I am especially grateful for the connection with those of you who take classes regularly. We seem to be on a pretty magical healing journey together. Themes emerge spontaneously.  Questions come up.  Connections are made.  We all grow together. One of the themes from the last week or two (or three?) has been the topic of inflammation. This is not a brand new idea for us; our book Hope for Autoimmune Disease danced with the topic through the 15 health narratives that we documented. The post Inflammation and Our Health appeared first on Yoga is Medicine - Bikram Yoga ..read more

by Ann Chrapkiewicz For almost 20 years now, I have been sharing a certain topic with anyone and everyone who might want to listen. Just a few minutes on this website will tell you what that topic has been. An hour spent with our book on Bikram Yoga and Autoimmune Disease will also give you a clue. Any guesses? Answer: “What happens to humans when they do Bikram Yoga.” Yep, that’s it.  The post Bikram Yoga: What Happens If You DON’T Practice appeared first on Yoga is Medicine - Bikram Yoga ..read more

by Ann Chrapkiewicz Question: Is Bikram Yoga too focused on the Physical?  Is it a dominantly physical practice? Answer: Well….some people do say, “Yes.” I have heard it over and over.  Things like: “They are so focused on their bodies.”   Or: “those mirrors – they are so vain.”  “Competitive”.  Or: “You can’t possibly go within when you have all of that heat and sweat and light.” My response to these answers is that 1) they are coming from the outside looking in, making a judgment without experience.  The post Is Bikram Yoga Only Focused on the Physical? app ..read more

October 1, 2022 UPDATE: Masks are no longer required in our facilities but are welcome and invited for anyone who chooses to wear one. Additional air purifiers have been added to our yoga room, and we are continuing to maintain a room capacity of 21 as well as a 6-7 foot spacing between everyone in the room. *************************************************************************** Original Post from July 22, 2022: I am one of those people who pondered, even during the first weeks of COVID shutdowns,  whether there would ever be an “end” to the pandemic. The post Healthy Choices for a He ..read more

….while wearing a mask! (And then a little Health and Safety Update for you)   #5  Clean some lunch remnants out of your molars…with your tongue. #4  Swear silently to yourself at your most challenging posture. (Oh wait, I was already doing that without a mask!) #3  Purse your lips like Alec Baldwin impersonating Donald Trump. #2  Breathe smoothly, in and out by your nose, calmly….like you’re supposed to be doing anyways.  The post Top 5 Things You Can Do in Standing Head to Knee…. appeared first on Yoga is Medicine - Bikram Yoga ..read more

–by Ann Chrapkiewicz 21 months into the pandemic, it is time for me to speak up.  Well over 50% of Bikram Yoga studios in the U.S. have closed since spring 2020, and that wave of closures is not over.  I have been doing everything I can to not be one of those who close, and I will continue to do everything I can.  But at this point a broader base of support is required, and I am asking YOU to be a part of this. The post New Vision: WE Will Be the Ones to Save Bikram Yoga | Becoming a Community-Supported Yoga Collective | appeared first on Yoga is Medicine - Bikram Yoga ..read more

by Ann Chrapkiewicz For those of us who have been raised in civilizations of extractive capitalism, tools for healing and reconnection are needed.   Badly.  By all of us. Disconnection, alienation, and estrangement from the earth (including our living, breathing bodies) is pretty much par for the course. So on this Earth Day 2021 and all going forward, I want to include our human bodies as part of the earth that we celebrate, connect with, protect, love, and heal. The post This Body is the Earth | Bikram Yoga as a Tool for Reconnection | Happy Earth Day! appeared first on Yoga i ..read more

How to Set Up Your Mind for Bikram Yoga Online Back in the summer of 2020, I shared some tips on our blog here for How to Set Up Your Hot Room (or not-so-hot room) for practicing Bikram Yoga at home. Since then, many of my (seriously amazing) students have given me very helpful feedback.  They have shared the best tools for the job: which space heater is best, which humidifier the most efficient, and other great little tips to help our home practices be nice and sweaty. The post How to Set Up Your Mind for Bikram Yoga Online appeared first on Yoga is Medicine - Bikram Yoga ..read more

How to Breathe: Announcing our first BYCA Book Club Meeting! You are invited!! I have recommended and shared with you many book suggestions over the years.  But never have I felt that a book should be required reading for anyone involved in a traditional yoga practice. This one is SO good, so relevant, and so immediately practical for your daily life! side note: I actually think it should be required for all physicians, teachers, and health practitioners of any kind.  The post “Required” Reading! | First BYCA Book Club Meeting | Breath by James Nestor appeared first on Yoga is Me ..read more

BYCA BOOK RELEASE Hope for Autoimmune Disease: 15 Personal Stories of Living Better with Bikram Yoga We could not be more excited to tell you about the completion of our book project, a global work-in-progress for the past 2.5 years. Hope for Autoimmune Disease: 15 Personal Stories of Living Better with Bikram Yoga is the world’s FIRST publication that narrates the effects of Bikram Yoga on a family of related diseases.  The post Hope for Autoimmune Disease | Book Release | appeared first on Yoga is Medicine - Bikram Yoga ..read more