HaPpY Halloween Class – WED OCT 30th at 6PM

Wear your scary, funny, crazy costumes to class and enjoy a special, fun filled Halloween Class.  Wed. Oct 30th 6pm! Tricks, Treats, Prizes and Surprises and you will never guess who will be your teacher!!!

Blah Blah Blah …. Bikram Blog….Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff but Do Sweat OUT the Big Stuff – The Journey of the Juice Cleanse!

After three months of summer livin……..BBQ’s , Parties, long weekends, and vacations, its time to regroup and get back to a normal routine of healthy eating and minimal imbibing.

I know, it’s not quite season but another month of indulgence just wasn’t going to work for me. I needed a kick in the pants to jumpstart healthy habits so I took a hiatus from summer fun and committed to a THREE DAY CLEANSE.

It’s JUST three little ol days so whats so tough about that?

During this cleanse I also committed to a solid workout routine which included the best detox on the planet…..BIKRAM YOGA! For me its the full prescription. I’ve practiced for so long that unless I do 90 minutes – the real deal – I feel like I”m short changing myself.

So for three days, in addition to my normal 90 minute Bikram Yoga class, I added a three day cleanse from Fresh Juice Bar in Palm Desert. I even snuck in a spa visit: A Lemon sugar scrub to get rid of the dead summer skin as well!

The following illustrates my experience of my journey of this three day commitment:

DAY ONE : Excited as all get out I arrived at Fresh Juice in Palm Desert and picked up my 6 pack plus one. I requested an extra juice of pure Celery juice first thing in the am to check out what all the hype was about from the Medical Medium…… If you never heard of him – google him. Some swear by him, some say he’s a quack. The truth is probably somewhere in the middle.

I drank my celery juice and then headed to Bikram Yoga Class. I know from experience that the specific compression and release postures detox the internal organs and glands, and that the heat accelerates all of the amazing benefits. So with the juice cleanse its a Double Detox and a reset for my body and my mind.

I continued drinking the juices from my six pack every two hours. Lots of Kale , Spinach, Celery, Lemon and apple. Some juices have cabbage, parsley, mint , turmeric, ginger and Cayenne pepper. I tried to stay hydrated throughout the day and I went to the spa and took in a swim and a eucalyptus steam.

About mid day that nasty caffeine withdrawal headache kicked in. I didn’t really miss my morning coffee as I was super psyched about starting the cleanse. I convinced myself that I could give up anything for three days. I didn’t even think about coffee until I felt the headache.

I drank my final juice about 8pm, a lovely protein drink and the only non vegetable juice all day. It tasted like dessert. It has almond milk, cinnamon and Grade B Maple syrup.

Day one was a breeze and I felt amazing hitting the pillow that night.

I continued to follow my path for the next two days of the cleanse. I bypassed the beckoning Nespresso capsules that sat on my counter and started my day with water and Green tea. The next two days went fairly well but I have to admit, Day 2 and Day 3 were tough without coffee. I can live without alcohol and can give up solid food for a few days but coffee…….wow ! That’s a tough one for me. In the end, I felt great, had reduced sugar cravings and even stayed off coffee for a few more days.

I talked about my cleanse and wrote about it on face book. Evidently I stirred up some interest so just shy of a month later I was back at it AGAIN. This time with a group of Yogis! I partnered once again with good friend, juice queen Marcie Madain of Fresh Juice Bar and she worked a special deal for my Yogis.

There is something to be said about a group support system. This time around, my biggest issue wasn’t coffee, it was actually craving real food especially on the final day.

Doing a “group” cleanse proved way more fun this time around and I think I developed a new way to procure toned abs: Laughing for three days straight. The “stories” of my peeps as they were checking in with their progress were hilarious.

We had 11 participants in the group. Different personalities, goals and taste buds for sure.  It was soooo fun to see all of our 6pack juice cleanses all lined up and ready to go at  Fresh Juice Bar in Palm Desert.

During the cleanse, some of us peeps would practice together  AND  JUICE TOGETHER…………………….

My teacher Kristin and I stayed in touch the most often texting several times a day as our cravings set in in order to help keep each other on track.

While we both loved the taste of all of the juices, some of the other participants were not so enthused. Both Patty and Mimi agreed they had to choke down the green juices……..the expressions made on their faces as they stated this made me laugh so hard my belly ached.

The funniest thought came in a picture not words……..  but as they say-  a picture paints a thousand words.  Kristin’s boyfriend sent her a pic of him eating an In and Out burger with fries just as she was struggling missing solid food.

