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From our students
A couple of days after
my 47th birthday in Feb 08, I started Bikram Yoga. It was recommended to me by my Chinese Herbal
Medicine Doctor. I had never heard about
it. So I hopped on the website and read
all about it. I phoned Roxanne and spoke
to her about it and
decided I'd do it.
- I was
suffering depression and put on
antidep’s by G.P. through a psychologist.
- I had panic/anx attacks and put on antidep’s by G.P. through
a psychologist
- I had
extremly high bl/press and put on not 1,
not 2, but 3 types of bl/press medication
to get
it down to "normal".
- I couldn’t sleep and was put on sleeping
tablets by G.P.
- I have been on H.R.T. for 20 years
- I was constantly hungry, angry and unhappy.
My 47th birthday came and I was at the lowest that I had ever been, but I gave it one more shot-Bikram Yoga! During
my first class I thought I was going to die!
I just wanted to yell out “why the hell doesn’t someone open a
window?” I wondered why everyone else
wasn’t drinking their water except me. I
couldn’t do any of the postures, I was standing and lying in an ocean of my own
sweat and it seemed to me that all the other ladies were thin, tall, young and
about a size 6.
At the end of class I
smiled graciously and thanked Rox and said “yeah, it was great”, jumped in my
car and cried all the way home. When I
got home with my dripping hair, drenched clothes and red face my husband said
“hi, how did it go?. I was too ashamed
to look at him, let alone answer him.
But I did. You know what his
reply was? “Look at your face-your skin,
it’s glowing, you look fantastic”
It blew me away. That’s all I needed to hear. So I DID go back the next day and the next
and so on. I thought that if I sweated
THAT much during a class then that is the way the weight will come off and in a
couple of weeks I should be thin.
Three months after
starting Bikram Yoga I had not lost an ounce of weight, and felt nauseous almost every class. As depressing as that was,
what DID keep me going was-: the look
and feel I got out of it, my new flexibility-I was now able to do every posture
even with my big tummy always getting in the way, and finally my blood test
results were all coming back with new readings-things had started
moving/healing/working and some levels were now normal.
Somewhere between the 6
and 8 month mark, (to this day) I’ve lost 10 kgs in weight. I was a 16-18 when I started B.Y. Now I’m a size 14. I don't feel as nauseous anymore, if ever! And the stupid thing is- I really don’t know
when it happened.
I’m still on some
medications, but I’ve come off about half of the tablets and if weight loss
continues, I can come off all of them
one day.
I cannot finish up at
this point without thanking Rox. Her
praises and encouragement towards me have really been the medicine I have
needed (on many occasions) to just keep turning up to the next class.
What’s also made me
happy is that I’ve finally mastered the “mother” of all postures-rabbit, camel,
triangle you say? No-for me it was the
plain old SIT-UP!..............go figure.
Grace Loy
30 Oct. 08
I turned to Bikram yoga and signed up for the 10-day introductory pass at the Maroochydore Studio. I was in considerable discomfort so I attended every day, sometimes even twice a day and before the 10-day introductory period was finished, I was pain free!
Bikram yoga has had a profound effect on my life; the most apparent being an increase in physical awareness, flexibility and balance, coupled with a growing clarity and quietening of my mind.
Matt Jermyn
Over 20 years ago I had a Harrington Rod inserted along the
full length of my spine from neck to hip and was told my movement was now
totally restricted and I would only be able to move from my neck or hip.
With the supportive teachers and only 7 classes, I can now touch the backs of my hands to the floor and much much more – for the first time in 22 years. It’s only a little thing but a massive thing to me – and I am now amazed at what Bikram can do for the body and mind, and look forward to the further benefits I can achieve. It is now a permanent part of my life.
Thanks so much. Kate Jewry 01/09/08
Walking into the Bikram yoga room may be one of the best things I have ever done. I have always exercised and years of jogging and half marathons had created unbelievably tight calves. Shin splints were my constant companion and I knew I really needed to make stretching a part of my life. I started Bikram Yoga knowing very little about it other than it was a hot room. The first few practices were challenging to say the least. Then the excuses started: it's too hot I can't cope, I can't breathe in that room, I'll get bored with doing the same thing everyday, it can't be as effective as running. Thankfully though, something kept drawing me back. Two times a week quickly turned into 3 then 4 then 5. I then signed up for the 30 day challenge in which I committed myself to going 6 times a week for 4 weeks. At the end of this challenge I was not ready to stop so I signed up for another 30 days to make it a 60 day challenge. It was during this time that my life changed.
Bikram Yoga for me has been great externally but what has occurred internally makes me think Bikram is a genius. In 90 minutes a day I am constantly training myself to be calmer, more focused and to really look at myself and concentrate on me. None of these things have been easy. I have found it incredibly confronting to really look at myself in the mirror for 90 minutes at a time but it's getting easier. Doing yoga everyday has been a commitment and I admit I do have to be organised. I have found, though, that if I have that 90 minutes for me I can happily give my time and energy to others for the rest of the day. In this context, 90 minutes seems like such a small part of my day. The teachers provide a wonderful positive energy and are incredibly supportive. I think everyone should do Bikram Yoga!
