Most of the mentoring I received in business came from my life at Il Fornaio, Authentic Italian restaurants. I worked with them for close to 9 years. In the time that I was with them, we grew from 7 to 24 restaurants. If you haven’t ever been to one and you love REAL Italian food, visit the one in downtown San Jose at the Sainte Claire hotel, or if you are in San Francisco, go to the one at Levi Plaza just off the Embarcadero. They are two of my favorites, and they are all beautiful.

The food at Il Fornaio is outstanding, and the camaraderie you will feel even after one visit will have you coming back perhaps as early as the next day. In my years of working with this company, I always felt so blessed to be around amazing, smart, and generous people. The vibe between all of us that worked together set the tone for the vibe within the restaurants. The CEO was adamant that the Partners (as we were called at the time) commit to the Mission of the company. Each year he would host an offsite meeting with all the Partners to remind and refresh everyone on the mission, the core values, and the company’s strategic objectives. It was a way to navigate the ship with all 24 restaurants and the large staff within each of them to move in the same direction. And it paid off, as every year the company did well; the restaurants were thriving and full of life. There are so many great Italian restaurants to choose from, but Il Fornaio even today stands out amongst them all. What we were selling was much more than just Italian food. I attribute a good part of that to my CEO’s commitment to that Mission especially in the way he chose to bring us all together to own it for ourselves and collectively with each other.

Il Fornaio is not the only company that pays attention to embracing a mission with its employees. Apple Computer is another that comes to mind. Steve Jobs, Founder of Apple, undoubtedly one of the great visionaries of our time, passed away much too prematurely. He leaves us with countless gifts that will extend for generations. How blessed we were to have him and his creative genius right here in our own backyard. I’m enjoying all the morsels of his life, his philosophy, and his work that are coming out these days through the media. Steve without question embraced his company and the people who worked in it. While I never attended any of Jobs’s presentations, I understand the he was highly motivational, very inspiring, and a great storyteller. The Apple conferences held each year were greatly anticipated in hopes of hearing Steve speak. I have a copy of Steve’s commencement speech at the 2005 Stanford Graduation. Google it if you get a chance and you’ll agree that Steve can inspire people. He knows that achieving success takes more than just delivering a good product. According to Camille Gallo of Entrepreneur Magazine, Steve made certain that the Apple retail stores would not just push boxes, but enrich lives. Even further she notes that Jobs knew that people care about their own hopes and dreams and not so much about the product itself. Therefore, he suggested, if you help your customers reach their dreams, you’ll win them over. And, most likely for life.

Maybe you know of companies that operate in this fashion. Maybe the organization you work for honors this type of philosophy and carries out a Mission that ultimately makes a worthwhile impact on individuals and the way they live. If so, that is terrific! Bikram Yoga San Jose is no different. We are an affiliation of Bikram Yoga College of India, and privileged to offer a product created by Bikram Choudhury. It too is far more than just stretching in 26 different ways. The sequence in the heat and humidity has a powerful influence on the choices we make for the betterment of our own lives and the many others that contribute to it.

When we first opened here in San Jose, I followed my mentor’s steps and created a Vision and Mission statement. You’ll see it hanging in the bathrooms. Every staff member will see it in our manuals. You’ll hear me begin each meeting with that Mission. It was about 5-6 years ago when we created our 2nd version of our mission with my business coach, Alon Sagee. He is a corporate player turned yogi sharing his experience and wisdom with many yoga business owners. He has the most effective way of interpreting the principles of a business to the unconventional world of yoga. We created what he calls an “invitation” which is a more detailed Mission of who we are as a community. This begins our current website. However, we are evolving. Alon is back on board and over the last few months, we created a new mission (see below) that takes into consideration what we’ve become in the last NINE years.

In preparation for our new studio, we are back out there doing Health Seminars to Silicon Valley companies promoting and explaining the benefits of yoga. While Bikram Yoga is a global business and yoga is now practiced among millions, to my surprise there are still many people who do not know much about yoga and know nothing about Bikram yoga. Really – no joke here. It’s wonderful to introduce new people to the yoga. You can see their hesitancy but you can see even more the curiosity and the willingness. It validated to me that we have lots of work to do in getting more and more people to discover yoga. We are so lucky as our audience is really everyone – 6.8 billion of us. We’ve just scratched the surface.

