November 2001
To Wendy Sun, Bikram’s is like the fireworks at Disneyland. You have to pay your dues to see them, she says. You have to walk in long lines then stand and wait forever in the heat—feeling the crush of the crowd and the pressure of bored children. Just when you start thinking it’s too much to bear, the skies cool down, then light up, and the exhilarating spectacle of fireworks begins. “Suddenly it’s all worthwhile, ways Wendy, “Just like Bikram’s.” All the sacrifice, effort and perseverance become irrelevant given the magnitude of the payback.
A busy mother of two, Wendy felt like she was wearing out from giving so much. “I used to always try to please everyone but myself,” she explains. “My shoulders were sore and still from tension. I was feeling drained.” Then Wendy stumbled onto Bikram’s. After a short period, Wendy discovered an “inner peace” that was lacking before. She felt that stored up tension releasing. Consequently, she felt better about life and about herself. She felt she had more patience and energy to offer to her family. “I feel like it’s an accomplishment practicing Bikram’s. It’s something I do for myself to take care of myself and become stronger. When I take care of myself, I have more energy to give others.”
Wendy has been practicing for over a year. She consistently comes five times a week and wants to come “every single day.” “Yoga makes me glad to be alive,” Wendy joyously states. Life can be, after all, as beautiful as fireworks.