Bikram Yoga Testimonials

ONE BYL CLIENT’S JOURNEY TOWARDS TRANSFORMATION

People are drawn to yoga, particularly Bikram Yoga, for a range of reasons. For some, it’s about developing calm and focus, while for others it may be to seek detoxification, get more flexible, or overcome an injury or chronic physical ailment. For many, such as BYL newcomer Muhammed, the goal is to get fitter, leaner and healthier. Muhammed joined BYL as a complete yoga novice at the end of December 2016, seeking to lose some weight and overcome chronic back pain that had dogged him for years.

I first heard about Bikram yoga from a co-worker that told me it would be an alternative to knee and back surgery. I was contemplating at the time to have surgery in order to continuing my marathon races and training. In the last 20 years I had concluded there was absolutely nothing better for me than running. It kept me fit and trim throughout my military career and afterward. So, I decided to give Bikram a try not really expecting to see a different. Shockingly it was very challenging and almost as exhausting as running a marathon. The instructor stressed that I come back and take another class within 24 hours. I thought to myself no way I’m coming back to that torture (chamber) studio. However, unlike marathon recovery, I recovered after about 2 hours and felt great with more energy. The following night I got one of the best sleep and rest years.

I had always been interested in how it worked after hearing stories of life-changing, earth-shattering spiritual journeys other yogis had. But I felt a preference for more vigorous physical exercise, and I viewed yoga as an hour or so of casual stretching. That was, until I discovered Bikram Yoga!

Bikram has done something remarkable: It made me love myself. I have suffered 9 years of mental imprisonment by an eating disorder, which resulted in intense negative thinking and self-hatred. Bikram, completely unconsciously, has set me on the path to recovery.

I find joy, creativity, challenge and responsibility in a quiet relaxed joyful way with Bikram. I am learning not so much to think of myself as being good, as much as having a dialogue with my body.

Since discovering the original form of hot yoga six years ago, Bikram has been the one constant in my life. Cities, jobs, and boyfriends have all come and gone—but Bikram has been my rock. There are few things in life that make me happier.

With such an intense love for my practice, you can probably imagine that the 30-day Bikram yoga challenge had been on my bucket list for years. I’d attempted the challenge (unofficially) a few times—10 days here, 14 there—but never for an entire month. After dipping my toes in, I wanted to prove to myself that I could do it. So, before I could talk myself out of it, I signed up and embarked upon a 30-day journey of Bikram.

I came to Bikram Yoga in 2012 as an alternative to significant amounts of cardio-based exercise. At the time, it was running, but I had been a biker, a swimmer, a group fitness fanatic, etc. All of this had left my body feeling stiff and inflexible while my mind was stressed. I had also been dealing with some neck pain. I hoped that yoga would help relieve all of this, and got so much more! In my just over 3 years of practice, I have learned to enjoy all the benefits of yoga, mental, spiritual, and yes, physical. There is no other workout like it to make you feel more powerful when you leave and not drained. Yoga is my oasis in a busy world, where there are no cell phones allowed and we don’t even talk with classmates in the class space. It forces you to focus on yourself and where you are at that moment.

When I stepped foot into my first Bikram Yoga class I was nearly 200 pounds, I drank heavily, ate bad food and was heading down a path far from where I am today. I had been practicing vinyasa flow yoga for a year and was running a few times a week. I wasn’t losing any weight.

I would like to say that my goal when I walked into that Bikram yoga studio was about enlightenment, self-betterment, increased flexibility and mental clarity. I wanted to lose weight, plain and simple and I wanted to look good.

I FOUND IT

Not The Holy Grail ... Not The Fountain of Youth … Not Blackbeard's Buried Treasure … Not the Pot of Gold at the End of a Rainbow ... 

I found something better than all of these … a real gem when it comes to my overall health, fitness & well-being. A sparkling diamond.

Something that I have searched for my entire life. An efficient, yet complete, workout that includes stretching, strength training as well as detoxifying sweat production. Where I found it is not a surprise to those “in the know.”