get to know - Zohra

I am resilient

My first experience with Bikram yoga was 3 years ago, when my friend Girija brought me to a class. I was pleasantly surprised to run in to one of my professors, although it was weird not seeing him in a shirt and tie. Even though I enjoyed the class, I did not sign up at the time and a few years went by before I came back again.

When I heard about the open house earlier this year, my back was getting sore from work so I decided to see what yoga could do to help. A few of my friends came with me and some of them signed up too. This was great encouragement. We try to carpool and motivate each other. Thanks Clare and Nate for being my yoga buddies!

I absolutely love my job but it does put a certain amount of strain on my body. For example, I often lean to one side. Also, I tend to work with my elbows raised away from my body which causes my upper back to be sore. Yoga has definitely made me more aware of my posture at work, and I love that. Moving through a sequence of postures during the yoga class has made an impact so that when I am at work, I can go in to positions that might otherwise cause strain but I bounce back from them.

Madeline, I love it when you pick on Dr. Tapia (even though you call him Jose Luis and I find it hilarious) because he loved picking on us in class. Lisa, the candle that you gave me is like the positive energy that you shine on everyone. Paul, your attention to detail pushes me to be more precise, but I am always so tempted to say “Stomach! Stomach! Stomach!” during the breathing exercise at the end of your class. Sarah, you have given me a lot of encouragement and I appreciate how you forced me to set up my mat right in front of you so you could give me better feedback on my poses. Tricia, you say I am smiley but I think you’re the one with one heck of a smile.