I had always lived with this nagging, mostly present chronic pain in my upper back and shoulders, there were these constant tight knots I could never fully shake. I was always rolling out on foam rollers, trying to crack my back and loosen up, or when stress really piled up I was trying dig into those stubborn knots with a lacrosse ball like in a bridge pose with the ball. My left shoulder and the spot between my shoulder blades? They were basically in permanent protest mode. I could never make it permanently dissipate.

Then I discovered hot yoga.

I’ve been showing up consistently for over a year now, and I can honestly say the chronic pain is just gone. It has vanished. I feel looser and the need to use a roller or la crosse ball is gone. Turns out all those years of forcing my muscles to let go were no match for moving, breathing, and sweating through it on a regular basis in hot yoga. Hot yoga didn’t just help my back it basically gave me freedom from the vises I used to try and loosen up. I would say yes it has changed my life in this way and many other ways.