Thank You, Next

I have been practicing Bikram Yoga for fourteen years. I have been teaching Bikram Yoga for seven years. Safe to say, this yoga isn’t simply a form of exercise to me. This yoga has been (and continues to be) my saving grace each and every day since I was 15-years-old. This yoga has given me a second family. This yoga has challenged me consistently for fourteen years. This yoga has kicked me down and picked me back up…over and over again. This yoga has become as routine as brushing my teeth. 

For those who don’t know, Bikram Yoga is The Original Hot Yoga—a 90-minute class consisting of a 26-posture sequence done in a room heated to 105-110 degrees. These postures were selected and developed by a man named Bikram Choudhury. This sequence systematically works every part of the body—internal organs, veins, ligaments, muscles, etc.  

Choudhury founded Bikram’s Yoga College of India, which offers Teacher Training twice a year to produce knowledgeable teachers who will teach and guide others through this life-changing practice. Teacher Training has taken place in various locations all over the world throughout the years. I graduated from training in Spring of 2012 in Los Angeles, California. Currently, training is in Spain. No matter the location, the format is the same:

Nine weeks. 

Two classes per day. 

Daily lectures on yoga history and technique. 

Anatomy classes.

Posture clinics.

Back aches.

Headaches.

Dehydration. 

Exhaustion.  

I like to call it “Yoga Boot Camp.” 

It’s hard. It’s intense. You get very little sleep. You cry. You wish you could leave. 

But…

You don’t leave. You surrender to the “yoga bubble” and you come out an entirely different person. You find a tribe of people you’ll never encounter anywhere else. These people see you at your highest of highs and your lowest of lows. And they “get” you. 

This nine-week discovery process is a rollercoaster, but it’s a rollercoaster worth every second. It was the hardest nine weeks of my life, thus far. It was also the most rewarding.

I was recently made aware of the Netflix documentary Bikram: Yogi, Guru, Predator.

I haven’t watched it. And I can assure you I won’t. 

I won’t get into details about the Bikram controversies. You can Google those if you wish. 

However, I will offer you my perspective. Why? Because it’s America and I can. Take it or leave it. That’s your choice.   

I don’t know the entire truth of Bikram and these women. However, here is what I do know:

I do know this man created a sequence of yoga postures that has changed countless lives for the better. 

I do know this yoga heals. 

I do know this yoga brings people together. 

I do know this yoga offers acceptance and love and light. 

Most importantly, I do know that I owe tremendous gratitude to Bikram Choudhury for blessing me (and so many others) with this gift of Bikram Yoga. It’s truly been the greatest gift of all, as both a student and a teacher.

I’ll end with this…

Unless you have been to training and been in the trenches with Bikram himself, your comments and your opinions come with zero validity (to me, at least). 

No one is perfect. Not even Bikram. 

Yoga teaches us acceptance, forgiveness, and patience. 

Perhaps it’s time we practice these attributes on the man himself. 

…because don’t we all need saving sometime? 

Don’t we all get by with a little help from our friends? 

In the words of Brené Brown, “If you’re not in the arena also getting your ass kicked, I’m not interested in, or open to, your feedback.” 

And in the words of Bikram himself, to Eva Orner (director) & Sarah Anthony (producer), I say, “Next, please!”   

Namaste.