A Natural Yogi Discovers Bikram

Wolf Ziegra and his wife, Sarah, have been taking classes at Bikram Yoga Asheville since December 13, 2009. Wolf and Sarah had recently moved to the Asheville area for Sarah’s job at Warren Wilson College. A colleague of hers recommended the Bikram Yoga Asheville studio for help with some medical concerns. Wolf immediately recognized the Bikram dialogue held the germ of all the yoga styles he had ever practiced. The secular nature of the dialogue was important to him because as a Muslim, he cannot worship a guru; an element underlying many other yoga styles. That day in December, Wolf recommitted himself to a formal practice of yoga. If you have been coming to the studio for any length of time, Wolf will most likely be familiar to you as he has been attending class every day, sometimes twice a day, ever since.  

Wolf was drawn to yoga at a young age. He shares a story of getting into lotus position for the first time when he was seven and saying to himself, “I’m never going to forget.” Reflecting on this memory at age sixty-two, Wolf explains that in this moment he set an intention to remember the feeling of union between body and mind that comes so naturally when we are young. From this moment on he became a spiritual seeker and yoga practitioner.

For Wolf, these paths of exploration were a way for him to deal with the chaos of the times. At age twenty, Wolf was drafted into the Vietnam War, but that same week attended Woodstock instead. He intentionally chose a pacifist direction - opposing the values of his father, a WWII veteran. In fact, he was interviewed at Woodstock and featured in the movie Woodstock: 3 Days of Peace and Music. Dodging the draft and being against the war, he was on the outside of the establishment for seven years. He hitchhiked across the country to continue his journey.

Wolf’s exploration led to a fascinating background in the study of yoga and spiritual philosophy. He has studied meditation at Zen centers across the country, met Swami Satchidananda while spending a summer at his ashram in Virginia and lived in an ashram for a year with Gurumayi Chidvilasananda just after Muktananda died in 1982. While living in New York City as a painter and massage therapist for over twenty years, he studied and practiced Asthanga, Iyengar and Jivamukti styles of yoga. He was attracted to the teachings of Ramakrishna and the religion and politics of Ghandi, Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr. His spiritual exploration eventually led him to study with Lex Hixon, a philosopher, spiritual practitioner and Muslim sheik. In 1992, Wolf became a Muslim and converted to Islam.

Wolf’s yoga practice was put on pause in 2001. On September 11th, Wolf was taking an Iyengar class on 24th St. in New York City. After his class, he had to walk toward ground zero to pick-up his daughter from school. After 9/11, he was on the outside again, this time as a Muslim. Wolf stopped formally going to yoga class due to family and financial obligations as well as emotional challenges.

Until his journey brought him back to daily practice at Bikram Yoga Asheville almost ten years later.      

Wolf describes his yoga practice at Bikram Yoga Asheville as, “a platform, a place to go everyday to confront my life’s struggles in an environment that allows me to work things out. It is about me discovering me; where my resistance is, where my fears are. Yoga has always been about a personal adventure.” He has found Bikram Yoga heals the body but also heals the mind, allowing a connection between them. For Wolf, the dialogue reflects Bikram’s genius for words; it is constant and addresses needs in a fun, respectful way.

Wolf’s favorite yoga pose is still his first yoga pose - Lotus position (Padmasana). His favorite pose from the Bikram series is Locust Pose (Salabhasana) because it is the most challenging for him. For students new to the hot room, Wolf’s advice is to breathe and sit down when you need to. He feels it is important to remember, even for himself, that the first step is the only step. Through his daily yoga practice at Bikram Yoga Asheville, Wolf is able to remember the body/mind/spirit connection that at age seven he intended to never forget.