Service Members and Veterans
In Spring 2013 we will offer two scholarships to VA/ Military students.
Please complete a scholarship application as explained at the following link
http://www.bikramyoga.com/TeacherTraining/Scholarship.php
Mark it VA/ Military Scholarship Application. We do not need your proof of income but we will need a copy of your DD 214 as proof of service.

Physically and mentally, I left the Army relatively unscathed. I have no service related disabilities and only minor generalized anxiety symptoms. However, my years of service compounded my predisposition to physical inflexibility and vulnerability to stress. It was as-if over the years, my body had grown its own layer of armor, my mind learned to defend against unseen threats and my heart maintained constant guard. Running was a mandatory component of my physical training, which I enthusiastically continued after my service. When my knees became too painful, my doctor prescribed stretching, which led to yoga.

On one fine day, I discovered Bikram Yoga, and its physical intensity matched my military mindset. For the past ten years, I have relied 100% on Bikram Yoga. My knees are 100% healthy, and I can run for fun when I want to. I can now touch my toes, and the annoying pains I used to feel in my joints have vanished. Furthermore, I feel more comfortable in my skin, more trusting of others and more calmly confident that I am standing exactly where I should be standing.

Website Military Introduction
Bikram Yoga contributes to mission readiness. Specifically, it addresses the very demands that characterize the military environment: task performance is set in physically and mentally demanding conditions; stressful training and deployment tempos affect individuals, units and families.

Bikram Yoga builds the physical pillars of strength, endurance, balance and mobility. At the same time, the practice builds mental determination and concentration powers. It helps to decrease the negative effects of daily stressors while increasing mental flexibility to decrease the impact of future stressors. Furthermore, the Bikram Method’s demand for 100% right execution, standardization and precision match the needs of unit leaders, who cannot afford sloppiness or inefficiency.

Spanning a warrior’s lifetime, Bikram Yoga serves as a persistent, reliable method for building and sustaining mental and physical resiliency. During toughening phases, Bikram Yoga builds the inner character and confidence to face and overcome physical and mental demands. Across sustaining phases, Bikram Yoga contributes to joint and connective tissue health, making injuries less likely and task performance more efficient. If injured, an established practice helps the warrior regain joint mobility and physical readiness more quickly. Finally, after a warrior’s uniformed service ends, Bikram Yoga helps veterans capitalize on their military experience and integrate back into the civilian world by maintaining physical health, managing stress and moderating emotional spikes.

The inclusion of Bikram Yoga into the military population contributes to mission readiness. Over the decades since Bikram introduced it to the United States, the Bikram Method has improved overall physical and mental well-being of countless Americans. While the needs of the military population can be much more intense than those of civilian life, every warrior is a human being first. Every human being stands to gain the same benefits from Bikram Yoga.

For these reasons, we are currently conducting projects to incorporate Bikram Yoga into the Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs.

We are investigating ways to familiarize Department of Defense leadership to the benefits of Bikram Yoga, at every level, from small-unit leaders, to military schools, to the Pentagon. We seek integration into Active Duty, Reserve and National Guard components.