When I started Bikram yoga on Dec. 23, 2006, I could not easily get my arms up above my head and was generally very tight, especially in my low back. I have a desk job, talk on the phone and use the computer all day, all of which makes my neck/shoulders/back very tight and tense. I was curious about the frequent references to one's posture, standing in a certain way, etc. and wondered if it all really mattered. I remember hearing that after taking Bikram yoga one could 'say goodbye' to the chiropractor. I was initially seeing a chiropractor when I started in December---but after a few weeks of yoga, told him in January that I wasn't coming back. He told me that 'no yoga' was a substitute for chiropractic treatments, and I am happy to report to you all that he was wrong, at least in my case.
One of the greatest aspects of Bikram yoga is that it is right for everybody no matter where they are or how they feel. The other night I overheard a student telling the instructor after class that he had been smoking since age 13, and was trying to quit, and this was making the classes difficult for him. The teacher said what I've heard said many times before, but is still affirming---"each day our bodies are different and we have to be appreciative and non-judgmental about our performance each class." The teacher also said that Bikram yoga has helped others stop smoking. I believe it.
Often at the final rest pose after 90 minutes of class the teachers talk to us as we rest/recover/relax. One of the most beautiful moments for me is when they tell us to "visualize our bodies in perfect radiant health from the top of our head to the bottom of our feet". This yoga is very powerful ---it has helped me focus on the power of our own minds to heal our bodies. I never would have believed this before, and in my western-mindset would have discounted this possibility.
When I first started I could only do standing bow pulling pose on my right side, I couldn't do it properly on my left side. I learned that just as we have dominant hands, we have dominant legs; my left was just weaker and not as coordinated. I was concerned but the teachers reassured me that I would be able to do it, and to just work on the pose. Start from the very beginning of the posture, what matters most is the intention with which I approach the pose. I was told over time I would be able to get all the way into it on both sides. I was dubious to say the least---why couldn't I do it NOW, why should I have to wait for anything? If I turned my left hand the wrong way, I could do it, but the teacher said I would risk injury. After about 4 months one day it happened---I got the pose on the left, and I was grinning from ear to ear. But it wasn't every class---it was every other time I could do it. Finally after 6 months I got to where I could consistently do it each time. My body/skeletal system is more in alignment and this has made a tremendous difference in my overall state of health.
I stand taller now and keep my head up better thanks to Bikram yoga; it has enriched my life in many ways. Never before has an activity which might objectively be called 'exercise' captured my attention and focus enough to continue on a long-term basis. Bikram yoga is more than exercise to me. It helps me see my whole person as an integrated part of the greater class experience; to learn to breathe through and work through each day's challenges, whatever they may be, and to always remember to love and accept myself as I stare into my eyes in the front mirror. I recently compared some of my current medical records/lab results from a checkup I had 20 years ago at the Cooper clinic and was amazed to see that all of my laboratory tests, etc. and my exercise capabilities are better now than when I was a much younger man. I credit Bikram yoga with helping me to get in the best shape of my life, and it can do the same for you!
