 Challenge Yourself, Improve Your Health, Enhance Your Life! |
"Our bodies are our gardens, to which our wills are our gardeners."
- William Shakespeare
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New Weekend Practice Times |
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A reminder that effective May 2nd, we will be making a few changes to our weekend morning class times.
Saturday and Sunday Schedule:
8:15 am, 10:15 am, 3:30 pm
Thank you for your requests and feedback regarding class times. We hope that this change will be accomodating to everyone. We always welcome and thank you for any suggestions and/or feedback regarding your yoga studio! It helps us to create a space that best takes care of everyone. | |
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"Spring into Summer" 30 Day Challenge! |
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"Spring is a time to celebrate life's renewal. So come out and breath, stretch, strengthen, wake up, and dust off the winter cob-webs."
Challenge yourself with the "Spring into Summer 30 Day Challenge".
Dates: June 1st - June 30th
Cost: $99.00 + GST
Lets take time to care for ourselves so that we can then truly care for others.Please stop by the front desk and register today!
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Additional Class Times in June
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We are thrilled to be able to offer you 4 new class times beginning June 1st. We have had numerous requests for both an early morning practice time and another mid-afternoon practice time throughout the week. Beginning June 1st, Bikram West will be adding the following classes to the present schedule. We hope that this will assist you in finding class times to accommodate both the 30 Day Challenge and your ongoing practice schedules! We thank you for your enthusiasm and feedback. Without your continued support, expanding and growing the yoga schedule and community would not be possible. We are grateful!
Monday - 3:30 p.m.
Tuesday - 6:00 a.m.
Wednesday - 3:30 p.m.
Thursday - 6:00 a.m.
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| Yoga as a Powerful Self-Reliant Healing System |
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Hatha yoga, the yoga of physical postures or "asana", is a "powerful self-reliant healing system" (Nikki Doane). When we come to practice Bikram Yoga, we bring with us our intention, breath, our discipline and focus. It is very exciting that we are a population moving towards more individual responsibility for being aware of and looking after our own health and wellness. Bikram Yoga is a powerful healing and health maintenance system for people of all ages. It has wonderful physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual benefits. How can we increase the potency of our work in the yoga room? Consider a few of these ideas...
1. Set an intention for your practice, and then "let it go". This is the art of balancing both practice and surrender. At the beginning of your practice, choose an"intention" or a focus for your practice. Then place your "attention" (your energy) on this "intention". Our energy in class follows our thought patterns, which leads to creating powerful change. We direct our attention by breathing with awareness. The breath is the link between the body and the mind, thought and action, and the inside and outside world. As Buddha says, "With our thoughts we make the world".
2. Take time to spend a few extra minutes in savasana, with stillness and breath. We spend 90 minutes in class laying the foundation for health in every single system and cell in the body. By lying still, we allow the body and mind the opportunity to "soak up all of these valuable changes". If we get up right away after class, we miss out on this tremendous benefit. Experiement with savasana. Notice how a few extra minutes of stillness and quiet adds to your practice both inside the yoga room and out.
3. Take time to BREATH! "The breath is the intelligence of the body" (T.K.V. Desikachar). The breath is the surest connection between the body and the mind. Listen to your breath to create an even more intelligent yoga practice.
4. Enjoy! Don't take practice too seriously! Remember that each and everyday in the yoga room will bring new changes and challenges. Use these challenges as opportunities to develop and deepen your practice. Most importantly, "An ounce of practice is worth ten tonnes of theory" (Swami Vishnu Devananda). During a difficult practice, look to your right and look to your left, and remember that we are all practicing together, to support one another and enjoy yoga.
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| Bikram Yoga West Edmonton - "Featured Student" |
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 Bikram West thanks Geoff Meyers for agreeing to be our "Featured Student" for the May Newsletter. Geoff is an absolutley fantastik yogi, both inside and outside of the Bikram room. He completed Bikram Yoga West Edmonton's first and second ever 30-Day Challenges! Here is what Geoff has to say about his practice...
I started studying Bikram yoga in August 2008. I had heard of hot yoga and was intruiged. I had tried many different yoga styles and was looking for something new. At that point I was in a low point both physically and emotionally. I had hurt my ankles and hips by doing a regular high impact workout without stretching. Some days I could not walk without limping and my achilles were so painful that they couldn't be touched. My job was also causing me emotional strife.
