| | | | | | | | My brother introduced me to Bikram Yoga in 2000. He had been practicing for 1 month, 3 times a week in Portland and had lost 10 pounds and was getting enormous relief from his neck and back pain from which he'd been suffering for years. I have never been a flexible person and was unable to even touch the floor when I attended my first class in Dallas. It definitely was a love-hate relationship. I hated how uncomfortable I felt in the postures but I loved how I felt afterwards. For 90 minutes my mind and body were focused solely on my yoga. All my worries were set aside every single time I practiced.
At the time, I was working in the technology field, which I didn't particularly enjoy but it paid the bills and I loved the people I worked with. I was a 35 year old single mother of two when I began Bikram Yoga. I was stressed out and unsure what I really wanted to be when I grew up. I felt like I was drifting along, just working for money but not feeling any passion for my work. I was STUCK in a RUT!!
Bikram Yoga opened my eyes and helped me gain the peace and self-confidence I needed to make some big changes. I attended Bikram's teacher training in the spring of 2001 and immediately began working toward the goal of opening my own studio. Bikram Yoga Grapevine opened in February 2002 and I've never looked back. I NEVER thought I was someone who would take such a chance as to own my own business. Believe me, through the process, I was scared. But even inside the fear, I knew this was what I was supposed to do. At age 36, I'd finally found myself.
This yoga continues to teach me, both through my own practice and working with others. Everyday I'm inspired by the students who come here to practice, by their willingness to learn, to heal, to share, and to open their hearts and their minds. In my experience, no other endeavor brings together such a diverse group of people, from professional athletes to the physically challenged, artists to technicians, singles and families, young and not-so-young. Everyone works side by side in the hot room, each pushing to his or her own limits, being challenged and invigorated each and every session.
I am so blessed to be a part of something that I truly feel makes a difference. |
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| | | I took my first Bikram Yoga class in March of 1999 in Austin. I just walked in off the street with the intention of 'toning my arms' and possibly losing a few pounds. WOW! Was I ever surprised to find my new mid-life passion – Bikram Yoga.
After practicing in Austin for three years, my husband, Terry, and I packed up our household and headed north to Dallas (after 50+ years in Austin). It was of one of the hardest decisions we have ever made. We are very close to our married children: Dana and her husband, Philip, and Derek and his wife, Gainor. Terry and I are now very proud grandparents to Allison (9-03) and her sister Mary Margaret (12-06), and Rhodes (7-06). My other mid-life passion is being Mimi to these precious children. Our family is very blessed!
I followed my dream of becoming a Bikram yoga instructor and completed training in LA in the Fall of 2002. I wake up each day and am so grateful that I can do this yoga, teach this yoga, and pass on all the amazing benefits to students who are seeking to unify their bodies, minds and spirits through Bikram yoga. How lucky am I to be stronger, happier and more content in my mid fifties than at any other time in my life? As Bikram says, "You are never too late, never too bad, never too old, never to sick to start from scratch again."
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| | | Jay Fairbank - I came to Bikram Yoga in March of 2002 after a long period of inconsistent exercising due to injuries; broken elbow snowboarding and severe ankle sprain wakeboarding. Being a former tri-athlete, I did not think yoga would be a substantial form of exercise. (After all, what's a little stretching?)
Well, after my first class I was hooked. Bikram yoga offered me a well rounded form of exercise. It incorporated balance, strength, flexibility, as well as proving to be an extreme cardiovascular workout. After reading "Bikram's Beginning Yoga Class", I decided to take the "Bikram Challenge (60 classes in 60 days)…guaranteed to change your life." And change my life, it did. I not only felt better physically, but my self esteem improved. I felt a sense of well being and mental calmness.
Wanting to understand more and to give others what I had received, I went to Los Angeles for the 9 week teacher certification that fall. I have been teaching at studios throughout the country since. Seeing and helping others to return to health is just another of the many, many rewards Bikram Yoga offers. |
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| | | I found Bikram Yoga in December 2002, surfing the net for something different and something that I could do with my mom. I have always been pretty active so I was looking for something that would be challenging. The description of Bikram's practice along with its 105 degree heat sounded intriguing. My mom and I started with a 10 class card and have been active yoginis ever since. I never imagined all the benefits this practice would give me, flexibility, balance, discipline, focus and the sciatica that would periodically come back from lower back issues, had gone away. Having had a microdisectomy on my lower spine (L5/S4), this was the answer I was looking for to avoid another surgery.
