Mak Parhar
Director and Certified Bikram Yoga Teacher
I had heard a few people talking about Bikram Yoga and how good it was for you and how challenging it was. But of course like most people, I had a misconception of what yoga was. I thought it was just stretching. When I heard how much it cost, I was immediately opposed to trying it. I mean, money is hard to come by right? I was very fit and already busy with Ice Hockey and Roller Hockey. As well, I had a gym membership that I was using regularly. I was a frequent jogger, swimmer and loved to do the Grouse Grind.
I agreed to go to my first Bikram Yoga Class in the summer of 2004. I did not get the point of the class and thought it was just another way to get fit or exercise. I will tell you that I tried to run out of the room as I thought I was going to have a heart attack. Luckily, the instructor commandingly told me to stay in the room and lie on my mat. And after only a minute of lying down still, I was fine.
I did not think I would ever do it again. My ego told me that it was ‘too expensive’. Yes, my mind is my biggest enemy, like all of us. And it was especially so then. I did not do another class for a couple of months. But at the urging of my wife, who had joined up, I agreed to try it again. I felt great after class and bought some classes thinking I would do yoga a couple of times a month to improve my flexibility. Well, I went four times that week and felt like a new man. Shortly after regular practice, my aches and pains from sports injuries and car accidents felt much better, and some were even gone. My sleep improved and I had more energy. In the spring of 2005, I was told that Bikram was coming to Vancouver that summer and I should go to listen to him. After a few weeks and much reluctance to spend money to hear some yoga guy, I bought a ticket to his seminar. Well, let me tell you, he rocked my world and changed my life and way of thinking. He spoke things I never heard before and luckily I was willing and open to receiving it. Within minutes of him opening his mouth, I was at complete attention. The very next day I called down to Bikram Yoga Headquarters in Los Angeles, and asked about registering for Teacher Training. Here I was too poor and cheap to spend money to do the yoga, and now within days of meeting Bikram, I made a decision to go more into debt by spending well over $10,000 on credit cards to become a Certified Bikram Yoga Teacher. I decision which still today I have absolutely no regrets about!!
Bikram Yoga is 100% exercise for the whole body and able to heal and give you the best health over any other form of exercise. That is the truth. I didn’t know that and like most didn’t want to believe it. I thought I knew about health. I have now met so many people who’s lives have changed and even been saved from this gift. I still meet more of them everyday. Unfortunately, many of us are unwilling to challenge ourselves and actually open our minds and commit to something new and challenging (like I was at first). They quit because they think it is 'too hard' or the mind lies saying it is not for them. That is ok. I guess they will come back in their own time.
But me, I am 110% committed. I used to care more about material things. Now if someone offered me a million dollars and said that for the money, I would not be able to do or teach Bikram Yoga and help myself and others, I would without hesitation say ‘No Thank You’.
Without health, we have nothing!!
I look forward to seeing you in the hot room with us soon, transforming your body and your mind.
I agreed to go to my first Bikram Yoga Class in the summer of 2004. I did not get the point of the class and thought it was just another way to get fit or exercise. I will tell you that I tried to run out of the room as I thought I was going to have a heart attack. Luckily, the instructor commandingly told me to stay in the room and lie on my mat. And after only a minute of lying down still, I was fine.
I did not think I would ever do it again. My ego told me that it was ‘too expensive’. Yes, my mind is my biggest enemy, like all of us. And it was especially so then. I did not do another class for a couple of months. But at the urging of my wife, who had joined up, I agreed to try it again. I felt great after class and bought some classes thinking I would do yoga a couple of times a month to improve my flexibility. Well, I went four times that week and felt like a new man. Shortly after regular practice, my aches and pains from sports injuries and car accidents felt much better, and some were even gone. My sleep improved and I had more energy. In the spring of 2005, I was told that Bikram was coming to Vancouver that summer and I should go to listen to him. After a few weeks and much reluctance to spend money to hear some yoga guy, I bought a ticket to his seminar. Well, let me tell you, he rocked my world and changed my life and way of thinking. He spoke things I never heard before and luckily I was willing and open to receiving it. Within minutes of him opening his mouth, I was at complete attention. The very next day I called down to Bikram Yoga Headquarters in Los Angeles, and asked about registering for Teacher Training. Here I was too poor and cheap to spend money to do the yoga, and now within days of meeting Bikram, I made a decision to go more into debt by spending well over $10,000 on credit cards to become a Certified Bikram Yoga Teacher. I decision which still today I have absolutely no regrets about!!
