 We started out 30 Day Challenge after 2 days into a 7 day intro to Bikram Yoga with no prior knowledge or yoga experience. As athletes, many times we had heard how we should incorporate yoga into our healthy lifestyles. Honestly, knowing now what we do, we wish we had many years ago. We were challenged both physically and mentally and consider finishing out 30 Day Challenge a real accomplishment. The support and encouragement from Lyndsay and all the instructors was awesome. There was praise when you needed it the most, and encouragement when you needed it more. We have noticed positive changes such as increased flexibility, weight loss, gained muscle tone as well as an increased general sense of well being. We are committed on making Bikram Yoga a part of our lives for many years to come. We can't stop talking about the wonderful benefits to anyone that will listen to us.
John and Megan Adams
Calgary, AB
So just over a year ago, I tore my acl in my left knee playing ice hockey, and shortly afterward completely tore it playing floor hockey. I have always been into sports,and a bit of a gym rat since I was about 19. This injury took alot of my happiness from me as well as a lot of my physical abilities. When the fall came this year, still waiting on surgery and constantly reinjuring myself at the gym because I was training too hard I realized I really needed to find something to physically and mentally challenge myself because I was really really missing playing sports.
The first time I tried Bikram hot yoga I was hooked. It not only phsyically pushed my limits, but even more importantly it mentally challenged me more then any sport ever has.Every class is different, and if I am mentally not prepared I suffer through an hour and a half of hell. I know I have to bring my A game mentally and I will coast right on through. So wether a good class or a bad class, I feel fantatsic afterward. I have received so many physical benefits with only doing it twice a week for about two and a half months, my body has come leaps and bounds . I no longer have inflamation , and very little stiffness in injured knee/leg. I was having this daily... ranging to quite painful. I openly admit my posture and balance are terrible, I work as a dental assistant leaning all day and have been compensating with my stronger leg for over a year, so with each class I stand a little taller and straighter, and with each class I can hold by balance poses just a little longer. And it feels great. No more lower back pain from work, no more tendonitis in my right arm. I now look forward to walking into that warm hot room whenever I get a chance, and pushing myself as hard as I can tht day!!
Sherry Ackerman
Calgary, AB
 I began practicing yoga a little over three years ago to improve my mental and physical health and to see whether I might get some relief to my knee discomfort and pain (diagnosed originally as “Patella Femoral Syndrome”*) through yoga exercises.
I first practiced yoga Ashtanga and more recently Bikram yoga. While practicing yoga Ashtanga I also regularly went to the gym and practiced my knees by “walking backwards” on the treadmill as recommended by my Sport Doctor.
Yoga Ashtanga and treadmill exercises alleviated my knee problem to a certain degree. However, when I started Bikram yoga, in just as little as three months my knee pain and discomfort have been almost gone and I can now walk over five kilometres daily without my knee brace and what is also important, I manage my daily mental stress better.
The yoga practice at Bikram Yoga Calgary South studio has enabled me to improve my general well- being. I recommend the flexibility, balance, and physical/mental awareness aspects of Bikram yoga to be an ideal training program for any person, young, mid-aged, male, female and of all ages or to anyone wishing to improve the quality of their physical and mental life. My personal experience also shows that it can also alleviate some forms of knee pain and discomfort.
I will continue practicing Bikram Yoga as long as I can. It makes me feel good, healthy, active, positive, happy and, hopefully, will keep my knee problem at bay. It makes me feel warm inside and warm towards others.
I breathe better, walk straighter and feel taller and with a sense of pride to be practicing yoga.
I would like to thank all the wonderful teachers for guiding me on how to breathe, relax, how to 'quieten one’s mind' and how to hold oneself in and out focussed at all times.
I would like to feel this way all my life and promise myself to continue learning and improving each posture and never give up and quit before mastering any given posture.
I am grateful to Lindsay who told me that Bikram yoga was dedicated to those with knee problems and to those suffering from spine injuries and pains.
“The 20 seconds treat during “Savasana” allows the yogini to just be."
CiCi Tchorzewski
Calgary, AB
 At the recommendation of my friend, I enrolled in Bikram Yoga on January 10, 2010. As a former ballet dancer in my youth, I especially enjoy the discipline and structure of Bikram Yoga. “Bikram reminds me of the grace, elegance, determination, and strength of ballet, practiced outside of your comfort zone in the conditions of the deeply hot and humid room.”The biggest exterior change in my body appearance has been the shapeliness of my lower body. I went from a size 8 to a 2/4 in thirty days.” The awkward pose has positively changed my legs and hips forever.I fought insomnia for many years and now my sleep habits are deeper than ever. Practicing Bikram Yoga has made me acutely aware of my nutritional habits and now I eat and drink to support my body in this new consciousness of my life.More importantly my inner being has changed dramatically. I have a sense of peace and calm that I had somehow misplaced. My level of natural determination and persistence has been
reborn I have an awakened awareness of my surroundings and an even greater appreciation for the small beautiful things in life.Bikram Yoga has nurtured my instinctive nature to stretch my personal limits while having variety and fun in life. I now recommend Bikram Yoga to all of my friends and acquaintances.
