Skip to main content
Tag

hot yoga testimonial

Oct 06
Love0

Consistent Practice Makes Progress for Sujin Kim

By Testimonial

yoga testimonial sterling hot yoga mobile al customer satisfactionFor two-and-a-half years, Sujin Kim couldn’t sit her hips on the floor between her heels and rest on her elbows in fixed firm pose, the first seated posture in the original hot yoga series. For three years, she couldn’t get her upper body relaxed on the floor.

“I thought I would never be able to master this pose,” she said. “For this particular pose, I just did not know what to do with my body…”

Through a consistent yoga practice, Sujin slowly but surely strengthened what she described as a weak lower back, knees and ankles to finally progress in her expression of the posture.

“I truly appreciate all the encouragement, commitment, dedication and, more importantly, challenges that every instructor provides for students’ best yoga experience and practice,” she said. “Without their loving and caring “pushes,” I couldn’t make it this far.”

That’s not the only changes Sujin has experienced in her last three years practicing yoga, all at Sterling.

“After practicing the 26-posture sequence of hot yoga in the same order EVERY class for 60/90 minutes in the room heated to 100+ degrees, I get an exhilarating sense of freedom and fulfillment from the satisfaction that I pushed myself through all the physical and mental challenges of each posture,” she said.

Outside of the hot room, Sujin pursues an intense, goal-oriented lifestyle, but she said she needed something to help her achieve more mindfulness, presence and calm.

“I needed something to draw me to the present moment in order to enter a deeper and balanced  relationship with myself,” she said.

Sterling Hot Yoga & Wellness was an ideal choice for her to begin her yoga journey because of its convenient location. The reason that she started her practice is the same reason she keeps coming back.

“I really enjoy and welcome the mental and physical challenge of the 26-posture sequence that forces me to give the best with my body at that very moment,” she said, “by embracing the present moment with a calming mind and being totally present with myself.”

Getting to that point took some time. During her first class, Sujin said for the entire 60 minutes of her first class she “wondered why in the world was I putting myself through this.”

Now, Sujin is motivated to practice regularly because she is so in tune with the benefits it holds for her.

“The benefits of hot yoga can be manifested in many different ways. One of them is preparing myself for whatever today has in store: pain and sadness or celebration and joy,” she said. “Being able to embrace myself and push through a tough class helps my attitude toward the ups and downs of daily life – bring it on!”

Are you ready to take the first step of your yoga journey?

Try our introductory special, just $39 for 30 days of unlimited yoga and/or Pilates.

Mar 03
Love0

Anne Adams Faced Breast Cancer With the Help of Hot Yoga

By Testimonial

Hot Yoga Benefits Sterling Hot Yoga Mobile Yoga for Cancer Patients Hot Yoga BenefitsNaturally flexible after a childhood and adolescence dedicated to ballet, Anne Adams was drawn to yoga.

More than 20-plus years of vinyasa, power yoga, gentle flows, and prenatal, laughter and breath yoga helped her maintain her flexibility—just as yoga had done for her mother. “My mother does yoga,” Anne said, “and is very flexible at 70.”

Flexibility is one of the top reasons many seek out yoga, along with balance, strength, weight loss and stress reduction.

But more than the flexibility, yoga helped provide Anne the strength and calm to navigate one of the toughest challenges of her life: cancer.

“Yoga helped me prepare for and recover from a bilateral mastectomy,” she said. “I was very diligent in my attendance prior to surgery and recovery to help with my anxiety and to boost the health of my body as much as possible, and it worked.”

She credits her consistent practice for helping her feel strong despite the surgery that left drains in her torso for six weeks.

“My strength from yoga (and Iron Hour and Pilates) helped me to be able to do very basic things that, had I not been so fit, would have made recovery tougher,” she said. “I was able to recover quickly and feel strong again very quickly.”

Physical strength wasn’t all Anne got from yoga. It gave her peace in times of stress, worry or pain.

“I used my yoga breathing to calm myself during doctor’s appointments,” Anne said, “and to quell the anxiety of having cancer with a young child or to deal with pain.”

Still, yoga provided more. Through yoga, Anne also found a compassionate yoga community that enveloped her in love and support before surgery, during recovery and after she returned to her practice.

