Bikram Hot Yoga Houston Blog

Every year on July 9th Bikram Hot Yoga schools around the world close their doors in honor of the anniversary of Bikram's guru, Bishnu Ghosh's, death.

This means we are open 364 days a year without fail, and closed only one day a year. Of course this also means we have only one day a year to do all the things that cannot be done when the schools are filled with people! So although the school is closed, it is far, far from a day off for our incredible staff.

This year, like every year, we are changing the carpet at our South Blvd location. Unlike every other year though, this year we have found a flooring product that makes standard industrial carpet a thing of the past! We have found a new kind of flooring that looks like carpet, but is light years beyond carpet. Developed for use in hospitals and medical clinics, it is fully anti-microbial, anti-bacterial, and it is environmentally green to boot! So this means, among many other wonderful things, that there is no off-gassing after installation. We are beyond excited!!

We fully expect this to be a one day (and night) job, and to reopen with our regular schedule on Friday, July 10th, but there is a slight chance that we will run into installation overtime. Just in case we need to remain closed on Friday, please check the blog and the announcements on our website for the latest information regarding our schedule.

So often we think that the only measure of our yoga practice is how well we execute the postures, or if our physical body has improved. Of course these things are important, but have you ever stopped to consider the other hallmarks of a powerful yoga practice?

For example, have you become a kinder person, less judgmental? Do you find yourself gossiping less, or feeling disturbed when in the company of someone speaking harshly or unkindly of others? Are you able to stop yourself before you say something in anger? Have you let go of grudges and hard feelings? Have you become more comfortable with silence, with stillness? 

How is your heart doing? Not your physical heart. How is your compassionate heart doing? Is it larger and wiser than it used to be? And your mind? Is it calmer, more peaceful? Do you have fewer attack thoughts than you did before you began to practice yoga? Does joy come more quickly to you than it used to? Are your relationships filled with less drama?

It's fun to make a list of all the ways Bikram Hot Yoga has changed your life. You can use the questions above to get started, to prime the pump. You'll be amazed at how long the list is and how quickly the pages fill up when you start to include mental, emotional and spritual changes along with the physical ones. Have fun!

Several weeks back Rebecca Spera, the host of ABC's Mirror/Mirror took her first BY class at our SB studio. Watch her fun and adventures tonight at 10:30pm on Channel 13! Then, beginning Monday, the rest of the country can watch it here  http://www.livewellhd.com/index on the Live Well HD Network.

Here's another link to watch in case you miss(ed) the show: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5tePc-ocaiE