Hot For Yoga

To be honest, I never had experienced any physical body issues before trying Hot Yoga. I was  an avid treadmill runner, I took tons of cardio, step, and weight lifting classes, and I also danced  on stage professionally. I considered myself to be quite fit. But, until I tried hot yoga, I’ll admit, I  got bored at the gym. I often tried to pass the time watching TV while running on the treadmill. I  felt like I was just biding my time in cardio class because my body got so conditioned to the  movement, and weight lifting tended to make my arms look bulky, not lean.  

I tried Hot Yoga in 2008 for the first time in the Philippines. I was doing a show in Manila and  the Hotel gym was very small and uninspiring. My first Hot Yoga class, I was completely  hooked! It was extremely difficult, even though I was pretty flexible and had decent coordination.  The heat was beyond anything I had ever experienced and I had to focus so intently on my  breath that it forced me to stay completely present. Even though the class was so intense, after  class I felt euphoric. I continued to go to class and felt so renewed it made me giddy, like I had  discovered a secret that know one else knew about.  

I continued taking class throughout my travels and when I came back home, I knew that yoga  was something I would do for the rest of my life. I also wanted to share my passion by  becoming a teacher.  

I have been a certified Hot Yoga Instructor since Spring of 2012, and I absolutely love teaching.  I’ve dealt with personal injuries myself and I feel it has improved my teaching. I experience  painful arthritis in my knees, and have bulging discs in my lumbar spine. Because of these  injuries, I’ve had to find ways to modify postures and be patient with my body. The act of having  to listen to my own body has made me more sensitive and aware with my students. Even  though I’m committed to the accuracy and technicality of the yoga postures, I also thrive on  creative ways to explore yoga posture modifications so that all students can know that any body  type is capable of doing yoga.  

I teach the traditional Bikram 90 every Sunday at Noon. My class is for everyone at  any level in their yoga journey. I can promise you two things if you take my class…you will have  fun and you will feel better than you did after completing my class. I can’t wait to see you in the Hot Room!!

Jeff Pilson is probably most known as the bass player, songwriter and background vocalist for the legendary band Dokken. He’s also had stints with the bands Dio, MSG and his own band War and Peace. Currently he is with the classic rock band Foreigner, where he not only serves as bassist and musical director but also as the band’s producer on many of their CD releases since 2005.

What people likely DON’T know about Pilson is his passion and commitment to the study and practice of yoga.

Pilson’s yoga journey began in 1978 following a debilitating back injury. Soon after, he was studying hatha yoga and meditation with yoga legend Richard Hittleman who is best known for his PBS television series Yoga for Health in the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s. Through his TV series, books and videos, Hittleman is widely credited for bringing the practice of yoga to more people in the west than anyone before or since. Since Hittleman’s passing in 1991 Pilson has studied extensively with Yogi Michaeline Kiss in both New York and San Francisco.

Pilson credits yoga postures and meditation as the vital tools to keep him “sane and healthy” in a vigorous road life that often entails travelling 10 months of the year. His teaching of yoga meditation and mild postures is designed to introduce students to several time tested ancient meditation techniques and then allow them to naturally adapt to whichever one or ones best suits them.

There is no such thing as too old to start a successful yoga practice, and meditation often proves to be a life changing experience that has no equal.

“The Self Realized state is the natural state. All one need do is remove the obstruction of the mind.”   --Ramana Maharshi/ Guru to Richard Hittleman

I developed chronic neck and shoulder pain from repetitive motion from my desk job. I was irritable from always being in pain. I had many years of physical therapy, chiropractor visits, cortisone injections many pain killers.
Knowing this wasn’t good for my body, I needed to try another solution. That’s when I decided to go to my first yoga class. It was a challenge at first, just like with anything that’s new, but also very accessible with modifications. I continued to practice and felt my body becoming stronger and more flexible, and the awareness I felt in my body made a huge difference for my mind, body and overall well-being.
Falling in love with yoga and all of the positive changes it has made in my life, both on and off the mat, made me realize I had to become a teacher.. It has changed my life in so many positive ways, and I knew that I wanted to be able to share my practice with other yogis.
Focusing my teaching on alignment to prevent injuries so that yogis can practice yoga for the rest of their lives is important to me. Being able to share my practice and inspire others yogis is one of my greatest joys because of how much it has changed my life. Yoga to me is freedom, release and self appreciation, and I know it can change others.