So, obviously, we want to encourage everyone to try every posture every time, and doing 1% of a posture 100% the right way is far better than doing 100% of the posture 1% right, and muscle memory, and all of that. But sometimes it happens that we need to take a break. Herewith, your guide to taking a break 100% the right way. If you find yourself needing to use this, please be sure to do so only in between postures, never during, and to make sure you keep your eyes open and your face not hidden from the teacher – they have this crazy thing about needing to make sure we’re still conscious and alive, go figure. Also, pro tip: Go through each step one at a time. In my experience, if I take a break and let my head touch the floor, I’m not getting back up again, but if I’m ok with just standing or kneeling for a moment, then the moment passes and I’m back in on the next posture.

Yes, your bodies are all beautiful, no matter what shape and size. Yes, they can do some pretty amazing things, which is why/because you come to yoga. And yes, no one is judging you based on your body, or based on how you choose to dress it.

But.

There are some parts of your body that should probably remain covered at all times in the yoga room. In general, these are the parts that would get blurred out on a network TV show. There’s nothing inherently wrong with those parts, they’re just as beautiful and natural as the rest of you, but the thing is that it can make people uncomfortable to see them on display outside of an X-rated context or a doctor’s office, especially when the yoga room is really crowded and everything is up close. As for the ones who are enthusiastic about that rather than uncomfortable, think about it for a second – how comfortable are YOU with that? With that in mind, here are some guidelines, things to try out in front of the mirror at home or in the store dressing room, and other things that maybe you never thought about – I know I never thought about a lot of these until the past few weeks when I suddenly started seeing way, way more of people than I ever hoped to:

• Shorts: Shorts move significantly during postures, and as such, should have a measurable inseam. If you have parts that dangle and prefer unfitted shorts, then your shorts should also have a mesh pouch inside them to keep your dangly bits at bay. Good mirror tests for everyone include standing separate leg (the one where you try to put your forehead on the floor – if you don’t have anyone who can help you with this then do it at an angle to the mirror and obviously don’t put your head on the floor), triangle (do this one on an angle to the mirror as well, the people behind/next to you see things on a much more exposed angle in the mirror than you do head-on), and head to knee with stretching (the one after rabbit where our legs are open in front of the mirror). Also, as a general note, at no point during awkward should your knees be pointing out. If this is happening to you, please ask a teacher for help ASAP before you injure yourself, because that is actually more alarming than anything else we can see when that happens.

• Skirts: Should have shorts with a measurable inseam under them.

• Pants, leggings, and all other bottoms (including shorts, and also tops for that matter): Should not be transparent. Keep in mind that when things get damp and sweaty in the yoga room and you start bending and stretching under those bright lights, things may appear vastly different than they do at home or in the store’s flatteringly-lit dressing room. If in doubt, ask a friend, add a reliably opaque layer, or save them for another activity. Also keep in mind that a certain major retailer had a quality control problem with their pants and leggings earlier this year, so if you’ve bought your bottoms in the first few months of 2013 from a store whose logo looks like Sushi Shop’s, they may not be covering your ass and related parts as well as you hoped (but you might still be able to return them).

• Tops: As much as I hate making anything a gendered issue, ladies, your ladies are lovely, but please keep them nicely put away. If you’re brave enough for a bandeau top, please make sure the elastic on top and bottom is in good enough shape that you won’t have to constantly pull on it between postures. For all other tops, if you’re over age 12, you probably already know what basic tests and criteria to use here, but maybe take them to their extremes given the amount of stretching and backbending we do in the room.

• White cotton or cotton-blend anything: I don’t care how well-lined it is, I promise you, it’s not well-lined enough. Even other fabrics in white or very light colors are often problematic after a certain point (usually much earlier than you’d hope). I think in nearly ten years of practice I’ve only seen one white thing that has actually performed well, and that’s been on a teacher teaching, and therefore sweating a lot less than the rest of us.