Our workouts during the cleanse proved more challenging than not. After Kristin’s DOUBLE Bikram Classes in one day…….( ARE YOU KIDDING ME…….. one class is definitely enough during any given day of the cleanse)…. she described herself as “TOAST”, then added, “toast, wow I wish I had some right now…………” Another belly laugh for me! My abs are really getting a workout with the comedy that has come along with the cleanse.

All in all we fared well, all got through it in our own way and some peeps are even ready to do it again. I’ve had some new interest from those who could not participate in the last cleanse so I”m sure we will be scheduling another one soon!

Until then, see you in the hot room, sweatin out all those toxins and being the best you can be!

Namaste`

Bla, Bla, Bla… Bikram Blog: HaPpY Anniversary Bikram Yoga El Paseo and Here’s a trip down memory lane!

Bikram Yoga El Paseo is Celebrating our Seven Year Anniversary!!

HaPpY HaPpY BIRTHDAY/ANNIVERSARY  BIKRAM YOGA EL PASEO!

August 1, 2012 Our amazing, compassionate founder stepped off the podium for the last time and passed the sweaty thermometer  (“torch”)  to me. I promised to keep her dream and her special little studio alive.  The studio needed a big group hug. It needed tender love and care,   and  it needed some repair.  Emotionally and structurally  it took a toll and I was ambivalent about the future.  I had a strong base of students who vowed that they would support me,  and I will always be grateful to each and every one of them who helped me in the early stages of rebuilding.  Some are STILL with me, some have moved away and some have moved on,  but no matter what – – they ALL  have a special place in our hearts and hOMe till this day!    So wherever you are, Today I think fondly of you and wish you well! We have welcomed new students to our studio and wow have we grown!!

SEVEN YEARS!  Wow! Time flies and what an OMazing ride.    As I  enter my  8th year of Ownership, I reflect on the years that past,   Our growth, Our family Camaraderie and our Community Outreach (and our old sweaty carpeting…….a thing of the past!)    We updated the studio (twice,) changed signage,  removed the tired landscaping,  and built a sacred Zen Garden  with  a Proud Large Buddha as  the central focal point.  A  symbol of what our Studio and Buddhism is all about.  Although there is a misconception that Buddhism is a religion, it is really a philosophy to remain present and focused.  Don’t obsess  about the past and don’t worry about the future – live in the moment and stay present and focused!

We Added a Special  “Student Wall of Fame”  to honor our students accomplishments and chose an individual student to represent one of each of the 26 postures of the Bikram Yoga Method.  Their pictures were covered up and an unveiling was presented in each class .  I can remember the excitement of the students as they entered class,  wondering whose picture was behind the covering……..who would be honored this day!

It seems like only yesterday that we participated in the El Paseo Golf Cart Parade honoring our resolve!   We  stood with excitement and hope  at our ribbon cuttings. (YES we had TWO! Both Palm Desert Chamber and Indio Chamber did the honors in recognition of our diverse community!)

My mother flew in from Chicago to be by my side for he Grand Opening Party and the excitement in the air was exceptional! We threw an outdoor Party like no other. Closing off our parking lot and courtyard, we built an outdoor living room. Live music filled the air with our local Super Star Kal David performing. The magical space we created included an open bar, delicious food and dancing. From dawn to dusk we celebrated  BIG are quaint little studio!

While we are still a Pure Bikram Yoga studio and the bulk of our classes are the full prescription 90 minute classes, we mix it up with some silent classes, limited one hour classes, special edition classes and workshops. We celebrate completing each class with a cold lavender towel and every now and again one of our favorite Yogis treats us to watermelon! Shout out Joe Abercrombie!!! You pick the BEST Watermelons!!!

We provide Community Outreach classes at a discounted rate to include all members of our community regardless of their socioeconomic background, and we added a Complimentary Sober Living Class once a month to aide those on their journey of Sobriety. One of our top teachers, our studio Coordinator, Kristin Schwartzman heads up this class, donating her time and talents generously as a way to give back.  Additionally along with Stephen and myself she participates in the Contract we received from Hotel Paseo to Partner with them as their featured Yoga Studio.

Kristin is not the only team member that has stepped up to the plate and I honor all my team members for their solid instruction and gifted talents! Shout out to my OMazing team!! BEST ONE EVER! Jenny Groat, Kristin Schwartzman, Alix Spears, Stephen Kaleda, Leesann Shefa and Heather Carr!

Outside of the Hot Room, our Yoga Family  knows how to have fun!   In 2014 We had a Golf Outing at PGA West where every Foursome  had to do a yoga pose on the first tee before they teed off the green . In 2015 we did a spectacular Yoga Retreat in Cabo San Lucas in the Penthouse  at Villa La Estancia!