“The yogis at the studio supported me throughout my breast cancer journey. When I worked so hard in classes working through my anxiety and cried at the end of class in full exhaustion, they let me do it, were comforting to me and let me get it out,” Anne said.

“They set intentions for their classes to send me good vibes while I was out recovering. They sent me pictures of classes in which I was a regular,” she continued. “They were encouraging when I returned and couldn’t quite do everything I was used to being able to do.”

Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women, according to the American Cancer Society, and there is a 1 in 8 chance that a woman will develop the disease. Not surprisingly, others in Anne’s support group knew what she was facing.

“Unfortunately, some of them had also had cancer, and they had important advice they shared,” she said. “They gave me a lot of fight, courage and strength, while also giving me genuine empathy because they actually understood.”

Anne has since resumed her practice with a passion, but it was getting back to her routine and getting back to her yoga community that fueled her.

“I had never had such a fire to get back to something,” she said. “I believed that the richly oxygenated blood would heal my surgical wounds faster and more thoroughly, and I wanted to prove to myself that I would fight for my health and that I could still be strong after a cancer diagnosis.”

Anne has been a part of the Sterling Hot Yoga Mobile community for more than three years, thanks to repeated invites from her friend Shellene McLean. A back injury forced an exercise hiatus, but when she resumed, she accepted her friend’s invitation and decided to try hot yoga “because it was a way to see her,” Anne said.

“I came back because y’all say to come back within 24 hours. I kept coming back because of the feeling afterwards,” she said. “It was very different from anything else I had done. It’s very hard, but it leaves me with a great feeling.”

That feeling differs from student to student, and sometimes it’s hard to describe. It can refer to the physical, mental, emotional or energetic self. But at the heart of it all is an acceptance of and peace with the present moment.

“Yoga teaches me humility, consistency and patience. And I’m constantly having to learn them again and again,” Anne said. “It teaches me that every class isn’t going to be the same, my balance isn’t going to be the same, nor is my flexibility. Consistency helps, but I have to continuously learn to be patient with the limits of my body.”

Like it did for Anne, yoga holds a wealth of benefits, but you’ll never know what those may be for you until you show up on your mat. “I would encourage others to try yoga to complement their other forms of exercise,” she said, “because in turn they will find so much more.”

Are you ready to find more of what you want in your life? Try our introductory special, $30 for 30 days of unlimited practice. We would love to see you on your mat!

Feb 03
Love0

Danny Miller Experiences Benefits, Community Through Hot Yoga

By Testimonial

The thought of practicing yoga in a room heated to 105 degrees and regulated at 40 percent humidity can be an intimidating one for many people. But for Danny Miller, that was part of the intrigue.

“I was curious about ‘hot’ yoga, and I was looking for a challenge and a good sweat,” he said.

Now, six-and-a-half years later, Danny can safely say that hot yoga has become a way of life.

His journey into yoga began simply enough—he was looking for an exercise that was less stressful on his bones and joints. And in the hot room, he found it.

The sequence of 26 postures and two breathing exercises practiced in original hot yoga is meant to be as restorative as it is strengthening.

The precise order of the postures in the heat offers multiple benefits, such as restoring range of motion to joints, healing chronic pain and relieving stress.

From a consistent practice, Danny has experienced improved flexibility, increased stamina, a stronger immune system, less inflammation and a better mental state. But that’s not the only thing that keeps him coming back to the hot room.

“The continued improvement in my flexibility and strength, and overall health,” he said. “And the new friends I’ve made along the way.”

Though he describes yoga as a “huge part” of his lifestyle, he said he still sees progress in his mental and physical toughness each year, and that’s been a pleasant, but surprising realization.

Danny remembers that the first class can be scary and intimidating, and, yes, it is really hot! But making the commitment to try can be the hardest, though most important part.

Beyond that, he did have some words of advice for the first-time student: “Just go in with no expectations,” he said,” and listen to your body.”

In Danny’s nearly seven years with Sterling Hot Yoga Mobile, he’s seen growth and transformation—from name changes to class offerings to ownership. But one fundamental thing has stayed the same.

“There’s an energetic atmosphere that everyone feeds off of,” he said, “allowing one to push further and to take their practice to the next level.”

Do you want to be a part of what Danny is talking about?

Try our introductory special, just $39 for 30 days of unlimited yoga and/or Pilates.