At the encouragement of her children, Cora began practicing yoga in June 2005 to ease the pain in her joints. Yoga helps alleviate the aches in her shoulders and elbows. "I like the sweat because it feels like you're purified afterwards," Cora said. After doing yoga, she doesn't feel the pain and when it comes back, the pain isn't as bothersome. Cora's favorite posture is the Pada-Hastasana because she enjoys the challenge of the pose. "It pushes me to do better," she said. The benefits of yoga aren't all physical though. Practicing yoga has helped her concentration and focus and she doesn't get so distracted anymore. After four months of practice, she has improved her flexibility and can now lock her knees. She hopes that consistent practice will help lower her cholesterol.
Andrew began practicing yoga four months ago and jumped right in, participating in the summer Bikram Yoga Challenge. He did 60 classes in 60 days, doing doubles to make up for the days he missed. After consistent practice, he lost three inches off his waist (about 15 pounds) and had to punch out two extra holes in his belt. Andrew likes yoga because it's a workout that does not make him feel sore and beaten up the next day as he does when he practices Judo. "I'm too delicate for physical exertion," he said jokingly. "I like the mental aspect of yoga even more than the workout." Daily practice improved his focus and concentration. He also noticed that his temper is not as short anymore. "I catch myself in mid-tantrum. I breathe – and then everything seems okay." Andrew's favorite posture is Triangle and his most improved posture is Camel. "It was my breakthrough posture. I didn't think I could do it but David helped ease me into it and kept encouraging me to go a little farther."
Katrina began practicing yoga because she needed more balance in her life. Before practicing yoga, she often felt stressed out, depressed, and drained. "The best thing about yoga is the energy it gives me. I always feel restored after class," Katrina said. "I've found that I am more even-tempered and have more focus. The quality of my sleep has also improved so even if I don't get a lot of sleep, I feel well rested. My favorite posture is Standing Bow. I like the tautness of the posture and I actually feel like a human bow. The most important thing I've learned from my practice is consistency. It's challenging to find the time to commit to your practice every day but I've found that it helps sustain me."
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