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“Licensed Drug Dealers”:

When I was a student in Bikram’s classes, one thing that really stuck with me was his fiery passion against Western medicine. Anytime there was a doctor in class, you knew it was coming—he’d call them “licensed drug dealers” without hesitation, saying they only knew how to prescribe pills, not truly heal.


At the time, it felt like classic Bikram drama. But after 20-plus years of teaching yoga, I’ve seen firsthand the truth behind his words.





I’ve had countless students come to me on a cocktail of prescription meds—pills for high blood pressure, chronic pain, anxiety, insomnia—you name it.


Over time, with dedication to their yoga practice, many of these students were able to get off their medications entirely or significantly reduce their reliance on them. Some even avoided surgery, like one student who canceled her back surgery after six months of consistent hot yoga.


But here’s the thing, and this is what Bikram was trying to get at—medications might help manage the symptoms, but they rarely address the root cause of the problem.


Your high blood pressure, chronic pain, or anxiety might stem from something much deeper—like unresolved trauma, poor lifestyle habits, or years of neglecting your body’s needs. Popping pills treats what’s on the surface, but it doesn’t dig into what’s really going on. It’s like putting a Band-Aid on a wound without cleaning it first. Eventually, the issue resurfaces because the true cause was never addressed.


What yoga does, and why Bikram was so passionate about it, is bring to the surface the deeper layers of what’s really happening in your body and mind. When you practice yoga, you’re not just stretching your muscles or improving flexibility—you’re moving energy, releasing tension, and creating space for emotional and mental blocks to rise to the surface. Only then can you start to work on real healing.


For example, many people with chronic pain might find that yoga brings up emotions they weren’t even aware of—old trauma, suppressed anger, or anxiety that they’ve been carrying for years.


Once those things come to the surface, you can start to deal with them. Yoga encourages you to listen to your body, observe what it’s telling you, and make necessary lifestyle changes—whether that’s in the way you move, what you eat, or how you handle stress.


Medications can be a temporary solution, but yoga offers something far more sustainable—it helps you get to the root cause of the issue, so you can address it from the inside out. And the best part? No side effects.


Think about it—nearly 48.6% of Americans are on some form of prescription drug. The global pharmaceutical industry is worth over $1.48 trillion, and yet conditions like high blood pressure, Type 2 diabetes, anxiety, and insomnia continue to rise. These medications are treating symptoms, but what yoga and holistic practices do is treat the whole person—body, mind, and spirit.


I’ve witnessed students, after months or years of consistent practice, break free from medications, not because they were ignoring their health, but because they were finally addressing the real issue. Yoga brings everything to the surface—emotions, physical tension, past trauma—giving you the tools to work through them in a way that no pill ever could.


What about you? Have you noticed yoga helping you work through deeper issues? I’d love to hear your story!


Love


Sumit

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