Bikram Yoga Missoula Newsletter
May, 2016     
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College Night
Thursday night 6 pm classes are still College Nights, but THEY WILL END JUNE 1. A valid college ID gets you into class for a $5 drop-in.

LOLA Orders are in!
Come check out the sweet new goods in from LOLA.
 





  

Inspirations


 
"Allow the heart to empty itself of all turmoil! Retrieve the utter tranquility of the mind from which you issued. Although all forms are dynamic, and we all grow and transform, each of us is compelled to return to our root. Our root is quietude."

~ Lao Tzu
 
 


"There is nowhere to arrive except the present moment."

~ Thich Nhat Hanh, How to Sit
 



 
 







 
 

 


 



 

 

 

 

 

Dear friends, 

Haven't we had the most amazing April? I'm not sure there's anything more sublime than the gorgeous sun pouring into the studio windows, casting long yoga shadows across the floors during class. It's a real gift that this studio lets us have the best of both worlds - great yoga and warm, spring sun. Come on in and live it up!

Warmest regards,
 


Cheryl
and the BYM crew


  
  

Memorial Day Schedule Change 
Saturday, Sunday, and Monday of Memorial Day weekend we will have 9:30 am class ONLY.
  

 

New Summer Schedule

Thank you to all of you who voted on the summer schedule changes. The new summer schedule is live and in action. By demand we have more morning classes and fewer evening classes. Here's the low-down:
  
  • 6:30 am/ Bikram 60 min class: Monday, Wednesday, Friday
  • 7 am/ Bikram 90 min class: Tuesday, Thursday
  • 9:30 am Bikram 90 minute class: Saturday, Sunday, Monday, Wednesday
  • 4 pm Bikram 90 minute class: Sunday, Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday
  • 6:30 pm Bikram 90 minute class: Tuesday, Thursday
  • CORE 40: Friday 9:30 am, Tuesday 4 pm
  

Heads-up! One week per month the Core 40 classes (Tuesday 4 pm and Friday 9:30 am) will be a regular Bikram class. If you are really hoping to make a Core 40 class, please make sure to check the MindBody schedule on the website since we will not make special announcements of this change.
  


Summer Challenge is ON!

If energy, dedication, and camaraderie can define success, then the summer challenge last year was a wild success. We're gearing up to try it again and are hoping many of you will be up for this unique and epic challenge. Here are the terms:
  
  • runs from Saturday, June 5- Saturday, October 1
  • you must come three times/week EVERY WEEK
  • you can have one freebie week (for vacation, etc.)
  Everyone who completes the challenge will be entered into a drawing - and the winner will get a FREE YEAR OF YOGA.
  
Look for the sticker board to go up so that you can begin tracking your classes. Let's see how many people are up for the challenge this year!



Foundation Workshop Was A Hit!

Bikram Missoula hosted a Foundation Training Discovery Workshop On Saturday, April 23rd. Foundation master teachers Gail DeSart and Brian King lead attendees through five hours of personalized instruction, focusing on several of the basic Foundation Training postures, anatomy and physiology, and alignment.  They taught to a sell out crowd.  Needless to say, we were very pleased with the response we got from the Missoula Community! 

Here are a few statements from others who attended: 

"For me personally, Foundation Training has helped to bring Mindfulness into my yoga practice helping to heal the pain in my body.  It has changed the way I move, not only in my yoga practice but in my daily life too -- from brushing my teeth, standing at my job, shopping, vacuuming, to driving...you name it!" - Pam Gibbons

"It was a fantastic experience taught by a very engaged and energetic  instructors who provided personalized attention to each individual to make sure the muscle connections and postures were producing the maximum benefit." - Craig Mungus

"It helped me to better understand and appreciate the benefits of moving from/with my hips (rather than my knees and back)." - Roland Redmond 

