Yoga helps disabled vet lose 100 lbs., run again

For 15 years, a wounded war veteran who had been confined to crutches and had gained almost 300 pounds had nearly given up hope until he discovered a unique weight-loss program that worked for him.

Former army paratrooper Arthur Boorman adopted a high-intensity yoga routine that shaved off pounds and have allowed him to walk again unaided.

After a surgery that left him semi-paralyzed, his doctors told him that he could never take a step again without the support of his crutches. The news left 47-year-old Boorman depressed, neglecting his health and uninterested in any physical activities.

Boorman had thought of taking basic yoga sessions to ease his back pains, but since he couldn't stand on his own, yoga studios had rejected him -- all except one. Boorman came across a unique yoga class online, Diamond Dallas Page. DDP promotes intense yoga poses to improve strength and endurance.

“He sent me those first two pictures with the knee braces, back brace, the canes, 297 pounds, and his belly was out to here. I was thinking, ‘God, how am I gonna help that guy?’” said Diamond Dallas Page, a former world champion wrestler who once got injured and found relief from his self-designed yoga program.

Once he got Page’s DVD tutorials, Boorman began the months of grueling yoga poses. There were times when he attempted a head stand and he repeatedly fell hitting the floor and a cabinet hard. But he continued, as he observed that he was already losing weight and gaining strength.

“I fell many times, but I got up. Never underestimate what you can accomplish when you believe in yourself,” Boorman wrote on his video.

The nearly five-minute video charted his weight loss progress, later showing him wearing now loose pants, walking for the first time without support and running outside. In 10 months, he had shed 140 pounds. Other than losing weight, he said that DDP also encouraged him to take on a healthy lifestyle.

The formerly obese man turned into a yoga instructor and now helps others who are going through the same struggle.

Boorman’s video has been viewed more than 3.2 million times. Many viewers admired his determination and thanked him for sharing his story.