Whether you need more "zen" in your life, or just feel kinda lazy... joining a Zoom class can be the motivation you need to keep doing the yoga you need!

Don't take our word for it though, here are HHY yogis Judy and Alex on why they have kept up their Bikram Yoga practice during a pandemic:

This has been the year for flexibility, to say the least! You're working from home, schooling from home, doing yoga in your bathroom, etc. While some of these changes may feel frustrating or sad, many positive opportunities have also emerged. One of them is HHY To Go!

​Here are the most frequently asked questions about HHYTG. If you don't find the answers you're looking for below, please drop us a line here.

How do I find classes? Once you are logged in to your HHY To Go account you can navigate to all the pages which are part of HHY To Go. Homehotyoga.com/togo is basically the "home page" where you can find links to all the offerings.

How do I log in? Simply visit homehotyoga.com/togo and enter your login info. Unless you log out, you will probably stay logged into the site on your device.

Do I already have a login? You do not have a login until you have signed up for an HHY To Go subscription. You can choose to use the same login info you use to book studio in-classes in Mindbody Online, but you still need to create a new account as this is a completely separate platform from the one we use for in-studio classes (Mindbody Online.)

​How do I access Zoom classes in HHY To Go? Once you are logged in, you can view the Zoom Classes page on the website, which will have a button for each class in the coming week. Simply click the button and enter any registration info. Here is a video about that!

Is HHYTG included in my studio membership? If you are an existing member of HHY, HHYTG is a completely separate subscription. Any changes you make to your membership do not affect your To Go subscription, and vice versa.

Do members receive a discount? All active members received a coupon code via email to get 1-3 months free access! If you can't find the code in your email, email us.

How do I cancel HHY To Go? You can cancel HHYTG yourself at anytime, by clicking the button that says "Account" on the website and following the instructions. 

How do I suspend or cancel my in-studio membership? You need to email us in order to make any changes to your in-studio membership. Signing up for HHYTG on its own will not cause any changes to be made to your membership. We will not make any changes to your membership without an email request from you. Your membership agreement requires 15 days notice for any changes to your membership. 

Can I switch over to HHY To Go until the studio reopens? Yes. Some members have chosen to put their in-person membership on hold and just use To Go for now. Some have chosen to keep both passes active, and we are SO grateful for this extra support of the studio! We also understand that not everyone can do that, which is why we are happy to suspend your membership if you prefer.

A couple changes start in September:

1. You'll no longer sign up for Zoom classes using your Mindbody account.
2. The Zoom schedule will be Saturdays & Sundays at 8am, and Mondays at 5pm.

Check out this video we made on how to access Zoom classes (and a sneak peek at all the goody in case you haven't signed up yet!)

If you haven't already signed up for HHY To Go, check out this blog post about all the details and why you should totally go for it! Questions? Read our FAQ about HHYTG here.

Current HHY members, please note that HHY To Go is a separate membership on a completely different platform than the one we use for in-studio classes. Questions? Check out our FAQ about HHYTG here.

​If you have a current membership with us and wish to switch completely to HHY To Go, you'll need to EMAIL US to make that change. If you sign up for HHYTG but don't email us, you'll enjoy a subscription to both our virtual and in-person offerings: yay!

During the stay-at-home orders I have been conscientious about how I spend my spare time (there is actually no such thing as “spare” time-- but that’s a different blog post!) 

As I knew there was no lack of work to be done (we’re up-leveling many aspects of our business in preparation for reopening) and since I value rest-- I resisted the (ok, not that strong anyway) urge to learn to crochet or bake my own bread, like seemingly everyone I follow on Instagram.

There was one opportunity though, that I knew I wanted to invest my attention in.

For 6 days in a row, I got to peek into the lab of Gil Hedley, famed Integral Anatomist. Gil studies human anatomy by dissecting cadavers. His goal seems not only to be exploring what he calls “inner space” but also to help laymen cultivate an appropriate level of awe and appreciation for our bodies.

Gil’s perspective is interested in connections and continuity, and aligns perfectly with the teachings of yoga. For the first time ever, Gil was allowing viewers to tune in online to 1 hour per day of what is usually an intensive full-time week of dissection in his lab. 

So when I got his email invite, I was doing it!

One of the most special moments of the week was getting a closer look at the human heart. Gil actually calls what’s in our chest the “heart center” since the whole organ is more like a “heart-tree,” whose branches extend throughout the body in over 60,000 miles of blood vessels (!!) and even beyond the body through the vibrations of the heartbeat.