• Shrinkage: Sometimes clothes shrink with enough washings, and sometimes people shrink with enough yoga. It happens. Replacing yoga clothes is sometimes necessary, and it can get expensive, but there’s ways to mitigate that. Drawstring shorts can see you through a couple of size changes before they need to be replaced (and as a bonus they tend to have an inseam, so you’re literally covered there too). You just have to remember to adjust the drawstring as needed, ideally before class starts. Also, when bottoms are nearing their end of useful lifespan, ask yourself every couple of sit-ups just how much air circulation you’re feeling on your lower-lower back and adjust if you have to so the people around you aren’t thinking about Rob Ford’s plumber. Higher-cut tops take slightly longer than low-cut, bikini or bandeau tops to become dangerously loose, and adjustable straps can help there too. Never, ever putting anything containing spandex or elastane in the dryer can more than double your clothes’ lifespan as well as reduce their rates of shrinkage, and so can only washing in cold water, never hot. When the time does come to replace things, you don’t need to go immediately to the nearest high-end retailer and shell out $100 on one pair of pants if you don’t want to: Everyone always has sales and clearances, and certain ethical brands tend to be marked down on certain sports retailers’ websites at the end of every season if you’re willing to spend slightly more than the regular clearance rack prices. And remember, if all else fails, no one will ever know if your stuff comes from the thrift store unless you tell them.

I know some of you will think that’s a bad thing, and some of you will judge me for it. That’s ok. I’m not entirely comfortable with it either, and admitting to it is even less comfortable, and part of me is really upset with myself for letting it matter. But the thing is, our teachers aren’t just a faceless mass, they’re not just a bunch of surprisingly lifelike MP3 players, and refusing to acknowledge that by pretending they are (or asking them to be) interchangeable dialogue playback devices rather than individual human beings with different thoughts, voices, and approaches hurts us as much as it disrespects them. And if you think about it, most of us are well on our way to cherry-picking: How many times have you found yourself gossiping in the locker room about how hot X’s class was*, or how hard Y pushes you in such and such a posture, or how helpful Z was on a certain point? How many times have you been miserable in a posture that seemed to go on for ten minutes, silently promising yourself not to take this person’s class again?

It’s a short, slippery slope from those thoughts and words to actually avoiding one person or seeking out another, and you know what? That’s ok too. Sure, person Y might be a real fanatic about this one thing or that other detail, and it might make you crazy, but maybe the person next to you really likes it. Maybe despite yourself, you’re getting something out of it too (after all, the space between our comfort zones is where the real work starts, right?), and maybe eventually you’ll realize that and start to love that person’s class too. And sure, maybe person Z is one of the nicest people you’ve ever met, and maybe you get more out of their class than out of anyone else’s right now, but maybe it’s not doing anything for the person next to you today, who is currently hating person Z with the passion of a thousand red ants. All of that is ok. You know why? Because we’re all different people, the same way our teachers are all different people, and that’s just life. If what I really need today is a super loud class where my ass is very publicly handed to me on a platter, and I know that person X will do that, then I should feel free to actively seek out person X’s class and not feel guilt or shame about it, and person Y shouldn’t take it as a rejection either. Maybe person Y’s quiet encouragement is exactly what I’ll need tomorrow, and I’ll literally trek halfway across town to take that class, and that should be cool too. And if I get to the studio and discover that there’s been a last-minute change and rather than X or Y, person Z is actually teaching, then hey, it wasn’t my plan, but maybe my yoga for the day is to just roll with it and let person Z surprise me with how much I get from their class that I wasn’t expecting to – maybe life knows what I need better than I do that day, and provided accordingly.

That’s the great thing about having so many amazing teachers, who are all amazing people as well, and who each have their own perspective and approach to the practice: There’s something for everyone, there’s a teacher who will blow your mind with their uncanny ability to address the exact reason you started your practice in the first place, no matter what that reason may be, and there’s someone who’s going to push you just far enough outside your comfort zone to eventually expand it. If, one day, you happen to end up in a class where none of these things happen for you, then it’s not the end of the world. It’s just 90 minutes, 26 postures and two breathing exercises, and when it’s over you get to have a shower and go home, and your next one will be better, and accepting that and letting it go is your yoga in that moment rather than anything that goes on in the room.

* A short note about the heat: This is a ridiculous time of year in our city, where one day it’s as hot as Bikram outside, and the next it’s snowing. The teachers do their best to keep things at a steady 42 degrees, 40 percent humidity in the room (seriously, some of them have actual charts they follow to keep a handle on things), but outside conditions as well as the sheer volume of people in the studio do have an impact that sometimes can’t be helped. Also, it’s totally normal that when it starts to warm up outside, things feel different in the room even when it’s fixed at 42/40. Some people will struggle and find it too hot, especially if they’re suddenly doing a lot more active outdoorsy stuff with the nice weather but haven’t yet adjusted their hydration plan (that’d be me, adding salt to my food by the tablespoon over here), while others find the difference between outside and the yoga room so minimal compared to the shock of coming into the studio from a -40 degree blizzard in winter that it almost seems not warm enough in the studio any more. Be patient, hydrate properly either way, and your body will adjust soon enough.

