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Greetings!
No one seems to know what happened to Spring time in Austin Tx, but I think it's safe to say, things in Austin are officially HOT and only getting HOTTER - thanks to PURE Bikram Yoga!
Before you do anything else, freeze, don't move, don't even blink your eyes.... "Like" us on Facebook! This is a great way to stay up to date with PURE Bikram Yoga and a fun place to chat with your next-mat neighbors outside of the hot room.
Let's begin again...
It's been a while since you've had a proper Newsletter. In the meantime, a LOT has been happening. Here is a recap of some recent events:
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Recent Events
PURE 60 Challenge
Between Austin and San Antonio, we've raised over $42,500 for Glimmer of Hope, enough to build 10 new hand dug wells, distribution points, or spring eye reservoirs to serve over 3,000 people for over 20 years! Our final challenge class had over 250 participants. Special thanks again to St. Stephens Episcopal School for providing the Clayton Gymnasium to us for our event, and to Loriana Hernandez for giving us the media coverage on Fox7 News.
Glimmer of Hope works with several villages in Ethiopia, check out this video update for the village of Robit!
 | | Robit Update |
UT Health Study
Stacy Hunter, a Doctoral student at UT, has been following a group of first time Bikram Yoga practitioners to study the vascular and metabolic benefits of Bikram Yoga. The study is not quite done yet, but here is what she can share so far,
"The Cardiovascular Aging Research Laboratory at UT Austin is conducting a study on the metabolic and cardiovascular benefits of Bikram yoga in obese and normal weight men and women. This investigation will determine if Bikram yoga improves vascular health and glucose metabolism, which is often impaired in individuals with obesity. Additional study parameters include body fat percentage, cardiovascular fitness, blood pressure, cholesterol, and insulin levels. Insulin levels are often elevated in overweight and obese men and women and are indicative of impaired glucose metabolism. The vascular health measures included are arterial stiffness, distensibility, and reactivity, each of which is indicative of the risk of cardiovascular disease. Therefore, if the results of this study show improvements in these measures, these groundbreaking findings would be the first to document a role of Bikram yoga in the prevention of heart disease, which is the leading cause of death in the US and will also lend support to the many existing health claims associated with this practice. The results from this study will be presented at Pure Bikram Yoga this summer. Dates to be determined."
Posture Practice - Focus on Shoulders
We have the best students at PURE Bikram Yoga. The first practice had more than 50 attendees, the second 35. You all brought wonderfully thoughtful and important questions to the table. These past 2 sessions were educational, encouraging and fun for all! As teachers, we've noticed a new focus and attention in the room and are happy to see our students newly inspired to improve their practices. We have more practices coming up, so don't miss them!
Rogue Running
Our friends at Rogue Runing came to the Downtown Studio April 23rd and took a class with Mardy Chen. After the class, many made commitments to come back! Right away they noticed the obvious benefits of Bikram Yoga for their overall health as well as their running!
Cedar Park Relay for Life
Edy Baily went to Cedar Park and led a 5:30am Yoga Class for the Relay for Life. This 24hr relay benefits the American Cancer Society. Edy kept the teams alert, strong, and limber for the last bit of their relay!
 | | Edy teaches Trikanasana at the Cedar Park/Leander Relay for Life |
Bikram on the Today Show - April 26th
NBC went to LA to meet and interview Bikram during his Teacher Training! The bit aired April 26th on NBC. Here is the link, in case you missed it.
TODAY'S Jenna Wolfe catches up with 65-year-old yogi Bikram Choudhury, the founder of Bikram yoga.
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Upcoming Events
I know, you must be thinking, "Wow, I can't believe PURE Bikram Yoga has done so much lately!" Relax. Breathe. It gets better. We have plenty more things coming up and we hope to see your smiling happy faces there!
