Meet @bethanysmithyoga sharing her #yogasavedmylife story with us. These are her words 💚

"I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, depression, & anxiety. I had no way of managing what was going on inside of me to the point where I tried to take my own life. I found yoga & went from taking 4 medications to ZERO! Thank you Jesus, I haven’t had a symptom since!”

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"I have been practicing yoga for 11 years and teaching for 9. I dabbled in it a little at the Y when I was pregnant with my second but was really got me hooked was the Biggest Loser Weightloss Yoga dvd I purchased after giving birth. I lost weight, sure, but I quickly realized the way the practice was benefiting me on the outside was doing the same for me on the inside & I knew I wanted to share this gift with the world

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Prior to finding yoga, I had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder, depression and anxiety. I had no way of dealing with what was going on inside me, to the point that I even attempted suicide

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I believe God gave me this practice as a gift to help get me to a place where He could heal me. He wasn’t done with me yet, so I live each day doing my best to pursue His will for me while spreading as much grace & hope & strength & LOVE that I can while I’m here

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Fierce Calm?

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I grew up angry. The smallest conflict seemed to be an outright war & this little chick liked to fight! But on the opposite end of the spectrum, I was also very kind & loyal & do anything for you. I loved people & enjoyed serving others. But I thought power/strength meant brute force! I was actually giving my power away with my response. I learned that there is power in not saying anything. There is power & strength in CALM. Through my practice of yoga, I learned to breath when I felt like spitting fire. The Bible tells us exactly what we need for battle: peace, faith, salvation, the holy spirit, truth and righteousness. When we allow those characteristics to envelop us, only then are we truly living like a FIERCE warrior 🙏"

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📸 @ben.in.real.life