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| Integrity and Leadership
It is not too often these days when you come across a young man who truly impresses you. Last Spring I had the opportunity to spend some time with Joseph Encinia at the Bikram Yoga Teacher Training in Palm Desert, California. At the young age of 24 Joseph carries himself with the integrity and leadership that takes others a lifetime to achieve. Upon meeting Joseph you are immediately put at ease by his inviting smile and positive energy. His story is an inspiration to all. As a young child he was faced with such adversity and challenges both physically and mentally. Through the experience of dealing with severe health issues since his childhood Joseph's perseverance, dedication, hard work, positive attitude and commitment to helping himself and others healed his body through the practice of Bikram Yoga. Watching Joseph practice yoga makes one truly believe that anything is possible. Joseph like so many has had to deal with things that were beyond his control and made the harder choice to not accept mediocrity but rather excel and achieve the unimaginable. Not only is Joseph an amazing practitioner of yoga but he is also a tremendous human being. Those of us that are fortunate enough to know Joseph personally are enriched and inspired to become better in all aspects of life for he truly gives 100% in all that he does as a friend, teacher, son, brother, peer, student, boyfriend, and leader.
This past fall we hosted Joseph at our Bikram Yoga Studios in San Antonio, Texas. From the moment he arrived he immediately joined in and participated at the yoga studios as if they were his own homes. He took time to talk to each and every student and left such a strong impression that the students and teachers wanted him to move to San Antonio permanently. It is people like Joseph who give me faith that one person can truly make a difference. As a role model in our yoga community my hope and dream for this young man is that he is able to be placed in the public eye on a large scale in order to spread yoga and his story to the millions of people out their who need it. It is an honor and a privilege to call Joseph my friend and peer in the yoga world but more importantly he is a reminder to us all that it is never to late to make a change for the better.
Lisa Ingle
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