May
Fox Health Edge Filming - 1st week of May
Loriana Hernandez, a PURE student and Anchor for Fox 7 News, is working on a story about the Health Benefits of Bikram Yoga! She and her camera crew will be around the Downtown Studio the first week of May, so don't be alarmed if you see the news van! We hope to see this segment air June 2nd on Fox 2, but will keep you posted as the story develops.
Cedar Fest - May 7
Join PURE Bikram Yoga at Cedar Park's Cedar Fest! We will have a booth with give aways and prizes! The festival features food and craft vendors, a business expo, BBQ cook-off, live music and entertainment all day from 10am-11pm. Admission is $5.
Location Twin Lakes Family Y 204 E. Little Elm Train, Cedar Park
Cedar Fest
Hot Mama's Class May 8th - free for Moms
In honor of Mother's Day, and all of our HOT MAMAS, we are offering a free class to Moms on May 8th. Mothers unite. Celebrate being Hot for all those years of Motherhood! Bring your kids and sweat it out together! The first 25 Hot Mama's get a FREE GIFT!
Texas Roller Girls - May 15th
Did you know that PURE Bikram Yoga is a proud Sponsor of the Texas Roller Girls? We are! Support our Roller-Yogis as they derby down! Ozzy Nelson is an MC and Radio Active, Devlyn Angel, and more will be putting their yoga endurance and strength to work in this action packed event! Don't miss it! Doors open at 4:15pm, Bouts start at 5:00pm!
Texas Roller Girls
Posture Practice - May 7th, & May 14th 1:45pm-3:00pm
Kathy Durham will be leading Posture Practice again this month! This month, the focus will be on the HIPS. She will address general concerns, alignment and proper form in specific postures, and how to open and work deeper into the hips. Don't miss these. They are great ways to strengthen your practice, your body and your focus in class. All Posture Practices are FREE and the room will not be heated.
Misha's Last Classes
Westlake - May 8th at 9:30am and 12:00pm
Cedar Park - May 22nd at 2pm and 4:30pm
Downtown - May 20th 12:00pm
With a heavy heart I announce Misha's last class (for now) at PURE Bikram Yoga. Please come out and give her 110% on her last time on the podium. We've been so lucky to have this traveling yogini with us for so long.
Here is what she had to say about her time here and her coming dearture,
When I leave Austin, I will be heading to a quaint little town nestled in the hills of Provence above Nice. Ahhhh, the French Riviera. I assist Craig Villani and Ben Sears in their Lux Yoga Experience. It is such a blessing to be able to be a part of this. LUX YOGA Truly the best yoga holiday out there. I will spend 3 weeks with the boys at the Villa and then I go to Hamburg Germany- back to one of my favorite yoga studios in the world ( along with PURE studio's of course). I will teach at Bikram Yoga Altona for about 7 weeks. Bikram Yoga Altona I am anxious to be seeing all my favorite spots in Europe WITHOUT snow. This will be my first "summer" trip and something tells me I am going to fall even more in love with Europe :) I am not sure where I will end up after my 3 months out of the country. But I am certain that the Universe is making a plan and that I will be exactly where I am meant to be. Traveling has been such an amazing experience. Taking my teaching on the road for 3 years now- I am honored to meet such beautiful people on my travels and to be able to share the "gift" of yoga. Thank you for letting me be a part of your journey- Perhaps our paths will cross again as we continue our practice one breath at a time, one asana at a time- The Divine in me salutes the Divine in you- Misha 
This Bikram Yoga community knows no end, it extends all over the world.
June
Summer Schedule Changes - Begins June 1st
Westlake - Eliminate 6am class Monday, Wednesday & Friday. Try the new 7am class Monday, Wednesday & Friday instead!
Cedar Park - Eliminate ALL 12pm classes and Saturday & Sunday 2pm.
Downtown - Schedule stays the same! Keep coming!
We will have new printed schedules available at all studios for your convenience. As always, be sure to check the live online schedule as well! PURE Bikram Yoga Live Schedule
Karma Yoga Day for Maggie's Hope - June 4th
Read the segment below about our involvement with Maggie's Hope!