Bikram Yoga is 100% exercise for the whole body and able to heal and give you the best health over any other form of exercise. That is the truth. I didn’t know that and like most didn’t want to believe it. I thought I knew about health. I have now met so many people who’s lives have changed and even been saved from this gift. I still meet more of them everyday. Unfortunately, many of us are unwilling to challenge ourselves and actually open our minds and commit to something new and challenging (like I was at first). They quit because they think it is 'too hard' or the mind lies saying it is not for them. That is ok. I guess they will come back in their own time.
But me, I am 110% committed. I used to care more about material things. Now if someone offered me a million dollars and said that for the money, I would not be able to do or teach Bikram Yoga and help myself and others, I would without hesitation say ‘No Thank You’.
Without health, we have nothing!!
I look forward to seeing you in the hot room with us soon, transforming your body and your mind.
Ryan Federau
Certified Bikram Yoga Teacher
My Mom wanted me to try Yoga for years, but I wouldn't go because of my misconceptions of what Yoga was about. I thought yoga was for sissies and there would be just people sitting around and burning incense. In October 2004 I wanted her to loan me $100 and she agreed on the condition that I come to a Bikram Yoga class. I needed the money so I went. It was challenging and not what I expected. I certainly did not feel compelled to go back. She gave me the Bikram's Beginning Yoga Class book and suggested that I read it. I read the entire book and decided to do what Bikram suggests as a beginner: Practice yoga 6 days a week for 2 months. I started my 6 days a week practice in February 2005, after 2 months I felt so good that I continued to practice at that pace until I attended Bikram's teacher training in Los Angeles in fall of 2005. I made the decision to attend the Teacher Training in LA because I was intrigued to learn more about what Yoga was about. I also like the idea of becoming a teacher, but I was unsure that I would become a good teacher. I did not like to do anything unless I was good at it. I mean, if you are going to do anything in life, one should want to be really good at it. It seemed so daunting and out of my element. I can say that teaching was been really challenging and rewarding at the same time. It really has been a life changing journey.
I broke my left elbow in 2009. The doctors put a 3 inch screw in my arm, and told me not to do Yoga for at least a month and probably longer. They said that my range of motion wouldn't return to normal. In my heart and based on what I had learned, I knew that advise was not the right way to heal my elbow. Going against my Dr.’s advise I was back in class a week later, my arm barely moved, it was very painful; not only physically, but mentally and emotionally because of how little I was able to do compared to what I could before. I continued to practice regularly, I remembered something Bikram says: "Always remember one thing; You have nothing to lose because you never had anything to begin with in the first place". I chose to compete for the first time 6 months after the accident, I placed 1st in Western Canada! Today my left arm flexibility and strength is equal to my right, there is no pain, and all that remains is the memory and a scar.
This is thanks to the healing power of Bikram Yoga.
I have seen many people overcome challenges and do things they never thought possible after practicing Bikram Yoga regularly. I believe anyone and everyone should practice this yoga. Bikram Yoga is an introduction to Self-Realization. You have unlimited potential! Come practice with us at Bikram Yoga Delta and discover this potential. You can do it! I believe in you! The best advice I have to give is to practice daily and no matter what happens, just keep practicing! Never give up! You are worth it! See you in class.
I broke my left elbow in 2009. The doctors put a 3 inch screw in my arm, and told me not to do Yoga for at least a month and probably longer. They said that my range of motion wouldn't return to normal. In my heart and based on what I had learned, I knew that advise was not the right way to heal my elbow. Going against my Dr.’s advise I was back in class a week later, my arm barely moved, it was very painful; not only physically, but mentally and emotionally because of how little I was able to do compared to what I could before. I continued to practice regularly, I remembered something Bikram says: "Always remember one thing; You have nothing to lose because you never had anything to begin with in the first place". I chose to compete for the first time 6 months after the accident, I placed 1st in Western Canada! Today my left arm flexibility and strength is equal to my right, there is no pain, and all that remains is the memory and a scar.
This is thanks to the healing power of Bikram Yoga.
I have seen many people overcome challenges and do things they never thought possible after practicing Bikram Yoga regularly. I believe anyone and everyone should practice this yoga. Bikram Yoga is an introduction to Self-Realization. You have unlimited potential! Come practice with us at Bikram Yoga Delta and discover this potential. You can do it! I believe in you! The best advice I have to give is to practice daily and no matter what happens, just keep practicing! Never give up! You are worth it! See you in class.
