Sarah Rogers
I attended my first Bikram yoga class in 2004 - David taught and I still remember exactly where I stood. I came to Bikram yoga because a friend of mine recommended it. My father had suddenly passed away at the early age of 54 due to a massive heart attack. I had not been sleeping well and, after doing extensive research around my father's illness, I knew all too well that heart attacks can happen to anyone at any age. Having not done any type of workout in the past several years, I began searching for something that would help me mentally as well as physically.
I remember wanting to just lie down and give up throughout most of that first class with David. Luckily, my competitive nature overcame my desire to collapse on the ground. I saw other people doing amazing postures, while I was struggling just to stay standing in the first half of those first few classes. I decided to attend regularly and work hard each time so that I could not only make it through the class doing all of the postures, but improve a little every time. I attended regularly for about a year - by that time, I could do each of the postures, I was sleeping great, and I noticed that my mental health had improved as well. Around that time, I graduated law school and started my job at a law firm. I became very busy and unfortunately, yoga was the first thing to go - I didn't make it a priority.
Four years later, when I reached my thirties, I began having repeated migraines. I had not done any type of exercise to speak of during the past four years and, while I don't eat terribly poorly, I felt lethargic - like I needed to be in better shape. I was looking for a way to feel better, make the migraines stop, and to reduce the amount of stress in my life. I recalled how much I had enjoyed Bikram yoga so I decided to return to the studio. I had no idea what a dramatic effect it was going to have on my life.
After attending regularly for several months, I decided to do a 60-day challenge. Having recently completed the challenge, I can not believe how much has changed. I feel physically fit, my energy is higher, and I find myself more easily coping with the stress of work and other situations in my daily life. Bikram yoga has inspired confidence, happiness, and a sense of peace that is worth the 90 minutes of "suffering" each day. Thanks to the 60-day challenge Bikram yoga has become a part of my daily life and I have realized the benefit of making it a priority. |
