At the end of December 2015 I decided to reintegrate Bikram Yoga as an elementary leisure component. A few years ago it was already a component, but only as a training supplement. Unfortunately, my time-consuming professional life had not allowed such activities for several years. After I decided to reduce my life from "mega-focus job" to "work as a focus among many", Bikram Yoga had to be primarily integrated after the positive experiences so far. The usual ailments that set in from mid-thirties did the rest. I have had a bulging disc including lumbar facet syndrome (L4 S1) for over ten years. My lumbar spine causes me serious problems at regular intervals, which often radiate strongly into the sciatica, as the emerging intervertebral disc also affects this area. This only helps my hobby as a performance-oriented runner to a limited extent. After longer training sessions of 30 km or more, I could not walk properly for days because my back hurt, after a long ride I could only be lifted from the racing bike with the pulley;) The medical advice was so far only of limited use (surgery, etc.) .). If a doctor then only says: "Then you just have to let it go." ... what else can you think of it. I got help with medication in the form of injection therapies and tablets when it was no longer possible. In short: It is a very debilitating, extremely annoying clinical picture, which is always associated with the fear that it will get worse and, if possible, permanent restrictions could become a new companion in life. Therefore the decision to integrate yoga into the daily routine made sense, you have nothing to lose. However, overall expectations were not high.

​

I noticed early on that mobilization was taking place and general well-being was greatly improved. My favorite pose is the triangle because I noticed quite early on how my intervertebral discs were cracking very gently in various places and I found this feeling very liberating. There is always a very quiet crack, comparable to the bursting of very small air cushion film bubbles. This did not improve my back one hundred percent, but the pain became more local and I felt the individual pain points in more detail, which helped me to move more consciously. This in turn helped to make movements that were gentler, which I really liked.

However, there were also minor setbacks. However, these were not half as restrictive and were overcome again more quickly without medication and the like so that you could at least cope with everyday life with only slight pain.

Then came day 18 of the Spring 2016 Yoga Challenge. On this day I had to sit down and therefore had the second unit in the evening and I assume that the body had already been prepared accordingly from the morning unit. In the triangular position, there was a blow in the lumbar spine at my neuralgic point relatively early. This time it wasn't bubble wrap but more of a blown tire. It shocked me very much and immediately lay down and initially had breathing problems and I thought that I would have to be brought out of here in a wheelchair. But the opposite happened. After a few seconds it was extremely pleasant, somehow liberating, and there was an immediate change in the chronic pain. This impression then manifested itself in the rest of the time of the unit. I immediately arranged for an appointment in the radiology department and lo and behold: There was nothing to be seen of the protruding bathroom pane, except that it was exactly where it belongs. In the following days the pain picture changed drastically and now, four weeks later, I can say that I am completely free of pain. The Zurich marathon ran without any problems, I can cycle without a pulley system and everything is better because my back is completely symptom-free. And the best of all: A few days ago, both my insurance company and my doctors gave me the green light that I can finally go skydiving again because it is now almost risk-free, at least due to my back. The prognosis of the healing now even says that the degenerated intervertebral disc could regenerate undisturbed in its current position. If that's not a great success!

The "secondary aspects" of the challenge should not reduce this, they were also outstanding. But the process described has led to a very lasting change.

​

Long live the yoga challenge and the Bikram Team Zurich, which is doing a fantastic job.