To Bikram Yoga Elk Grove

I love Bikram Yoga Elk Grove. LOVE, as in from the bottom of my soul, I am so grateful that this studio holds its mark in the world, and even more so that I was lucky enough to stumble upon it in this lifetime.  Though I one day hope to have a studio of my own just like this, I know this kind of community didn’t just pop up over night. You can feel its welcoming vibe as soon as you walk in and you know that it’s a product of love… at least a decade of hard work and love. It really is a yoga family… After all, that’s how it should be, because we all see each other so often, and because we might as well get to know a little more about each other if we’re going to sweat side by side wearing less than what even our close friends have seen us in! 

It’s the little things, like sweet words of encouragement and inspiration in between sets, the mini celebrations we throw for each other when we have breakthroughs, and the endless warmth and love that is shared within the walls of our small, yet wonderfully cozy studio…. All of that, and so much more makes BYEG permanently stand out from other places in our hearts. Part of that is Elk Grove, but a lot of that is Carrie Bain and the amazing core group of women that have stood by her side, helping her along the way. 

For what little time I’ve spent here, I’m proud to have been a small part of that group, not just teaching but also getting to work behind the scenes. I have learned tremendously about yoga, about teaching yoga, about running a yoga studio, about my students, and even about myself. I have come to love my practice no matter how frustrating it may feel at times, to love myself regardless of how I look, to truly love others, to realize my potential… that I have a potential. We all do. We all can. That’s all yoga…. It is if you want it to truly change you on the inside.  That’s what my time at BYEG has taught me. All of that and so much more. 

For all of this I am eternally grateful. For all of this, BYEG will always be a part of me.  And for all of this, I will always be proud to say that this is the place where I was “yoga born”. That this is where I learned to be a nicer person, to myself and to others. This is where I learned what love really means and how far it can take us. This is where I learned how to backbend without fear… to subsequently proceed forward with confidence. This is where I learned who I truly was, am, and want to become.

That being said, I must move on to continue that process. Not just on the mat, but also, perhaps more importantly, off the mat too. So this July, I will be moving my practice to Orange County, where I will be cutting back on teaching, and will first incorporate more learning, followed by working in a different field: Real Estate. Orange County, not just for the great weather and opportunities, but also to be closer to my mom and the rest of our family. I must take my own practice to the next level, because I am ready. Because this is what I’ve been practicing for, this is what I’ve been making myself stronger and more flexible for…. To be the best me I can be, just as we encourage you to do for yourself. Its time for me to practice what I preach, not just in the hot room, but also outside… hopefully in an air-conditioned office while wearing more, and nicer clothes.   

Honestly, there really is nothing I could ever say or do to truly justify the amount of gratitude I have for this beautiful little gem of a studio in Northern California.  All I can say is from the bottom of my yogi heart, THANK YOU! Thank you Carrie Bain for BYEG and all the love and support you provide to us. Thank you to all the teachers and staff, that I have had the pleasure of working with and learning from… without whom I would never have come to believe in myself and in my practice. And a huge thank you to our amazing students for your immense patience as I try to find my own voice on the podium, for your endless warmth and inspiration, and for being so kind to Stretch and letting her be a part of our yoga family too. 

I’m taking all of you with me… Each and every one of you and the moments we have shared will always hold a dear place in my heart and soul. No worries, I certainly will come back and visit. And part of me will always be here with you, even if it is just a tiny bit of my sweat soaked through the carpet into the concrete beneath! And YOU will always have one more yoga family (two if you count my mom, darLing… three plus Stretch) member to visit and hang out with when you are down south. This is not the end… but really the beginning of something even more beautiful. We just gotta keep going to find out!

Love and Namaste,

Justine & Stretch

Introducing Stretch!

At 6 months, weighing in at 5 pounds... My new puppy, Stretch, has lit up my world :)

Just another day at BYEG!

Exhale

Check check...

Bikram Yoga Teacher Training Checklist

-highlighters, pens- mark the hell out of your dialogue, it really helps!

-clothing rack to dry your clothes on

-a shopping bag on wheels for trips to the store without a car

-hot water maker/boiler, what are those things called?

-hot plate/small grill to cook with

-plates, utensils, paper towels, etc
-knife and cutting board

-tupperware
-extension cord... you might need more sockets to plug your stuff into if you plan on bringing applicances, laptops, phones, etc.
--camera

-snacks for lecture/posture clinics etc.
-eat what you crave while you're there. Random, but a lot of us craved salt and vinegar chips!

