Blogged!
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Bikram Yoga Tempe recently welcomed Renee Alaksa and her colleagues who were in town working on a production of Billy Elliot. She was kind enough to share her thoughts with us and we were so touched by what she had to say! Check out her experience at BYT as well as the rest of her yoga journey.
Thank you all for contributing to the energy and community at Bikram Yoga Tempe that makes it such a wonderful studio to call home.
And thank you Renee for visiting with us and for sharing your thoughts and your practice while you are in town. We hope to see you each time you pass through!
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30 Day Challenge? Yeah, I did that! | |
There's nothing easy about the 30 or 60 Day Challenge. 30 hot and sweaty 90 minute classes in 30 days is tough (we don't call it a challenge for nothing!) At the end of it, though, you have to admit it; it is worth it.
Just ask any of these yogis who recently finished their challenges!
Jacqui Conway
Heather Spoehr
Joanne Marie Johnson
Debbie Fogarty
Mark Wahl
Sowj Chintalapati
Nicole Ramsay
Megan Freemole
Leslie Anglero
Richelle Peterson
Darcy Moore
Chuck Moore
Angie Smith
David Haley
Angela Fry
Micol Neely
Chris Goetz
Fantastic effort yogis!
Now is the perfect time to start your 30 or 60 Day Challenge! There is no better way to spend the 60 days leading up to swimsuit season!
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Please Be On Time!
Be on time to class. We understand that sometimes extenuating circumstances will occasionally make you a few minutes late, but as a rule try to get here at least 5 to 10 minutes before the class starts. | | Classes are busy and if there are more than 50 people in the class, we will not let you into the room late. You may enter the room a few minutes late if there is space and it is before second set of breathing. |
New Student Parking
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You have all seen the signs, "Reserved for New Students." We do our best to set these up before each class; sometimes we get busy and forget. Either way, the first three to four spots just to the right of the door are reserved for new students. If it is not your first or second class, please do not take one of these spots. Leave them for new students, who need to have examples in front of them and be within easy sight of the teacher.
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Lost and Found
| Blame it on the yoga brain! We have an assortment of mats, clothing, bottles and jewelry that have been left here at BYT.
If you think you may have lost something at the studio, please check with us at the front desk. At the end of each month all unclaimed items will be donated.
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Just a heads up: we reserve the right to dispose of sweaty towels and undergarments for reasons of sanitation. Please take caution not to leave them behind.
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First Fridays
On the first Friday of each month, firefighters, police, and paramedics are welcome to join us at BYT for free! | |
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BEZ Photography
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Have the spectacular photographs on the walls of the studio caught your eye? They are all taken by BYT owner, Dr. Ben Zorensky. You can visit his website to view his complete gallery and find his contact information. |
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Wellspring Holistic Health Center
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Wellspring, a beautiful wellness center created by Dr. Benjamin Zorensky NMD, is located at the northeast corner of Kyrene and Warner at 430 W Warner Rd. Ste 104. The center hosts the following practitioners:
Anna Lunaria
Licensed Massage Therepist and yoga teacher
John Schultz
Reflexology, Reiki, Energy Healing, Spiritual Life Coaching, Metaphysical Consultation and Therapeutic Prayer
Richard Wyckoff
Certified Acupuncturist
Karla Kay
Gabi Garrisi
MBS Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork; Certified Bikram Yoga Teacher
You can reach everyone listed above at Wellspring Holistic Health: 480-785-0750
Two rooms are currently available for lease to health and wellness practitioners. For inquiries, email drzorensky@gmail.comEckhart Tolle Meditation GroupInterested in adding meditation to your yoga practice? Join BYT student, Maryna Smut for a monthly meetup meditation group on the first Friday evening of every month. The next meeting will be on May 6th from 7-9 PM at Wellspring Holistic Health Center. Check out our site for details on joining the group and sending an RSVP for the next meeting.
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Temperatures Rising
Newsletter | May 2011
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Greetings!
