Bikram Yoga is an art and science of healing that is the primary form of pain relief and mental health care for thousands. It has been available in the U.S. for the past 50 years but is in danger of disappearing almost entirely. Unsupported by health insurance, gossiped about on Netflix, strongly disliked by mainstream American "yoga"....we have always had an uphill battle. But it is worth fighting. This yoga works just as well now as it did a half century ago. And it has more research behind it than any other commonly available hatha yoga practice! My mission on this page is 1) to save this traditional -and increasingly hard-to-find - yoga practice for the next generation, and 2) to keep alive the amazing hot room at Bikram Yoga Capital Area in East Lansing, Michigan. I have known that my life was destined for this yoga since 2003, and I am committed to keeping it alive, intact, and amazing for the next generations. With most Bikram classes and studios now gone from the planet, it is extra important that we keep some islands of knowledge, practice, research, and community alive and well. This particular island in mid-Michigan is a very special and powerful one. Check out the reviews on the Google Maps page from my students! I designed, built, and have run Bikram Yoga Capital Area since 2013 and have devoted the past 9 years of my life not only to the studio, but to a book project on Bikram Yoga and Autoimmune Disease, to each and every student who walks into the hot room, and also to building the content on my website as a resource for Bikram Yoga students everywhere. My video below explains how keeping our studio open will need to be a truly collective effort going forward. The independent studio owners out there (myself included) simply cannot keep the practice alive with our own efforts any more. Yoga already has many cultural forces working against it, and the pandemic may have simply pushed it too far. This yoga that has given so much to you and others....now needs life support of its own. I keep it traditional. 90 minutes. I keep it direct. No nonsense. My classes are inspiring, interdisciplinary, and fun....yet true to the dialogue and the original intentions of the postures and the method. I would love to have you join our Patreon page and see for yourself! Join me here for class podcasts, writing and reflection (including book content!), yoga challenges, video classes, and more. Sincerely, Ann Renee Chrapkiewicz, M.A. (read more about me here) Bikram Yoga Teacher Training Graduate Summer 2004 Owner, Founder, Mentoring Teacher Yoga Is Medicine & Bikram Yoga Online - formerly Bikram Yoga Capital Area / East Lansing, Michigan, U.S.A. www.byca.yoga Instagram YouTube (p.s. Bikram Yoga was never actually a franchise, there was never a global empire run by Bikram....it was always mom and pop shops like this one...) Patronage Goals: $2000/month: We will have a Livestream chat for Patreon members ($45 and up) near and far, including Yoga Q & A, a huge toast and thank you, and readings from our Autoimmune Book. $5000/month: YAY!! Our hot room can stay open! We will plan a beachside yoga retreat for 2024, and Patreon members who have been active for all of 2022 will get early sign-up access and 15% off) $8000/month: Sigh of relief and joy! Bikram Yoga Capital Area Studio and livestream memberships will become donation-based for those with an annual income of under $50,000.