Bikram Yoga El Paseo

Bikram Yoga El Paseo – Palm Desert Yogis are the most resilient people I know. We haven’t skipped a beat in these crazy Covid times. We never stopped practicing. We never stopped believing. Our strong minds and healthy bodies kept us afloat. At the end of the day NOTHING and NO ONE can steal our peace….. or our MATS!

The one thing Covid did interfere with was this BLOG. I definitely had writers block but last night I got super inspired!

A few months back I had the pleasure of meeting a very special man. A amazing Sculpture Artist and a true giver. No stranger to Bikram Yoga, he came into the studio to begin his practice with us, and it wasn’t long that I also realized he was somewhat clairvoyant.

Meet Yoga Student, SCULPTURE Artist: Tim Shockley (https://www.timshockley.com)

Feeling down one day, I was sitting at my desk when he arrived for class and asked me what was wrong. I didn’t think I was that transparent. I was feeling overwhelmed but didn’t want to share this with him and brushed it off as nothing. The next time he came to class he brought me a gift: A tiny sculpture that he made of a Snail to remind me to take a loooooong Yogi Breath and Sloooooow it all down. I will treasure this little treasure FOREVER!

Around early February he spoke of a collaboration he was working on for a DESERT X Artist. I had heard of Desert X but never been, nor really knew anything about it. I googled it: “Desert X is the exhibition of Desert Biennial (NON Profit Charity) founded in 2015 and meant to bring attention to the valley’s environment through the works of emerging Artists.” This is very cool I thought and even more cool that one of our students is actively involved. Tim invited me to come see the finished project and I asked if I could share the invite with my fellow Yogis. The outing was planned and Tim would guide us to the site, share information about Desert X, The Artist, and his own involvement.

Our caravan approached near dusk, and Tim provided Champagne and Sparking Cider with the intention of bonding with nature while the sun set in our beautiful Desert!

This particular Art, by Eduardo Sarabia, “THE PASSENGER,” was explained by Tim as “a landscape.” “We don’t look at it so much as a piece of art, but rather a landscape that becomes part of the environment. The Artist has an inspiration and visualizes the structure, and then a team of architects and engineers bring it to life.”

Eduardo’s inspiration was his late Grandmother and the structure was to be a tribute to her life.

Our Caravan entered the unique structure, a Labyrinth. It was a maze of sorts that you could make any turn you wished but would ultimately arrive in the same space. The center of the structure was triangle shaped, complete with three sets of stairs. At the top of the stairs one can watch the lighting change from day to dusk, watch the sun set, and view the darker shadows emerge and change the “landscape” once again.

The magnitude of the workmanship that went into the structure was truly amazing. Large, weaved mats used as walls were hand made in Eduardo’s native Mexico. Large solid wood beams set strategically to keep the structure in place along with strong ties attaching the Mats together, proved sturdy in our vast desert where high winds have been whipping through of late.

While we were all sipping our Champagne/Cider, we felt an amazing peace. We felt protected. The space became a safe haven. What an awesome tribute to Eduardo’s grandmother. She was Loved. She was Protected. WE could all feel that energy!

Thank YOU Tim Shockely for the AWESOME experience!

We may even use that space to do a Yoga class before the structure is removed. The stairs as our podium, the earth as our floor, the sun as our warmth. The possibilities are endless and the inspiration is all of yours for the taking. Wherever you move you will always come back to center!

Maybe we will see you there. Until then, hope to see you in the hot room soon!

Namaste`
Ann Marie xo