Name: David means “beloved”
Country of origin: United States if America via Washington D.C.
Years of Yoga practice: 9 years
What I do for a living: I’m a Singer
I loooooooooovvveeee this song: Ribbon in the Sky by Stevie Wonder
I cannot resist: Chocolate
My motto: work hard, play hard
My favorite Asana (for the moment): Ustrasana – Camel
When I don’t practice I…meditate
How it all began…
I remember seeing some posts from Christopher Hemmans on Facebook about Bikram Yoga.I was intrigued but skeptical. Apprehensive at first but interested. Chris is a good friend from college in NYC who is living in Hamburg. We talked about our lives, our achievements and our goals. One goal I had was to get my mind and body connected. To physically connect to my Spiritual self with my body. He told me, “I can help you with that. Next time you come to Hamburg, stay with me and I will introduce you to this new practice I’ve been doing.”
I arrive in Hamburg and Christopher Hemmans took me to this studio that was hot. I remember after the standing series we got on the floor and I was finally like: this must be the cool down. Boy was I wrong! The madness had just begun. I called on Jesus for guidance and strength. I felt like, what kind of “friend” would drag me into this craziness?! He assured me that I did everything correctly but that I was just overwhelmed by the heat. Class was finally over and I was drained. Done! Water Water Water…
Then something miraculous happened. I began to feel so much lighter than I had in years. Crazy enough, I wanted more of this. I found myself flying to Hamburg just to take Hot Yoga. Sometimes, I could combine it with work but the goal was to work on my mind and body.
After this initial experience, I went on a crusade to make changes in my life. Including Colonic’s, my eating habits and Bikram. I prayed and waited and prayed some more for a studio in Stuttgart to open up. Finally it happened.
I remember the day I walked through the front door and I shouted out, “I’m Home!” I met the most angelic soul that day. Oz and I introduced ourselves and the healing began. I became a regular practitioner and thus began my love affair with Hot Yoga. It was a real revelation…
I was in need of a healing practice to silence the noise that sometimes consumes me, and Oz guided me through this every step of the way.
As a result of taking Hot Yoga I have seen my blood pressure go down, my concentration increase, my weight reduce drastically and my eating habits shift; all in a positive direction. Healing of my mind, body and soul. There were times when I literally had to force myself to take class, but I have never regretted it. I have never walked out of a class and thought, I wish I hadn’t done that.
I am slowly finding my way back to Hot Yoga after taking a 3 month break due to a surgery. I am looking forward to going back into my practice with the same dedication and gusto as before. To anyone thinking about trying Hot Yoga, I would definitely recommend it. This is something that you can’t get in a gym or a church. It’s a combination of the Spiritual, the Mental and the Physical. I am so grateful for my college brother 9 years ago for many things but specifically for introducing me to this practice that has sustained me and given me a peace that surpasses all understanding. Now at 50 years old, I’m working on that other part of my life. I believe I am going into it with the strength and courage like I did 9 years ago but now I have the added bonus of having the insight that this is indeed not only a game changer but a life changer.
Erfahre mehr von den wunderbaren David Whitley here!