Our Blog
Welcome to our blog, featuring insights and articles related to our Bikram Yoga practice and personal stories and testimony by our members.
Read the latest article
Obaidur Rashid’s Story of a Yogi
Bikram Yoga: Four Surprising Lessons in Fortitude For most of my life, I never thought I’d take up yoga – let alone Bikram Yoga. The idea of holding 26 poses for 90 minutes in 105°F heat and 50% humidity was intimidating. Decades of software...
Michele’s Insights
23 Years – Faithful
On January 24, 2026, the BYSJ community celebrated its 23rd anniversary. Owner and founder Michele Vennard gave a speech and presented the annual Rise Award to Juni Sanoyca. We had some fun posture contests, and our yoga sport athletes gave a demonstration. See the...
Bikram Grips – Lose the grip, lose the relationship
Don’t Lose the Grip Bikram used to joke about the grips in his sequence. Actually, I’m not sure it was a joke. “If you lose the grip, you will lose your man, ladies.” It wasn’t exactly those words, but the meaning was clear: lose the grip, lose the relationship. And...
Michele’s Insights – Bikram Truths: 5 Seconds More or Less
What holding a pose can reveal about your presence, your practice, and your life. Have you ever been in one of those classes where the teacher gets you into the pose, rattles off some good dialogue, and then – boom – “Change!”? It might not be obvious at first, but...
Michele’s Anniversary Speeches
23 Years – Faithful
On January 24, 2026, the BYSJ community celebrated its 23rd anniversary. Owner and founder Michele Vennard gave a speech and presented the annual Rise Award to Juni Sanoyca. We had some fun posture contests, and our yoga sport athletes gave a demonstration. See the...
21st Anniversary – Message from Michele
The morning of December 14 was one of the most brutal mornings of my life – it just pained me to no end having to tell the 5:30 am class that long-time member Michael O’Connor passed away. I felt compelled to share with that class the truth, and that class to know...
Creating community for 20 years
BYSJ owner and founder Michele Vennard shares her memories and insights on the evolution of BYSJ at the 20th anniversary celebration on January 21, 2023. Bikram Yoga San Jose is this beautiful container of people with so much diversity among us. We believe in this...
Story of Yogi
Obaidur Rashid’s Story of a Yogi
Bikram Yoga: Four Surprising Lessons in Fortitude For most of my life, I never thought I’d take up yoga – let alone Bikram Yoga. The idea of holding 26 poses for 90 minutes in 105°F heat and 50% humidity was intimidating. Decades of software engineering and the...
Asha Smith’s Story of a Yogi
My Bikram Yoga journey began in a place I never expected. I’ve spent most of my life as a professional dancer and fitness specialist. My training was intense – sometimes even brutal – years of discipline, sacrifice, and pushing my body to its limits to survive in the...
Winter 60 Day Challenge 2026 – What our members had to say
At BYSJ, we host a 60 Day Challenge twice a year, and then get together for a potluck party to hear stories from our members and celebrate their success. It’s the perfect time to reflect on why we do what we do. Let’s see what our challengers had to say.Sangeetha...
Bikram Yoga
Winter 60 Day Challenge 2026 – What our members had to say
At BYSJ, we host a 60 Day Challenge twice a year, and then get together for a potluck party to hear stories from our members and celebrate their success. It’s the perfect time to reflect on why we do what we do. Let’s see what our challengers had to say.Sangeetha...
BYSJ Online Yoga Q&A – February 21, 2026
We love to dig deep into the how and why of our Bikram Yoga practice and ask questions along the way. Here is a Zoom recording of our Online Yoga Q&A on February 21, 2026. Below is a summary of the topics discussed, with shortcut links to each discussion. You can...
Bikram Grips – Lose the grip, lose the relationship
Don’t Lose the Grip Bikram used to joke about the grips in his sequence. Actually, I’m not sure it was a joke. “If you lose the grip, you will lose your man, ladies.” It wasn’t exactly those words, but the meaning was clear: lose the grip, lose the relationship. And...
Community Resources
23 Years – Faithful
On January 24, 2026, the BYSJ community celebrated its 23rd anniversary. Owner and founder Michele Vennard gave a speech and presented the annual Rise Award to Juni Sanoyca. We had some fun posture contests, and our yoga sport athletes gave a demonstration. See the...
A challenge is the way to grow
At Bikram Yoga San Jose, we host a 60 Day Challenge twice per year – to practice 60 classes in 60 days. The challenge party afterward is a time to gather as a community and share our unique and common experiences. Following are the stories some of our members shared...
One week in – a letter from Michele
It’s been just over a week since we closed and already it seems so long ago. The last few weeks prior to closing were so hard, navigating the fear and discerning what’s real in this unprecedented global event. Maintaining a yoga practice IN the midst of uncertainty is THE responsibility I adhere to most, and not just with this virus, in any occasion.
Newsletters
Time for More
This week was a turning point for me. Maybe for you, too. After learning that we were going to be sheltering in place for at least another month, I had to take a deep breath and a nice long walk. I had to soak in the idea that BYSJ will most likely be a part of Phase...
Breath and the Nervous System
Bikram Yoga Teacher, Misha Soltis, recently led us in our daily 10 am PDT live-stream Pranayama breathing on Facebook. She reminded me, and all of us, how great it is to have this one constant in our lives: our breath. With so much uncertainty, we often remind...
Compassion from the Contrasts
Years ago, I recall Gary Vaynerchuk, a bold, self-proclaimed compassionate leading entrepreneur of this digital age, discussing the “me too” stories coming out as women started to un-silence themselves about the sexual abuse they had experienced. His takeaway was...
Postures
BYSJ Posture Talk – Eagle Pose – Garurasana
Our BYSJ Posture Talks are in-depth discussions and demos that detail the form and intention of each Bikram Yoga posture and help you minimize mistakes. Here, Michele Vennard and Matt and Sarah Newman discuss Eagle pose. Watch the video of their discussion and demo,...
BYSJ Posture Talk – Half Moon – Ardha Chandrasana
Our BYSJ Posture Talks are in-depth discussions and demos that detail the form and intention of each Bikram Yoga posture and help you minimize mistakes. Here, Michele Vennard and Matt and Sarah Newman discuss Half Moon Pose. Watch the video of their discussion and...
BYSJ Posture Talk – Pranayama – Standing Deep Breathing
Our BYSJ Posture Talks are in-depth discussions and demos that detail each Bikram Yoga posture's form and intention. Let's kick it off with Pranayama – Standing Deep Breathing! Michele Vennard and Matt and Sarah Newman explore the importance and purpose of this...