In recent years Bikram Yoga and the entire community took a battering. If you see the netflix film you may have opinions. You may also see how incredible teacher trainings used to be. Bikram truly had a magic to teach. Whatever a student needed, he held a mirror in himself. Over the years the trainings grew to ridiculous numbers, the support was not there and the magic got twisted. Many of the previous teachers who facilitated wonderful trainings, had passed or moved on. Bikram was left surrounded by sycophants wanting to touch his feet, with little or no real care for the Yoga or the trainees. At this time Bikram is not facilitating teacher trainings. All the above creates a possibility that some who would find this practice life changing, will never try it. 

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True Story

Mostly happily messed up when Gilly, my phenomenal Godmother, encouraged me to study with Bikram  in Los Angeles. Previously I also had broken my spine falling off a balcony, and a lot in my body didn’t work properly.  

 

On first meeting, I found Bikram funny (both haha and a little strange ; );  He became friend,  foe,  father,  child, brother, ultimately a kind teacher. I was not looking for a Guru, and his teaching methods suited me. He remains one of the most intuitive, wisest people I have met. A great teacher for me and countless others.

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Practicing twice daily, the spine and body came back relatively quickly. Within a couple of weeks I was physically pain free for the first time in 5 years. As the training progressed other things came up, and healing from having been raped when I was younger was relatively straightforward. Dreams and horrors stopped and I finally felt clean again.  I didn’t really question how the yoga made this happen, just felt peaceful and grateful that it had.  I graduated to teach that year, quit my job as an RGN, and Bikram helped me find a job in Kauai HI. (couple of classes a week, living on a beach eating mangoes).  Beginning many incredible years of travelling and teaching. 

 

In 2005 I was hit by a bus.

The scariest minutes of my life came with 'don't move her" whilst I was laying on a CAT scan - the room filled with doctors, then specialists. everyone talking about my neck being broken, me smacked up not feeling any part of my body. The scan showed pretty much every joint and bone through the right side of my body, including the vertebrae, had hair line fractures, Happily though, not one was out of place. I told the team about the Yoga, and it was agreed I was (almost) fine, and concluded I had bounced back in to my bones, all my vitals protected. I was taking steps the next day, my recovery time was less than half what the doctors predicted, and healing far greater than anyone expected

 

A year after that I was drugged and raped by two men. For many reasons, this time the devastation and the fallout was greater. I began twice daily classes again, questioned and accepted what had happened, and detached from it - with the intention of really studying what the body and this yoga was capable of. Along with some great teachers, I studied my fascia. The practice showed blockages created by injuries from the bus and toxic memories from the rape held within the blockages. Through study, meditation and past life regression therapy (utterly fascinating and relevant), but mostly through practicing Bikram Yoga, in pieces I recovered the drugged memory; clear horrific images would come up, often tears and all kinds of cramp and pain, but then it would leave, bits at a time. The toughest, funnest, and best of loves (my friend and training soulmate John), got me up of the floor and on the mat every day; And then we would go play frisbee. Re-run until the work was done.  I can only imagine where my life might be without Bikram Yoga (and Gilly and John and many others), but I am certain it would not be as wonderful as it is.

 

Forever grateful for the part that Bikram Yoga and Bikram himself have played in my life.  The bright and fantastic always has a shadow, and Only Love is more than enough to deal with the dark side. Karma will restore balance. The ironies are far from lost and very powerful, I know it is my work to share this Yoga with as many as possible. Everyone has a story, many a little or a lot broken, Everyone on this planet has recently been through massive shifts simultaneously, with so many different reactions and symptoms in all areas of being. I truly believe we can all be fixed with time and this Yoga. It is just a body we are residing in, fix that and the fascia, and the soul will always choose to be happy.