Community

Guillermo Olarte
Studio: Grapevine

I was very honored when Stacy asked me to write a testimony about my Bikram Yoga (BY) experience.

My name is Guillermo Olarte, 66 years old, married to Ligia, 2 grown up sons and one little pug pet.

This is how everything started with: My wife asked my youngest son Fabian to surf the net and find a good place to practice yoga and he found "Bikram Yoga" in Grapevine. Not knowing anything about practicing yoga in a heated room, my wife was curious and bought the first set of classes. After she was attending a few weeks, my wife asked me to give it a try to yoga. At first, I laughed and told her no way! Later however, I could not resist the idea. After attending a few sessions, I was hooked and have not looked back since!

I had been very athletic during my entire life, explored several sports and spent 20 years in the Colombian Air Force. Unfortunately, a few years ago I was diagnosed with osteoarthritis in both of my knees. The pain was so awful that I was limited at even accomplishing the most simple daily tasks and eventually, I was forced to quit tennis after more than 30 years of practice. I decided to start doing BY twice per week with the hope to heal and alleviate the pain. Unfortunately, BY could be a good healing procedure and help your body in many ways, but it cannot do miracles. My knees were bone to bone and clinically beyond any physical therapy. However the little practice that I went through for a few months, helped me to strength my knee ligaments and be prepared for the next event.

Given these circumstances, I decided to quit yoga and schedule my double knee replacement surgery which took place in September last year. I did both knees at the same time, and in three weeks I was able to walk, and 8 weeks later I was able to play golf and biking again. In March this year, feeling much better, I restarted BY trying to attend an average of four times per week when in town and do what I could within my physical limitations. This time, I found myself being much more able. BY has not only been just an extension of my knee therapy, but a healing process that is helping me in recover fully from knee surgery, shaping my body and gaining more flexibility little by little.

Besides all the physical and mental benefits, when you commit to practice BY you take responsibility in some other areas related to your body and your mind. You start to change your life style, to watch what you eat, what you drink, to reduce the consumption of toxins and to be more worried about your health and preventive medicine.

In my case, as an example, I want to show you just some facts experienced during these past 8 months of continuously practicing BY., comparing my lab work in one year time frame:

- Total cholesterol improved from ...................... 185 to 173 N
- LDL, bad cholesterol improved from ................ 109 to 99 N
- Triglycerides improved from ............................... 170 to 167 H
- Glucose or sugar level from ....................................109 to 91 N

To finish, I want to thanks Stacey for the opportunity to share my story, for her leadership in the studio and congratulate all her staff members for the tremendous teaching job they are doing and for the good sense of humor showed in every single class.