I took Andre’s class recently. He is just a terrific instructor as you all can agree. He was helping a new student (we’ll call her Karen), and showing such compassion. What I noticed most however, was not only his genuine smile as he talked to her about a pose, but her smile back to him! Whether she heard about us through a health seminar or some other means, that smile starts the story. Having encouragement goes a long way, as the chances of her coming back are greater than getting no smile at all. And, once she’s attended a few times, her story begins. We all remember our first time. And, we all have a story to tell about the yoga and the amazing effect it has had on us. If Karen comes back, it’s you members that she will interact with and watch. It’s you members that will motivate her to do class 4, 5, 6, and so on.

I share this with you as our new studio is no longer a place that I built. Yes, true the first time around, but now, this 2nd evolution is the place we built – together. This new mission statement was created with YOU all in mind as my peers now, in our quest to continue our own personal evolution of being more of all that we can be; as well as the quest to create a wider connection to the many others that long for the same impact this yoga has had on us. As you know, our recipe isn’t changing. We are still very much 26 poses and 2 breathing exercises. We’ve just gotten a whole lot nicer looking and a whole lot bigger to reach out to kids, neighbors, family, and friends, and to become a beacon of light for society to see. There are many wonderful things happening in the world today that are liberating people. We are one of those wonderful things that are bringing people out of the dark. Our small piece influences a greater peace.

BYSJ Invitation
We will never know. We will never really know to what extent BYSJ has been instrumental in making the world a better place. Since our inception, we welcomed change, and quickly learned that the power of transformation reaches far beyond any of us as individuals. Our original intention of holding a space to encourage our dreams has created tangible freedom, love and a connection to one another that has surpassed our wildest expectations. Over the years we’ve blossomed from a simple, warm community into a supportive extended family that is an example for those who are ready.

There is a movement happening now… We’ve heard hundreds of stories of how this yoga has impacted lives in infinite and miraculous ways. We don’t really know how it works; we just know that yoga makes everything better. Because of our participation together in co-creating the spirit of BYSJ, we can now empower many more to live the best version of themselves through the practice of yoga.
As our facility expands, so do our hearts. With abundant laughter, camaraderie, hard work and compassion, we continue to support our dreams, truth, and peace. Our new and larger studio is simply a reflection that we can make a difference, and that all that we are doing individually and collectively is important. We are grateful for the courage and commitment. Now, together, let’s lead the way.
Welcome to BYSJ-Welcome Home

You will see this mission on our website, new marketing materials, and in the new yoga studio. In addition, attached to this newsletter this month is a testimonial form. I am so appreciative to many of you that have shared your stories with me. Now, I’d like to ask that you share it with a greater audience (specifically our website.) It’s your stories that support the belief that change can happen. Yes, its word of mouth that has helped us to grow so much and so fast. But, it’s the compelling stories that each of you has to share that entices new members to walk in that hot room more than just once. Thank you for taking this time to share.

We will be opening mid-December. I will have firm dates in our next newsletter along with a greater amount of detail on rates, schedule, Grand Opening events, and promotions. In addition, we will have a closing ceremony on our home here now. Please be sure to attend all of these things. Like my CEO at Il Fornaio, consider this to be that important trip where together as Partners we bond and own individually and collectively our new mission for years to come.

There was a man that went to the Department of Agriculture to find out how to cope with crabgrass that was spoiling his lawn. The department responded with a number of suggestions. The man tried them all, but he could not completely eliminate this crabgrass. Exasperated, he wrote the department again, noting that every method they had suggested had failed. His yard was riddled with crab grass. He got back a short reply: “We suggest you learn to love it.”
This is one of my most favorite stories. Ponder it for a while and you can come up with many great lessons. Our initial reaction may turn inward considering something about ourselves that we just need to accept. Or consider a work situation or circumstance that is undesirable. Perhaps now is the time to stop resisting and begin to manage more positively what is in front of you. Even as parents, we may not like what our kids like, but if it’s not harmful, maybe embracing their passion is a better next step.

A very good friend of mine is a scientologist. She has been for decades and we’ve had several discussions over the years on different subjects at hand and the point of view from scientology. I am a curious monster. Always have been. I absolutely enjoy different perspectives on anything. You could say it is my passion. My friend looks at this story from a very unique point of view. Scientology or Dianetics uses specific language to break down an issue. I am not a scientologist so I can’t recite these words verbatim, but I will summarize. In any situation where there is a break in your reality, where there is a break in your affinity (love of something no matter what degree) or where there is a break in your communication, you must go back to when that first break occurred and label that which you felt. For instance, “I felt violated”, “I felt my integrity being compromised”, “I felt submissive”, or “I felt abandoned” and the list goes on. As we all can agree, when we give a feeling a name, the energy it once had over us is diffused. It doesn’t mean it goes away, but our ability to work with it increases because it does not have the same control over us as it once had.

