Hi Tonya,
I came across your website recently, and you have inspired me to make some positive changes in my life. I am a 45 year old woman, and have done yoga and led an active life for many years. But last summer, I had an allergic reaction to a medication and ended up in the hospital with a heart failure and stroke. I almost died.

When I regained consciousness, I found that I couldn't use my left leg or my right arm. After being in hospital for almost a month, I had to transfer to a rehabilitation hospital to learn how to walk again.

They had me on steroids, which made me feel ravenous all the time, and I experienced a rapid weight gain. I was glad to be alive for the sake of my 2 young daughters, but life felt bleak.

All the activities I had used to keep my figure trim were unavailable to me. (Rollerblading, boogie-boarding, running on the beach, yoga, etc) I came out of my long hospitalization with a bad limp and a bloated belly. I looked like hell, and felt much older than my 45 years.

I knew I needed to return to yoga, but I couldn't get myself to go. I felt like all my years of practice had been wiped out, and I was starting at less than zero. My strength, balance and flexibility were all severely compromised, and I just couldn't face starting over. I had been visiting your raw food website and admiring your Rawesome Beauty. I was increasing my own raw foods intake, and of course getting good results with slowly whittling my figure back down.

Then one day, I visited your site and read your latest post, which was about raw food and hot yoga. With your titanium hips, your wisdom, and your luminous beauty, you gave me the inspiration I needed to make the plunge back into yoga. And not just any yoga class, but that most intense of all yogas, the Bikram class!

I went to that first class a week ago. I bought an unlimited 1 month pass, and have attended 4 times so far! Following each class with a vibrant raw feast and lots of water.

So thankyou for inspiring me to take a health crisis and turn it into an opportunity for transformation. And you have given me something else that I must thank you for: I was not happy about being 45. And after the stroke, I felt like my life was over. I feared a downhill battle to the grave. But you are one of the few public voices that dares to suggest that a woman really can get better and more beautiful with age. So you have given me hope, and an exciting new vision for my future.

I live in Northern California, but I hope to see you in person some day.

Thankyou for the work you do, and thankyou so much for taking the time to read this letter. I just ordered your book on yoga/raw, and am looking forward to reading it next month!

Warmest wishes!
Lauren McMullen