BIKRAM YOGA SAVED MY LIFE.
I know people think this type of statement is an exaggeration (I used to be one of them), but for me now, this is the truth. I had heard yogis state this practice had "changed them from the inside out" and thought they were a bunch of nuts. I was in it for the physical benefits, a desire to get back in shape. I could not have anticipated how far reaching the effects of this practice would be. Before I found this yoga I had struggled for five years with depression, an eating disorder, and extra weight. I was lost and unhappy. I could not seem to find the balance, peace, or center to anything I tried. Desperately searching for something greater in practically every area of my life, I was surprised to find it come to fruition here in this studio.
Everyone says you will remember your first Bikram class forever. Then again, some people say that the mind blocks out trauma. As I can barely remember my first Bikram class, I guess I subscribe to the second theory. I remember only three things….the heat, the heat, and did I mention the heat? Despite my "traumatizing" first class, and the slightly less painful second, I kept returning for more and more. Call me a masochist, but the more I came, the less I hurt.
I started to learn how to focus on the present. Not to agonize about past mistakes, my future, or even my path. I began to look in the mirror for 90 minutes and love the person that stared back at me, the soul reflected out from me, and the body in front of me. I am learning how to lie still, fully aware, with nothing overtaking my mind but that moment. Each class I attend teaches me more about myself than any other religious, academic, or occupational opportunity I have had. Finally aware of what is around me, my actions, attitude, behavior, and thoughts have gradually shifted from a depressing, desperate, and destructive pattern towards strength, balance, and peace.
About 4 months into my practice, I began a 60-day challenge. I felt I was ready to prove to myself how much this yoga had changed me. The first 10 days were rough, but I have found myself longing to come to the studio, to practice, to study, and to be. The physical changes have been drastic, and yet they are nothing compared to the mental, spiritual, and emotional transformation. I crave this yoga every day! My day is incomplete without my 90-minute meditation. And the studio has become a home away from home, its instructors and students a second family. This yoga is my belief that my life, and the world around me, has a chance at balance and calm even when it appears hopeless.
So I don't mind if you think I'm a little nuts: BIKRAM YOGA HAS SAVED MY LIFE AND IT CAN SAVE YOURS, TOO!
Erin Hannah |