As his cohorts in the lab took turns gently cradling the heart in their hands, Gil explained something which I'd never thought about in quite this way before:

The heart feeds itself first.

A quick anatomy lesson:

Your coronary arteries (from Latin corona meaning "crown") wrap your heart like vines. The coronary arteries connect to the aorta. The aorta is the (huge! about 2cm in diameter!) blood vessel that spins freshly oxygenated blood from the heart up to your brain and out to the rest of your body.

As this oxygenated blood rushes from heart out into the aorta, the coronary arteries divert some of it right back into the heart directly to provide it with oxygen.

The heart feeds itself first.

There is a room in Gil's lab labeled "Teacher's Lounge." It's where the cadavers are kept! It is so true that the human body has great quantities to teach us. By observing relationships within the body, we can gain insight about our relationships, too.

You would never call the heart "selfish" for nourishing itself first -- and yet many of us have been taught to believe that we should put others' needs before our own.

We back-burner our own self care – compromising sleep, neglecting to make time for exercise or eating well, sacrificing the activities that feed our souls. It’s a well-meaning, misguided attempt at being a good person.

Observing how the heart works, offers us a different lesson: we should be feeding ourselves first. 

But does prioritizing our wellbeing, somehow take away from what we have to give others? I’m going to say nope, and the heart will back me up: 

When the heart feeds itself first, it doesn’t adversely affect the rest of the body. Your coronary arteries are relatively small vessels that redirect a relatively small amount from the abundance of blood which supplies the rest of the body. 

In other words, a small amount of self-care can be profoundly nourishing. Your 90-minute yoga class (or even a 5-minute savasana!) offer rewards that far exceed the time you invest.

Your body depends on your heart’s health to live. So the “self-serving” aspect of the heart is a loving act which ensures that the rest of the body thrives! In the same way, your self-care is essential to the well-being of your family, your friends, and your community. 

You know when you’re on an airplane and the flight attendants tell you to put on your oxygen mask before helping someone else with theirs? It’s like the heart has listened to that lecture.

When it comes to making yourself a priority, remember this lesson from the heart. Feed yourself first. Only when you are nourished, can you fully show up and care for other people.

For so many of us this time apart has been hard in many ways. 

It's taking these moments to be grateful for the abundance of access to LOVE we all have, which is going to pull us through. Every one of us who has been a part of Home, is part of this love!

We can't wait to get started helping you heal your “computer neck” and get all your organs pumping happily and do some hot, sweaty yoga in person together again.

It's just a matter of time, so stay tuned for updates! 

For now, our virtual classes are ongoing-- and our gratitude is flowing. 

If you've been to the studio, you know: we welcome and respect all people of all colors and backgrounds. We are firmly anti-hate, anti-racism, anti-injustice and anti-harm.

Which is why I'm writing, to add Home's voice to the sea of voices who've just starting chiming in, because it's better late than never:

Black lives matter. They have always mattered. For too long, they have been treated as if they don't.

And that's why it needs saying now. Over and over until someday it hopefully won't need saying anymore because it will just be something everybody understands.

We know that no email, no post on social media, no sign we put in our window can "fix" the atrocities inflicted on human beings because of racism.

Demonstrating our support is important, but on its own cannot stop the terrible injustices which are still going on today.

We understand that action is needed. One of the first actions we need to take is to begin intentionally engaging in respectful, open-minded conversations about the issues of social justice and race. 

Talking to each other is the place to start. We're committed to having those important talks.

IN FACT... keep your eyes peeled for a super special event coming SOON that is all about just that...!

Some resources for now:
If you don't know a lot about race issues yet, it's time to start learning. We're so lucky to live in a time when resources are EVERYwhere. Here are just a few:

• All kinds of anti-racism links & reading material here.
• We really love this TEDTalk here.
• Watch "13th" - bring tissues.
• Here's a list of black-owned businesses in Portland.
• One of your yogi neighbors runs this awesome org right here!

What does this have to do with yoga?

Stay in your lane, right? We are.

We started a business because we know that business leadership is the most important leadership of our time, and we wanted to make a difference.

We chose to build our business on Bikram Yoga because we know that not only can ALL people practice and benefit from Bikram Yoga, but this yoga has the power to bring people together like nothing else around.

Yoga means "union," and we are all about super-sizing the amount of unity in the world. 

Our work in the hot room (and in our online classes) gets us closer to this end. 

You can now expect to see us putting our yoga into action "off the mat" even more from here on out. We're so excited for you to join us on this journey.

If you have any ideas about ways that Home can be of service in the cause of racial equity, please reply to this email or reach out to us by phone at (503)505-9805.