We’ve had our ups and we’ve had our downs.  Our most notable down was “The great flood” of 2016.  After an inept roofing company left the roof  UNTARPED just before a huge rain fall we endured water fall flooding in our studio .  We made the best of our situation and made our temporary space  hOMe.  We made a Graffiti Wall and we all stood Tall! #bikramyogaelpaseostrong

We have a very loving and supportive community that does what they can for community service.  We’ve partnered with neighboring businesses  to host special healthy events  and fundraising events.  We do thirty day  charity challenges to raise money for  community members in need. Our  most notable one being raising financial support for a young boy who  had lost his leg and was in need for a new  prosthesis.   Special thanks to the Bikram students who participated in this charity challenge and who sweat it out religiously for 30 consecutive days with sponsors who pledged them along the way.

Thank You Marcie Madain from Fresh Juice Bar for and outstanding job in providing our community with healthy juicing. Thank You William and Crystal Cordell from Bliss Chakra Spa for your amazing sound healing and for donating your time and talents to help out one of our own in the fight of her life. So great to have such caring and health minded neighbors!

We don’t have carpeting anymore and our studio welcomed a Second   Remodel in 2017 but we still Welcome EVERYBODY and EVERY BODY to our studio regardless of your size, ability, or age! We truly  ARE  The “Students Studio” and As Bikram Choudhury himself states, “It’s never to late, you’re  never to old to start from scratch again!”

We rang in Year 8 with a special party at my home and an extra ordinary gift from an Amazing Ice Sculpture Artist. Shout out to Ice Magic Extraordinaire, Timm Bennett for wowing our team and making the evening full of love and light and ICE!!!!  A  COLD Welcome to a warm summer desert night.

SPECIAL  SHOUT OUT to ALL our  LOYAL STUDENTS out there that have stuck with  us through thick and thin and are the  TRUE CORE of our existence!  Extra Special Shout out To Jen Groat who has been with me since DAY  1  and keeps the  hOMe  Fires (no pun intended) burning …(We are a little older but our  Philosophy and our Mission has not changed) …  and to all my  Yogini Diva Sisters and Yogi Dudes  who I celebrate at  Fashion Week / Food and Wine – Diva Style every year,  I appreciate you with so much Gratitude!!!!

Come join our Community! We will welcome you with Open Sweaty Arms and do what we do best – Sweat out the toxins and keep the body and mind healthy and happy!

After all, “there is no place like hOMe.”

Come join our Yoga Family and help us make some more memories for the next 7 years!!!  Hope to see you in the hot room soon!

Namaste`

Blah, Blah, Blah Bikram Blog…… BARRY MANILOW and Random Acts of Kindness

A Recent Act of Kindness inspired my latest blog………

Here at Bikram Yoga El Paseo we are not only helping our students strengthen their physical bodies and their minds but to open up their hearts to others.

Oprah Winfrey did a show once on “Random Acts of Kindness” because in Chicago the news is flooded with “Random Acts of Violence.”   That segment resonated deeply with me and I think it’s one of reasons  that I always end my class saying , “open up your heart!”

Growing up in Chicago I used to listen to Barry Manilow. I had all of his albums, I sang along to all of his songs, and I attended his concert in my home town – Hoffman Estates, IL at Poplar Creek Theatre!

And yes! He did write the songs that made us young girls cry!

In 2004 I moved to Palm Springs, CA (La Quinta specifically) and the very week we were closing on our house, I took my mother shopping in down town Palm Springs.    She came with us on this trip to see our new house.

Mom and I walked into Leeds and Son’s Jewelers (they had a PS location back then) and there was Barry Manilow! I had no idea that he lived in Palm Springs.

He was the only one in the store and I walked up to him and started chatting . He was so nice and so approachable that my mother thought I knew him. We continued to chat until the jeweler who was helping him came back with his watches. I distinctly remember he was having them set to California, New York and London time zones.

While Barry carried on with his business, Mom and I looked around the store then left. Next door was a cute boutique and we had fun trying on clothes. I bought mom a few “Palm Springs” outfits.

As we walked out of the boutique there was Barry  again …walking past the store.  I ran over to him and asked him if I could get a picture with him. Some guy came out of no where and Barry put up his hand as if to say to him  “it’s ok you can back off she’s not a stalker. ”   😉

He obliged for my picture, and my mother snapped the shot. Not so young anymore, he again made me cry.  Meeting him, talking to him and getting a picture with him was such an exciting memory.

Barry Manilow and I in Downtown Palm Springs, Circa May 2004

(Before Bikram Yoga and about 10 lbs heavier – Yes! Bikram cut the fat right off my body!)

One week later and back in Chicago, I was cleaning my house and finishing packing for our big move while listening to the TV. My ears perked up when I heard,     ‘up next, how celebrities react to being approached on the street’.

