What our Students Say
Thank you everyone for your kind words. Our friendly community is what makes our place so welcoming and unique.
” I really value my yoga practice as a part of my weekly schedule where I can recharge and get some sanity in a busy world. Bikram yoga Brookvale is a super positive and supportive community. I always feel energized and great after classes – it is a great place to work, sweat and have a laugh (or cry) together. “
“I started practicing Bikram yoga in the late 1990’s. I was in my late teens and had been diagnosed with a back / spinal condition where a section of vertebrae had not formed properly during a growth spurt – causing kyphosis (forward rounding of the upper spine) and a section of irregularly shaped vertebrae / damaged discs in my upper spine.
When I started my first ‘real’ job in an office I experienced back pain due to this condition and sitting long hours behind a computer. My dad – who was already doing Bikram – suggested I give it a go to manage the pain, explaining that he thought the flexibility and back bends in the series would help.
Strangely enough I found I enjoyed it.
I became really hooked though when a few years later I found I was able to use the yoga to also rehab myself after breaking my leg in two places playing soccer with mates – an injury that required an operation to insert a steel bar into the bone to correct it. After the operation – which involved opening up my knee to insert the steel rod – I was experiencing pain and stiffness and assumed I would have some lasting loss of mobility / pain. Thankfully that has not been the case. I’m pretty sure I have Bikram to thank for that.
I also have had great results using the series to manage asthma, which is something I used to experience quite badly as a kid. As long as I keep practicing the yoga – with it’s opening and closing deep breathing exercises and focus on breath control in all the postures – I don’t really have any asthma issues anymore. I notice it can flare up when I haven’t been able to practice for extended periods of time – such as when I was away on a long holiday recently. I guess that’s one important thing to note here: it’s not a miracle cure – just the benefits from damn hard work.”
Andrew McIntosh
Anna Andrews
“Hi!
My name is Anna & I have been coming to Bikram’s @ Brookvale since 2009.
I had practised yoga before but nothing like ‘hot’ yoga. I was so wiped out after my 1st class I couldn’t imagine coming back ever again. But of course I did because at the same time I felt so incredible.”
The physical & health benefits are amazing but for me what is even more powerful are the benefits to my mind. I feel privileged & honoured to be guided by such inspiring & compassionate teachers and I love the feeling of family that I experience every time I come to the studio.
Thanks Jodie, teachers & students…..Bikram’s truly is life changing.”
“I’ve been coming to Bikram Yoga Brookvale for more than 6 years. I was brought (dragged?) along initially by my wife who had a Bring a Friend voucher. She stopped and I kept going.”
“I didn’t know much about yoga before I arrived at Brooky. I knew it was good for flexibility but that was about it. I had a back problem for more than 20 years and used to swim to help it. I even trained for triathlons in an effort to help my back. But really nothing did the job that Bikram Yoga did in fixing my back pain and really building up the strength. And it was the last thing I expected it to do!
I liked it from the beginning. That workout feeling was a nice shock and surprise.
I used to get flare-ups regularly every 6 weeks. Surfing could cause it, or even something as innocuous as lifting up my toolbox and twisting to put it in the van.
Once I started the yoga I kept going twice a week. Pretty soon I noticed the back flare-ups decreased to maybe twice a year rather than every few weeks. Bikram Yoga also significantly reduced the pain so that now I have none as long as I just keep going.
The side benefits that I really didn’t expect are that I have a far clearer mind and greater general fitness level. I can honestly say I will do Bikram Yoga for life and I’d recommend it to anyone with a back issue“
Mark Grayson
Jo Solomon
“I first came to yoga in 2011. Within 3 months of practising yoga 4-5 times a week I learnt a lot about myself and saw my body change from fat into muscles!”
“My way of thinking had also changed. I’m more forgiving and humble and I appreciate the little things more. Bikram Yoga has given me a lot of strength in every area of my life. I have a better relationship with my husband, and putting up with my marriage!
I recommend Bikram Yoga to so many people because it has given me the chance to start my life again in the best way.
Thank you Jodie and all the teachers at Brookvale. Love you all!“
“I read about Bikram Yoga around twenty years ago when I was living in Hong Kong and decided to try it. I knew it would suit me as I had always enjoyed yoga and love the heat. I was hooked from the start. At the time I was taking continuous medication for asthma but after practising regularly my asthma no longer troubled me and I was able to come off the tablets.”
I’m now in my 60s. About ten years ago I developed both osteo-arthritis and rheumatoid arthritis and my knees hurt so much I could hardly walk. I was taking anti-inflammatory tablets to ease the pain but they made me feel sick. The doctors told me all they could give me was Panadol for arthritis and I would have to learn to live with it.
The only thing that helped the pain was being in the heat, so I started practising Bikram every day. I went through a lot of pain in the room but after some time it became manageable and now if I continue to practise regularly most of the time I feel fine. It’s only when it rains that it sometimes flares up.
Apart from that I have to say I love the Bikram Yoga community and nothing compares with the joy you feel after a Bikram Yoga class. It is my cure for everything physically. Emotionally Bikram has helped me get through all the bad times in life’s roller coaster ride. It is constantly challenging and there are always postures to work on. I just wish I’d discovered it earlier.
Thanks to Jodie and all the teachers and staff at Bikram Yoga Brookvale for providing such a wonderful studio for us all. It’s great to have such a special place to unwind after a busy day at work. I always feel so much calmer when I leave. So many benefits – you just have to make it up those stairs and it’s all good from there.”
Debra Badger
“Before Bikram I had lived with lower back pain for many years. I saw a Chiro regularly, and it flared up every 3-6 months making it difficult to sit at a desk to work, and requiring many trips to the Chiro to ease the pain. This went on for more than 10 years”
Since I got into the swing of Bikram I haven’t once had the need to see a Chiro for my lower back. And I haven’t had lower back pain. I can also proudly say that I can easily stand on one leg while putting ALL my clothes on – including those tricky socks.
I’ve found core strength and flexibility too, but most importantly – my body just works better.”
Nicola Deakin
Jo Denington
“I had quietly been suffering from back pain since a skateboarding accident when I was 18. “
I started Bikram when I was 31 and very soon the chronic pain and stiffness disappeared. That was 10 years ago and I continue to be someone without a “bad back”. Yay! I can only put it down to this incredible practice and the strong, experienced teaching crew at Brookvale.
One of the big added benefits of Bikram yoga has been learning how to practise mind over matter and stay calm in the most testing situations, even in a full circle moment when I watch my 13 year old skateboard down the stairs!
I have all of you kind souls to thank for your continued welcoming approach, whip-cracking encouragement and words of wisdom. Bikram yoga continues to push and elevate me in mind, body and spirit – far more than I ever expected or could have wished for.