Community

Eileen Strotz
Studio: Grapevine

How long have you been practicing Bikram Yoga?

I started at Bikram in October of 2009.  (17 months)

What was your life/body like before you started practicing Bikram Yoga?

I felt like I was this young person mentally trapped in a body that had acquired that middle age spread.  My waist line had expanded and I was getting flabby arms.  I wore loser clothes and tops that did not have to be tucked in.  I was unhappy with myself.  I felt like I had lost control of me physically.  I knew that I needed to do something totally different with my life. 

What motivated you to take your first class?

I was not a stranger to physical fitness.  I loved sports, I taught dancing in my twenties, and was pretty disciplined at going to the gym.  It just was not working for me anymore.

In January of 2009 I was diagnosed with breast cancer.  I went through 2 surgeries and finished my treatments in August of 2009.  When a doctor informs you that you have cancer, I believe your life takes on a whole new meaning and perspective.   It brought me much closer to my husband and two children.

I think the combination of the diagnosis and the changes in your body that occur when you reach middle age were motivation enough for me to really find something that helped me with mental and physical healing.

How often do you practice?

My job requires me to travel a lot but I try to make it to class 3 to 4 times a week.

How has your life/body changed since you started practicing?

In the beginning I struggled with the heat, I fought the dizziness and I struggled with the postures, thinking at the time that my body would never bend that way and will there ever come a day that I can make it through the class without having to sit or lay down.

Well it is now May of 2011 and I am happy to say that I can make it through the class (most of them), I can do all of the postures (still a work in progress but much more flexible) and I have lost over 20 pounds and 3 inches on my waist line.  Not to mention toning up all of the problem areas that middle age women start to see as they grow older.  (Flabby arms, thighs, jelly belly and butt)  Did I miss any??  I am in much better shape and much stronger.

Is there anything else?

I will be turning 58 in July of this year and thanks to Bikram Yoga I can fit into my clothes that I wore 30 years ago (and yes I still have some of them in my closet).

I need to thank all of the teachers for their encouragement and appreciate the call-outs when I need to be challenged. Jorina coined the phrase and best described the experience as a Love/Hate relationship.  I concur.  I also never complained when the heater was broken, I just worked a little harder.What I really want to leave you with is this:

Bikram Yoga and eating right will produce happier, healthier lives.

DON’T MISS OUT.