Let’s stop all this nonsense right now. First off, there is no such thing as a “bikini body.” Got a body? Yes? Put a bikini on it. Or just a regular bathing suit, whatever you like. There you go, you’re ready for the beach. It’s that simple. Same concept with yoga: There is no such thing as a “yoga body.” Got a body? Yes? Put it on a yoga mat. Done.

Of course, once you’re on the yoga mat, that’s where the rest of the nonsense starts: “I can’t do (this) because my (that) is too (adjective that implies inferiority).” No. Stop that. Stop that right now. It’s not that, for example, I can’t touch the floor in triangle because my arms are too short, end of story, it’s that touching the floor in triangle for me means collapsing everything on top and losing all the benefits of the posture. See the difference? In the first instance, “I can’t do this because my arms are too short,” I’m saying that I’m unable to do a posture because of what’s perceived as a physical defect, and as a result I’m probably not getting very much out of it, and I’m probably feeling pretty bad about my arms. In the second, “I could do this but it means collapsing and losing the benefits of the posture,” I’m saying that I’m doing the posture as best as I can, to the limits that my body as it is right now allows me to go, and taking 100% of the benefits of the posture regardless (and to be sure of that, I’ve asked for help and feedback, easily a million times – our teachers are saints, you guys). Now, I’m not saying I’ll never be able to touch the floor, but given how unlikely it is that my arms will suddenly get longer, it feels way more productive to take the second approach and just keep working every minute detail of the posture so I keep benefitting from it even if I don’t look like some insanely perfect yoga model in it than to tell myself I just can’t do it because of something ridiculous that’s entirely beyond my control.

The same concept applies if you find that you struggle in a posture because of big boobs, long legs, a short torso, whatever – do what you can, ask for help and feedback from an instructor you’re comfortable with, and for the love of Bikram, don’t start telling yourself you can’t do something because some part of you wasn’t granted the genetic coding for some randomly constructed “ideal” way back when you were still a zygote. Heck, even if you’re struggling because of something that can change over time, try out this three-pronged approach: 1) Accept that your body is wherever it’s at today, and go to the limits it allows for right now, 2) Ask for help and feedback to make sure you’re respecting those limits and still getting 100% of the benefits of the posture, and 3) Be patient, super, incredibly patient, and let the change happen on its own time, on your body’s own terms, so that it lasts. And really, I do mean patient – it took almost ten years for me to be able to touch my forehead to my knees in Rabbit, or to my shins in the forward bending part of Half Moon, and if it takes another ten to get my hips all the way in the air or my elbows behind my calves, then that’s how long it takes. Focusing on points 1 and 2 will be what gets me through those ten years.

Before class:

• Be on time! By which we mean aim to arrive with at least five minutes to spare before class starts, so you have time to change, pee, organize your things in the (packed) locker room, refill your water bottle, scope out a spot in the room, and maybe even get in a minute of savasana before the lights come on. If you aim and miss, then your yoga for that moment is to accept that you’ve missed the class and to figure out how and when you’ll make it up. Yelling at the teacher or workstudy about it won’t get you anywhere, and neither will banging on the door – all that does is make you look like a mean, crazy, rude person, and we know you’re none of those things.
• Be prepared! Pee, fill your water bottle (two separate actions please), tie up your hair, and spread out your towel before class starts. If you’re there super early and find yourself lying on your mat, trying to decide whether or not you need to pee again before class starts, err on the side of caution and go. Think of it as the new golden rule of yoga. Your forward bends will thank you.
• Be aware! Yes, the room is crowded. We know. Often we’re the schmoe practicing with one arm wedged under the baseboard heater at the side of the room (that heater is totally working, if you were wondering). If you have any other options at all, please do what you can to not put yourself completely in front of someone else, and do what you can to not force anyone else to move to accommodate you. Remember: There are no reserved spots, so when it’s busy, you may have to just let it go.