I have finished marathons, climbed mountains and was Commando in the Army. I was used to hard work and being physical. I was surprised that Bikram was both so easy and so hard of a workout. I enjoy the internal challenge and the chance to rest my mind for 90 minutes. Since last August I have completed two 30-Day Challenges, one going to 44 days. Going to Bikram Yoga West Edmonton is usually the highlight of my day. I have been so welcomed by Julie and the rest of the warm and friendly staff that they feel like my extended family.
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| Thank you for a Wonderful Karma Yoga Class! |
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Bikram Yoga West, along with Mary Angus and Marianne Decore, would like to extend a giant thank you to everyone who came out on Saturday April 25th to support the "Kids With Cancer - Le Tour of Hope" Karma Yoga Class. We are extremely grateful for the generous donations (and fantastik baking!!). Also, a thank you to those who were unable to attend the class and kindly stopped by to donate and show their support before and after the event. As a result of your donations, $630.00 was raised to support Mary in her "Mega bike ride" from Montana to Edmonton in support of Kids with Cancer. The very best of luck to Mary and Marianne. We will all hope it stops snowing for your ride!
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| Recipe for Spring |
Flaxseed Muffins Taken from: "Slice Health Inspired Food"
prep time: 20 minutes Authors: Barb Davies & Jennifer Rallison, 2007
Ingredients
2/3 cup milled flaxseed 1 apple, peeled and grated
2/3 cup nut milk or rice milk 4 teaspoons baking powder
2 cups carrots, grated 1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 cups barley, oat or spelt flour 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 cup currants or raisins 3/4 cup unpasteurized honey
1/4 cup sunflower seeds 1 large free range egg
1/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut 2 Tablespoons extra vrigin olive oil 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Directions
Preheat oven to 350F; grease muffin pan.
In a large bowl, soak the milled flaxseed in nut or rice milk for 10 minutes.
In a separate bowl, combine carrots, flour, currants or raisons, sunflower seeds, coconut, grated apple, baking powder, cinnamon and salt.
In a small bowl, whisk honey, egg, oil and vanilla; add to the soaked flax mixture and stir.
Fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix until just combined.
Divide batter evenly into muffin pan. Bake for 20-22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Cool muffins in pan for 5 minutes; remove from pan and transfer to wire rack to cool.
Makes 12 muffins.
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| The Brownies at Bikram Yoga West Edmonton |
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Bikram Yoga West Edmonton was thrilled to host the "105 Brownie Pack" for an afternoon of kids ("young ladies") yoga. Bikram himself would certainly agree and report that all of the brownies practiced with "Bengal Tiger Strength" and showed their "Happy Smiling Faces" as they locked out their knee! Thanks so much to the Brownies and their leaders for coming to share a yoga practice with us.
 Please remember that there will be "Kids Yoga" on Friday May 1st and Friday May 8th 7:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. Drop-ins are welcome!
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| Feature Posture - Dadayamana-Dhanurasana |
What does Dandayamana-Dhanurasana mean? 
In Sanskrit, it means Standing Bow Pulling.
Posture number 5, the beautiful bows you may see in class; students using their body like a bow strung and drawn by an archer. This posture is the perfect example of the tourniquet effect in yoga, because it transfers the circulation from one side of the body to the other, and then equalizes it-circulating fresh blood to each internal organ and gland to keep them healthy. When doing this posture, half the body is fed with 5 to 10 times more blood, nutrients, and oxygen than needed.
This posture firms the abdominal wall and upper thighs, and tightens upper arms, hips and buttocks. In addition, it increases the size and elasticity of the rib cage and the lungs. It also improves the flexibility and strength of the lower spine and of most of the body's muscles. Standing bow also helps to develop balance and improves flexibility in the hip joints and shoulder joints. This posture encourages breath awareness and control.
Finally, like balancing stick, bringing the heart down parallel to the floor results in opening the four chambers of the heart as well as the coronary arteries that supply oxygenated blood to the heart muscle. However this is done more gradually than balancing stick; therefore, as the effect is not as intense as the latter posture, it can be sustained for a longer period, unlike balancing stick which requires a burst of energy and is completed very quickly.
*The most important component as for all postures is the form and the set up. In the beginning, be patient, you need to work on a solid foundation. Lock your knee, level your hips, and then drop your raised knee toward the floor. In addition, you must stay in control; use the power of your kick to do the work.
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