Ronit Margolis

Before I came to Bikram Yoga, Tel Aviv, I thought I knew all that the practice of Yoga had to offer. I had practiced various different types of Yoga, both in the United States and in Israel. I was able to connect with my body through strength and endurance building, but something was lacking in my practice. Then I walked into the heated studio on Carlebach street and came face to face with something completely different.

I was afforded the chance to look at Yoga through open eyes and an open mind. The elements involved in the practice of Bikram demanded that I reassess my abilities, both physical and mental. The result of this was the realization that I had in fact begun a process which would bring me to new places both in the studio and in other aspects of my life.

With the guidance of the gifted staff at Bikram Yoga Tel Aviv, I was able to see that the learning of the practice comes from finding a connection with the body and the mind. I began to get reacquainted with myself in a way that I never imagined. I previously used force and exertion to find success in my Yoga practices. But in Bikram, as in life, the success is in understanding that it is a journey. It was only by accepting the difficulty, and becoming one with it, that I was able to feel the amazing benefits that come from practicing Bikram. Through the utilization of the breath, every ninety minutes spent in the studio offered me a near meditative state. This was true during all of the twenty six positions, and also when I was face with the stillness of the resting state.

I never knew that I would be able to accept and connect with myself. By recognizing my limitations as well as my strengths, I have begun this journey in a studio, and a country which has only been my home for three years. The minute I walked into Bikram Yoga, Tel Aviv, I felt a warm welcome, which I had not experienced in any other place. I was immediately aware of the appreciation the teachers had for Bikram, and this came through in their guidance and care in and out of the studio. The practice has brought my body and my mind to places I was never open enough to experience. In the heat I have found the calm.