May Student of the Month is
Corinn Clark
Coming up on her four year yoga anniversary, Corinn remembers the beginning of her yoga journey. She would see the 'Make Your Body Smile' advertisement in The Source and wonder where the heck is Industrial Way?'. Then one day she walked into the heated studio for the very fist time. After class, she thought whoever practiced Bikram Yoga were out of their friggin' minds. Yet, she decided to try a couple more classes before making any final judgments. After the Intro Special, she felt amazing and purchased a Monthly Unlimited - has been practicing ever since. Now averaging four times a week, the practice becomes more meditative over time. "I have found a peaceful place where I can return when class becomes difficult. Of course, I still have moments that make me want to run out of the studio and yell like a wild banshee, but they are becoming increasingly less frequent!"
Yoga has helped Corinn in many ways. She and her husband, Paolo agreed to do a 30 day challenge together. During the challenge, she noticed many physical changes. She began to understand what it meant to 'contract every muscle'. Her body felt as though it had a desire to reach beyond previous limitations including working through her own scoliosis and injured hamstrings. Her spine continues to improve and her curvature is greatly reduced. Yes, again back to that ad that she read in The Source, her body and spine is actually smiling!
But the smiles have not always been constant. Her most difficult yoga experience occurred when, for about six months, every posture and every movement were painful. For a brief moment she actually considered discontinuing her yoga practice. But, after hours of surfing the net and coming up with myriad self-diagnoses, Corinn decided that the best idea was to continue her yoga practice. In hindsight, she understood that these sensations were evidence of massive realignment - both physically and emotionally. Instead of quitting, she instead had to back off a bit and refrain from judging herself for not being able to do postures as "well" as in the past. It taught her to be gentle and kind to her body and to attend class without worrying about what may or may not be accomplished on any given day. This period, however difficult, helped her to learn this valuable skill of respecting the body and its natural ability to heal through continuous effort.
Most recently Corinn attended both days of Jason Winn's Posture Clinics. The workshop brought her additional perspectives of her Bikram's Yoga practice. She attended both the Beginning and Advanced Workshop. It was great to hear all the questions posed at the beginning workshop. Then attending Bikram's Advanced Workshop Jason helped her understand all of the postures at a deeper level.
Taking what she learns in the room and into her life is evidence that yoga is helping improve her life. "My patience, focus and confidence have all increased. I am kinder to myself and my body. I have become very aware of the random thoughts that float through my mind. I would like to be free from self-imposed limitations and Bikram Yoga has been instrumental in creating a shift in these types of destructive thoughts. Bikram Yoga has helped me deal with my fears and has created a desire to continuously improve on a personal level. Overall, I believe yoga is a lifelong practice. It is both a journey in self-awareness and a beautiful form of artistic physicality. It literally touches every aspect of who we are and helps us to heal both on a physical and emotional level. Yoga has improved my life and will remain an integral part of my life."
Kathy Durham, Bikram Yoga Certified Teacher
