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Monthly Archives

August 2018

Support September’s Karma Cause and Get FREE Classes!

By Events

Sterling's September Karma Cause

September National Yoga Month AND Hunger Action Month. So we’ll be collecting donations of non-perishable food items to support Feeding the Gulf Coast Food Bank to do our part to end hunger in our communities.

Members are welcome to make donations as part of our karma cause for September. Non-members can take up to two FREE classes this month at Sterling with a donation of at least two canned goods.

Please help us support this very worthy cause, and invite friends, family, coworkers, etc., to help us also increase awareness of yoga and its benefits in our community!

18 IN 18 CHALLENGE UPDATE: July Challengers Pass Halfway Mark

By Announcement

18 In 18 Challenge SHYWCongratulations to everyone who is hanging in there on the 18 in 18 Challenge!

You are now past the halfway mark as of the end of July, and another milestone in your journey is just a week away. Great job!

We didn’t want to let this month slip by without recognizing those really dedicated yogis who reached the minimum 18 classes in July:

Robert Carlock, 29 Casey Kuluz, 20
Michelle Wilson, 25 Paula Brown, 18
Sheri Granberry, 24 Reid Gilbert, 18
Sujin Kim, 23 Christy Lock, 18
Mendy Bornfleth, 20 Danny Miller, 18

Karma Yoga Class Series Kicks Off Saturday, Aug. 18

By Events

Facebook Event Cover Photo - August Karma Classes (3)Karma yoga is the yoga of action, so we’re teaming up with the Friends of the Mobile Animal Shelter for our very first series of karma yoga classes!

For the next three weekends, our Saturday 2:30 p.m. vinyasa classes are our designated karma classes.

Members are welcome to make donations (whether or not they take the classes) AND these classes are open to the public for a $10 drop-in donation.

All donations received will go to the Friends of the Mobile Animal Shelter, an all-volunteer organization that pulls animals from the pound and works to place them in their loving furever homes. They also host adoption events and rabies clinics regularly.

Please show up on your mat this Saturday, Aug. 18 at 2:30 p.m.and help us support this very worthy cause!

Don’t Miss Yin + Yoga Nidra Sunday, Aug. 19

By Events

Yin and Yoga Nidra Sterling Hot Yoga MobileWe’re excited to offer a very special 90-minute combination yin yoga and yoga nidra class! It will consist of a one-hour yin yoga practice and transition into a 30-minute yoga nidra. Together, that adds up to bliss for your body AND your brain.

Many of you are already familiar with our yin class, which focuses on mental and physical stillness in longer-held postures (don’t worry–they’re all on the floor!) that results in improved concentration and flexibility.

This special 90-minute class will end with a yoga nidra, also known as yogic sleep. A form of meditation, yoga nidra has been proven to activate the relaxation response, which helps improve the functioning of the nervous system and endocrine system.

Additional studies indicate that yoga nidra can help lower blood pressure and cholesterol, and improve blood glucose fluctuations and symptoms associated with diabetes.

Yoga nidra can also help cells regenerate and repair, decrease anxiety and improve your mood. To learn more about the benefits of yoga nidra, click here!

Yin + Yoga Nidra is a great way to end your weekend and get prepared for the week ahead! Please join us Sunday, Aug. 19 from 4:30 p.m. – 6 p.m. for this special class!

Casey Kuluz Finds Relief From Stress at Sterling Hot Yoga

By Testimonial

Sterling Hot Yoga Yoga for Stress Yoga Student Testimonial Mobile AL

Casey Kuluz hated the heat, sweat and “all things exercise.” And she had a stressful IT job that she knew affected her blood pressure.

But when she heard “some lady from California” was opening a hot yoga studio in a space near her house, she was intrigued.

So much so that she and two friends bought the $50-for-10-class online special to what would become Bikram Hot Yoga Mobile.

