MIKE TALAMANTEZ | THAVMA YOGA’S APRIL STUDENT OF THE MONTH

1.Tell us a little about yourself Before Bikram? weight was 240 lbs ..lifestyle was working 12 hrs a day and I  had no life , my mood was zoned out on methadone , no energy @ all unless I took the methadone. the whole down hill slide with my bad health and methadone addiction came right after my brothers death and continued for 7 years , he died of a heart attack @ 49 yrs old we lived together and I loved him dearly , I shut down.

 I smoked 2 packs a day  cigarettes from the time I was 16 yrs old , I came Bikram Yoga took 2 classes and figured it was the cigarettes or Bikram  I quite right then , It took 2 1/2 months to detox off  the methadone which I also put down within the first week of my Bikram practice,

2.What made you decide to take your First Bikram Class? I had a Stroke and my blood pressure was @ 200 over a 100

3.What was your first Bikram Yoga experience like? Karl from south Africa was teaching , I thought I was going to die , very hard class

4.How was your first week of Bikram? Torture

5.What made you continue? I wanted to live ,I remember being very scared  and did not want to have another stroke

6.How long have you been practicing? 2 years

7.What changes have you seen since you began the practice? mind , body and soul ………my mind body and soul were dead when I arrived at my first Bikram Yoga Class , now its all alive , energy level is tremendous , social life is 100 percent better also I lost 80 pounds! my weight now is 165 lbs J

8.Where have you seen that it helps you? it helps in every aspect of my life , social life , athletic hobbies that I have , work ,in  helping others , I can see a lot of things with more clarity now!

9.What is your favorite posture? eagle posture

10.What is your least favorite pose? I do not have a least favorite posture , I am grateful for all of them.

11.What do you like most about Thavma bikram yoga? the life style they represent , the people that own it, and the tremendous health benefits u get from a regular practice! I also want to say thank u from the bottom of my heart  to my good friend and my yoga teacher Marina Bourantonis    for seeing me thru this 2 year journey with love , understanding and great yoga instruction!

The best thing ever is that I checked blood pressure a couple of days ago I was 115 over 70 , Two Months after I started Bikram I stopped taking My Blood Pressure Medicine haven’t needed them since. My MD told me a year after I showed up @ her office that I was a ticking time bomb when I first arrived at her office, she was so happy with the change that I made and that most people do not realize that they have the power to heal themselves, I did AMEN !!