December 2001
It was a hard time for Todd. As an executive of a once very successful internet company, Todd was fighting to keep it from totally collapsing. As branches of his company were closing and hundreds of people were laid off, Todd fought to keep any portion of it standing. “I was in a bad way,” Todd admitted, “I was mentally stressed out and physically out of shape.”
At the encouragement of his wife, Todd tried Bikram’s. “The first two times I tried it,” Todd stated, “I hated it.” But he kept trying, and soon Todd began to appreciate the physical improvements he felt. “The first six months, I loved the physical aspect of Yoga.” For the first time in years, he felt like h was gaining flexibility and cardiovascular strength. “Then, I began noticing the mental benefits. I started noticing that I could focus better—that I had the ability to push stuff out of my mind—to stop the tape.” Todd found what a “cool treat” it is to let go of the non-stop mental noise most of us walk around with. “Now I practice Bikram’s maybe more for the mental benefits than the physical.”
“Having been practicing Bikram’s helped me through another stressful time,” Todd reported. Todd had been renting an office at the World Trade Center for fifteen Tuesdays in a row. For only the second time, Todd didn’t make it into that office on the Tuesday of September 11. “I couldn’t believe what had happened. Having a “Type A” personality, it’s hard not to try to control everything—and here everything was completely out of anyone’s control. I could have let that situation really brings me down, but because of Yoga I had the ability to accept what was happening more calmly.”
Todd is still working long and hard and traveling a lot. Nevertheless, he manages to fit in Bikram’s four to five times a week. Even when he travels, he seeks out a Bikram’s Studio and practices while he’s away. We, here in the studio at home, are always happy to have him back.