But, yogis, here is what’s so interesting, According to my friend and scientologist, the discovery of this “break” when unraveled now becomes part of your past and no longer takes the energy away from the moment. And, when we are in the moment we can see and act from that “higher point of view”. Ok, stay with me. As yogis we advance in our evolution of thinking. We are not confined to just the limited views of the mind. Remember, we practice, every day in class, staying present, staying with the breath and over riding the fluctuations of the mind. Advancing yogis are ones with heightened awareness and catch those traps of when we sift information strictly through our own filters of thinking (another term used is ego). Our job as practicing yogis is to align with the higher laws of nature, not the ego. (Wayne Dyer, best-selling author, motivational speaker and student to Bikram Yoga calls the ego, Edging God Out).

So, in deciphering your own disturbing situations (crabgrass) at hand, go back and play detective and notice where the “break” occurred and with no judgment seek to know your raw feeling about it. See if that gives you not just clarity but release. Now take it further, if and when the situation occurs again, you’ll see it for what it is (a part of your past) and without the same reaction see if it enables you to stay in the present moment. In essence, you’ve replaced that stuck energy with consciousness and isn’t that what we want more of! You are in a pure state of being and the harmonious flow of life can come and move through you!

T. Harv Eker, author, Secrets of a Millionaire Mind, uses a great phrase, “if a hundred-foot oak tree had the mind of a human, it would only grow to be ten feet tall.”

The power of the present moment and living with higher consciousness is where greatness lies. Watching the great leaders of our time and quite honestly, studying the personal mentors that I’ve had in my life, I’ve noticed they all have one thing in common – they listen. It is only through detaching from our own narrow patterns of thinking and becoming more present that we can attract to a higher frequency of listening. We become more open and available to information that aids in a higher expression of who we are. We can then do greater things with our lives and for humanity.

As the studio expands to three times its current size in less than 10 weeks, I can’t help but think that it’s really our collective consciousness that has outgrown the size of our current container. Bikram’s gift in the yoga is to wake up and self-realize. Your countless stories have expressed your discovery in how the power of yoga is the very tool needed to “love the crabgrass.” You’ve grown from the inside out. Your work over the last decade has raised a level of consciousness both individually and collectively. And it’s spreading. It’s only fitting that BYSJ follows you and grows in a similar proportion. It’s here where greatness lies!

Michele

For about 10 years, I owned a Saturn SL2, midnight blue, tan leather interior, with those automatic seat belts that they don’t make anymore.  I drove that car for more than 152,000 miles.  I really loved “her” as she gave me no problems at all.  But when it came time to get a new car I was very excited to be getting a brand new BMW! 

I recall the day that I traded in my Saturn.  I was, not surprisingly, still quite sad to be letting her go, as I had a lot of great memories with her.  One of which was especially meaningful as it was the last car I drove in with my mom.  Even now, thinking about her sitting in that car chokes me up.  Corny as it may seem, even a car can stir up important moments of reflection.  And homes, even more so. Think of old homes you used to live in.  The kitchen so tiny with no room to sit, but it was there that you made numerous birthday cakes for your kids when they were young.  Homes can especially hit the heartstrings as we remember several events spent in a single house:  proms; holidays; birthdays; graduations; etc. Bikram Yoga San Jose, as we’ve known it for almost nine years, has been a home to many of us.  And that, too, will soon become a loving memory as we move on.  Don’t get me wrong, our new home next door will be absolutely amazing.   We’ve been ready for a new house for a long time.  As yogis, we know how to constantly evolve.  But like a special Buddha that has cradled our joys and suffering, we can also acknowledge that BYSJ as an entity has held a space for each of us to work through struggle in the pursuit of becoming our best selves.  