About 6 months after I had started practicing, I realized that I wanted to become an instructor yet I didn't know how it would be possible to train for nine weeks and still keep my full time job. November 2005 Stacey asked if I was still interested and assured me that if it was something I wanted badly enough, I would find a way to make it happen. So I did, that December I submitted my application for Spring Training 2006. It was the best decision I made. I have become stronger, more confident and more aware of everything around me. To teach what I love doing and to see our students progress in so many different ways than they thought possible, is so completely gratifying. Bikram Yoga is not just a practice; it's a way of life that can add years to your own. Make the commitment, trust the process and breathe……….
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| | | My sister LaDonna introduced me to Bikram Yoga by buying me my first 10 class card at Bikram Yoga Dallas in 2001. I took my first unforgettable class thinking she was finally getting me back for cutting one of her pigtails off when I was three. Little did I know she was actually changing my life in a very profound way.
Bikram Yoga became my safe place to go where I could clear my head, concentrate on slowing down my thoughts and learn to control my breath. I quickly found that not only did Bikram Yoga help me get out of my head for a full 90 minutes it also increased my physical strength, stamina and improved my diet. I had lower back surgery when I was 17 and the heat of the room helped protect my lower back muscles allowing me to stretch deeper and heal scar tissue.
I finally went to Bikram Yoga teacher training in the Fall of 2007. It was an amazing experience being taught by Bikram, Rajashree and the many legends of the Bikram family. I am very grateful to have the opportunity to teach my friends and to teach with my friends at Bikram Yoga Grapevine. Thank you for your support, encouragement, patience, and most of all your smiles. Thank you to my sister for introducing me to Bikram Yoga and improving my life mentally and physically. Namaste'
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| | | Atina McCrary-Pegram- I had worked as a television reporter as well as a retail manager. I was burned out stressed out and was looking for a way to decompress. I found Bikram yoga in 2000 with my friends and immediately fell in love with the yoga. My instructor suggested I become a teacher. Knowing the training was 9 weeks I put the idea on the back burner…that idea didn't stay there very long I headed to LA in the fall of 2001 to start my 3rd and final career!
I opened my own studio Bikram Yoga Downtown a year later. I have seen so many lives changed through this yoga as well as my own. It's the reason I love to teach…to see lives transformed from working hard for 90 minutes in a hot room what could be better. I have had severe asthma since I was 2 and have seen such dramatic change in my health. Since I've been practicing I rarely need any asthma medication. How great is that! I feel very blessed to be a part of the Grapevine studio. It's nice to have a home again.
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| | | I had reached a point of complacency in my life that did not include any physical exercise. I saw my body balloon and thought nothing of it. "I'm still young. I got time." When the doctor told me I had fallen into the obesity category, I had to take charge. I started Bikram Yoga at Grapevine in May of 2008 with my partner as a means for us to improve our physical health. That first day was hard. "This is a beginning yoga class? Really, you're joking right?" I was determined though. I signed up for the 60-day challenge: 60 classes in 60 days. I made up my mind right then and there to make no excuses. It's easy, just like an Indian marriage – no choice.
Those first 60 days are hard. But the next one gets better, and the one after that is even easier. How much has my body changed? How does losing 35 lbs., 6" off your waist, and a reduction of 5.5% body fat sound? Changes are not instant, it takes dedication and a consistent practice. But when you see yourself "melt" away as I did, it is motivation enough. Yes, I have seen changes in my strength, flexibility, and balance. But the changes are also emotional. I have more focus and will power than ever before. And most importantly, I believe in myself. Everyday I overcome the handicap that is myself, looking straight on and challenging that reflection in the mirror. No other activity does 100% effort give 100% return, guaranteed. None. Period.
So into the sixth consecutive 60-day challenge, I headed off to Palm Desert, California for Spring 2009 Bikram Yoga Teacher Training. This yoga has changed my life so much for the better. It is the answer to good health, working the complete package of body, mind, and spirit. It is my responsibility to share it with as much people as I can, including you and the rest of the world, as many people as I can reach.
