If you feel a burst of energy coming in through the studio door, and you look up to see a flash of white teeth and red hair, you’re probably looking at Sue Peloquin, our “Outstanding Student Recognition” recipient.
Sue has been exuding energy in the Burlingame studio at least three times a week for four years now. She’s been so dedicated, she claims, because it has helped her in many different ways. “Before Bikram’s,’ Sue says, “I woke up every morning feeling stiff and sore. I lacked flexibility, and I had a chronic sciatic problem. I felt like I was 80 years old!”
It’s hard to imagine Sue moving or acting as if she were anything but young and vibrant and full of health and vigor (being the youthful, vibrant person she is), but she claims that it is Bikram’s that has made a “marked difference” in the way she feels. “I now climb out of bed feeling good. I’ve got increased flexibility, my abs are stronger and my sciatica’s gone.”
Like so many of us, Sue was at first interested only in the physical benefits of yoga. But, she says, the more she practices, the more she appreciates the mental benefits. “Yoga puts me in a much better place.” Feeling more relaxed and patient, Sue now realizes how powerful the mind/body connection is. “If you feel relaxed on the outside (for example, if you can relax that wrinkled brow), it helps you to relax on the inside. The most important thing is to BREATHE! In a number of stressful cases, I’ve ‘gone back to my breathing’ — just as we’re told to do in class — and it has made a huge difference.”
Sue has made a huge difference in our studio. Her warm smile, unwavering commitment to each posture, and upbeat spirit are contagious and continue to charge each class she attends with a positive energy.