Summer 2005 Newsletter

• greetings from the director
• sanskrit term
• special annual membership rate
• recommended reading
• helpful tips
• student success stories
• staff spotlights
• posture tips

    "Namaste"

Namaste is a traditional Hindu greeting, sometimes referred to as the national greeting of India. You may have seen this word written in yoga books, magazines, or heard it spoken in the yoga studio; as many teachers will often end class with this salutation.  Customarily, Namaste is said in conjunction with joining your palms together at the fingertips pointing upward, while maintaining eye contact and making a brief bow to the person you are greeting.

Translations include:

• "I bow to the divinity within you"

• "I greet the soul within you."

• “The divine in me recognizes the divine in you.”

• “I bless the place where you and I are one.”

Back by popular demand!  Our Grand Opening Anniversary Annual Membership Rate is back during the Month of August in celebration of our 2nd Studio Anniversary.  You can purchase the annual membership for $999, for a savings of over $250!

Bonus!  “6 months Unlimited Membership for $599” (regular rate $650)

The listed books below are our teacher’s favorite books. Please email us if you have a book to recommend and would like to share with other classmates.

• The Four Agreements
• Light on Yoga
• Tuesdays with Morrie
• The Art of Happiness
• Autobiography of a Yogi
• Anatomy of Hatha Yoga
• The Alchemist

We all try to be on time that is part of the mindfulness we are cultivating through practice, but sometimes traffic, weather and other events seem to conspire against us. If this happens to you, please keep in mind the following:

• Drive safely and courteously no matter what the clock says. You are coming to Yoga. You can begin practicing calm, patience, compassion, awareness and forgiveness of self and others while you are still in the car.
   

• Take your shoes off and sign in at the front desk.
   

• To minimize distractions once you enter the hot room, please strip down to your Yoga clothes; get your mat, towel and water bottle out of your bag; and turn off your cell phone while you are still in the lobby. If the hot room is full, consider leaving your bag in the lobby or changing room in order to streamline your entrance. If you must bring things in, try to set them quietly and efficiently on the shelves or tucked at the back of the room.
   

• Look through the glass doors to scope out a place before you enter. If the other students are in the middle of a pose, wait until they come out of the pose to open the door.
   

• If possible, choose an open space in the back row. If you arrive early to class, consider moving forward and leaving the back row open to stragglers (That way they won’t have an opportunity to set up right in front of you and block the mirror).
   

• You are now here, take a deep breath and calm down.
   

• There is a reason we do all the poses in a specific order. If you have entered in the middle of the Half Moon Backbend or Awkward or Eagle, please do not jump right in. Start with Pranayama Breathing and do one good set of each pose in the sequence until you catch up with the rest of the class. This way you will prepare your body for what will come. You get the full benefit from the class and reduce risk of injury. Once you have caught up with the class, proceed according to the teacher’s instructions.

Again, this is not the ideal, but sometimes outside commitments refuse to work around the yoga schedule. If you have to leave before the end of class, please:

• Tell the teacher before class begins. This is a courtesy to the teacher so she or he won’t be concerned about your health.
   

• Place your mat toward the back and near a door so you can make a clean getaway.
   

• Try to leave after a forward bend. Metaphorically, backbends open us to the world emotionally as well as physically. Forward bends tend to be more introspective. The Bikram sequence places Camel near the end, but follows it with Rabbit, the forward bends in Head to Knee and a Spine Twist to keep your boundaries and sense of self intact. If you must leave around Camel-time, do at least one Rabbit and a Savasana before you leave the class.
   

• Always allow a few minutes before you leave to rest in Savasana.  This is where you gather and distribute the healing energy you have generated through the poses.
   

•  Minimize disturbance to the class by having all your belongings gathered and poised for a quiet exit. Make eye contact with the teacher before you go. They will remember you need to leave early and will not be concerned about your well-being.

Over training at a local fitness gym resulted in constant pain in my arm. Doctors recommended surgery. The operation went well. I feel this is mainly because of the Bikram Yoga I did each week for six months prior to surgery. Post-surgery, my doctors prescribed twelve physical therapy sessions. But I returned to Bikram Yoga right away and did what I could in that wonderful heat. My physical therapists released me from the program after only three sessions.

Beyond healing my arm, Bikram Yoga Rockville has become as much a part of my retirement planning as saving and investing for the future. I want to be able to enjoy my grandchildren and to feel as young as they are. Happiness is a very important part of who I am. Looking forward to going to the Bikram Yoga each week has become an important part of my life. I have very far to go in the performance of the different poses in our Yoga class. Yet looking forward to the day I can do the Dandayamana-Janushirasana (Standing Head to Knee Pose) correctly is a great reason to wake up each day. Thanks to Diana for making the Bikram Yoga Rockville Studio a place where someone with a smile and says, "where have you been?!", when you have been away on a trip. It makes us all feel we’re a part of something good and important.
 

Triangle
(right side)

Beginners:

Be patient. This is one of the most difficult poses we practice in the class. It requires both strength and flexibility. Here are some things to keep in mind:

• Focus on keeping your chest and upper body high, while bringing your hips down. This requires hip and leg strength.

• Help condition your body by going into a clean and deep setup before moving your arms into position. Make sure your knee is directly in line with the ankle and not beyond it.  Create a 90 degree angel under the thigh and down the shin.

• When the right knee is bent, the left hip must come down so the hips are leveled.  It takes time to build the strength and flexibility.  Do the best you can!

• Move the arms so that the right elbow comes in front of, but not below the right knee. The fingers reach toward the spot between the big toe and the second toe of the right foot. Reach the left hand up toward the ceiling; both palms face the front mirror.

• Look up toward the ceiling and touch your chin to your left shoulder.

Intermediate:

Check yourself in the mirror periodically to make your own corrections. Look for these adjustments:

• See an inner triangle formed by the top of your thigh as the base, the inside of your right arm at the vertical line and the right side of your ribs as the hypotenuse.  If you lower the elbow below the knee or allow your hips to rise up, you will not get a triangle shape.  Sit the hips down and keep the chest and upper body lifted during the posture.

• See an outer triangle formed by an imaginary line from heel to heel as the base, from finger tip to finger tip as the vertical line, and from your top finger tip down the body to the heel of the straight leg as the hypotenuse.  This diagonal line is very important in completing and defining the triangle.  Keep the weight on the outside edge of the straight leg foot.  This will straighten and strengthen the leg and create power and stability for the pose.

• The straight leg foot should be turned in a little, not pointing directly toward the front mirror. Slightly lift the medial arch, the inside edge, of the foot to help press the outside edge flat on the floor.

• Do not turn out the front foot too much.  Keep the toes pointing in a straight line from the hip and knee.  You can use the right arm to gently push the right knee back. Since the knee is a hinge joint, be sure to keep the hip, knee, and ankle all in one line to protect the knee as you maintain a proper alignment.

• Try not to lean on your hand as you reach for your toes. You should rely on hip strength, rather than your hand to hold your posture.