During class:

• Keep being aware! Keep your water bottle, keys, glasses and whatever else within your own bubble of space as much as possible, and be aware that that bubble needs to be a lot smaller than usual. Water bottles in particular are problematic, since getting to yours can be a huge distraction for those around you (especially during the balancing postures), and they can often make forward bends scarier than they need to be for the person behind you or completely obscure their view during the spine strengthening series. A good rule of thumb is that if you have to move more than one of your feet to reach your water bottle from a standing position, it’s too far from you, and if you can’t completely see the face of the person behind you in the mirror when you’re on your stomach, then it’s also too far from you. As far as keys and glasses (and plastic hairclips) go, please keep in mind that these things break easily and/or injure bare feet, and act accordingly.
• Listen! (aka Keep being aware some more!) There is no feeling in the world like the feeling of a huge class all moving together as one perfect, unified being. It’s incredible. It also can’t happen if everyone is moving in and out of postures whenever they feel like it, doing their own things, and so on. Listen – actively listen – to the teacher, try to move with the people next to you in the mirror, and see what amazing things happen when you fall in sync with each other and start feeding off each other’s energy.
• Breathe! But normally, not like you’re on fire. It’s hot, yes, but I promise, you are not on fire. On top of all the usual reasons we give you to breathe normally (helps keep heart rate under control, muscles and mind relaxed, etc.), think of it like this: If someone is having an asthma attack or a major cardiac event, you’d want the teacher to notice that and be able to help the person suffering, right? Well, guess what – if someone is genuinely in trouble like that, but 30 other people in the room are also breathing like they’re in labour with triplets, it’s nearly impossible to isolate the one person who is having a legitimate respiratory issue until it gets much worse and they keel over. Unless that person is you, please relax and breathe normally.

After class:

• Hydrate! Especially if you’re doing a challenge, hydrating after class is as important as drinking water before and during. Among other things, it can help reduce any little muscle aches you may be feeling after, and being well hydrated will also make it easier to read your body’s signals when it comes time to eat. As in, it’s a lot easier to recognize a salt craving as being specifically about salt rather than being about a giant bag of potato chips when you’re well-hydrated, which in turn makes it a lot easier to eat well during your challenge.
• Ask! If you’re craving anything more bizarre than salt, if you’re struggling in a posture, if you have no idea what the heck 360-degree backward bending for gravitation is (and frankly, join the club), ask a teacher. They’re there for this stuff, they’re trained for this stuff, they live for this stuff. Take advantage of that.
• Keep being aware! Yes, really! After a big class is not the time to take a 20-minute shower. After any class is not really the time, but especially not after a big one. Also be aware of how much water follows you out of the shower and across the floor – if the locker room is crowded, being stalked by a tidal wave can mean someone’s regular clothes ending up soaked through, which will be a very unpleasant surprise for them when they come out of the shower. Finally, if you are shy, which believe me I more than understand, and don’t really want to towel off and get dressed in front of anyone else, then please wait until the next class has started before using a toilet stall to do this so no one is forced to take class with a full bladder – the teachers mean it when they issue a last call for the next class, and there are no latecomers admitted for any reason!

Your mini-challenge this week: Practice in a different spot in the room every day. No more reserved parking! // Votre mini-défi cette semaine: Installez-vous dans un nouveau “spot” à chaque fois que vous pratiquez. Fini, le stationnement réservé!

As another student commented, “I don’t know why, but I feel like you’re talking to me.” I’ve gotten so used to always being in the same spot in the room, every single time, that I caught myself getting annoyed at someone who got there first a couple of weeks ago and set themselves up half on “my” spot. Half. It threw me off so much that I didn’t think things through very clearly and ended up moving back a row and “sharing” the spot, which of course just called more attention to the fact that I wasn’t in “my” spot and it wound up being a distraction through the whole class.

Then, that Facebook post.

Challenge accepted. The very next class I took, I put myself in a spot that is the exact opposite of where I normally go, and what a trip that was. You don’t realize how used to seeing yourself a certain way, or only seeing parts of yourself, you are until you move to a new part of the room, and it is wild to suddenly re-discover an entire half of your body, or that you have a face, or that your knee is exactly above your ankle in triangle and you can stop worrying about it now. The added bonus to this is that because you’re dealing with so much new visual feedback, you’re way more alert and in your body and the moment than if you were just in the same old spot, cruising through your practice without seeing any new details, and sometimes that can lead to a breakthrough in something you’ve been struggling with.

Take a chance, move your mat – it’s not like it’s glued to the floor.

 “I figured if I threw myself fully into the ways of yoga, maybe I’d be doing the splits in a week.”

Uh, no. That’s not how it works. It’s a process, and different things take different amounts of time for everyone. Nick gave me a correction a year and a half ago that I’m only starting to really get now, but Anni gave me one a few weeks ago that I got instantly. Learning to let go of the need for immediate gratification and just be patient enough to do the work is one of the biggest lessons I’m still learning from this yoga.