Li Wang
Certified Bikram Yoga Teacher
I had been very active since my university years, gymnastics, swimming, and tennis…until I had my son. I started taking courses in college while raising a young child. Both schoolwork and housework together were extremely demanding, which left little time for any kind of exercise. I worked like a spinning top until I was diagnosed with carpal tunnel syndrome and tennis elbow. I had to wear splints on both wrists while sleeping otherwise I would be woken up several times by the numbness of my arms in the middle of the night. When my family doctor and specialist in Burnaby Hospital indicated the possibility of needing surgery in the future, I decided to take the matter into my own hands. As a daughter of a general physician, I knew of the negative consequences of nerve surgery. I wanted to find a better way to heal myself so that I could be a healthy and able-bodied mother for my son as long as I needed to be.
On February 1, 2010, my son’s sixth birthday, I walked into Bikram Yoga Delta Studio, filled out the registration and waiver form, put down the blue mat and towel in the last row, and took my first Bikram yoga class. “… opening your chest like a flower petal blooming…” was the only thing that stuck in my head, and everything else was a blur. I hated the smell in the yoga room, and the soreness in every inch of my body...but loved the heat, the sweat, and the feeling of reincarnation afterwards, therefore I bought a 100-class package on the same day.
I started taking one class while still going swimming twice a week, but pretty soon I felt that 1500 meters of non-stop swimming wasn’t as challenging as 90 minutes of Bikram Yoga. By the end of 2010, I found myself practising yoga every second day, and I no longer needed to wear the splinter. My overall health has improved and I’m a happier, calmer, and more patient mother.
The therapeutic effects of Bikram yoga truly amazed me and continue to do so. The desire to improve my practice, to learn about yoga thoroughly, and to share its healing power with people eventually prompted me to take the nine-week intensive training in Los Angeles, and subsequently I became a Certified Bikram Yoga Teacher in the spring of 2011.
I still remember the nerve-wracking feeling when I stood on the podium teaching my first class on June 27, 2011. I recorded it, and still listen to it sometimes. I feel deeply grateful for the cues Mak gave me during the class, for the students that all stayed in the yoga room for the whole 97 minutes, and for the encouragement and positive feedback I received after the class.
My teaching style is strongly Dialogue-based, compassionate, positive, and encouraging. It doesn’t matter what time it is, 6 o’clock in the morning or 8:15 pm in the evening. All students deserve to have a good workout. I try to learn students’ health conditions so I can give individual corrections accordingly.
I don't have preference for any postures as all 26 postures work in sequence to benefit every part of human body, inside out. After years of practice and teaching, I've realized that the postures I dread are the ones my body and/or mind crave the most, so I try my best to master them, and to love them. As Bikram always says, "we don't do yoga, we try yoga." Let's try yoga together on our journey to ultimate Self-realization.
Namaste!
On February 1, 2010, my son’s sixth birthday, I walked into Bikram Yoga Delta Studio, filled out the registration and waiver form, put down the blue mat and towel in the last row, and took my first Bikram yoga class. “… opening your chest like a flower petal blooming…” was the only thing that stuck in my head, and everything else was a blur. I hated the smell in the yoga room, and the soreness in every inch of my body...but loved the heat, the sweat, and the feeling of reincarnation afterwards, therefore I bought a 100-class package on the same day.
I started taking one class while still going swimming twice a week, but pretty soon I felt that 1500 meters of non-stop swimming wasn’t as challenging as 90 minutes of Bikram Yoga. By the end of 2010, I found myself practising yoga every second day, and I no longer needed to wear the splinter. My overall health has improved and I’m a happier, calmer, and more patient mother.
The therapeutic effects of Bikram yoga truly amazed me and continue to do so. The desire to improve my practice, to learn about yoga thoroughly, and to share its healing power with people eventually prompted me to take the nine-week intensive training in Los Angeles, and subsequently I became a Certified Bikram Yoga Teacher in the spring of 2011.
I still remember the nerve-wracking feeling when I stood on the podium teaching my first class on June 27, 2011. I recorded it, and still listen to it sometimes. I feel deeply grateful for the cues Mak gave me during the class, for the students that all stayed in the yoga room for the whole 97 minutes, and for the encouragement and positive feedback I received after the class.
My teaching style is strongly Dialogue-based, compassionate, positive, and encouraging. It doesn’t matter what time it is, 6 o’clock in the morning or 8:15 pm in the evening. All students deserve to have a good workout. I try to learn students’ health conditions so I can give individual corrections accordingly.
