News from Bikram Yoga Bend Oregon

Can you believe it? 2007 is gone and 2008 is now here. Have you made a gratitude list lately? 2007 gave us so many opportunities to be grateful for our lives and everything that happened. Even those "things" that may have been a challenge to get through gives us more chances to grow. Now here we are ready to move forward into a new year and of course more opportunities to deepen our yoga practice.

Here are some reminders on just how to deepen your practice:

Always keep an extra yoga mat and yoga clothes in your car. This way you have no excuse to miss class.
Get to the studio 10 minutes early to sign in and get situated.
Each time you come to class, put your mat in a different spot in the room. This simple act will deepen your practice more than you can imagine.
When you do enter the studio room, leave the outside world outside. When in the room be in the room. Give yourself the pleasure and joy of taking care of just you.
Keep an open mind and follow the teachers instructions.
Do every single posture. It is really easy to get in the habit of always sitting down at the same time. Just do what you can in each posture as the class progresses.
Be sure to always do your savasana at the end of class. This gives you your final relaxation and the opportunity for your body and mind to fully assimilate your yoga practice.

Hope to see all you of very soon in class..!!

Michael Harris, Studio Owner and Director

Posture of the Month

Standing Head to Knee

Dandayama Janushirasana

Ok... Now we are perhaps at the most challenging posture of them all. Bikram calls this the most misunderstood of all the postures. We tell you to, "Lock Your Knee, Lock Your Knee, Lock Your Knee". What exactly does that mean? All our lives we are told never to lock the knee. And of course you never want to lock the knee when you are swooshing down the slopes, on the tennis court or many other activities. So what happens when you Lock Your Knee in class. First of all remember that during the posture you are not jumping up and down or jogging down the street. What you are doing in class is remaining in a stable standing position. Bikram's latest book describes it perfectly. If the thigh muscles remain slack, you will create unnecessary compression in the knee joint, eventually causing damage. When you engage the quadriceps femorius muscles, the tendons and ligaments of the knee become active and pull bone away from bone, strengthening and rehabilitating the joint.

What are the benefits of this posture? I will mention just a few. If you have any knee issues at all this posture will help you to rehabilitate the joint. Remember when Bikram was just 17 he crushed his knee cap and this is one of the postures used to heal his knee. When you Lock Your Knee, this posture will improve the sciatic nerves, the hamstrings and the various muscles of the leg. It is one of the postures in "yoga medicine" that helps keep the arteries of the legs clear of blockages. It is used to teach you how to keep the leg locked it in future postures. By keeping the leg locked in the spine strengthening postures on the floor, it will help create strength and flexibility in the muscles of the spine. These are just a few of the benefits.

How do you do the posture? First of all there is no hurry to do any of the postures perfectly. Besides, yoga is not about the postures, it is about your life. Start out by shifting the weight to the standing leg. Make sure the leg is nice and strong. Interlace the fingers and reach down to pick up the foot. Work on keeping the leg and the foot that you are holding at a 90 degree angle from the side. Then once again, make sure you Lock Your Knee. Next step is to slowly lift the leg up parallel to the floor. No higher, no lower. Really feel the stretch under the leg. Get both legs locked out - then only then - bring your elbows down below your calf muscle. If you can still balance there - very slowly - bring your chin to your chest and touch your forehead to the knee. The name Dandayamana-Janushirasana essentially means Standing Head to Knee. So the knee must touch the forehead. Of course it could take months or even years to be able to complete this posture. The most important thing to do is just listen to the teacher and try the right way.

One of the best ways to learn more about the postures is to read Bikram's Beginning Yoga Class book. And, when you come to class everyday you will "Make Your Body Smile!"

Michael Harris, Studio Owner and Director

Student of the Month

January's Student of the Month is Betty Lynch

January's Student of the Month is Betty Lynch!

After attending her first few classes, Betty Lynch soon committed to doing a 30 day challenge. As of January 1st, Betty will have taken 70 classes in a row--always with a smiling happy face!

Dealing with the hustle and bustle of life, work stresses, and family care, Betty's own physical and mental health and well being took a back seat to everything else. Having many obligations to provide and take care of family members, a sedentary lifestyle began to take over, mental focus decreased, and the time usually taken to stay in shape began to diminish. In effect, little by little, the pounds started adding up.

While gardening, one of Betty's favorite past times, she went to lift a large rock and injured her lower back--a pain much more debilitating than anything she's felt in her life. This injury was a wake up call to Betty of how she was not taking care of herself properly. So, she used this "accident" as an "incident" to attempt to regain control of her life.

Like many people, she steers away from doctors and surgeons unless absolutely necessary. Instead, she tried as many types of alternative medicine as possible to overcome pain in her body: herbal remedies, acupuncture and chiropractic visits were part of the process to regain mobility and strength in her back. The results were slow and steady, but not happening fast enough. At that time, she and her husband Mike, both committed to losing weight. Through out the next year, she and Mike lost over 100 pounds combined--can you believe it? And this was only the beginning of their lifestyle change.

Luckily, a good friend suggested to Betty that she attend Bikram Yoga. In her first class Betty immediately began to feel the effects in her body. Now after 70 classes she stands a bit taller and thinks a bit clearer. Her diet is better, sleep is better, and even her use of time more efficient. Betty is sold on the long lasting affects of the Bikram Beginning Series. It has become the most affordable treatment for her back pain and has also become a method of preventative medicine for her over all health.

The most enjoyable part about practicing daily (besides accumulating all those fun stickers on the challenge board) is that Betty is constantly learning something new about the greater effects of Bikram Yoga -- it is extremely gradual and demands extra patience. By trading in a few bad habits for extremely good ones, she has made a commitment to an increased quality of life. Another amazing part of her practice is that both her son and husband now practice regularly as well. Her husband Mike comes in everyday and practices next to his lovely wife. They both support each other's commitment to living a great life. Yoga has effectively created a union between herself and her family. She has truly found the key to the kingdom of health and vitality.

BettyMichaelLynch

Betty and Michael Lynch

Kathy Durham, Bikram Yoga Certified Teacher

Hope to see you in class soon!!

Michael Harris, Director
Bikram Yoga Bend, Oregon

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