Nathalie Boisvert
Bikram calls his class rooms “torture chambers” and there are times where I totally agree! I really did not enjoy my first dozen or so classes. It took me that long just to learn to breathe properly! My friends kept asking why I was going if I wasn’t any good at it and I didn’t enjoy it ... the truth is ... my brain/ego hated the classes ... but my body seemed to love them.
I’m not a big fan of pain and for as long as I can remember I have had serious discomfort in my left elbow and shoulder (due to a childhood injury). I have tried all sorts of different therapies and treatments to get rid of the problem ... all with very limited and short lived success. After my very first Bikram Yoga session the pain in my shoulder eased considerably. To test if this was because of the yoga (and I sincerely hoped it wasn’t) I didn’t come back for a week. The pain returned after a couple of days and nothing seemed to help. So, I tried yoga again and again the pain went away. After about ten or so sessions the shoulder pain disappeared and has not returned. My elbow is taking longer – but is much improved too.
As an added bonus ... since starting to regularly attend classes about 3 months ago – I have dropped two dress sizes (without dieting)!
Helen Anderson
"Four months prior to my Bikram Yoga journey I was always tired, slightly overweight, constantly ill and very anxious. I craved carbs and ate terrible food all the time, I ignored engaging in any form of physical activity and I worried far too much for being a teenager.
At the end of March, nine days after my 18th birthday and 2 months before my high school graduation I left home to go live on my own. All my life I have been an independent spirit and when I started University in the fall of 2009 I was extremely excited to have the chance to play varsity hockey. During the middle of training camp and evaluations I acquired a lethal staph infection known as Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA). Since I work part time at a communal pool as a lifeguard and swimming instructor I am exposed to various warm/humid environments where bacteria is known to fester and multiply. This MRSA superbug is resistant to certain types of antibiotics, if left untreated for too long it can enter the blood stream become septic and morph into a severe case of flesh eating disease... I dare you to google it.
The MRSA had found a nice place on my right knee to inhabit and looked like a tiny spider bite, I thought nothing of it until 48 hours later when my knee was extremely swollen and the size of a small apple. I was unable to walk and was in excruciating pain, I immediately made my way to an emergency room where I was told by the emerge doctor that if I had waited twelve more hours to get treatment they would have considered amputating my leg. Luckily they were able to get rid of most of it with minor surgery and a bout of IV antibiotics.
When I knew I wouldn’t be able to play hockey that season it really did feel like someone had taken my leg. Hockey is such a huge part of my life and I was not used to having a winter without it. In many ways it is like an appendage to me and something that I needed to have in order to function. Hockey is such a natural and necessary component of my life and it broke my heart when I knew I would have to do without it for a season. From September to January I had become very depressed and suffered from classic symptoms like insomnia, anhedonia, fatigue, internal system imbalance and weight gain.
Over the course of 4 months between September and January, the MRSA had re-occurred four more times on different parts of my body. I had no idea what I was going to do. But in January 2010 my mother had started participating in Bikram yoga and suggested that I do the same. At first I was extremely reluctant and did not want to put myself in any more pain than I was already in; I was far too tired and depressed about not playing hockey, too stressed out about organizing my classes for next semester along with recovering from finals, too busy booking hours at work and trying to recover from this terrible MRSA infection. But since I was blessed with a warrior spirit like my mother, I ended up going to the studio and my first class was ruthless... somehow I lasted through the 90 minutes and when I left the hot room something inside of me changed. I was instantly addicted and went to 13 classes in my introductory week. I could not get enough, it replaced the part of my life where hockey used to be and the yoga made me feel like the kid I was when I first stepped onto the ice and discovered how to put play... I was back and finally feeling like myself again.
After a month and a half of hot yoga I visited the infectious disease clinic at the Foothills hospital where I was swabbed and tested for any existent MRSA, 2 weeks later I received a fantastic phone call with the results from my swabs and they were completely clean. The doctor was shocked, he could not believe that the infection had cleared after one month since my last occurrence. My doctor was so amazed and insisted that I return for another appointment... where once again I was swabbed, tested and free of any MRSA. It was the best 19th birthday present ever.
Before hot yoga I was on antibiotics almost everyday and entering the hot room saved my life. From being extremely depressed and almost losing my leg back in September 2009 to rocking out standing boat pose and sweating the MRSA infection out of my body in January 2010. I’ am pleased to say that with the help of everyone at Bikram Yoga Calgary South the practice of this yoga has made my mind stronger and rid my body of the many demons I had been battling against during the darkest time of my life... Thankyou to Bikram Choudhury for creating this yoga and helping me learn so much about myself. You restored my health and have helped my heart grow in so many ways.
So guys, would you rather suffer for 90 minutes or 90 years?
See you in class... I’ll be at the front :)"
Shar
|
