Here at Detroit Bikram we look for certain criteria when we choose a student of the month.  How long a student has been practicing is not one of them.  It doesn't matter if you have been practicing for days, weeks, months, years, if you have the passion and commitment to your yoga practice you have a great chance of being picked! That's the case with our June Student of the Month, Sam Kas-Mikha.

Sam is a busy entrepreneur of a successful Karate School, called Champion Karate here in Michigan. He is a Hall of Fame Martial Artist who is an undefeated 6-time world kickboxing Champion in 6 different weight classes. On top of that, he's also 8th Degree Black belt Grand Master in Tae Kwon Do! WOW!...  Not to mention he is also a Bikram Yoga student!

Sam is fairly new to our Bikram Yoga family as he has only been practicing since January 2011. When he took his first class he knew it was life changing! Since then he has completed the 30 Day, 60 Day Challenges and still going strong.

As a health conscious athlete, Sam became curious with Bikram Yoga with all the health benefits it has to offer, and as a different form of exercise to add to his daily work out routine. Sam is a model student who is always willing to work hard and try his best to understand the postures and breathing exercises.  He knows that with his hard work and perseverance he will be able to master his practice in no time!

Click here to read full interview, view photos, and post a comment... 

As far as yoga goes, Bikram Yoga is a pretty intense practice. Spending 90 minutes in the yoga "Torture Chamber" as Bikram calls it, is always quite a challenge.In response to this challenge we sometimes develop habits that we think make the practice easier, but in reality make it more difficult. To help navigate these waters and to help everyone get the most out of this transformative practice, we have identified our "Top 10 List of Habits That Seem Like a Good Idea, But Actually Make Class Harder"  

1. Wiping sweat: This is a big one.  We know that sweat can feel unseemly, but it is our greatest protection from overheating in class. Sweat acts as our body's naturally cooling system. If we wipe off too much sweat, our temperatures spike, resulting in discomfort.
             
2. Fanning ourselves: It might feel momentarily nice to fan ourselves a bit. However, the motion of fanning uses up extra energy, creating more heat. We don't want that! 


3. Guzzling water: You might wonder why we add this to the list when we just recently published a hydration article about drinking lots of water. Hydration is so important, but most of our hydration will take place before and after class. If we chug large amounts during class we may notice a very strong sloshing sensation in the gut, and a feeling of nausea that makes backward bends and forward bends really uncomfortable. Drink water if you need it, but keep in mind that a belly full of water might make you feel queasy.
      
4. Ice water: Icy drinks are so tempting to take into class. Mentally they seem like exactly what we need. Icy drinks are ok, but room temperature water is better because our bodies absorb it more easily than ice cold water. We will be better hydrated if we drink our water at normal room temperature.
      
5. Closing the eyes: If we feel overwhelmed by the practice it might seem nice to close the eyes. However, closing the eyes can lead to a feeling of dizziness, and a loss of energy. Keep those eyes open until final Savasana.

Read the rest of our Top 10 List here, including the one that relates to this photo below. Enjoy!