Have you been able to participate in any of our community offerings? We hope so! We have had so much fun and we want to share it with you all!
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Karma Yoga Day for Maggie's Hope
June 4th, 2011
All classes at the Downtown, Westlake and Cedar Park studios will be donation based all day JUNE 4th to benefit MAGGIE'S HOPE. Maggie's Hope is a charity organization that supports families of Autistic children as they seek expensive and exhausting treatments. 100% of the proceeds from our fundraiser will go directly to Maggie's Hope. A $15 donation is suggested. This event is part of the Fox Fit Weekend and will be televised. Please join us to support this cause and continue strengthening our community through awareness, involvement and offering.
Maggie's Hope
Fox Fit Weekend
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Summer Youth Camp
July 18th-22nd, 2011
Susannah Dowling will lead a Day Camp for kids and teens! Susannah is an experienced teacher and has worked with children in therapeutic recreational activities. The camp will include confidence building exercises, stress reduction techniques, nutrition education and body balance and coordination through yoga practice. It's going to be a blast! The yoga room will not be heated. The final day of camp will include a full Bikram Yoga class to be shared with their parent(s)! Day sessions will last 1pm-4pm at the Cedar Park studio with optional 4:30pm Bikram Yoga class to follow.
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Hydration Situation
As the temperature outside gets hotter, the Hot room can be more of a struggle. This is my sincere reminder to you all to stay hydrated as summer rolls in. Your every day activity is going to deplete your hydration levels more quickly, so staying on top of water AND electrolyte intake are essential to a safe and strong Bikram Yoga practice. If you are having trouble with this balance, talk to a teacher, they can suggest several options to help you take care of yourself. Every body is different. We sell many kinds of electrolyte replacements in our studios. We have powdered supplements, capsules and a variety of drinks containing electrolytes, all for your benefit.
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Testimonials
We are collecting testimonials and before/after photos from any students who wish to tell and share their Bikram Yoga stories. Available at the front desk are short questionnaires to fill out if you are interested! Pick one up today. We hope to feature some of our amazing students on our website in the future. If you would like to share your story, but do not want to be featured, no problem! We would still be happy to hear how your life has changed through this practice.
Check out this one from the Bikram Yoga Website.
Jeffrey Derwallis Testimony
Jeffrey Derwallis is the husband of one of our recent visiting teachers, Allison Tavares. Maybe you took her class. Her husband, Jeffrey, became a parapalegic in 1991, he began taking yoga in 2006, and now in 2011 his legs are once again supporting his weight. His story is one of the most incredible there is. Misha was one of his first yoga teachers in Pheonix Arizona. There, she began seeing him through Bikram's beginning and advanced series regularly. This yoga is amazing, and the community it creates is even more so. If you need inspiration, or even if you don't, please read. Let Jeffrey's story simply illustrate how powerful and healing this practice is.
 | | Allison and Jeffrey in Cock Pose |
 | | Jeffrey in Cock Pose |
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Community Calendar
Are you active in our Austin Community? Do you know about happenings that might interest our students? Email
community@purebikramyoga.com. We are working to create a community calendar to share and explore each others outside lives in and around Austin.
