Mary Ann
Vancouver, British Columbia, CANADA
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I was in a car accident in May 2002. This resulted in soft tissue injury to my neck and shoulders as well as chronic lower back pain. It especially got worse during my premenstrual cycles and when I sat for long periods of time. And I do, even until now. I work in front of the computer for the majority of my day and so, after the accident, I experienced discomfort and/or pain regularly. I was just learning more about Bikram's Yoga the same year. |
My first Bikram's yoga class was in February 2002, but I didn't recognize the benefits of it as I was just going once a week to maintain flexibility, cleanse my skin of toxins and get a good full body workout.
I experienced a number of ailments that I never thought a motor vehicle accident could do to me. Because I was looking down before I was hit, my neck muscles were flexed even more likely creating a tear or some type of injury. Also, because the vehicle that I was in spunned around for a good 4-7 seconds, there was pressure on my kidney from leaning hard against the seatbelt. I never realized how bad this accident was to my body and my doctor said that all I could do to minimize the pain was to attend physio, continue to apply heat and cold and do stretches daily.
This wasn't very promising and I wasn't seeing any long term benefits to this treatment program... it seemed more like a "chronic care program" and I was just not accepting that. I started reading more about Bikram's yoga, talked about some of the benefits that yoga could do for me with my instructor, found a good chiropractor and now incorporate yoga into my workout routine 1-2x/wk. |
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I knew that Bikram Yoga was improving my condition because I saw immediate benefits. And I literally "saw". Because of some nerve pressure in my neck, I had blurry vision especially when I was tired. Immediately after a yoga class, my vision was crisp, clear and my neck and back pain were gone.
Also, when I started going to Yoga 3x/wk for a while, I noticed that my back pain was decreasing , my PMS symptoms less discomforting, my mood elevated and my body temperature relatively balanced (I am always cold, so after a yoga class, my body temperature remains warm for a good 2 days). I would say more, but I wouldn't know when to stop.
I hope someday that I can teach yoga to others. I was the type of person who never would be interested in anything "yoga". But here I am talking to friends and family about how beneficial Bikram's Yoga is. I've recruited over 10 friends and they are now hooked as well. My plans at this moment in time is just to spread the word about how good Bikram's Yoga is for the body, mind and soul. :) I am pursuing this through magazine writing also.
--Mary Ann