September, 2002
For a good ten years, Joycelyn Firenzi used to walk up and down the Burlingame hills for four hours—10 to 12 miles a day. Shortly after Thanksgiving last year, one of her walks just happened to land her in front of Bikram’s Yoga studio.
It was in the studio’s window that Joycelyn saw something that startled her. Given all the walking she had done and therefore the fitness level she felt she had reached—Joycelyn was taken aback by her own reflection. “I saw for the first time that I was all stooped over,” she reported. “My shoulders were rounded, and my back hunched forward.” Despite her intensive walking routine, Joycelyn realized she wasn’t getting everything she needed from it. She immediately walked into the studio and asked the teacher if Yoga would help. His affirmation brought her back to the studio to give it a try.
During her first try during the standing balancing series, Joycelyn was miserable and decided she never wanted to return. Once she got on the floor, however, she felt less distracted, less self-conscious and could listen to the dialogue better. She made up her mind to try it again.
She did try it again…and again….and again. Joycelyn has hardly missed a day of Yoga since, and, in fact, she quite frequently practices two times a day. “I’ve completely rearranged my schedule around Yoga,” Joycelyn confessed. She does so because she gets so much in return.
Physically, Joycelyn feels free from the arthritis that was plaguing her back and next and causing the stoop in her spine. “I’ve probably grown a couple of inches,” she marveled. But more importantly, Joycelyn said that Yoga has brought her a “gift” of inner peace. “I’m calmer, more within myself. There’s a peace about me that I don’t remember having a year ago.”
“I want to say something profound about Yoga, because it’s had such a profound influence in my life,” Joycelyn stated. “But when I try to put it into words, I realize you just have to try it to understand.”
Say no more, Joycelyn. The positive changes we have seen in you—and the positive influence your enthusiasm, your energy and your dedication have had on everyone around you…says it all.