"What I liked about Foundation was how it makes you engage EVERYTHING. The next day I was sore in places I had never felt before, and it made me think so much more about my alignment and posture in everything I do - from how I stand, to how I bend over and pick up my kids, to how I think about my body in my yoga practice.  A lot of it was alignment that I had learned in other workshops...but it was they way they put it all together that really made things click for me.  I practiced my first Bikram class since the baby a few days later, and was more in my body than I've ever been.  Integrating all the principles we learned in the workshop into my practice made for the first class I've had in years where I felt zero pain in my SI joint the next day.  That in itself made the experience!" - Jessica Peeblson  
 
If you feel like you missed out from this experience don't worry.  Pam Gibbons is a Certified Foundation Training Instructor and teaches small or private classes out of her home studio. For more information call or text Pam at  406-529-6775.  Look for another Foundation Training workshop at Bikram Missoula soon


Schedule Updates:
Stay up to date with our daily or weekly schedule  HERE.


Studio Note: Why Do You Come to Class?

In the past month we've been thinking about the wide variety of reasons people come to yoga. Some people come for the hard work out, to increase flexibility, or to lose weight. Others might come to find a quiet hour, to meditate, or to practice self-acceptance. Still others might come because they are battling addiction, chronic illness, or trying to change their lives in big, important ways.
 
And sometimes we notice that people initially come for one reason, but find that their purpose grows and changes with their practice. Sometimes, we might be there for a hard work out, sometimes because we need to meditate, and sometimes because we are sad, angry or struggling. It's wonderful, isn't it, that one place and one practice can be there for us in so many ways?
 
We wanted to mention it here this month for a couple of reasons. First, we want to remind you that your purpose for coming to class can grow and change -- and that's great! Second, we want to remind everyone (ourselves included) that we often have no way of knowing why someone else is in class. It is important for all of us to be tender with each other in the hot room and to keep the room itself a quiet, sacred space. A quiet space will leave room for everyone to bring his or her own purpose into the room. We cannot all know why every other student is practicing, but we can protect the space itself and make sure that everyone can make it what it needs to be.
 

Posture of the Month: Savasana
Ah, savasana, the most welcome break in the middle of the 26 posture series. No matter how long you've been practicing, there will be days when all you can think of is making it to the floor for savasana.  
 
In the Bikram series, savasana happens primarily in the 2-minute break between the standing series postures and the floor series postures. However, thinking of it as only a "break" won't help you find the real benefits of the posture - and it is a posture. Despite its nap-like appearance, savasana is not a nap break, but a living, breathing posture for us to practice and try to improve. Physiologically, it gives your body time to receive the benefits from the standing series and adjust to being horizontal for the floor postures. Mentally, it gives us a chance to check in, notice how our bodies feel, and let the standing postures go since they are ancient history.

Here are some tips for getting the most out of your savasana:
 
Get into the posture as quickly as you can without rushing. Savasana tends to be a time when everyone wants to adjust towels, fix pony tails, wipe sweat away, drink water, look in the mirror and wipe away mascara, etc. But try not to do any of those things. Try to just lie down and be with your hair/towel/thirst/mascara for two minutes and see how it goes.
 
Control your gaze. In this savasana, we keep our eyes open, but gently focused on one specific place on the ceiling. Many of us unwittingly associate relaxation with something we do before sleep, but savasana teaches us that relaxation can be a waking practice - it can happen mid-morning, mid-day, or mid-activity.
 
Don't try too hard/don't try hard/ aim to do nothing. In truth, this is the hardest part of savasana: doing nothing. No fidgeting, so itching, blinking, stretching - nothing. See what it feels like to just do nothing. Your mind might say, but there are so many more postures! How can I relax? And savasana would say, exactly. There are so many more postures, but you must do this one first, and it requires you to stop trying so hard.
 
More than anything...Try to be still. Try to let the energy of the standing series wash over you. Feel your heart beating, feel your breath rise and fall. Let yourself remember that sometimes life requires us to rush around from thing to thing to thing, but sometimes life is just lying down on the floor breathing, feeling your heart beat.  Let savasana be the evidence that nothing terrible will happen if every now and then you just... do.... nothing.