During my senior year in high school and my first year of college, I was working at Dairy Queen and wearing a size 18. Since then, I tried every diet possible–even purging, I was so desperate to lose the weight. Of course none of this worked. I became convinced a person's shape was destiny, for the most part unchangeable, and believed I was doomed to a life of being heavy. Then four years ago, my friend Gretchen introduced me to Bikram Yoga, which led me down a path of transformation that has burst forth in the past year. And the changes go beyond the numbers on a scale to inhabit every facet of my life.
At one point after initially beginning at BYD, I took a break from Bikram to try another form of yoga and was disappointed to find the results nonexistent. During that time I also became pregnant, and as it was high risk, I halted my yoga practice completely. But in January, 2005, about 3 months after delivering my 4th child, I returned to BYD. Weighing in at 159, having lost only 10 pounds since my child was born, I had a long way to go. But upon my return, some of the mantras I'd heard so often in class finally started to click: I began to deepen my practice significantly by finally fully connecting with the breath, and by giving 200% to every single posture. My mantra evolved to 'focus on every muscle'. I also gained a knowledge of the specific nature of each posture and the myriad benefits each different pose brings. The knowledge, breath and commitment led to an intensity of focus I had not experienced.
I also arrived at a new and healthier connection with food. I don't "do" diets anymore. I have come to firmly believe I can eat whatever I desire, provided I do so with moderation. When I feel the craving to overeat, I remember that nothing tastes better than thin feels. Today I weigh 109. I wear a size 2. I I have completely transformed my shape; people ask me if I have been weight training due to the definition in my arms. Though this jump from size 18 to 2 is in and of itself miraculous, the benefits I have received through this yoga surpass the shift in my physical appearance. My ability to truly focus elicited dramatic changes not just in my body, but my personal life. It created a calm, a sense of control that has made a remarkable difference in my Real Estate Company and with my family. And with myself. I feel a strength and a balance, a glow lit from within that radiates everything I do.
I am grateful to my extremely busy husband, who is also my best friend: he has graciously and lovingly committed to helping me attend class every day possible. I also thank Bikram, his life long commitment to this practice, his incredibly intelligent wife, and of course the Bikram Yoga Dallas studio. It is the best I have ever experienced, and the instructors, both past and present, are unparalleled. Each time I travel, I attend a Bikram class. And due to Bikram's hard work, there is now a studio in almost every city - but I must say the Dallas studio is by far the very finest! Though the results I've experienced through this yoga are dramatic, they are also infinitely possible. I am living proof it is never too late.
Joanne Chapman
