September 2010 Newsletter
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Student of the Month
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We are happy to announce Lynn Crawford as our September Student of the Month! This devoted Bikram Yogini is an art critic and fiction writer who lives in Birmingham with her husband and two teenage sons. Her fifth book, a novel, "Simply Separate People, Two", comes out this fall from Brooklyn Rail/Black Square Editions. She is a founding board member of MOCAD (Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit). This past June she received a 2010 Kresge Artist Fellowship, awarded by Kresge Arts in Detroit, a program of the Kresge Foundation. *
We sat down with Lynn and asked her a few questions:
Bikram FH: How long have you been practicing Bikram Yoga?
Lynn: I started practicing Bikram Yoga in January 2005 and cannot imagine my life without it.
Bikram FH: How often do you practice?
Lynn: Ideally every day. When I tell people this they ask me how I can possibly have the time. The fact is, this practice helps me organize things and function efficiently. I live in the suburbs; my life is sedentary. I spend most of my time sitting (at my desk, writing--or trying to write--, in meetings, driving my children around the Detroit Metro region). Sometimes my only physical movements are housework and grocery shopping. Ugh.
I tend to be physically stiff and I am certain this life style does not help. A daily Bikram Yoga practice irons out accumulated physical aches, pains, and offers me a mental pop to get through everything I have to do in a day.
Bikram FH: Why did you start Bikram Yoga?
Lynn: I came to Bikram Yoga after years practicing other forms of yoga (ashtanga, anusara, vinyasa), because I kept getting injured. During one of my all too frequent visits to the chiropractor he looked me in the eye and said, "Whatever kind of physical exercise and yoga you are doing, stop. Try something completely different."
I was irritated but knew he had a point so I listened. In January, 2005, on my oldest son's birthday, I took my first Bikram Yoga class. I left feeling a blend of nausea and relief. That lasted for about a week. Then the nausea went away and I started to feel light, loose, limber. I was hooked.
Over time, I have come to understand how each posture is healing, strengthening, enriching. I am not saying I enjoy each posture every class, but I do appreciate them, at least by the time class is over.
Bikram FH: What do you love most about this practice? What do you experience as the major health benefits of Bikram Yoga?
Lynn: I, and others, talk a lot about how Bikram helps our physical well being, and how healing it is physically. I hear stories of students getting injured in other kinds of yoga, and must say I never hear talk of that at this Bikram Yoga studio, or any I have visited. But I want to emphasize how much the Bikram Yoga practice enhances my mental concentration. The mind is a muscle; unused it atrophies, turns flabby. After periods of mind numbing tasks (driving, cleaning, driving, meetings, driving, laundry....). I need to get ahold of that sharp mental edge to write, to create. A Bikram Yoga practice does that for me; enhances my concentration and ability to focus.
Bikram FH: Anything else you would like to add?
Lynn: I love the students and the teachers at this center. I love how us practitioners, a wide range of ages, sizes, shapes, back grounds, can come together and get our hearts pounding, work up a thick sweat, with no fear of injury. I think we all feel a bond with one another because we engage in this kind of yoga that many other people--even our loved ones--might view as nuts. It is hard not to feel connected with a person you sweat, scantily clad, next to, and brush up against his or her foot, shoulder, thigh, rear end.
And the teachers are exceptional. Other places I've taken yoga there seems to be this big question: "Who is teaching this or that class?" Every teacher at this studio is excellent; I appreciate the variety. The practice is always the same yet always different. I always leave with some sense of physical, mental, spiritual, well being, and definitely gratitude.
Bikram FH: Thank you Lynn for sharing your insights and appreciation of this yoga with us. Your dedication to this practice is very inspiring!