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| | | When I was 16, I survived a car wreck that launched me from the back seat into the wind shield. My top two vertebrae, the Atlas and Axis, were knocked out of alignment which caused a domino effect down my spine in the form of scoliosis. My hip rotated causing one leg to be longer than the other. I had migraines, eye pain, sensitivity to light, ringing ears, popping jaw, neck pain, left shoulder pain that led to a shoulder surgery, shooting pain down my left arm, tingling in my left hand, lumbar pain, and sciatica.
For 6 years, I was in and out of physical therapy and chiropractic care. I recieved cortisone shots in my spine, nerve blocks in my left arm, and traction, all of which temporarily relieved pain, but healing didn't come until I found yoga. I immediately began to see changes in my flexibility, stamina, and pain reduction. I dropped 25 pounds seemingly over night. I noticed that if I did something to knock my neck out of alignment, I would make a chiropractic appointment as usual, but discovered that if I just did a few yoga sessions, I felt completely better before it was time to see the chiropractor.
When I saw how quickly and effectively yoga transformed not just my body, but also my mind and spirit, I felt I found my calling as a yoga instructor to share my testimony and help others find their way back to health and vitality.
When I'm not practicing or teaching, I enjoy donating my money to my family's Texas Hold em game and volunteering at my daughter's school.
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| | | From minute one my life was changed through this practice. I took my first Bikram yoga class in April 2006. I had injured my leg while over training for a marathon, and had not been able to run or workout since January. That was the longest I had ever gone without being active. I had heard that Bikram was a restorative yoga, and I was desperate for activity but unable to find something my body could handle. I knew after my second class I wanted to teach this yoga, even though I hated my first class! I had bought a month long membership and that was the only reason I came back. It was challenging and rewarding. After finishing my degree I finally went to teacher training in the fall of 2009.
Bikram yoga has taught me so much about myself and my life, how to live, why to live, and what makes me happy in life. I have been given so much strength with my practice. This is so precious to me and I can only hope to touch people through this medium the way the instructors and yoga has renewed and opened me. I want to give back to those who cherish this type of endless possibility. I am happy, healthy, and growing constantly with an appreciation for change and challenge. I can not imagine my life without what this yoga teaches me everyday. I am humbled to be able to learn and train with others who have also been given this similar awakening. I want to improve quality of life for the students who I teach and who grow with me. I want to prove to myself and show others that we are worthy of the joy that this discipline provides. I am so happy to teach Bikram Yoga because I know it will be a part of my life forever, and I wish to share it with anyone who is willing to trust the process as I do. I am thankful everyday for the possibility of this opportunity. It is so exciting to be a part of something so profound.
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| | | Greetings, I'm Carmen Morse, administrative assistant here at BYG. My Bikram Yoga journey began back in 2005 when I was living in Northern California. At the time I was working at a homeless shelter as a case manager for families and at-risks teens. Although a very rewarding job, the day to day stress usually left me depleted of most of my energy and also frustrated because I was not able to fulfill the many needs of the families, such as basic day-to-day living assistance or to obtain adequate housing, if only temporarily.
The staff at the shelter practiced Kundalini yoga once a week for meditation and relaxation, which helped us deal with the daily stress, and it was great. One of my friends/co-workers invited me to check out a different kind of yoga that she had read about, all I knew was that it was yoga practiced in a hot room. My first class was a bit of a challenge (I've had three knee surgeries) and it was HOT !!! I remember my teacher Navin, telling me to focus, meditate and to "put down my towel "and not worry about the sweat pouring down my face. I decided to try a few more times and it actually did get easier. After just a couple of months of practicing on a regular basis, I was amazed at how my whole body was responding to the yoga practice. I noticed a stronger mind, body and spirit connection that I had not seen in a long time and I felt more balanced in my life as well.
Last year I moved back to Texas after living in California for 25 years. I still have a lot of adjustments to make, yet I feel that I am on the right path. I am so grateful to be a part of the BYG family and to be of service to our students as well as the staff. I finished my first 60 Day Challenge (8/19/09), it was one of the greatest and hardest things that I have ever done, and I truly believe that I am a better person when I'm practicing yoga. Since the challenge I realize more than ever, the true meaning of the word JOURNEY !
Peace & Blessings - Carmen
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