Two weekends into May and 10 minutes on Alta Trail in South Mountain Park. My entire shirt was soaked through. My arms glistened and beads of sweat dripped down my face. While hiking uphill, I counted my blessings and found myself thankful first for the breeze and then for my supercharged natural cooling system. I was at that moment, so very grateful for sweat.
I think it is safe to say that sweatshirt weather has officially come and gone. As it heats up outside, don't be dissuaded from these 90 sweaty minutes! Finding the motivation to get into the hot room when the patio thermometer creeps towards and then past 100 degrees Fahrenheit can seem impossible. But the pay off is well worth it; you will be better able to handle the heat outside.
We all know the feeling well. Some how between May and September, a simple trip to the store is enough to warrant a 30 minute nap or at least a couple of Advil. Although it seems counter intuitive, coming to yoga will decrease summer time fatigue. Your body will be more acclimated to the heat and will cool itself more efficiently. You will also be more likely to stay hydrated since nothing reminds us to drink water quite like wringing out our towels at the end of class. An efficient cooling system and balanced hydration together will help keep you energized through the summer.
Besides, who can forget the bonus of those precious moments when you walk out of class into the Arizona summer and actually get to feel cool outside?!
Tricia & The Teachers and Staff of Bikram Yoga Tempe |
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Craig Villani visits BYT
On April 28th, Craig Villani joined us at Bikram Yoga Tempe to lead a Master's Class. Even though the opportunity presented itself last minute, over 70 yogis were able to attend.
Craig spent over two hours to lead us through the 26 and 2, taking time to talk through the form and sequence of the postures, as well as to make us thereafter forever thankful that we do not have to hold second part of awkward for two minutes every day.
We took a moment to snap a staff photo with Craig before class.
Here are a few tidbits from Craig's class that will help you in the postures.
Standing still. Who would have thought that there could be so much detail in standing? But the truth is that how we position our bodies while standing helps us to set up the postures correctly. We all recognize the command, "toes and heels touching." Start there, but don't stop there. Keep your feet flat on the floor and equally distribute your weight on your feet. Keep your legs strong and hips tight. Push your hips slightly forward so that your ankles, knees and hips are in one line. This is different from tucking your tail bone under, which rotates your hips and brings your body forward. Keep your upper body back. Now suck your stomach in by pulling your belly button towards your spine. Then contract your abdominal muscles; notice that your chest stays lifted and your spine straight. Relax your shoulders; keep your chin parallel to the floor and look at yourself in the mirror. Now you're ready for the posture...
The Arc of Decompression. What does this mean? When you bring your arms up, such as in Half Moon Pose or Awkward Pose, first bring your five fingers together by your side (whenever you bring your arms over your head sideways, position your palms slightly forward towards the mirror). Then stretch them down before bringing them up, as though you are trying to draw as large a circle as possible with your fingertips. This opens up the shoulder joint and from the beginning works on locked out elbows and strong arms. The idea of stretching your five fingers away from your shoulders also works well to keep your arms engaged and therefore light in Triangle and Full Locust.
Speaking of Triangle Pose... When you move your arms, move only your arms. Keep your spine straight in the center. Continuously stretch up to the ceiling as you stretch your arm down to put your elbow in from of your knee and fingertips between your toes. This motion will open up your chest and keep your spine in the correct position. Do not just collapse over to the left side as this puts pressure on your back. When you come out of the posture, first move the arms back to parallel and then push up with your legs. This way, you do not rely on the lower back to pull you out of the posture.
Details, details, details. The take home message was to move slowly and with intention. Pay attention to each movement and the effect that it has in your body. There is never any need for quick, sharp, ballistic motion. Keep the good form, breathe in the postures and be present. Depth comes with patience, integrity and regular practice.
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Hydrate, Hydrate, Hydrate
We cannot stress this enough. As the temperature rises, you must be even more careful to maintain proper hydration.
The truth is that most people live their lives in a state of mild dehydration without realizing it. Fatigue, frequent headaches, light headedness, muscle tension, nausea, weight gain, dry skin and mouth, digestive distress: all of these symptoms and more can result from dehydration. Serious dehydration can result in heart palpitations, severe cramping, confusion, weakness and even organ failure. If you are experiencing weakness, headache and dizziness in class then there is a good chance you are dehydrated. You must prepare before you enter the hot room; drink plenty of water and be sure to get electrolytes too!