-Extra ice chest: get ice from non-TT floors, those usually aren't empty

-Tea/Coffee

-HYDROFLASK(S)

-travel blanket/small pillow- it gets cold during the late night lectures

-ear plugs

-chocolate

-electrolytes: honey/lemon/water, supplements or powders, coconut water, etc.

-"No Sweat"

-something to throw on over your yoga clothes before/after class

-more yoga clothes that you could teach in, for posture clinics

-some brought foam rollers or tennis balls
-comfortable footwear/ flip flops
-epsom salts
-essential oils (my mom swears by these... you can apply them topically to alleviate the soreness, some brands you can digest, helping boost your immune system, amongst many other benefits. something that came in really handy during training)

-some cash to tip the valet for helping you carry your stuff upstairs on day 1. You don't want to be hauling all that stuff and making that many trips up and down, conserve your energy- you'll be needing all of it soon :)

-A warm sweatshirt

-notebook to take notes/doodle/ and write dialogue in

-a journal or blog... reading through my posts from training, though only a couple months have passed, everything is coming back and its crazy how much one forgets because it seems like such a surreal blur

-a mantra, or something that you can remind your self when times get tough

Oh and Good Thai food. We'd call them before the 5pm class and would ask them to deliver at 7.

http://www.ayarathaicuisine.com/#/home 

Week 9, certified!!

Week eight, can you believe it??

We've been in this yoga bubble for so long that I've forgotten about life before teacher training. It's difficult to fathom that this coming Friday, we will officially be certified Bikram teachers. I don't feel like I'm ready to call myself that, to actually step onto the podium and teach a 90 minute class. But then again, I didn't feel  like I was ready to come to teacher training eight weeks ago either, and look where we are today! We surprise ourselves sometimes, both on and off the mat. And often times, it takes not thinking about things and just letting it all happen.

Monday was our last posture clinic. It was also the beginning of the brief moments to come where I would catch myself thinking about how far we've come, about how much we have grown, and about how much I'm going to miss moments that have come to make up our current reality. It is incredible to witness how people in my posture clinic group have found their voices, gained confidence in their teachings, and have come to even enjoy getting up there to share the dialogue we have memorized. I don't have the exact words for it, but I guess its part pride and part happiness for my fellow trainees in witnessing the great strides they have taken. To see people go through this metamorphosis and to have the privilege of sharing this experience with them, that it what has made the sweat, tears, and long nights worth it. And I now understand why so many teachers choose to come back to teacher training on their own dime, as well as where their sense of bittersweet nostalgia comes from. Four weeks ago, I thought they were all crazy. Now, I see that they're human. Perhaps a little crazy still. After all, this is Bikram Yoga.

So four more yoga days until this becomes a memory of the past that will probably creep up in my future presents as my time at teacher training. How strange is that? I'm looking forward to ending this chapter and beginning the next one, as nerve-wracking as it may be.

Some Bikram quotes...

Do you think I am a normal human being? ... Now the question is, how not normal?
I don't like cold food, I don't like cold hearts, and I don't like cold pussy!
But anyway, don't do anything to take away my concentration! I'm going to kill you now.

Bikram last night...

"What's going on in the left side corner? Somebody is doing silent but deadly or something??"

Bikram, this week.

Wow. There's two kinds of drinks. Hot chocolate and honey lemon... which one do I want? Hot chocolate... (takes a sip) Faaaaantastic!
You can't finish class in one hour. Its like high school sex. No good!
Why your heart hate your lungs? Its a horrible marriage. Between an asshole and a bitch.
Hey! Don't throw up on here. Its a new fucking carpet.
Now. The wise man comes. His name is...? BIKRAM!
I'm a combination of English bulldog and Bengal Tiger. Don't mess with me!
Like yesterday, I had to ask you guys 100 times to stop because you kept talking... Ok I exaggerate a little- I'm Indian!
And to the young lady who fell asleep during lecture with her legs uncrossed... Hellooo! I can see your uterus!
Operation successful. Patient is dead. Doctors are proud. Because they get paid by the Blue Cross!
I sell pain! Can you believe it??
Don't you know you can't make a clap with one hand? You need two hands, you idiot.
On Raja Yoga... You're all practicing it right now. When you go home, are you going to rob a bank? Are you going to kill somebody? Are you going to take revenge on your ex-husband? Chop his balls off and play ping pong with it?...maybe...