I don't have preference for any postures as all 26 postures work in sequence to benefit every part of human body, inside out. After years of practice and teaching, I've realized that the postures I dread are the ones my body and/or mind crave the most, so I try my best to master them, and to love them. As Bikram always says, "we don't do yoga, we try yoga." Let's try yoga together on our journey to ultimate Self-realization.
Namaste!
Adam Chipiuk
Certified Bikram Yoga Teacher
I know how powerful we can be. Every thought, whether positive or negative, eventually in the future becomes a reality. During my last year of dental school I was not happy with whom I was. When I looked in the mirror I didn’t recognize the eyes I was looking into to. Still recovering from reconstructive knee surgery I was unable to do cardio exercises. I had bulked up by taking creatine, and living in New York City I was partying a lot. The image in the mirror was not the person I felt within. Becoming stressed and angry with my decision to attend dental school added to my unhappiness. I always wanted to change and save lives but helping someone’s tooth or fixing a smile wasn’t going to cut it. I remember a professor once say if you get cancer it might as well be Hodgkins Lymphoma because it has a good cure rate. I laughed and whispered “As if we get a choice.” Well guess what?!? Exactly on my 30th birthday, I was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma.
Each day I would repeat several mantras; “I will survive, I will survive.” “Cancer you have no idea who you’re messing with. As it turns out, my journey in life brought me to Los Angeles where I began an Orofacial Pain residency at University of California Los Angeles in July 2010. I found an apartment that was a 10 minute bike ride to the hospital and to Bikram's International Headquarters. Believe me, I know how fortunate I was to be living in LA and taking classes from Bikram, Rajashree, Emmy and all the other senior teachers that would stop by. The more my heart grew with Bikram yoga, the less my heart was in the residency program. I was treating various pains from the neck up; temporomandibular joints, migraines, headaches, nerve disorders, muscle disorders. The primary way I was treating patients was prescribing medications. As the patients kept coming back for more pharmaceuticals, it was clear that the drugs were not working and patients were not getting cured. My actions were not having the positive effects on peoples life’s that I as a Doctor had intended and hoped for. Following eight months of regular practice, I resigned from my program and applied to Bikram Yoga Teacher Training program. I made this decision knowing that teaching Bikram Yoga would allow me to help, heal and cure others more than I could ever do by writing a prescription for medications.
I’ve always known our bodies have the ability to heal. Within us is already all we need. I didn’t have the tools to help others discover their potential until I started doing Bikram Yoga. If the body is in a state of relaxation it can heal itself. Concentrate on your breath, be patient and discover your mind, body and spirit's true potential!
Each day I would repeat several mantras; “I will survive, I will survive.” “Cancer you have no idea who you’re messing with. As it turns out, my journey in life brought me to Los Angeles where I began an Orofacial Pain residency at University of California Los Angeles in July 2010. I found an apartment that was a 10 minute bike ride to the hospital and to Bikram's International Headquarters. Believe me, I know how fortunate I was to be living in LA and taking classes from Bikram, Rajashree, Emmy and all the other senior teachers that would stop by. The more my heart grew with Bikram yoga, the less my heart was in the residency program. I was treating various pains from the neck up; temporomandibular joints, migraines, headaches, nerve disorders, muscle disorders. The primary way I was treating patients was prescribing medications. As the patients kept coming back for more pharmaceuticals, it was clear that the drugs were not working and patients were not getting cured. My actions were not having the positive effects on peoples life’s that I as a Doctor had intended and hoped for. Following eight months of regular practice, I resigned from my program and applied to Bikram Yoga Teacher Training program. I made this decision knowing that teaching Bikram Yoga would allow me to help, heal and cure others more than I could ever do by writing a prescription for medications.
I’ve always known our bodies have the ability to heal. Within us is already all we need. I didn’t have the tools to help others discover their potential until I started doing Bikram Yoga. If the body is in a state of relaxation it can heal itself. Concentrate on your breath, be patient and discover your mind, body and spirit's true potential!
