:: welcome to bikram yoga glen waverley ::

Secondary College Sweats It Out!

Dear Maggie,
As a PE teacher of VCE students it seemed an opportunity too good to be missed: bringing Bikram Yoga to the classroom so to improve their concentration, determination and physical fitness. The excursion to Bikram Yoga Glen Waverley was at first, welcomed only half heartedly, however, by the end of the hour and a half, the students were not only sweating but wearing grins as wide as their faces would allow. "That was hard Miss! But really good! Can we come again some time?", one student even suggested on a regular basis (as long as I was present!). The students persisted with the difficult postures and not one left the class before the end.

Bikram Yoga, although challenging, is an activity that I recommend for students. It improves their focus and proves to the typical "jock" mentality that you don't have to be super flexible to get benefits. Getting the heart and lungs working efficiently and feeling the blood pump through your body are not only physical benefits of the class but are also applicable to the VCE PE curriculum in particular.

Bikram Yoga has been beneficial for my students and I cannot thank Maggie and her staff enough for allowing us to embrace it within our class.

Laura Grinzi
Koonang Secondary College, Mont Albert

Lisa's 60 Day Challenge Testimonial
In March 2008, I was at an extremely low point physically, mentally, physically and spiritually. I had been feeling the stress for quite some time of leaving a demanding full time job, commencing a new job and being a single parent of a teenager. I was doing a lot of strenuous exercise, but was also doing a lot of comfort eating, and only getting 4-5 hours sleep a night as I could not relax. Then a very close friend passed away suddenly and the impact of this grief tipped me over the edge. I was absolutely exhausted and found myself just not coping with my very busy schedule. I began suffering panic attacks, and also a range of physical ailments as I was so run down, including a terrible outbreak of psoriasis, and I was cautioned that I was possibly on the verge of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.

I am a big believer that we attract into our lives what we need when we need it. And so it was that the pink sign heralding “Bikram Yoga” caught my attention. I visit Glen Waverley at least twice a week and until this moment I had never noticed the sign; in fact I was convinced the studio must be brand new and was very surprised to learn it had been there since 2006.

I entered my first class with my best friend at 6pm on a Friday night, and there I faced a turning point which could have easily have gone either way – for the first five minutes I seriously entertained the thought of leaving, with the panicky thought “I cannot do this” running through my brain, but the feeling of “I need to be here” was stronger. 90 minutes later - a minute at a time - I emerged dripping and victorious from my first Bikram class - and I could not believe how good I felt ! I had a sense of being energized and cleansed, and experiencing a sense of calm I had not felt for a very long time. My friend described it as though all of her nerve endings were “buzzing.”

I completed six classes during my 10 day intro pass and was amazed at how quickly my body was responding to the postures. I then attempted to return to my previous chosen forms of exercise in the week following, but nothing made me feel the way I did after a Yoga class, and I quickly returned. I heard someone mention the 60 day Challenge, and the mantra I had begun to hear in the Yoga room of “Don’t think, just do” came to mind and I signed up.

In the first couple of weeks I was amazed at how quickly my body was responding to the postures. A recurring running injury I had been nursing permanently for months was all but gone in this short period. My anxiety levels initially led me to experience great difficulty during aspects of my practice, such as the breathing and certain postures that assist in releasing pent up emotions. I could not see how I would overcome these mental hurdles. But all I did was keep turning up to each class, putting my faith and trust in the promises of the teachers and the dialogue, until one day I lay in Savasana at the end of class and realized incredulously that I had completed a whole class with perfect breathing .. and no fear. At all.

As the weeks went on, certain parts of my body would twinge and ache, but then the discomfort would disappear and the next class I would find a new freedom and flexibility in a particular posture. I am still left amazed at some point during every class at what my body can do- how strong it is, or how well it can balance today. My skin began to clear up at a rapid rate and my sleep began to improve.

A challenge is called a challenge for a reason, and some days toward the end I was so tired I cried on my way to class, but yoga is also about discipline, and I may spend the whole class repeating “Don’t think, just do” to myself, but getting through that class would leave me with fresh energy and a renewed belief in both the yoga and in myself. Sometimes I would cry during class as the grief in my body worked its way out, but it felt safe, and cleansing, and I knew I was being healed.

An amazing bonus to this experience has been the joy of forming new friendships outside of the Yoga room with some of the most amazing people I have met in a long time, and also being privy to the energy, knowledge, encouragement and inspiration of the Bikram GW instructors. I cannot single any of you out as you are all individually wonderful and I have learnt different lessons from each of you.

