Tehani has an amazing practice and such calm and poise — all while keeping her practice up at not one, but 2 studios!
Here’s her story:
“I’m a former gymnast, springboard diver and flying trapeze artist. I began having back pain when I was 13 years old, and had low back disk surgery in my mid twenties. I began having joint pain and swelling in all of my joints in my early thirties and had constant headaches. I was told by my doctors that I had rheumatoid arthritis and fibromyalgia. One day while driving to work I was crying in my car from the pain and I asked the Universe to please help me. At that very moment I saw a sign on the street corner that said “Hot Yoga”. I took my first class the next day. I thought I’d die of neck pain doing the first breathing exercise! But I stuck with it and by the end of the first week the swelling and pain in my knuckles was gone, and I had regained mobility in my neck. It was like magic! Not long afterward, I was able to stop the meds altogether. I fully expected to be in a wheelchair by the time I turned 40, but Bikram Yoga has saved me from that fate.
I was concerned about injuring my low back where I had the surgery, but on the contrary, it has strengthened my back and everything else. I was also afraid of overheating and dehydration, but I developed a wicked tolerance for the heat and learned about hydrating daily.
I was taking 2000 mg of anti-inflammatories per day, plus muscle relaxants and vicodin on really bad days. I tried acupuncture, chiropractics, and physical therapy but only got temporary and minimal relief.
I knew after my first class that I was onto something. The combination of heat and stretching was just what I needed. By my fourth class my stiff, swollen fingers and toes had returned to normal, and I could turn my neck! After a few months the headaches went away.
When I started practicing I had a stressful job, and three young children. I always felt overwhelmed and angry. The calm I got from my practice showed me that I needed to make other lifestyle changes so that I could feel calm even outside class. I quit the job and found a position in a quiet office. My fuse is much longer now, and although I still work full time, commute, and go home and cook, clean and drive the kids to their activities, for the most part I feel in control of my life. My whole family benefits from that!
The joint pain dissipated rapidly. I became flexible again, and feel strong! My muscles became toned again after so many years of lethargy. I became so much more resistant to colds and flus. My allergies and acne have disappeared.
It only takes a few missed classes to remind me of how I felt before I found Bikram Yoga. First my neck and back stiffen, then my headaches come back, and then my attitude gets bad! If I don’t make myself come to class my family will!
My whole life I struggled with weight issues and overeating. Little by little I have cleaned up my diet, and stopped putting garbage in my body, because a poor diet and excessive eating makes class so much harder!!! Yoga forces you to assess your body condition every class, and if you have not been taking care of yourself you will suffer!
So many people, including some doctors, have tried to tell me that this practice can’t be good for me. I could have chosen to believe them and given up, because this is not an easy practice! But thanks to the teachers’ positivity and unwavering faith, I stuck with it, and now I am living proof that Bikram Yoga heals. I feel so much younger than I did ten years ago.”