“We had no idea what to expect for our first class, so we were not hydrated but looked cute in our long, cotton yoga pants and big, baggy cotton T-shirts,” Casey said. “We also learned that classes were 90 minutes long right before the teacher walked in to begin class!”

Despite her feelings for the heat, Casey kept showing up on her mat, though she admits she didn’t enjoy the first six or so classes. “I don’t know what made me keep showing up,” she said.

“Deep down, I must have liked it enough to continue. After my 10-day deal ended, my mind had me pre-pay for an entire year to ensure that I would keep practicing. And this is from someone who hates exercise and sweating!”

Of her group who started hot yoga in their “cute” attire, Casey is the only one still practicing. She soon realized she needed a consistent practice for the mental break it provided from her stressful IT job.

When she started practicing six-and-a-half years ago, Casey was at a different company, but as a young female among an older male management team, she had to work even harder to prove herself and gain respect.

“My last two blood pressure readings at the doctor’s office were high, which I knew was all work-related,” she said. “My yoga practice really helped get my blood pressure under control, and to better deal with the uncomfortable management style (that includes relationships inside and outside of work).”

The high blood pressure isn’t an issue like it was then, but Casey’s yoga practice continues to help her with her job in a different way.

“I work at a different company now, and my CEO says that I’m the only director who hasn’t gotten into an argument with him (yet),” she said. “I have yoga to thank for helping me keep my cool!”

Prior to joining Bikram Hot Yoga Mobile (now Sterling Hot Yoga & Wellness), Casey had taken some Pilates and vinyasa classes at the University of South Alabama Rec Center. But she wasn’t able to focus or relax. “My mind kept thinking about all of the things I needed to be doing instead of in yoga class,” she said.

At this point in her practice, Casey can fully focus in the classes and block out distractions for 60 or 90 minutes—and that’s one of the most important changes or benefits she’s experienced. Off the mat, she said she has developed “the ability to quickly process and let things go that are out of my control.”

Casey has come a long way since her first class—now she doesn’t mind the sweat! “Also, I’m surprised at how my body subconsciously reacts to various outside factors,” she said. “For example, I find myself doing breathing techniques when I’m getting overwhelmed or stressed without realizing it.”

Though managing stress is high on the list of reasons Casey continues to practice at Sterling, she said she can’t overlook the feeling of community she has found at the studio. “I’ve made some really dear friends who are caring, supporting and interested in the welfare of others… all things that I strive to be,” she said. “It also helps that the studio is close to my house!”

Like everyone else, Casey didn’t feel the way she does now about hot yoga after the first class. “I had a hundred different thoughts,” she said. “‘Why is it 90 minutes long? Why is it so hot? I need to buy some new clothes that don’t stick to my sweat. I need a water bottle that keeps ice frozen throughout class. And I have to come back within 24 hours?!?!’”

These days, Casey is a regular at the studio, and she is well on track to complete Sterling’s year-long “18 in 18 Challenge,” which requires 18 classes a month for every month of the year.

Making that transition from hating the heat to loving it, from control freak perfectionist to letting things go hasn’t always been easy, she said. But the change does happen, and she encourages anyone thinking about trying hot yoga for the first time to get past their excuses.

“You will have a million excuses. You don’t like heat. You don’t want someone else’s sweat to touch you. You can’t spare the time. You tried yoga before, and it wasn’t your thing. You can’t drink THAT much  water to stay hydrated,” she said.

“Just show up, and keep showing up. You will likely not enjoy your first few classes, but it will pass. You will get used to the heat (and save on your A/C bills because you acclimate outside of the hot room). You won’t mind when you put your foot down on the floor, and it is sweat-soaked from the previous class. You will learn to drink water throughout the day, even coconut water (flavored is the trick for me!)”

Are you ready to try hot yoga? It won’t be easy, but it will be worth it! Join Casey and the rest of the Sterling Hot Yoga & Wellness community today. We’ve got a great introductory special where new members get 30 days of unlimited practice for just $30! Sign up here to get started!