As inclusive as North American yoga wants to be, yoga in its deeper dimensions demands certain qualities.
Well, I have a yoga mat and I hydrated well. So yes, I think so.
The yoga clothing companies would like you to think you are.
by Ann Chrapkiewicz
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Our annual Spring Yoga Buddy Challenge is a true highlight of the year and takes place from April 1 – May 31 each year.
It expands and deepens our practice and understanding of yoga, and it is so much fun!!
All teams who completed the challenge by May 31 received a unique 2017 Yoga Buddy shirt for each team member. (These are also available for sale if you would like one.)
You can view more photos on the Facebook album here.
East Lansing, Michigan – July 21, 2017 –
Ann Chrapkiewicz – Lansing-area yoga practitioner and native of Dearborn, Michigan – will represent the state of Michigan in this year’s USA Yoga National Championship. Ann took 3rd place in the MidWest SuperRegional Championships held in Chicago in May 2017, and 1st in the state of Michigan.
The national event will take place as part of the Meijer State Games of America on August 5 and 6, 2017, in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Those with at least one to two years of regular practice and 250 or more classes’ experience in the traditional 26&2/Bikram Yoga method are invited to join us for a unique practice intensive in intermediate preparations and postures in the Ghosh lineage. This round will be an immersive, daily, morning practice (6:15 am – 8:15 am) for the entire month of July, held Monday through Friday for four weeks (with the exception of Friday, July 14).
East Lansing, Michigan – May 25, 2017 –
Three practitioners at Bikram Yoga Capital Area represented the state of Michigan in this year’s USA Yoga MidWest Super Regional Championships in Chicago, IL, this past weekend.
BYCA students Lauren Anastos, Lindsay Gray, and Ann Chrapkiewicz performed their routines with steadiness, focus, and calm. They all had a very enjoyable, positive experience! The best possible outcomes for all. As a group, the three of them did not pressure themselves to “perform” or compete, nor to train beyond their capabilities.
East Lansing, Michigan – May 18, 2017 –
Three practitioners at Bikram Yoga Capital Area will represent the state of Michigan in this year’s USA Yoga MidWest Super Regional Championship. The event will take place at the Latin School of Chicago in Chicago, IL, on Sunday, May 21, 2017. Those interested in attending may find detailed information here.
The participants were invited via USA Yoga’s official qualifying procedures.
by Ann Chrapkiewicz
I started practicing Bikram Yoga in Ann Arbor, Michigan, in 2003 – shortly after returning to the United States after 2 years of living in rural Japan. I was working in the kitchen of the People’s Food Coop at the time and attended on the invitation of one of my coworkers. I do not think that either of us “liked” the first class – she did not ever return for a second class (that was hard!).
by Lindsay Gray
I started practicing Bikram Yoga six years ago and have had the pleasure of practicing in many different places. Having started in Honolulu, and then in Houston, Austin, Boston, and Berlin before ending up here at my most favorite of studios. (Aren’t we lucky!!)
I am forever indebted to a close friend of mine, a former dancer like myself, who introduced me to Bikram yoga.
by Ann Renee Chrapkiewicz
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Bikram’s Beginning Yoga Class is truly that. A place for beginners to start the yoga process.
However, there seems to be a part of the human mind – and if I may propose, especially a noticeable portion of the American mind – that would like to believe that it is not a beginner.
It is sure that it is already an expert.
Bikram Yoga is often referred to as a “90-minute moving meditation”.
Lately I have started to prefer the term “physical meditation” over “moving meditation”. It is true that we move our bodies, but the emphasis of class is always on stillness.
Physical Meditation is a term that makes sense for me because it describes the heart of how anyone can practice, just by stepping in the room, and regardless of any flexibility or ability.
by Ann Chrapkiewicz
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I have learned a dozen lessons and received a thousand blessings from my back injury on March 17, 2004.
But before getting to those, let me finish telling you about that day. If you missed the first part of the story, you might want to read that first.
by Ann Chrapkiewicz
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If I had not broken my back 13 years ago today, we would not be here. At least not in the way we are today.
It might sound extreme, but it is true.
If you were in class last year on this date, you may have heard me tell the story.
In my 14th year of practice in this amazing yoga lineage, I continue to love and appreciate the steadiness and auditory meditation that comes from the near-constant instruction from the teacher. I enjoy the rhythm of the “dialogue” – which truly is a two-way exchange of information between student and teacher! – and its phrases, or the flow of an expert teacher using his or her own tremendous experience and unique instructions to guide us.
The weekday morning classes here are indescribably special. I love every single class I teach and practice – evenings and weekends included – but the 9:30 am classes have this special energy that dedicated, regular, curious students create. The average age is probably 55, with many of my 70+ students attending regularly at that time.
This past Tuesday’s “warm” 9:30 class – practiced about 10 degrees cooler than the usual 105F – was an all-front-row class with the kind of calm, deep focus that leaves you floating the rest of the day.
I am very excited to announce that two of the foremost North American ambassadors of Ghosh Yoga will be coming to Bikram Yoga Capital Area this March for a weekend of workshops! Ida Jo and Scott Lamps will be leading six unique, not-to-be-missed yoga practice seminars from Thursday-Sunday, March 23-26, 2017.
In the summer of 2016, I completed the inaugural Ghosh Practice Week in Madison, Wisconsin.