Put yourself first. One of the most important rules of love and yoga is self-acceptance, compassion, and self-love. You are worthy of love, care, and affection. You can only begin to take care of others once you have taken care of yourself. We do yoga to build a solid foundation in the body and mind that works to reduce stress and relieve suffering. We build strong relationships that will be the foundation of support and encouragement through the varying degrees of life.

Be Committed. In Bikram Yoga, just like in love, it is important that you are ready to put the hours in. Being and staying motivated is essential - having the will power is the secret ingredient to any ongoing relationship. Relationships, like yoga, take work. Hard hard work.

Be Here, Now. Staying focused and present in the current moment are absolutely essential to improving your yoga practice and caring for your relationships. Attending properly your own needs and the needs of your partner are critical to maintaining balance in and out of the yoga room.

Be Realistic. Expectations are our way of predicting an outcome. They can be helpful when it comes to danger or quick decision-making but can be harmful when it comes to yoga and relationships. If we expect too much, we are dissapointed. If we expect too little, we don't improve/change as quickly as we'd like. It is important to dissolve our fantasies about love and yoga that we have gathered from our friends and teachers. Every love relationship and every yoga practice is unique - with its own unique set of problems and needs. 

Be Honest. Sometimes it can be hard to be straight up about how your feeling. Sometimes it's hard to even be honest with yourself. Open communication and honesty are just as important in love as they are in yoga. If you know you are being lazy or lacking in motivation, own up to it, and take responsibility. In yoga, push harder. In love, just take the garbage out. 

There are many more comparisons between love and yoga.  Finding ways to connect the two experiences can be helpful in sustaining a healthy and loving relationship. It might also give you new insight on your journey in class. We hope you have a great Valentine's Day!

Challenge yourself by attempting the 30-day Challenge!   I've been practicing at BYT for nearly 4 years; the first two years I "dabbled" at yoga and would often have long lapses in attending class.  There were times when my lapses lasted longer than a month, but I kept coming back, kept returning to practice.  I became more of a serious student in May 2010, when I retired from my day job.  In chronological years, I'm nearing the end of my 5th decade; even an old woman like me, can still benefit enormously from practicing Bikram Yoga.   One of my goals in retirement is improving my fitness and nutrition -- I'm feeling happy and optimistic about being in better shape and enjoying the next 40 years of life. 

I successfully completed the 30-day challenge in December.   It was my third attempt at doing the Challenge and I wasn't successful the first two times I tried.  Reba said something in class months ago that inspired me ... she said that you may not complete the Challenge the first or the second or the third or the fourth time you attempt it.  The important thing is to make the effort and try and try again.   

I started the 30-day Challenge the Monday before Thanksgiving and completed the Challenge on the Tuesday before Christmas.  It was such a positive experience, that I'm planning to make it an annual adventure!   Doing the Challenge helped me so much in navigating through the busy holiday season.   Doing the Challenge helped me to say "no" to super-sized portions of my favorite seasonal goodies.  Doing the Challenged helped me to stay focused and make time for myself, rather than getting caught up in the extra thousand activities that occur in November and December.  Doing the Challenge definitely improved the quality of my yoga practice.   I'm still not someone who practices in the front row, but I have most definitely gained muscle and improved my flexibility and balance.

Now I finally understand that practicing the bikram series can be a "moving meditation".  Doing the Challenge helped me to feel more connected to the BYT community - I was at the studio more often and enjoyed chatting with many people.    Doing the Challenge gave me more opportunities to practice with all the instructors and it seemed that in every class I heard and learned something new.  I've always been inspired and motivated when taking classes from Tricia and Gabi; doing the Challenge enabled me to learn all of Ron's jokes; doing the Challenge gave me the courage not to avoid Patrick's classes and not to hide in the back row in Jeremy's classes.  While I was doing the Challenge, Charles nicknamed me "Challenger".  Since completing the Challenge, my new nickname is "Survivor". What a great nickname!

We are so proud of you Mary! ~BYT Staff