The segment went through about 15 celebrities and one of them was Barry Manilow. The reporter stated he’s “very stand offish” and not approachable and does not like to interact with random people when he’s not performing before or after an event. Hmmm I thought.    He was not like that at all – just the opposite. “You are wrong,” I yelled at the reporter on my TV.

That was then……..this is now!
Yesterday I had a Yoga Colleague / Friend , Fellow Bikram Instructor send me a request that went something like this: “I know this is may sound weird, but I know Barry Manilow lives in Palm Springs and I was wondering if you know someone who knows him. My sister is dying and she requests Barry Manilow music to be played at her Funeral / Celebration of Life. She’s currently in Hospice and I was thinking how cool it would be if she received a phone call from Barry Manilow?”

I knew just the person to contact to see if this could be remotely possible, so I stated that I would do what I could to facilitate a special moment for his sister on her deathbed. I reached out to a friend of mine. He immediately responded letting me know that he would pass this request on to Barry’s personal assistant that he knew well. (Probably the guy I scared 15 years ago by running down the street toward Barry )    😉

Barry’s assistant immediately responded with an alternative approach of kindness of Barry’s choosing. He would Fed Ex a gift to this woman who admires him so on her deathbed.

With all the “random acts of Violence” out there it is refreshing that there are “random acts of kindness” too!

Thank you Barry Manilow for your gracious heart and generosity and for once again proving the reporter of that show I watched so long ago…. very wrong!

Namaste` my friend and once again you made me cry!

Blah, Blah, Blah Bikram Blog……Finding the Balance

Bikram Yoga teaches us a lot of things. It teaches us Discipline , Concentration and Patience among other things.

Most importantly it teaches us Balance!

In light of some recent tragic events that our community has experienced over the past few months, it’s the BALANCE benefit that I choose to focus on in this blog, because without balance in your life the rest may just be moot!

Several sudden deaths of community members have given us pause. Pause to reflect on our own lives and our own pace in life. We race around physically to get through our day accomplishing tasks. Our minds are racing too- – on to the next thought, on to the next task and even the next day or week. Sometimes we are in such a chaotic state we don’t even stop for one moment.

Planning ahead isn’t a bad thing but when you are racing through life missing the obvious because your mind is several steps ahead of your body its time to sloooooooow down.

We are all guilty of this to some extent.

They are all cliches, but boy are they right: “Take Time out to Smell the Roses,” “Rome wasn’t built in a day so pace yourself, “ and “ Slow down and savor the moment” just to name a few………

I lost a Dear Friend/Dental co-worker suddenly and then months later another Dear Friend/Yogini passed away just as quickly. Then I heard of a suicide followed by a death of another battling an illness. When someone is sick for a long period of time you have time to prepare for the loss, but when a death is sudden it is so shocking that it takes awhile to become adjusted (if you ever really do) to that loss.

What I have learned most from these sudden, recent deaths is the importance of BALANCE. I focus on this essential element in my yoga teachings now more than ever. It has really always been the basis of my training but somehow gets overshadowed from time to time.

You cannot fault one for being overly driven or priding themselves in going above and beyond to achieve goals, but self care should be most important. If you are not taking care of yourself properly, not only are you putting your own life in jeopardy but you are not going to be helpful to others.

Think of this simple example. When you are on an airplane traveling with a small child  they always tell you that in case of an emergency to put your OWN oxygen mask on first and then on the child. If you are in distress you are helpless to another.

Bikram Choudhury taught us that TRUE HATHA YOGA – HA-TA is all about balance. You can’t have light without dark, sun without moon, or Yin without Yang. After EVERY Asana we take a SAVASANA in Bikram Yoga. Work Hard / Play Hard. That rest period is critical. It’s essential to truly living a life practicing self care.

I just had a student apologize to me for taking a knee during one of the balancing postures.  She stated she started to feel dizzy and felt bad because every other student was in pose without struggling.  My comment to her was, “No apology necessary .  Quite the opposite – Kudos for you for listening to your body and giving it  a break.”   We can be so hard on ourselves and lets face it there are a lot of variables that affect our practice – diet, sleep cycles, hydration……the list is endless so pay attention to the signs.

What you eat and how you exercise are important in everyday life, but we are discovering that stress levels and sleep cycles are just as important if not more , and if left unprotected can be devastating. Illnesses that normally can be cured might not have a chance if ones immune system is compromised due to lack of sleep and extreme stress.

Dealing with a devastating loss is a tough pill to swallow but learning from tragedy as we move forward in our journey of life is key!

Take time out to smell the roses, pace yourself , be kind to yourself and stay present. Live in the moment . You cant change the past but you can protect yourself in the future by finding the balance.

Hope to see you in the hot room , working hard in Asana AND relaxing completely and deeply in Savasana!

Namaste`