Bikram Yoga El Paseo

I’m not sure at what point I became a Yogini. It was only a few years ago that I even heard that term for the first time. I had been practicing Bikram Yoga for several years and always left the studio dripping with sweat. I referred to myself as a wet rat.  

One day I took a Bikram class and the instructor said to all of us in the class, “OK, all you Yogis and Yoginis, STAND UP!”. Y-O-G-I-N-I?  YOGINI! I like that! Very cute and catchy. Months later I walked into a yoga studio where the women’s bathroom sign read, “Yoginis”. That must have been the day that I labeled myself a Yogini. I felt better about calling myself a Yogini than a wet desert rat! A diva! Well, that part came a few years later, although some family members may beg to differ!

My yoga, or should I say, Yogini, group is a tight knit group. I noticed a certain pattern about all of us that became quite comical.  We all have our own list of priorities but we all have YOGA right at the TOP!  We tend to work our lives around our yoga classes.   We rarely miss a day before vacation, we double up on classes if we do miss, and we tend to find a Bikram yoga studio where we are vacationing. NONE of us seem to be able to have a single conversation without yoga talk! Yes, we are passionate about our yoga practice, maybe even a little addicted, but there is a definite attitude when it comes to our yoga schedules!

Laughing at myself along with my fellow Yoginis, I decided that we were definitely Yoginis with ‘tude’ –  attitude that is!  Nothing and no one would get in the way of our yoga practice! That night I went to a Wine Women’s Club Dinner with none other than my yoga pals. Prior to the dinner we were served cocktails. These weren’t just ordinary cocktails, they were Divatinis!  We spoke of a host of topics, amongst them (what else) YOGA, and especially our attitudes regarding clearing our schedules to get to class! Suddenly something occurred to me. We weren’t just Yoginis, we were diva yoginis! Somewhere between my first and second Divatini, I realized we were  Diva Yoginis!   After all, Yoginis, isn’t there a little Diva in all of us??

Diva Yogini comes to life

Once I realized my yoga pals and I were “Diva Yoginis”, my creative energies went full force and I created  a caricature of myself, of my yoga pals, of all the Yoginis out there whose lives revolve around Bikram Yoga. She became the symbol of our enthusiasm but also a way to poke fun at our addictive behavior.  I started a yoga tote bag line with Diva embroidered on the front to help me build some funds to pay for Bikram Yoga Teacher Training when I realized my life’s direction was consumed with yoga. One of my favorite postures is Garurasana (Eagles pose) because it helps align the spine, shoulders, and hips, and to put you in correct posture. This is critical for me as my life’s work as a Dental Hygienist often has the opposite effect. I’m always hunched over trying to accommodate my patients. Since  Eagle pose is also such a feminine pose I thought it perfect for my Diva gal. I had Diva Yogini embroidered in Eagles pose on the tote bags and tee shirts. Today, Diva Yogini and I begin a new chapter together as  we forge ahead to take over at the helm at BIKRAM YOGA PALM DESERT. AUGUST 1, 2012 Transfer of Ownership will be complete and I will be the new director of this Palm Desert Bikram College. I feel thrilled and blessed to have this opportunity and hope to guide Bikram Yoga Palm Desert to a successful future to help others realize their full potential by taking care of their bodies and optimizing a healthy lifestyle.