End of 2016

The end of 2016 is here. I find myself practicing yoga this morning, feeling overwhelmed with a sensations of gratitude. I look around the yoga studio and I can’t help it but smile. For many years I imagined what it would be like to return back to my birth country, Ljubljana, Slovenia, and open a yoga studio. The vision lingered in my head as I traveled around the world teaching yoga, and finding my way from one country to another. In April 2016 I came to Ljubljana to visit my cousin Željko Vrhovac and Maja Vrhovac. Coming back to Ljubljana felt very familiar to me, It felt like home. It didn’t take long before I started questioning myself, “Did I return to see my vision come to reality?” I needed to meditate on this. I started going out into nature and walking bare-foot , feeling the ground bellow my feet and listening to my guiding-inner-voice. “What have you got to lose?,” I hear a voice within the deepest core of my being. “Your purpose in life is to pass on the key to the magical door of yoga, good health and happiness, where you do it it doesn’t matter, stay and reconnect with your roots in your birth country, all people benefit from yoga, be open to new experiences and opportunities,” my guiding angels speak back to me. In this moment, I made a decision to stay in Ljubljana and see if an opportunity would open. I called Stoja Realestate Agency. Jana Caserman, a professional Realestate agent, showed me a 200 square metre office space in Rudnik, next to Super Nova. I stood in front of a window in an office, which is now the yoga room, knowing in my heart this was the space for a yoga studio I envisioned in my head. For the next 4 months, I put my energy, love and creativity into designing and building one of the most beautiful studios, which reflects a space of serenity, calmness, and joy. But I didn’t do any of this alone. It was the people who came into my life during this stage of design, that helped me make my vision a reality. The studio would not be what it is today without their talents and willingness to help. I had a vision, they made it look beautiful.

It has been 3 months since I opened the studio. While yoga is known by many people, it is still a new concept in Slovenia. However, I have been pleasantly surprised how well yoga has been received by all the people who visit the studio. Many of them are now practicing yoga here regularly, 3 – 4 times per week. Watching them grow in their yoga practice and seeing them evolve on their yoga mat, brings light to my heart, which confirms my decision to stay in Ljubljana. Sometimes people come to the studio last minute, exhausted from their daily activities and professional duties. But they always leave the studio refreshed, recharged, with a smiley face, and flush-red cheeks.

I will conclude this letter by writing the mission statement for Bikram Yoga Ljubljana: ‘Welcome to Bikram Yoga Ljubljana. Our mission is to provide a serene, safe, joyful and welcoming space where people can explore their own yoga, develop their very own personal yoga journey and self transformation. We aim to create an environment where people feel like they are part of a community, that is supportive and influential. While every person begins their yoga practice at their own level, depending on their physical abilities, we would like to encourage you not to give up. It is through the vision, belief, and efforts that we experience the greatest transformations in our life. It’s not going to be easy, but yoga might be the most beautiful journey you embark on, and we, I, feel blessed to be part of it. Our final mission, is to use what we learn and help others live a better and more harmonious life.’

I Love you all!
Have an amazing 2017!
See you in class 🙂

Denis D.