Student of the Month

in your own words | student of the month

Breath, sweat, stretch.

Every month, we name a Student of the Month for the student who shows consistency in his/her practice (4 times a week or more), focus, determination, good listening, and great attitude. Learn about this month’s students below, and be sure to read testimonials from our past honorees too.

May 2012:

Student of the Month: Kathy Ausen

After your first Bikram class what was your impression?
I had several impressions: I’ve never done anything this hard! I’ve never, ever sweated this much! Will I be able to drink enough water to replace what I lost? I’ll leave a huge tip if we can please just have longer Savasanas. Why are all of these people smiling? Where do they get the energy for smiling? I can't believe I tried every posture and lived. I’m way too old for this. Wait until I get hold of Tim Adams, who recommended this to me! Where is my headache? I don’t remember the last time I didn't have a headache. (At right: Kathy pictured with Mickey (Mickey has the better savasana))

As you can tell, I did not begin Bikram Yoga with a great deal of focus.

What inspired you to start Bikram Yoga?
Tim Adams has expertly cut my hair for several years. Over months of appointments he talked about Bikram Yoga and the benefits he was experiencing from practicing. I finally became curious enough to just simply try it! (Bad hair days are my fault – not Tim’s!)

How many times a week do you practice?
My practice schedule often depends on my travel schedule. In a perfect world I would practice 5 times per week. In the real world, I practice 2-5 times per week. After 5 practices in a week, I feel as though I’m making progress; I can see and feel improvement in many of the postures – even if the improvements are small. With less than 4 practices per week, I’m just maintaining.

What is your favorite posture in the series and why?
My favorite posture is the one I’ve just finished!

Actually my favorite posture is constantly changing. I tend to like the postures I feel successful in doing. But as I practice longer, I understand more of the dialogue and manage to try more and more of each posture. Going just a bit deeper into a posture uncovers tightness, old injuries, new challenges. Suddenly what was easier last week is harder this week – and vice versa.

What’s your hardest pose and why?
The hardest pose is the one I’m about to attempt. It’s the hardest because I have to convince my mind that it should allow my body to do all that it can do. I can be a bit of a skeptic so this is a constant struggle.

What are some of the benefits and changes you’ve seen in yourself?

• The heart murmur I’ve had since the 7th grade is barely audible.
• My constant headache is gone.
• My back is in the best shape ever. I’ve gone from 1-2 chiropractic treatments per month to almost none. In fact, I sometimes add the number of adjustments that occur naturally during a practice and total my savings after class.
• My bone density has increased. I happened to be scheduled for a bone density test shortly before beginning Bikram Yoga. I then had another test after practicing for several years. At an age when I should be thrilled with holding steady, my bone density went up. I can think of no explanation other than Bikram Yoga.
• I’ve cut my hormone replacement meds in half with a regular practice. Bikram Yoga really does balance your hormones. (Although, who could tell if you’re having a hot flash anyway?)

I love how my practice spills over into everyday life. Daily activities just seem easier. I encounter little challenges, and, without consciously thinking, solve them with what I’ve learned in Bikram Yoga.

• When I carry the dog down the stairs without needing handrails, I realize that my improved balance comes from Bikram Yoga.
• When I manage a long wait for luggage in an extremely hot baggage claim area by simply remembering to breathe deeply and slowly, my breathing cancels the effect of the heat. Bikram Yoga again!
• When I’m cooking, I engage my core rather than allow slouched back muscles to tire me and bring on backaches and headaches.

What keeps you motivated?
Trudy is so good about reminding us of the benefits of regular Bikram during our practice. On those really hard days, I focus on the benefits. Practicing delayed gratification really does help move me through the postures. When I picture Trudy’s “slinky” spine as opposed to a “steel rod” spine, I can feel those benefits developing.

Occasionally, Trudy also suggests that we set an intention for our practice, and I find this very helpful. For example, when my mother was still living and fighting Parkinson’s Disease, I knew that she would give anything for 90 minutes when the messages from her brain directed her muscles to do what she wanted them to do rather than what they chose to do. I often set the intention of my practice for her – for courage to fight. Who was I to complain about a little exertion during Full Locust when I have nerves and muscles that allow me to do the posture?

What is your greatest challenge about the yoga? Yourself?
This is a trick question; yoga is you! But, the answer to both is focus and humility.

Deb is great at reminding us that, “This is your perfect yoga for today.” “Be profoundly non-judgmental”, she often says. I love that view as this is great news for a perfectionist. It’s very easy to compare yourself with someone else who can do this posture deeper and that posture longer. But comparing someone else’s “outside” to your “inside” is not a fair comparison.

Nadia reminds us that settling for less than your best in a posture cheats no one but ourselves. Keeping my promise to myself to give 100% and to do the best I can is my yoga. The integrity involved in keeping my promise to myself teaches me to keep other promises. So, yes, the challenges of Bikram Yoga keep me humble.

I find that each practice demands absolute focus; total focus is difficult for me. Sharon helps when she gently guides us back to a focus on only breathing during Savasana - to a joining of mind with body through a focus on breathing. I can never have too many reminders and am constantly surprised at what an important life skill this is.

Any words of wisdom to new students?
Just one – breathe! You’ll hear this many times during each practice; if you’re like me, you won’t understand how to breathe - strange as that seems.

I didn’t realize that I was to constantly and intentionally breathe throughout the 90-minute class – even during postures. Once I understood this concept, the heat was no longer an issue, and I could begin to concentrate on the postures rather than extraneous issues!

I especially made progress when I began playing a game with myself: How many breaths can I take during the setup of the posture? How many breaths can I take during the posture? How many breaths can I take before hitting the floor in Savasana? How many during Savasana? Once I developed the habit of constant breathing, all else became possible.

I’ve also learned that breathing is a two-part activity. Jen is so good about reminding us to exhale; she seems to know that I often forget 50% of the whole process. If fact, during allergy season when I’m often winded, I imagine exhaling molecules of carbon dioxide and lactic acid. (What can I say? I was a biology major.)

Is there anything you would like to add?
I’m often asked if a Bikram Yoga practice isn’t boring since each one involves the same 26 postures. My reply is that it is anything but boring. Relieved of wondering what comes next, I can concentrate on aligning my mind with my body. This is a difficult concept for me, but a worthy goal. I’m finding that when my mind, body and spirit merge even a tiny bit further, everything is better and I’m a littler freer to be more empathetic, more considerate, more tolerant.

I’m very grateful to Trudy, Bruce and all of the Bikram Yoga teachers in Winston-Salem. You’ve enhanced my life more than you know. And because of my gratitude, I will continue to carry the gray-hair burden – a commitment to never give up. "If the gray-haired lady won’t give up, then I can’t either!

 

Previous Student of the Month:

2012 Jan | Mar | Apr | May

2011 Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec

 

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The only affiliated and certified Bikram Yoga studios in the NC Triad.