So here I sit the day after completing my first 60 day challenge (did I say first? As if to indicate there could be a second? I guess I did!), feeling strong, calm, healthy and like, well, me, which is a blessing in itself. I am at peace and acceptance with myself and my world.

The emotion overcomes me and the tears come again as I right this, such has been the impact of the last 10 weeks on my life. I have been solidly reminded that from this point forward, I can do, be or achieve anything, and do so with superior health and harmony as long as this Yoga is a regular, frequent part of my life.

To anyone who has not yet experienced their first Bikram Yoga class– you are reading this for a reason. Do not deprive yourself. See you in the Yoga room!

Dear Maggie,
I just wanted to share some of my transformations since commencing Bikram Yoga.

It was only a short week ago when I commenced Bikram Yoga. I started on Sunday morning & was addicted immediately, therefore had myself there on Monday & Tuesday evening & then again another 2 days later in the week. I felt as though I was floating rather than walking, with a smile permanently fixed upon my face. I found my body just adapting & falling into these wonderfully beautiful postures, which look amazing & feel even better.

Apart from the physical accomplishment which is tremendously rewarding, I am ordinarily quite a timid & fearful person emotionally. No confrontation & constant procrastination for fear of actually having to be honest & exposing my emotions. Finally, after 1 week, only 5 sessions of Bikram Yoga, I have thrown myself into some brutally honest conversations with my partner of 9 years, which I would normally have backed away from purely because of all my fears. I'm feeling more open to understanding him & more willing to share myself with him. I'm suddenly actively & quite comfortably pursuing him in order to engage in these honest interactions, which I have discovered do not need to break you down emotionally. They are actually extremely liberating & empowering.

I'm feeling as though I'm out there looking for more to challenge myself, because I know I can now handle it & admittedly, I did find that next challenge when I collided into the back of another car on the way to class! Some $$'s & a bit of inconvenience later, even THAT was ok! I still managed to get myself to that class & subsequent classes by train & I'm still yet to frown... :- )

People often say that something is missing or that they are looking for something in their lives, as I was, well I think I found that something!

As a registered nurse with 30 years experience I can highly recommend Bikram as an investment in your health and future. From my own personal experience Bikram has changes my life in the last 7 months.

I have had chronic back pain for25 years due to an injury which resulted in a laminectomy (the removal of the vertebral lamina and intervertabral disk in my lower spine). I was taking anti-inflammatory’s daily and now I take ZERO!!!! Bikram Yoga is now my medicine…

My body shape has markedly changed in the past 4 months I have lost 40cms of body fat overall!!!

I just had to let you know about my day today. First day back at work and I decided to ride the bike into North Melbourne as I normally do. I wasn't sure how I'd go as I've not been on the bike for a week and a half or so as I've been doing the Bikram (I normally ride between 70 - 100km per week or try to!).
Got on the bike and felt good, got half way into town and realised I was using way bigger gears than I normally do as the normal ones felt too easy AND I wasn't feeling like I needed a rest break.

Bottom line is I rode from Camberwell to North Melbourne FIFTEEN minutes faster than I normally do! And then I rode home as well as I felt like I'd not done enough work!! I normally get the train most of the way home. So a 40km day and I feel great, not terribly tired and not terribly muscle fatigued.

If that's what 8 days in a row of Bikram has done to my legs I'm even more converted than I was before!!!!
Thank you, thank you, thank you. I'm well aware this is just the beginning of the journey - I can't wait!

I have been doing Bikram yoga for the past 6 weeks and am obsessed. I am a chronic sufferer of migraine headaches and have not had any luck with medications.

I began to come down with symptoms of a migraine, blurred vision, pins and needles, etc… and once the symptoms start there is no stopping a migraine! But these symptoms started to subside and I did not suffer my regular migraines any more. I can only attribute this to Bikram Yoga as I haven’t changed anything else in my routine. This yoga is MAGIC!

This of course is not the only benefit of Bikram Yoga; my energy levels have improved, I believe I am more productive and ultimately I think I am a better mother for doing this because I have a new found peace and am so much more patient with my children.

So thank you everyone at Bikram Yoga – every time I do a class I learn something new and have gained so much from each of you. So a big THANK YOU!

STUDENTS:

Your contributions, testimonials, photographs etc are most welcomed!
Please send your notices to maggie@bikramyogagw.com.au