate. I will address my thoughts on this topic throughout the next few blogs.

When I met with Bikram Choudhury, my teacher, in San Diego a couple of weeks ago, he referred to the article below as he discussed challenges that I may have. I made a promise to him that I would do my best to change the conservative perception of yoga in the Bible Belt. I believe that you can be a true to your Christian beliefs and enjoy a healthy lifestyle that includes a regular yoga practice.

LOUISVILLE, Ky., Oct. 7, 2010

Southern Baptist Leader: Yoga Isn't Christian

Albert Mohler Says Discipline Derived from Eastern Religions is Not a Christian Pathway to God; Yoga Enthusiasts Object

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  In this photo taken Friday, Sept. 24, 2010, Stephanie Dillon conducts a yoga class in Louisville, Ky. Dillon's practice of yoga puts her at odds with Southern Baptist Seminary President Albert Mohler. (AP Photo/Ed Reinke)

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(AP) A Southern Baptist leader who is calling for Christians to avoid yoga and its spiritual attachments is getting plenty of pushback from enthusiasts who defend the ancient practice.

Southern Baptist Seminary President Albert Mohler says the stretching and meditative discipline derived from Eastern religions is not a Christian pathway to God.

Mohler said he objects to "the idea that the body is a vehicle for reaching consciousness with the divine."

"That's just not Christianity," Mohler told The Associated Press.

Mohler said feedback has come through e-mail and comments on blogs and other websites since he wrote an essay to address questions about yoga he has heard for years.

"I'm really surprised by the depth of the commitment to yoga found on the part of many who identify as Christians," Mohler said.

Yoga fans say their numbers have been growing in the U.S. A 2008 study by the Yoga Journal put the number at 15.8 million, or nearly 7 percent of adults. About 6.7 percent of American adults are Southern Baptists, according to a 2007 survey by the Pew Research Center Forum on Religion & Public Life.

Mohler argued in his online essay last month that Christians who practice yoga "must either deny the reality of what yoga represents or fail to see the contradictions between their Christian commitments and their embrace of yoga."

He said his view is "not an eccentric Christian position."

Other Christian leaders have said practicing yoga is incompatible with the teachings of Jesus. Pat Robertson has called the chanting and other spiritual components that go along with yoga "really spooky." California megachurch pastor John MacArthur called yoga a "false religion." Muslim clerics have banned Muslims from practicing yoga in Egypt, Malaysia and Indonesia, citing similar concerns.

Yoga proponents say the wide-ranging discipline, which originated in India, offers physical and mental healing through stretching poses and concentration.

"Lots of people come to yoga because they are often in chronic pain. Others come because they think it's a nice workout," said Allison Terracio, who runs the Infinite Bliss studio in Louisville.

And some yoga studios have made the techniques more palatable for Christians by removing the chanting and associations to eastern religions, namely Hinduism and its multiple deities.

Stephanie Dillon, who has injected Christian themes into her studio in Louisville, said yoga brought her closer to her Christian faith, which had faded after college and service in the Army.

"What I found is that it opened my spirit, it renewed my spirituality," Dillon said. "That happened first and then I went back to church." Dillon attends Southeast Christian Church in Louisville and says many evangelical Christians from the church attend her yoga classes.

She said she prayed on the question of whether to mix yoga and Christianity before opening her studio, PM Yoga, where she discusses her relationship with Jesus during classes.

"My objection (to Mohler's view) personally is that I feel that yoga enhances a person's spirituality," Dillon said. "I don't like to look at religion from a law standpoint but a relationship standpoint, a relationship with Jesus Christ specifically."

Mohler wrote the essay after reading "The Subtle Body," where author Stefanie Syman traces the history of yoga in America. Syman noted the growing popularity of yoga in the U.S. by pointing out that first lady Michelle Obama has added it to the festivities at the annual White House Easter Egg Roll on the front lawn.

Mohler said many people have written him to say they're simply doing exercises and forgoing yoga's eastern mysticism and meditation.

"My response to that would be simple and straightforward: You're just not doing yoga," Mohler said.

Bikram Yoga and Running

Plans for the studio are moving along. The architects and engineers will be finished with the plans by the end of the week.

In the meantime, I am coming off of a high from running the 41st NYC Marathon yesterday. This is my 3rd full marathon, but only my 1st since I have discovered Bikram Yoga. Bikram Yoga has made my running a completely different experience. Bikram likes to say, "you can mess with the Gods, but you can't mess with your knees."

Rarely do you hear "running" and "healthy knees" in the same sentence. As I was standing in the post finish line herd to claim our baggage and exit Central Park, I did not hear anyone boast about how great their knees, ankles and hips felt. Most of us were in some degree of physical agony. We all dealt with our own cramps and aches silently in the quiet cold until I sarcastically proclaimed how great my legs felt. Everyone started to join into a pain chorus. The validation was a bit calming to know that I wasn't the only one that wanted the crampy-stabbing feeling torture to stop.