“Complete 30 consecutive days of Bikram Yoga (90 minutes, in 105 degree heat, 40% humidity) and get a free t-shirt. Sweet!”

OK, prizes are great, especially when they’re useful things like free memberships or deep discounts, but if that’s the only reason you’re in it then you’re probably not going to get as much out of it as you could. Also, if you emphasize the duration and heat, then they start turning into these huge mountains to climb in your head before you ever even get into the room. Instead, try thinking about how good you’ll feel after. Speaking of which…

“I love to sweat; it makes me feel like I’m getting a really good workout when I leave the room dripping. This seemed like a powered-up way to take on yoga.”

I don’t even know where to start with this, so I’ll just leave it at this: If you’re only in it for the cardio, then you’re missing 99% of the point.

“I knew I’d be sweating a lot but, wow, I didn’t know I’d be able to wring my shirt out after class.”

It seems superficial, and you can and should wear whatever you’re comfortable with and not worry about anything else (I promise, everyone is too busy trying to put their exactly forehead to their knee to be playing Yoga Fashion Police), but if you don’t have anything you’re comfortable with already in your yoga wardrobe, this is a good time to treat yourself – even if all you can afford is a Village des Valeurs $3 special (wash it like three times before you wear it), having comfortable yoga clothes that you don’t regret wearing by the end of class will make a huge difference in your outlook.

“Even though I was on the verge of throwing up and could barely do half the poses, though, I made it through. By the end of the first week, my body adjusted to the heat and while I won’t say I was excited to re-enter that heat box each day, class wasn’t something I completely dreaded.”

This! Stick with it. Even if you’ve been coming for a while, there’s going to be a day that you’re going to feel worse than you did at your first class, and the important thing is to just let the moment pass, stay in the room, do what you can, and leave feeling good enough to want to come back the next day.

“At times I knew I was pushing myself too hard (like I said, I’m competitive). If the girl next to me was kicking out in Standing Head to Knee Pose, well dammit, I was going to kick out too!”

Not this! For all you know, the girl next to you is a freaking circus performer. Keep your eyes and your mind on yourself and your own practice, do what’s right for you, and it’ll all be fine. It’s not a competition, and to quote I don’t remember which teacher (sorry, whoever you are), it’s called a “yoga practice” because we practice it – it’s not a “yoga perfect”. Wherever you are today is exactly where you need to be; be there and don’t worry about the rest.

“I tried to follow what the teacher was saying, but there are some instances where I probably should not have locked my knees.”

The safer, healthier thing would be if that sentence was “I tried to follow what the teacher was saying, but there are some instances where I asked for help understanding something after class so that I wouldn’t have any pain.” If you specifically have trouble with locking the knee, then it’s not even an option – you *need* to ask a teacher for help, pronto. We’re not being told to lock the knee for fun, but it’s a pretty complex set of reasons and minute actions to get into in one paragraph (not to mention that you might need a very specific piece of advice based on your specific anatomy), so please, please please please, ask for help if you need to.

“Here are the big pros and cons of my 30 day yoga practice challenge:

Pros:

• Increased flexibility & balance,

• Built some nice muscle tone

• Felt very clean and light from the sweating (no-bloat for 30 days!)

• Lost a few pounds

Cons: 

• Not an efficient workout (total time-suck on my social life)

• Tons and tons of stinky/ sweaty laundry

• My skin broke out a little

• Knee pains”

This makes me a little sad, because there are so many other benefits the writer clearly missed out on, and each and every one of those “cons” has an easy solution: No social life? Take a morning class and keep your evenings free. Tons of laundry? Rent towels at the studio a couple of times a week if you need to, and rinse your shorts in the sink if you’re not doing a load of yoga laundry for a few days but don’t want the stink in your hamper. Skin breaking out? Remember to wash off your makeup/sunscreen before class, be sure to rinse your face in the shower after class, and if you’re new to the practice then be patient, it’ll settle down in a few weeks and people will start commenting on how good your skin looks (also: look at how much chemical stuff you’re putting on your skin in general and see if you can use less). Knee pains? Ask a teacher as soon as you feel anything resembling pain in the knee.

Leigh: The show is really a love letter to Bikram. He is a contemporary guru with a loyal community of followers from around the world – I want to explore his influence and the story of Love and Light is based on one (fictional) woman’s life changing experience after meeting him! Because there is one consistent ‘Bikram yoga’ script, anyone who takes a class is connected to him in some way.