Where should you start? As a baseline, you should be drinking half your body weight in ounces. That means, if you weigh 150 lbs you should be drinking at least 75 ounces (or 2.2 liters). The more time you spend outside and the more exercise you do, the more water you need to drink. In the Arizona desert during the summer and practicing Bikram Yoga you may need to drink as much as your total body weight in ounces per day. That means a 150 lbs person may need to drink 150 ounces or 4.5 liters of water.
 Water is not the only important element to hydration. When you sweat you lose not only water, but also salts. When you sweat as much as we sweat, getting the proper balance of salts through diet alone becomes tricky. Thankfully, there are many different products to suit your taste and life style that will replenish your body's electrolytes. Coconut water, such as VitaCoco, is a fantastic (and tasty) post yoga drink. Other options include ReCharge and Vitamin Water as well as SmartWater, which supplements electrolytes without the sugar boost. For a more economical approach, try PowerPak or EmergenC packets or Nuun tablets. For extra heavy sweaters, you may consider taking electrolyte supplements in pill form.
Electrolyte balance is crucial to avoid hyponatremia. Hyponatremia basically amounts to water intoxication brought on by drinking too much water without sufficient electrolyte replenishment. When blood sodium levels fall below normal, warning symptoms emerge, which ironically mimic dehydration: Nausea, muscle cramping, disorientation, slurred speech and confusion. You can usually deduce whether you are dehydrated or over hydrated by taking into account how much water you have consumed. If you are drinking 2 gallons of water a day, you are probably not dehydrated. You may want to cut down a little bit on the water intake, but mostly I would recommend eating a pickle or two.
If you are on any medication, check the literature for information on how it may affect your hydration and electrolyte imbalance. Some medications, such as many of those prescribed for mood disorders, elevate the salt content in your urine (making you prone to hyponatremia because you are not only sweating but also peeing out salt). Others, such as some birth control pills, may cause you to retain certain salts such as potassium. In this case you should be aware not to overdose on that particular supplement. Always be conscious of the way any medication is affecting your body so that you can anticipate and account for the effects.
Just to clarify, be sure you are drinking water and not just sports drinks, sodas, tea and coffee. Anything with caffeine will dehydrate your body, so you must drink extra water to account for this. For example, if you drink 8 oz of coffee a day, you should drink 24 oz of water to rehydrate yourself.
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Happy Mother's Day
To celebrate Mother's Day, we invited mothers new to BYT to practice with us for free. We had several brave mothers join us for the first time as well as many dedicated and wonderful mothers who knew exactly what they were in for!
Seeing so many mothers, some with their spouses, children and even grandchildren, lined up on the blue lines, is an inspiration! We are ceaselessly amazed by your determination and commitment to not only raise and support a family, but to take the time to care for yourself. The intrinsic strength and beauty of motherhood brings such positive energy into the yoga room! Thank you to each and every one of you for all you do. You are all amazing, beautiful, radiant! |
Just for Fun...
Candid shot before we finally got all the crazy yogis under control....
Laurence Bautista displays stunning balance. Fearless!
Send lots of love to our Teacher Trainees in LA! Way to go Leslie, Jackie, Keri and Jen. Stay strong!
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Growing up I thought that the Field Guide to Surviving Summer in Phoenix was simply "live in the pool". Unfortunately, as adults, we have to continue to attend to our daily responsibilities, which require us to spend some amount of time outside running around in the heat. And so I have revised my strategy to include daily Bikram Yoga practice and careful attention to hydration. Avoid the summertime fatigue, keep your energy levels high and look amazing in that swimsuit for those days you do get to spend lounging by the water. See you soon!
Sincerely, The Teachers and Staff of Bikram Yoga Tempe 1825 E Guadalupe Rd #103 Tempe, AZ 85283 www.bikramyogatempe.com 480-777-0939 |
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