* to learn more about the Kresge Foundation and their commitment to Detroit arts visit www.kresge.com
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Bikram Yoga Troy (coming soon)
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You may have already heard the rumors... and yes it's true, we are opening our second official Bikram Yoga studio in Troy. We plan to open in January 2011. Many of our Bikram FH yoga students live in the I-75 or Woodward corridors, so we know the Troy location will be much more convenient for you! Bikram Yoga Troy will be located on Livernois Road between Big Beaver and Maple, next near the Powerhouse Gym. This location is less than 5 miles from Birmingham, Bloomfield Hills, Royal Oak, Clawson, Rochester Hills, and Sterling Heights. If you don't live in Troy or these neighboring communities, don't worry because Bikram Yoga Troy will be easily accessed from I-75, less than 1 mile from the I-75 & Big Beaver Road exit. For added convenience, class packages can be used seamlessly at both locations! Bikram Yoga Troy will be staffed by all your favorite Bikram FH teachers, so expect the same great quality teaching and facility! The new class schedule in Troy may be different than Bikram FH. We want to hear from you about your ideal class times. For example: does 6:00am or 7:00am work better for the early birds? Does 6:00pm or 6:30pm work better for the after-work yogi's. Email us here with your class time suggestions. Stay tuned with our Facebook site, we will provide updates and photos of the construction progress at Bikram Yoga Troy. |
New Faces
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You may have noticed some new faces around the studio, these bright smiling faces belong to teachers Allan Santos and Fenlon Lamb.
 Allan and Fenlon are teachers from Bikram Yoga Ann Arbor. They will be teaching some classes at Bikram FH. If you have taken class with them already, you know they are awesome!
Welcome Allan and Fenlon to our yoga family, we are glad you are here! |
"Strike A Pose" Photo Contest
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There are still a few days left in summer. If you have any inspiring yoga pictures, email them to us before September 22nd. The top 3 photos (determined by Bikram FH staff) will win a free T-shirt. Winners to be announced at our Fall Celebration. Also the top 12 photos (determined by number of comments and 'likes' in our Facebook "Strike A Pose 2010" photo album) will be used to create a 2011 Bikram FH calendar. If you have not done so already, check out these amazing photos on our Facebook site, and vote for your favorite pics by leaving a comment or 'like' under the photo. Here is a little sample of favorites...  Carl Davis in Balancing Stick Pose (at the office, but not working)  Jessica Ripka going into Balancing Stick Pose (taking a break during her music video filming) 
Sandeep Shabd in Downward Facing Tree
 David Jordano takes a break from his day-hike with Chakrasana Wheel Thank you to everyone who has participated!
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Did You Know? Meditation Heals
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We all know the benefits of our physical yoga practice, which brings balance and health to our body, which helps improve our mind. Did you know that the meditation technique called TM is yoga for the mind? During TM the mind settles down to experience its deepest level of awareness in a completely natural way, and by doing so dissolves stress, and nourishes the mind and body. In fact TM is so powerful, it brings healing to even the most intensely stressful situations, such as war veterans with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. This month we want highlight the healing power of TM with this brief but exceptional video documentary of soldiers who have suffered from PTSD. Want to learn more about TM? It's simple, just contact your local Re-Certified TM Teacher, of which there are 5 in the Detroit area, including your very own studio owners, Jenny and Ian, as well as Jim Cahaney, Linda Simmons, and Paul Michel. Jenny and Ian are also directors of the National Association of Yoga Teachers on TM. Email us here to request more information on TM. Read more about how TM relates to Yoga here. Read more about the wide ranging benefits of TM here.
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Bikram Yoga Farmington Hills |
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SUMMER YOGA CHALLENGE
| Summer is winding down, and so is the Summer Challenge.
If you signed up for the Challenge, we will review your attendance history and enter your name into our raffle.
If you attended 50 classes within the 90 days of summer, your name will be entered into the raffle once.
For every 10 classes that you attended after 50, we will add your name into the raffle again!
Good luck to all who participated!
We will announce the winners at our Fall Celebration.
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FALL PARTY
| We will host a Fall Yoga Party after the 10am class Sunday, Oct 3rd
At this time we will announce the winners of the Summer Challenge and the Photo Contest.
Come and hang out!
We will have music, food, fun, and good company.
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POSTURE CLINIC
| We are hosting renown Bikram Yogi, Esak Garcia for a Posture Clinic Seminar on January 29th.
Mark your calendars, we are excited because it's going to be awesome.
For a little taste, check out Esak's website.
More details to come.
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STAY CONNECTED
| Stay connected to the Bikram FH studio and the greater Bikram Yoga world by joining us on Facebook & Twitter!
Watch videos, read articles, stay current with announcements, share comments, & more!
 
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