Blog: What drew you to Bikram yoga?

Leigh: I was in high school and my body was a mess from daily Basketball and ballet training – bruised, torn and limping. I found the torture chamber appealing to my masochistic tendencies. With time, I became addicted to learning the medicinal benefits of the practice and the heightened sense of self awareness it was developing in me. Then came my infatuation with the collective breath – I am enchanted with the idea that you can travel to Bikram studios around the world and have this immediate sense of community.

Blog: Can we assume you’ve gone to teacher training? If so, is any part of the show autobiographical?

Leigh: Actually – no! I am a simply a performer/writer with a devotion to the practice. I am always trying new studios in order to meet more teachers – they are some of the most precious people on the planet! The story of a woman declaring her love for her yoga guru was inspired by my first yogi lover – our time together was short and he lives far away but I am still guided by his wisdom.

Blog: It’s funny that you should say those two things about visiting different studios, it’s one of my favorite things to do when travelling. What has the reaction to your show been like from other Bikram yogis?

Leigh: Bikram students tell me they find the show to be hilarious! It’s a subject that’s not really seen on stage beyond cliche examples of new age ditzy yogi-vegans. We really celebrate individual postures and teachers in this show…I worry that a lot of the jokes go over non yogi heads…This show is for YOU!

Blog: Your class was pretty funny, in a relatable, funny-because-it’s-true way. Where does that sense of humor come from, and how did you know exactly what most of us were thinking during the course?

Winny: Thank you! My class isn’t always that funny, but I’d like it to be!! My comedy impulse comes from my background in comedy writing, acting, and improv. At the beginning of my practice, I remember not only struggling every now and then, but EVERY class. It always helped when the teacher would make light of the situation, or of my constipation face as I was struggling through the posture! Not sure if I would’ve continued the practice if I hadn’t of been having fun!! So I can only recall on remembering how I felt/feel, and talking to others about their experience, and implementing those feelings during class.

Blog: How long have you been practicing, what brought you to Bikram, and what made you decide to become a teacher?

Winny: My first class was in 2007. I was in Los Angeles and a girlfriend just said “You have to try this Hot Yoga I just started doing”. I did 3 or 5 classes and then stopped until 2009! I started practicing 5 days a week January 2010 and haven’t really stopped. The experience is like no other. I felt elated, accomplished, and clean after class! Right away it became my practice, my class, something wonderful and beautiful I could do for myself. I just kept thinking everyone should feel like this, and I wanted to be a part of spreading it. I kept applying for the full scholarships, three times. No dice, so I moved back in with my parents to save in March 2012. Little did I know I would be going to teacher training April 2012!! With the help of my parents and my amazing mentors at Bikram Yoga Red Deer, I was off! I graduated June 17, 2012!

Blog: You mentioned you’re from Red Deer – what brought you to Toronto, and what’s the biggest difference between the two places for you?

Winny: My fiancé lives in Toronto! So it was an easy decision. I love cities! It’s interesting how different the people can be from one province to the next. I am very much enjoying how environmentally friendly Toronto is. I thought being a city, it wouldn’t be great. But I see people cleaning up, involving themselves positively in situations where littering is taking place, and all the garbage and recycling cans around the city! I love it!

Blog: I know you teach at a few different studios around Toronto, so you see a lot of different approaches both to the practice and to the studios themselves. If you could build your dream studio, what would it be like?

Winny: That’s a great but very difficult question! I don’t see huge differences in the studios. The great thing about Bikram Yoga, from where I’ve practiced, is that we are all here for the same reasons, and there is a mutual understanding of the purpose of the yoga. We are getting healthy! Every studio has its own vibe because every human is different and the studio takes on the loving characteristics of each studio owner! I think my studio would be simple. I think it’s important especially in our world full of technology and moving at such a rapid pace, to have a space that just is. Nothing fancy. Just getting back to what the Yoga is. Sometimes we get caught up in esthetics. My studio will be a big open space with big windows for natural light. It will be clean and cozy and a place for people to call home.

Blog: What’s the single best piece of advice anyone’s ever given you about this practice?

Winny: Don’t try to figure out what’s going on or why its happening. Just allow.

Blog: What do you do when you’re not in the hot room?

Winny: A few different things! I play with my cats (pretty exciting, I know). I love animals. So much. Its ridiculous. I act! I go out for film and television auditions. I create my own SNL style skits with my fiance! I play and continue to learn how to play the ukulele. You can check out some of what I do at www.winny-29.wix.com/wc