“I have transformed from an Office worker to a Renaissance angel…

My name is Figen Yilmaz. For me being healthy meant aesthetic beauty.

I have always had weight issues and it got worse as I grew older. Of course, the major reason for my weight problem was an inactive life and overeating. Yet, that only explains one aspect of why we put on weight. There are also reasons that pertain to health like metabolism, one’s body structure, diabetes, inactive hormones, what we eat and when we eat, how long we sleep, etc. There are many variables involved.

I have tried to lose weight many times. Like many women, I spent my entire youth dieting. Losing weight and gaining it back quickly seemed like my destiny! Five years ago, I was diagnosed with hypothyroid. I had put on a lot of weight during that time and I was unable to lose even a gram despite all my efforts.

I met Franz at HariOm Yoga Center in the summer of 2009. My weight was an all time high. Since 2005, all I could lose was 2-3 kilos at the most and I was exercising too. The 2-3 kilos I was able to lose during summer, I would put back on in the winter – a cycle I could not break. I had gone to a dietician, still nothing changed and I had an extra 20-25 kilos. I was in a very difficult position.

I believed Franz when I met I him because he exuded self-confidence and he promised me that I would lose weight if I stuck to his program.

I needed to believe.

I lost 5 kilos in the first phase.

We started with a one and a half month short program in June 2009. We did yoga three days a week. Moreover, we did breathing exercises everyday. Of course, we followed Franz’s eating suggestions. During this phase, I lost 5 kilos. Because I was highly motivated, I can say that it was easy for me to follow the program. I started paying attention to what I ate and drank, to breathing properly and to doing yoga regularly. I did sometimes stray off the course, but mostly I stuck to the program.

Franz is a teacher who pushes you a lot but he knows his job very well. He shows you everything in a particular order. The program is heavy but as you learn and as your body gets used to it, it becomes easier. I used to do yoga before but it was not regularly. Anybody who tries and makes an effort can apply Franz’s program even if they have never done yoga. Franz pays attention to everyone individually. With this program, a person’s progress depends on their capacity. Everyone has a different program anyway, we do not do the same moves at the same time. The beginner’s program is also enough to lose weight.

I lost 17 kilos in one and a half years. This is a major success for me since I cannot lose weight due to my hypothyroid. I am 7-8 kilos away from my target. I will be losing that slowly. I am not in a hurry.

I think the success of this program lies in breathing properly. Franz says that with breathing you burn the fire inside you; that is how you lose weight. Yoga exercises burn calories and have physical toning and stretching effects but essentially, breathing correctly enables the inner organs to work regularly. Therefore, you need to do the breathing exercises everyday. Doing yoga at least three times a week and sticking to that, going to bed early, getting a good nights sleep, eating dinner early, not eating things with sugar, eating mainly vegetarian, eating seasonally are some of the musts of this program. These are general rules everyone should obey. There are also personal eating suggestions for everyone. It is possible for you not to gain the weight you lost as long as you stick to the program. Nothing can create a miracle unless you make an effort.

What is different about this program is that it is efficient and you get results. It is not difficult to implement and you can shape your life style accordingly. This may be difficult for some people to do. I trust my self with my weight now and I want to continue this program. What Franz has been teaching is in my mind; my body does all of the asanas correctly, automatically. Now I can do the whole program on my own. I am grateful to Franz. He put me on a life path. In his words, I turned from a regular office worker to a Renaissance angel! ”