My Story #YogaSavedMyLife

I was recently talking to a friend.  She's a great listener and always points out the things I already know I need but don't realize it until I say it.  She gets you to "brain dump" and genuinely listens.  Anyway, we were talking about my content and where I wanted to take my life and "business."  She stopped me mid convo and said "Do you realize the term you've used more than once?"  Of course I didn't because only Heather hears this stuff.  Really she has a gift.  The term I was using?  Yoga saved my life.  Woah.  Yeah my reaction too.

I've always been shy, introverted, reserved, insert whatever term you prefer to use.  I still am and really always will be.  It's just who I am.  At 16 my introvertedness turned into full on anxiety.  I had spent multiple years leading to this moment sick, missing almost my entire 4th and 8th grade school years.  I'm forever grateful to that walk in clinic doctor for diagnosing me when my regular doctors couldn't (really my allergies and repeat sinus infections were the answer!).  In the eyes of my school mates I was the "sick kid."  Junior high and high school were not kind to me.  I had my core group of friends who always "got me."  But still I struggled.  I'd go home and retreat to books or on my worse days, beg my parents to let me stay home.

My mom was a huge bookworm.  She knew there had to be an answer in a book.  She went to the bookstore and asked the clerk to help her find a book that would help a teen with anxiety.  The clerk said "there's this new thing called yoga" and sold my mom on the book.  Honestly, the term "new thing called yoga" always cracks me up because 1994 yoga was literally 5,000 years old, give or take a few thousand years.

My 16 year old self was very intimidated by all those poses.  My body should bend how?  But the breath, the meditation, THAT SAVED MY LIFE!  I soon started taking those breathing exercises into my everyday life.  Big test?  No problem.  Rude jerk bully?  Inhale and smile, damn that drove her crazy!  A boss with a huge ego?  Yeah I survived him too!  All the small things and all the big things, 27 hours of labor?  HELLO!

I still struggle with anxiety.  The worst losing my mom, the person who realized I needed help and deserved so much more.  When I finished my yoga certification she was so happy for me.  My mom though, is a whole other blog post.  I am so grateful for her for so many things. Even teaching yoga is a struggle for me, at least was. Two years in and I finally feel comfortable. The butterflies are gone. Yoga to me is familiar, is home. When I'm on my mat, nothing else matters. All the stress, worry, and most importantly anxiety fall away.  Even the idea of being in front of strangers, teaching (is less stressful). Luckily, those strangers don't stay strangers for long. My studio is home. My students a community, friends that I get the honor to spend time with.

Yoga is so much more than those crazy contortions you see on social media.  Yoga is the mind, body, spirit coming together to remind you who you truly are.


As always your Zenday Wednesday comes with a new tutorial!  This week learn all about GATE POSE


As always I'm open to blog and video ideas!
Until next time, Rachael

For this week's favorite things
My top 5 favorite BOOKS!

Kassandra Reindhart's
"Yin Yoga:Stretch the Mindful Way"

Timber Hawkeye's "Buddhist Boot Camp"

Shaun T's "T is for Transformation"

Paul Penn's "Light of the Fireflies"

Greer Hendricks' "The Wife Between Us"