by Bonny Osterhage
ReBeca Drury is hot! And no, it’s not just because this 43-year-old woman has the body of a 20-year-old or because she has a flawless complexion. It’s because Drury is a Bikram yoga instructor who conducts her classes in a 105-degree studio with nearly 50 percent humidity. Sweating is mandatory!
Practicing and teaching Bikram yoga is just one part of Drury’s commitment to keeping her body healthy by following an all-natural and organic lifestyle. And, as a certified traditional naturopath, she works hard to help others do the same.
The healthy life
For Drury, healthy living has always been a way of life. As a daughter of a registered nurse, she grew up understanding the importance of a well-balanced diet. “My mom always focused on food and not medicines,” says Drury.
A San Antonio native, Drury ran track at MacArthur High School and went on to graduate from UTSA with a degree in physical education and a masters in education. Her love of sports and fitness led Drury to a place on a competitive aerobics dance team and careers as the director of the aerobics program at Bally’s, a high school track and field coach and an instructor in the kinesiology department of her alma mater, UTSA.
When a neighbor turned her onto yoga, Drury was hooked.
“I’ve always been more into fitness and the human body rather than competitive sports,” she admits. But although she led a healthy life, it wasn’t until her youngest son was diagnosed with ADD that she jumped headlong into an organic and all-natural lifestyle.
“My son’s diagnosis was the impetus for my lifestyle change,” recalls the 5-foot 5-inch, 115-pound dynamo. “I was determined that he was not going to take those meds.” Drury began eliminating sugar from her son’s diet and giving him supplements of fish oil and herbs, and after one year he was able to stop taking his medication. “He was fine when I took him off,” she says. “His mood changes were much less dramatic.”
The life organic
Adopting an organic lifestyle takes time, but Drury was 100-percent committed. “Once I learned about it, there was no going back,” she says simply. She began with baby steps, incorporating organic food into her family’s diet and then progressing to organic cleaning supplies, organic sheets, pillows, cosmetics, skin care products and clothing, and she is even in the process of procuring a latex organic mattress. She also composts and recycles, ensuring that nothing goes to waste.
“Almost everything I buy for my house, for use on my body or that I put into my body is organic,” she says. “Initially, it requires effort to make the crossover, but you become used to it. I am passionate about it,” she says. Not long after her switch, Drury began to reap the benefits of the life organic, including increased energy, a positive mental outlook, reduced PMS and menstrual cramps and an overall sense of balance. She then felt she had to educate others.
The path to naturopathy
While flipping through a yoga magazine, Drury came across an ad for the natural health program at Clayton College, and so she got her doctorate in naturopathy online. Today she spends her time between teaching and practicing at her Bikram Yoga studio helping clients remedy physical and mental issues using all natural methods.
People come to Drury for help with a myriad of problems, including insomnia, managing menopause and weight loss. And although she stresses that she is not a healer, through the use of supplements, natural remedies such as massage and acupuncture and good nutrition, she is usually able to be of help. “I firmly believe that chronic conditions can be made better naturally,” she explains. “My job is to teach people to take responsibility for their own health and not depend on the American health care system, which I believe is failing us.”
The initial $75 consultation consists of Drury’s checking each client’s ph balance and hormone levels. She also takes into account the supplements and medications the client is currently taking. She asks about exercise, stress levels and how often the body eliminates waste. Then she asks the biggest question of all:
“I ask them if they are committed to doing whatever it takes to be healthy.”
A proponent of eating for your blood type, Drury instructs her clients on what foods to eat and what foods to avoid, and she encourages them to buy organic whenever possible, even going with them to the grocery store when necessary.”I really believe in the genetic research behind this way of eating,” she states emphatically. “Plus it gives my clients something concrete to look at.”
Drury offers advice on supplements and guidance on exercise and stress management and the end result is a lifestyle change that leaves each client looking and feeling his or her best — just like Drury.
“I feel good and energized every single day, and I have a great outlook on life,” she says with a big smile. “It is possible for people to feel good every day. They just have to make that choice.”
Dr. D’s Super Smoothie
Drury gives her famous smoothie recipe to all of her clients. It is the perfect breakfast on the go or mid-afternoon pick-me-up. Make sure you use all-organic ingredients for best results.
2 rounded teaspoons Quantum Tocotriene Complex (optional)
1 teaspoon Quantum Super Foods Greens Mix (optional)
20 drops grapefruit seed extract
1 capful organic lignan flaxseed oil
1/2 Cup organic blueberries (fresh or frozen)
1/2 Cup organic strawberries (fresh or frozen)
1 organic banana
2 Cups organic juice: Black cherry (all blood types); cranberry/blueberry (blood type B); pineapple juice (blood type A); cranberry (blood type AB).
Optional: 1 to 2 scoops vanilla soy cream (blood type O, A) or vanilla yogurt (type B, AB)
Put both powders in a blender, and put grapefruit seed extract and flax oil on top of that. Next add fresh or frozen organic fruit. Follow with the soy or yogurt. Finally, add the juice. Blend until smooth.