Leanne Jenkins 06/04/08
As a child I was round shouldered and very inflexible. Touching my toes has always been difficult. My husband commented recently how great my posture is. Workmates comment on how calm I am. I can touch my toes and once warmed up can reach even further, I have lost weight, my whole body has toned up, particularly my arms which have always been a weak point.
During my three years of practicing Bikram yoga I have worked through issues with my knees and neck and now I am working on my left hamstring. My body is slowly stretching and lengthening and I feel fantastic, stronger mentally, physically and emotionally. Memories from long ago have resurfaced, my memory has improved.
Last year I broke my thumb and lost my thumb nail in a boating accident. I used my yoga breathing while the doctor worked on my thumb without anesthetic. It really helped!
I work in an office and sometimes everyone around me is full of the flu. If I ever feel that I may be starting to succumb, a 90 minute Bikram session and I am strong and healthy again.
I am addicted to Bikram yoga; it makes me feel and look good. At 47 I hope to be doing yoga until the day they put me in a box.
Thank you
Ngaire McLaren
Kim Joblin
June 2007
.. When asked how Bikram Yoga has changed my life, two things come immediately to mind. Before I started regular yoga, I had chronic lower back pain. Nothing severe but I had to be cautious in the garden and was consciously guarded while straightening up after bending over. This problem is completely resolved. The other is that I used to have the beginnings of arthritis in my fingers and some weakness in my hands. I had even mentioned the aching in my hands to a doctor – Nothing I can do she said. Apparently she was mistaken as the pain in my hands disappeared within months and never returned.
These things are classic and probably not surprising considering the strengthening exercises we are doing. Something I didn't expect and which still amazes me is that, while yoga often leaves me with muscle soreness the next day (usually my glutes!), nothing else does! Specifically, I have been for long bike rides, kayaked for the first time, days working in the garden and no muscle soreness the next day. I have even been snow skiing – twice in three years – and no stiffness the next day. Is this proof we really are “using every muscle and every tendon” in a Bikram class?
Kathy Bliss
.. A Personal Chortle About Bikram And Me
I shall be 71 years at the end of 2007. I have always known that I feel better if I kept reasonably fit and healthy. This led me to 30 years of jogging, followed by 10 years of yoga stuff. My objective was 'use it or loose it'.
For the last 2 years I have been practising hot Bikram Yoga, as my preferred form of torture up to three times per week. Here the heated room allows me to safely stretch and strengthen to my own limits.
And I feel great!!
There has been in my past, periods of (for me) great stress. These times, along with eating the wrong tucker resulted in a thirty five year build up in the system which finally required surgery.
Bikram Yoga is giving me great cardiovascular stamina. How I wish I had discovered him forty years ago!
The studio offers a complete work –out for this old bugger to the extent that I'm sure my mind has been affected for the better – just by concentrating on my body. The tutors, with patience and perseverance give me handsome rewards.
Yoga is a time thing. Slowly, my hips are starting to loosen. Back problems from years of jogging are easing. I can reverse the car with ease and wash my feet in the hand basin without effort! Long walks are appreciated and I can work in the garden with enjoyment. Viagra not found necessary.
My various other interests are also followed with enthusiasm. Short term memory is still OK. Listening to the flow of Dialogue from the tutor is keeping concentration keen. This increased flexibility of both mind and body has helped me go with life rather than fight it. The balancing asana are (slowly) training me to be still and deal with the moment. It's difficult as my mind is usually racing backwards and forwards and not concentrating clearly on what I'm trying to do at the present time.
Find am more relaxed. Just letting go and attending to all the small changes and things that make up life. I am giving more respect to others and actually acknowledging their existence!!
I feel better in myself after each session. It's terribly addictive.
Owin T Jameson
One day, when I was at primary school, my best friend said to me that she wished she had legs like Lorraine's. Lorraine's legs bowed, - so completely back that they appeared to be two, strong archer's bows. No knees! My girlfriend was a ballet student and her older sister, a professional ballerina in Germany, so I trusted her with the fact that she knew what she was talking about. Lorraine's legs were something pretty special. Well, little did I know back then, and 30 years later, I would be trying to lock out my knees, in a hot Bikram yoga room!
It's just one of the difficult things that Bikram yoga has to teach us. It's never easy either! But, the benefits of a regular Bikram practice are life changing – strength and breath, inner peace and flexibility to name a few. I've only been practising for a few years now and like so many others, I wished I'd started sooner. It's a great journey to knowing yourself better and it really helps when you're getting tossed about in the surf, too!
Theresa Fahey
Your Bikram sessions have been fantastic for me. It has really helped my triathlon training. I can run 10km without knee pain for the first time since leaving school in the 80's. Also great to keep an over active mind in check. Thanks
Tim McGavin
'That was fantastic. It feels like having a bath!'
Joakin Wisting