I must admit, even as I write this, that I am choking up a bit, as I will miss our BYSJ as we know it today.  I can feel the compassion that flows through that physical container much the same as you would feel it from a best friend of nine years.  Ok, again, perhaps a bit corny here, but at the very least, the studio which is a breathing spirit, is worthy of a newsletter – a gratitude newsletter.  Just before we opened, there were huge thunderstorms with power outages and our studio was robbed.  All the computers and stereo equipment was taken, we failed the plumbing inspection three times, and our yoga room mirrors were installed by a Mick Jagger look-a-like who was incredibly hard to get a hold of during some critical phases of construction, as he only worked after midnight!  But despite the chaos, which was probably a good omen, BYSJ opened beautifully.

My intention from day one was to always keep the yoga room itself free of any words.  No literal pictures; no pieces of information; no distractions.  Just you.  Just all of us in whatever shape, size, color.  Breathing. Together.  It’s been almost nine years now and still today the energy of the room allows freedom for the energy in each of us to move and change.  Lately, my practice has included a strongly humble appreciation for what the room has given to me and to thousands – more likely tens of thousands.  You might know now why we’ve worked so hard to stay here in this shopping complex.  And you might see the obvious reasons of convenience, but an additional reason is to continue growing from the same soil that we started from.  In fact, perhaps our long wait to expand was due in part to the timing of getting access to this perfect space next door.

Thank you teachers, 80, 90, 100, or so of you with your different personalities that throughout the years have led and supported our daily practice.  Do you remember Stephanie Robinson and her one minute backbends in half-moon?  Curt Patton and his “feel the mojo rise?”  Barry Peterson and his contagious smile?  And, who can forget beautiful Lalena and her guided meditation after each class – the best!  And all the guest teachers we’ve had from Mary Jarvis, Lynn Whitlow, Juan Manuel Martin and Michael Harris.  Oh gosh, how blessed we are to have had humorous and educational seminars with both Ren Soriano and Jason Winn, both of whom, sadly, passed away last year.  Thank you to Rick Stevens, Darius LeGalle, Steve Pollock, Chacho Mariscal and of course Chris Canevaro for holding BYSJ together.  Thank you to hundreds of volunteers for giving the studio its daily “TLC”.   And, Mark, Jose, Todd, Min, Linda, for doing the behind the scenes work that keeps BYSJ humming.  I’m certain to have missed many here but trust that as I finish my time within these four walls, I will have encountered you in my thoughts that gave to our growth and success.

It’s impossible to become a healthy business without a village of good people.  Yet, the true measure of BYSJ’s success has more to do with our own personal moments of transformation within the bricks and mortar.  There is where the secret truly lies.  Over the nine years, our individual stories have woven us into a tapestry of collective hearts.  It’s the very reason we get to expand.  As Bikram explains it, “you will grow to the size of your container.”  Well, folks, our container can’t hold us anymore.

So, while we are still here, let’s put together a BYSJ scrapbook of some sort collecting your moments of transformation.  You know, that one moment that gave you an “aha”, or the one that convinced you that you had to keep doing this, or the one that had you feeling bliss after class, fleeting as it may have been.  For me, as the owner, I have so many moments.   I’ve been here for the most part, every day.  I remember a time when I was feeling overwhelmed and meditated on bringing in someone to help me with the studio.  Shortly after, I met BYSJ Manager, Chris Canevaro and knew that he was going to be someone special to me and BYSJ.  I remember being in class knowing that something was very wrong with my health and in cobra pose decided that right after class I would drive to the Urgent Care unit in Palo Alto. Six hours later I had my appendix removed.

Yet, the most inspiring and influential moments are the ones that many of you have generously shared with me:  climbing back to health from recent back surgery, healing from the recent loss of a loved one, attempting to lose the weight gained due to years of work related stress, coping with a divorce and no money, coming back from treatments in chemotherapy, attacking a sudden discovery of cancer.  The list goes on. 

BYSJ has helped all of us keep in perspective that we are not our problems, but instead we are something far beyond the ailments of a frail or aging body.  As that discovery grows with frequent practice, our vibrant spirit over-rides the broken pieces and we begin to feel a lift in energy and a connection to each other.  By sharing your moments of transformation, we can create a uniquely different but yet a collective model for others to read and follow.  Writing really validates our ability to change.  When we say it in a tangible way, it becomes an empowering tool for us to keep going.  We have confidence to do more and we inspire others with our stories of what’s possible. 

Thank you for taking the time to write anything you feel illustrating your moment of transformation at BYSJ:  short or long; joy or sorrow.  It’s a great way to bring BYSJ with us carrying the momentum of what that small studio largely stood for in each of us.

-Michele
email your stories to – michele@bikramyogasanjose.com