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Sherri Davis
Studio: Grapevine

Bikram yoga has become a way of life for me and I truly cannot imagine ever having to be without it again. Because I have experienced so many changes in my life and body because of it, I am choosing to relate only those connected with my peri-menopausal and menopausal years for this testimonial.

I took my first Bikram class in March of 1999 at the age of 49 and was experiencing peri-menopausal symptoms at the time: night sweats, insomnia, and some emotional upheaval. I was also having some female issues in the form of severe menstrual cramping and bleeding. From time to time I would get back on birth control pills to help control the bleeding. Then I would gain weight, feel bloated, have headaches and take myself off the pill for relief. I never took any type of hormone replacement medication related to menopause. I just kept doing my yoga 3-4 times a week.

Finally after 3 years of this cycle, and 2 sonograms showing fibroid tumors in my uterus, my doctor suggested a hysterectomy. So in January of 2002, after completing a 30 day challenge at my Austin studio, I had the surgery. They put an estrogen patch on me in the hospital and I took it off, saying I didn't want it. The doctor questioned my ideas but I said I know my body and I don't like the way the hormones make me feel.

Because I had the surgery laproscopically, my recovery was very easy. After doing a biopsy of the uterine lining, it was determined I had a condition called adenomyosis, which has symptoms that resemble endometriosis. I was back at yoga after 4 weeks and picked up where I left off – no HRT, only yoga.

One of the most interesting parts of this story is that I had a lot of bloodwork done prior to my surgery. The doctor decided to check my hormone level to see if I was in full blown menopause yet and we discovered from the levels that during the 3 previous years I had already gone through menopause and never really knew it.

The other part of practicing Bikram yoga that relates to menopause is keeping the bones of the body strong and helping to prevent osteoporosis. I have had 2 bone scans done in the last 4 years and both showed the exact same results: my hips, femur bones, and lumbar spine are all right in the middle of the normal range. I rarely remember to take calcium so this is pretty amazing. The weight bearing effect of the yoga has helped keep my skeletal system right where it should be without medication.

I am now the grandmother of three precious children – Allison, Mary Margaret, and Rhodes and I am grateful every single day to Bikram yoga for the strength I have in my mid-fifties. I am able to sit in the floor and play with the babies, go off the diving board with Allison, and ride on the back of Poppie's motorcycle. What more could any Mimi ask for?

Thank you Bikram yoga for allowing me to age gracefully, with strength, power, and the ability to love myself and those around me.