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The Yoga Team
PURE Bikram Yoga |
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Chasing Death
By: Edy Bailey
My teacher, Bikram Choudhury, often says something like: "Before you became a yogi, Death was chasing you, and you felt afraid of Death. But when you become a yogi, and maintain a regular yoga practice, You begin chasing Death, and Death becomes afraid of You!" I love this concept, because in my short 42 years of life, Death has certainly chased me using various insidious tactics, including Testicular Cancer, which I prefer to call "Lance Armstrong Disease". It's a long story, of course, as are all of my stories, but I will try to be concise. About 7 years ago, on Friday the 13 of September, I went to the Brackenridge Hospital Emergency Room for a CAT Scan because my lower back had been strangely aching for a couple of weeks, and because I found an unexpected lump in my belly when I decided to give myself an abdominal massage. I felt very uneasy about this lump, because it seemed to me like it was as big as a golf ball, or even an egg! As it turns out, it was about the size of my fist, with the pointer finger knuckle extended, 7 1/2 inches wide at it's longest point! I was just touching the proverbial "tip of the iceberg"! And there were many other smaller tumors scattered throughout my Lymph Nodes, even some small spots starting on my Lungs! So I started treatment right away and survived 6 weeks of daily Chemotherapy and then 6 weeks of intense daily Radiation, including painful, horrific complications and the whole 9 yards! Like they say, "if the sickness doesn't kill you, the treatment will"! Fortunately, I made it out alive and have lived Cancer-Free for over 6 years now, with an intense appreciation every moment I am given to walk on this Earth! The doctors told me to do my best to "forget about it" (right!) and to do some exercise to stimulate my endocrine system. I don't remember everything they said, they might have mentioned yoga, but I do remember them saying that even simple up and down motion would stimulate my endocrine and lymphatic system and keep fluids moving around and through my body, preventing congestion and stagnation throughout my systems and around my organs. So I began a vigorous Martial Arts program, jumping and kicking and punching and rolling and moving as much as possible!
Almost 4 years ago, I took my first Bikram Yoga class, and it absolutely crushed me! I thought I would just Kung Fu this little yoga class that I was invited to, but it Kung Fu-ed me instead. Even though I was lying wasted in a pool of my own sweat, snot, and tears; the Yoga spoke to my body and I knew I'd be back. I was mostly concerned about my spine, hips, and hamstrings, but then the real healing power of the Yoga started to sink in. I was studying Anatomy in Massage school at the time, so the use of Abdominal Compression with Deep Breathing to create Internal Organ Massage really got my attention and I began practicing every day. Then I realized that the teachers sometimes mentioned the Yoga's positive effect on the Endocrine System and that was it! I knew Bikram Yoga was my new daily medicine and I went to teacher training in the Spring of 2008 to study with Bikram, himself! He spent most of his lecture time talking about Yoga's Endocrine, Lymphatic, and Circulatory System benefits, and very little of his time talking about what he called, "the outside body", our muscles and bones and all that. Clearly, I was in the right place, practicing the internal medicine I need most.
Throughout the nine weeks of Teacher Training, Bikram gave us years and years of his wisdom. But the lecture I remember most is the one he gave us the very first night. He said something like, "Everybody wants to live a nice, long, happy life, right? Nobody wants to die young. So choose a number in your mind, how old you want to be when you die. Choose an age that you think would be satisfying to you, then ask yourself this question: "How do I want to live the last 30 YEARS of my life?"." Wow! What a question! To truly enjoy life, at any age, you have got to be healthy, flexible, and strong, inside and out! The ways in which we invest in ourselves now lays the foundation of our lives in the future. I want to live a long, healthy, vibrant life. The only time I want to go to the Hospital, is to bring energy and encouragement to a sick friend! So I chase Death every day by practicing and teaching Bikram Yoga! Now Death is afraid of Me!
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Autism is an all-consuming & rapidly growing epidemic. Our goal is to obtain knowledge, promote awareness & most importantly support those affected by this frustrating, but sometimes improvable condition.
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Bikram Choudhury on NBC's Today Show - April 26th, 2011
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May 7th, 2011
This will be an exciting time to get out of the house and join family, friends and businesses at this fun filled day.
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Men's Fitness and the NFL LOVE Bikram Yoga!
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Lady Gaga LOVES Bikram Yoga!
 | | Lady Gaga -- The Full Interview! Check around 8:10 for the yoga chat! |
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Watch this interview with Brandy
Lyn Winfield, the current Bishnu Charan Ghosh Yoga Asana Champion!
 | | Brandy Lyn Winfield |
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