Anh Ly
Certified Bikram Yoga Teacher
In 2002 I suffered a traumatic brain injury that had left me in a wheelchair. The doctors said that I would have the intelligence of a 2 year old child. I lost all motor skills and my speech was impaired as well. I had a lot of therapy. Since then, I started being active and I want to live a healthy lifestyle. I went to the gym and started running. I didn't start my first Bikram class until May 2007 and I hated it so much. When I started practicing Bikram Yoga, I was walking, but I had a lot of emotional issues. I then went on and did some more running and cardio kick boxing. It wasn't until the stress grew to high levels that I gave Bikram Yoga another shot. I went back around Jan 2011 to give it another try and after that second class, I was instantly hooked. I went with no expectations; I sweated all my stress and worries out in the hot room. At the end of class, I had never felt better. I graduated teacher training fall of 2011. The class is the exact same postures and 90 minutes each time but everyday our practice is different. Bikram yoga has helped me respect myself and accept myself for who I am. Sometimes we have such rocking classes and some days it’s just so hard, but we learn to take what our body gives us today and try the best we can for that day. When I had the brain injury back then, I was in diapers. I had to learn everything all over again. I use to walk out of the class every single time. My bladder was weak or so I thought. Bikram Yoga helped train my mind and bladder. Staying in the room was what helped me. Never in my life have I ever felt stronger, mentally, physically, emotionally, as I do now. This is thanks to Bikram Yoga. Our mind is very strong. We can overcome anything if we believe in ourselves and not give up. I never thought or dreamed that I could stand on the podium and be teaching. I recently had a blood test done and tested positive for rheumatoid arthritis and connective tissue disease. I was told there is no inflammation in my blood right now and nothing active. But if that changes, they can only prescribe me medication for it. There is no cure. Bikram Yoga has helped me stay away from the medication. Some days are harder than others. Despite all this, I still participated in the yoga competition; as it is not about winning but about beating ourselves and striving to do our very best. There is no stop sign unless we stop ourselves. When there is a will, there is a way. Never give up and lock that damn knee!
Dianne Mitchell
Certified Bikram Yoga Teacher
I attended my first Bikram class in the summer of 2004. I remember thinking “yoga? Really? That’s for hippies.” I wore long pants and a t-shirt, convinced that I do not sweat! Hahaha by the 3rd posture I was ready to run from the room. I managed to stay through the whole class, but I hated every minute of it. Despite my feelings I went back the next week for another try. It was equally as awful! But I continued to attend once, then twice then 4 to 5 times a week. I figured anything that could make me feel as much as this yoga did had to be good for me. It was tough for the first few years. I was the fat and bitchy one in the back row. The changes that starting happening in my body were painful. It took a lot for me to get through the door and into the room on some days. But seeing the gradual and profound changes in my physical body, as well as my mental state and emotional reactions made me continue with the yoga.
After about a year of regular practice, I had actually started to enjoy the torture in a way. I began to see many benefits. I was calmer, more focused and in better shape. I come from a background of dance so I was once very lean and toned, but after years of a desk job and having had a child; my body had morphed into something very different. I had become extremely large and I continued a regular practice and one day the studio director said “you are going to go to teacher training.” Crazy hippie, I thought…the last thing I could do would be to teach yoga! I had aspired to be a church minister, but found it was not a good fit for me, and after a few more years of practice I realized that he was right, and yoga was a path that could help me further my spiritual growth.
I attended the teacher training in the spring of 2007 in Hawaii. Those 9 weeks jettisoned me onto my path of self discovery and transformation. Since then, I have been afforded the privilege of travel with this career. I have taught in Alabama, Tennessee, California and other states as well as various places in western Canada. I continue to learn and grow thanks to all of the students and teachers I have encountered.
I feel truly blessed to be part of the Bikram Yoga Delta community and look forward to seeing you on the mat soon.
Namaste
After about a year of regular practice, I had actually started to enjoy the torture in a way. I began to see many benefits. I was calmer, more focused and in better shape. I come from a background of dance so I was once very lean and toned, but after years of a desk job and having had a child; my body had morphed into something very different. I had become extremely large and I continued a regular practice and one day the studio director said “you are going to go to teacher training.” Crazy hippie, I thought…the last thing I could do would be to teach yoga! I had aspired to be a church minister, but found it was not a good fit for me, and after a few more years of practice I realized that he was right, and yoga was a path that could help me further my spiritual growth.
I attended the teacher training in the spring of 2007 in Hawaii. Those 9 weeks jettisoned me onto my path of self discovery and transformation. Since then, I have been afforded the privilege of travel with this career. I have taught in Alabama, Tennessee, California and other states as well as various places in western Canada. I continue to learn and grow thanks to all of the students and teachers I have encountered.
I feel truly blessed to be part of the Bikram Yoga Delta community and look forward to seeing you on the mat soon.
Namaste
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Bikram Yoga Delta 2011. All Rights Reserved. Phone 604-592-9642
Bikram Yoga Delta 2011. All Rights Reserved. Phone 604-592-9642
