My name is Claire @40_is_the_new_thirty & this is my #yogasavedmylife story 💚

'At 40 I came out of a long-term relationship. I was at rock bottom in terms of my self-belief & self-worth. I didn’t eat or sleep properly for months. My insomnia was so bad I managed 1-2 hours a night at most. I took many different sleep medications but nothing worked. I used every app going for sleep, mindfulness, meditation but found myself getting irritated that I was wasting my time. I ended up with pneumonia I had an underlying level of anxiety & my head was constantly full of all of the things on my to do list. As soon as I got into bed at night it ramped up. I felt anxious, panicky; I got up & wrote lists. If I fell asleep, I would wake up shortly after & the same thing. Ping, wide-awake, & the anxiety kicked in. I became so focussed on not sleeping it was a downward spiral . Climbing used to be my go to for headspace but it wasn’t working anymore. I was following @dylanayaloo on IG & he started a 10-day yoga challenge. I decided I'd try it, I’d done bits of yoga before but nothing regularly. Before the end of the 10 days I felt so much clearer. When he extended it to 20 days I was really pleased. Something in me changed & I decided I would do a month. I had made that commitment to myself & made it a priority.I decided to commit to yoga every day for a year . Yoga has given me a calm mind. It has taught me to sit in stillness, be present and switch off my busy head. I can sleep! More than that it has created a shift in me to be kinder to myself. I stopped drinking totally a few months ago, I eat proper healthy meals & I prioritise myself. I say no to things that make me anxious or I know will impact my sleep . I have started to love myself & I am proud of what I’ve achieved. I worry less about what other people think and am finally being true to me. It has changed my life so much that I am going to train as a teacher. I want to help other people to feel how I feel. Happy 💚 . . (Pic2 is me after a yoga master class hosted by the fabulous @dylanayaloo - the man who started me on my yoga journey and I'm truly grateful to him 🙏