Bikram was inspired to create this yoga to heal his own knee after a horrible weight-lifting accident during his youth. His knee was crushed so horribly, that the medics thought they may have to amputate. At the least, they thought he would not have use of his leg anymore. Bikram returned to his yoga guru and his guru coached Bikram through the poses that would heal his knee. It worked, Bikram promised a life of service to his guru and to the yoga. He created an amazing, unchanging, strengthening and healing yoga practice. A practice suitable for all people, no matter how old, how sick or how out of shape.

My training approach with this marathon was different than my others. A yoga teacher once told me that you need to match the time in your yoga practice with the time in your other physical activity (running, weight-lifting, other sports, etc.). This has been my physical equation for the past three years. I have become stronger, faster and injury free.

I wanted to ease back into running since I hadn't been running on a regular basis for over a year. As a regular Bikram Yoga practitioner, I could notice how much stronger all of my systems were during my marathon training. My cardiovascular system: My heart was strong, I felt like I had never stopped running on a regular schedule. My nervous system: my body adjusted well to the impact and stress. My respiratory system: Breath control was steady and oxygen always plentiful (even in 90% humidity Alabama summer days). Circulatory system: Capillaries wide open! Immune system: I've not encountered illness once in my three years of practicing Bikram Yoga- no runs missed because of sick days. Digestive system: In the past, I had suffered with some GI issues during my long runs, but not this go around! Mentally, I was more focused on the moment at hand and I ran smarter and continued to push it to my edge, safely.

During my months of training, I did have a knee/ITB that nagged a bit. So I took a week off from the running and did just the yoga. My knee had time to heal and I still maintained my strength and endurance and I added flexibility.

I arrived in NYC on Thursday night, I ran my last training run on Friday, and practiced yoga Saturday morning at Bikram Yoga Chelsea. Sunday was the big day. I arrived in Staten Island with almost 4 hours to wait until my wave start. It was a frigid morning and Pranayama breathing kept me warm and relaxed. The marathon was spectacular and I ran with joy and ease! Indeed, as soon as I stopped at the finish line, the cold and cramps set in. As soon as I maneuvered through Central Park and out to the the west side, I met my husband and we jumped the #2 train down to Bikram Yoga Manhattan- Chelsea. Some other students and my husband thought I was crazy for submitting myself to "Bikram's Torture Chamber" after running through every borough of NYC. I couldn't imagine a better place. The hot room felt like butter melting over my overtoasted muscles and ligaments. I could feel my body healing immediately from every posture. I felt restored.

Today I still feel good. I taught a powerful spinning class tonight and tomorrow I'll run a little and practice Bikram after. I'll continue to enjoy a life with the benefits of Bikram Yoga. I'm excited as ever to bring this yoga to Birmingham, AL and share these benefits with all who seek a better, healthier life.

Planning, planning, planning

Yesterday, I officially received possession of the space and my own set of new keys. I now have 100 days to get this project complete. WOW! I met with the architect and the mechanical engineer. We're refining the details, bit by bit. We meet Thursday to discuss finishes.

TheProcess Begins

I meet with the architect on Monday for him to get some final measurements from the space. I am so excited for them to get the drawings completed. I'll be working with the firm of Price-Bryant here in Birmingham. They are a couple of young guys who are excited to add this project to their blossoming portfolio. I'll keep you updated on the progress. Pictured right is some Indian architecture. The studio design will be very basic and functional, but I'd like to add a little Indian (from India) and Indian (from America) flair.

Back to the MotherShip

This past week I had the pleasure of returning to Bikram Teacher Training which is now being held in San Diego. As teachers, we are encouraged to return to training and help the staff with the new trainees. It's a wonderful opportunity to network with other teachers and studio owners. It's also a great opportunity to recruit teachers (new and veteran) for my new studio.
I sat in on some great lectures from Bikram on the philosophy of yoga. I also caught Dr. Das' lecture on yoga therapy. During my initial training, we're given a lot of information within those nine weeks and it's a lot to take in. It's nice to return at a later time when we've had practical experience as teachers. The information is able to sink in even deeper.
No teacher training is complete without late night Indian movies. I stayed up 2 nights for a viewing of Mahabarata and and a newer version of a classic with Rotik Rashaan.
I have been corresponding with architects all week and hope to have a decision within the next day or two. Once drawings are complete, then gc's will bid, permits, then let's get building!

Bikram approves Birmingham location

Hello Birmingham! A brand new Certified Bikram Yoga Studio is coming to town! Today, after a long application process, and searching for the right space in a central location, Bikram has given his personal approval for me to move forward with opening a Bikram Studio in Birmingham, AL.
Almost 3 years ago, when I experienced Bikram Yoga for the first time, I knew I wanted to share the benefits of this wonderful yoga with as many people as possible. And now, it's happening!
Bikram Yoga Birmingham will be located at 350 Olde Town Rd in Vestavia Hills, AL (just off Hwy 31 next to Chuck-E-Cheese and behind Vestavia Bowl). We plan on starting the build-out process as soon as possible. Please stay tuned for updates!