My roommate has been practicing Bikram yoga along with me and I have a testimonial from her:
"My whole life I had been struggling with scoliosis in my lower spine. It was just a slight curve but as a child it kept me out of some sports and caused me some pain. Nothing awful, but definitely a distraction in my life! Also, throughout my life I have always wanted to be a runner. Running was the hardest thing I had every done but it just made me want to do it more and more. It then became my favorite form of exercise.
Beginning of Summer 2014 I decided I was going to run in the Newport Half Marathon in October 2014. I figured if I signed up, and spent the money, there was no way I would not do it. Well, by August 2014 I was heading back to RI to start my junior year of college with my average mile speed about 11:30 per mile for long distance runs. As school started and it began to get colder I had to find alternative forms of exercise. When I was home over the summer my best friend made me do a Bikram yoga class at her studio. My first thoughts were, eh I sweat a lot but I will just stick to my runs.
As I kept running and my times were not improving I decided I needed to try something else. I remembered the Bikram yoga class and started looking for studios near school. After just 3 classes at East Bay I noticed an incredible amount of relief in my back. I was so used to the back pain I just sort of forced it to the back of my mind and never really noticed the pain. I felt so good after going to multiple classes. I noticed that in my runs my posture was way better, my knees felt better, and most importantly my breathing during runs was the biggest difference, that I noticed at first.
So, October was coming and I was getting nervous. I was absolutely sure that Bikram had been helping me in the process but I was not sure how much. Then came race day. I was so anxious but to my surprise the run went amazing. I never had to even slow my pace once, the breathing was easy, my knees were fine, and my back did not cramp at all. I finished the race with 9:50 per mile on average. This was a huge improvement! I knew I had Bikram to thank for this! Along with the incredible teachers at East Bay. As the seasons are changing I have cut down on the runs and started doing Bikram whenever I possibly can. I think it is safe to say that I have a new favorite form of staying healthy! Aside from the running improvements I can also say that I have seen improvement in my skin, it looks healthier then ever. I find that my body feels healthier all the time. I take my diet cheat days very seriously and after a day of pigging out I still find that I feel good about myself! One more thing, this is by far my best semester, grade wise, that I have had in college. It is also the only semester that I have done Bikram. Coincidence? You tell me. (: I am moving back to NH in the middle of December but this is my favorite studio and I will miss it, and the instructors so much and I will be sure to visit whenever possible."
Here is a video that sums up what Bikram yoga is all about in just five minutes!
