I LOVE Bikram Yoga. Period.

It saved me, and continues to save me. When my husband cheated and left me, my world fell apart. So my amazing mamma sent me to Bikram Yoga teacher training, spring 2008 in Acapulco, Mexico. When I came back, I was stronger mentally and physically then ever before and was like; what husband…;). When my mamma died 3 years later… completely unexpectedly January 5th 2011...my world didn’t just fall apart, the whole Universe collapsed and it was just all dark.

I had no sense of stability in anything, I couldn’t breathe, and was completely lost. My mamma was my everything, my unconditional love, and suddenly she was gone, just like that, out of the blue one day…Everything was in complete darkness. I felt like I was moving in slow motion, but everything else around me was like the tasmanian devil ( the cartoon) just crazy spinning around me.

The only thing that got me to put on foot in front of the other was the Bikram yoga. The Bikram yoga oslo studio, BYO was just about to open up, February 8th 2011. I actually helped put down some of the flooring, and was schedule to start teaching there at the opening, but I was not able to do anything. I moved in with my dad, and locked myself in my childhood home for weeks..months. The only thing I managed to do was to step on that mat. And it wasn’t any mat in any yoga class.

I have tried a lot of different types of yoga, Ashtanga yoga, Jivamukti yoga, Kundalini yoga, Yin yoga, Yinyasa yoga, and they are all good! But, I think, feel and notice that the Bikram yoga is different because it forces you to focus in a different way. It forces you to stay with you. There are no distractions, like music, chanting, different postures every class, even though that can be good. But in the world we now live in, we need to find that peace within to handle all the craziness of life. Bikram yoga FORCES you to do just that, no other yoga do that, that way I think. You have to be with you, you literally have to see yourself, face yourself, and see all part of you, inside and out, from bones to the skin ,fingertips to your toes in the mirror.

Everything is exposed, your body is hot, your body cries, you cry, and its like a physical, mental, emotional and spiritual release.

Bikram shows me who I am. I am literally facing myself, all of me in the mirror, the good the bad and the ugly. And thereby all you can do is just surrender to love, love all of you, accept all of you.

All of this is happening at the same time, while you have the teacher talking to you non stop which is a point to get you into alignment, but also keep you here and now, in your body, out of your head. Where we spend most of our time, unfortunately. The mirror to face yourself, to see all of it, the heat to keep it challenging, and for you again to have that mental power to stay in it. The same sequence every time, so its predictable, to keep you meditating and focusing. People are sweating all around you, breathing, and you just have to breath in it, stay in it.

You can take breaks whenever no problem, but do what you can, and breathe in it. Stand, sit down, lay down, no problem, do it, but stay in that room. Again the Bikram yoga can seem harsh, you are not suppose to leave, and the reason for it is that you stay 90 minutes of full active moving meditation. Bikram forces you this way to stay with you! And by forcing you, it allows you to find that space, to find that peace. No other form of yoga you are told to stay in the room. But there is a purpose to it, you cant run away from you, take short cuts, escape, you have to literally in all aspect face ALL of you. Life now is made so easy, everything is suppose to be easy, fast, comfortable and convenient. But life is intense, and it can be hard, and Bikram yoga is intense and can be hard. So Bikram yoga makes you you, It makes you find your peace so when life is crazy on the outside, you find your peace within on the inside. Off course if there is an emergency or whatever you can of course leave.

People often times go out not because they really have to, but because they don’t think they can managed it. They are still stuck in their head and not in their body. But YOU can do it. You just have to trust yourself.

Bikram yoga gave me all of this. So right after my mom died, I just cried, but I stayed on that mat. That was fine. I was there. My body cried, I cried. It continues to give me that, I am still grieving, I love her soo much, and miss her so much every single day. But I am also in joy at the same time. Its possible. Bikram yoga helps me with this, just be. It has helped me stay calm in my life on the inside, when life gets crazy on the outside. The environment in a Bikram yoga class, prepares you for the outer world. All the aspects around you, you cant control, the same with things in your life sometimes, but what you can control is your breath. How you breathe, how you react to things.

Control your breath, control your body and control your mind. This Is why I love b

Bikram yoga. I actually love Bikram yoga just more and more and more. It makes perfect sense to me. Thank you Bikram yoga, I am grateful to you every single day! ❤

Bikram yoga gave me my YogaPowers, so grateful for that <3

Be good to yourself, be good to others and live with an open heart<3

Namaste from Susanne to all of you www.yogapowers.no @yogapowers

Picture: Here I am in Sedona Arizona, USA on a healing vortex fall 2019, doing Tuladandasana- Balancing pose. Keeping that balance in my life!