"In 2012, crushing chest pain & breathlessness led to a viral cardiomyopathy diagnosis. I turned to yoga to rehabilitate. My mat became the place I learned to trust my body again – tentative steps in movement, & breathe – ohhh the breath!! I'd become accustomed to shallow breathing, living with chronic pain
Yoga also helped me rehab from two trauma knee injuries
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But yoga's true power surfaced in 2016. I came home to find my husband - I thought was suffering with depression & anxiety - had left our marriage, by moving city, while I was at work
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Drowning in confusion, misery & anxiety, I went to work as a Dr & listened to other people’ s problems daily, knowing my own life had spun out of control. For the first time in my life, I had no clue how to fix a problem
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My yoga studio was my touchstone. I'd enter an exhausted, anxious mess & leave my troubles behind for an hour. My mind would stop racing, focused on movement & breath. I'd leave calmer & more at peace. My mat my lifeline to sanity
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I gained enough strength through my yoga in 6 months to know I needed to change my narrative. I needed to find space to heal: to mourn
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I packed up & went on a 200hr yoga teacher training in Bali & on the first morning had such an emotional outpouring in savasana. Our teacher gently placed her hand on my shoulder, supporting as my tears poured forth. The trauma, sadness, fear, anger, bewilderment, anxiety, guilt I had been holding for so long – started to release. Each day I grew stronger – mentally & physically; unpicking the knots inside, acknowledging & unravelling emotions holding me back
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I was training as a teacher but learning forgiveness for myself & to let go of expectations of how my life was meant to be
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As a western Dr I believe we have shifted too far from eastern philosophies that recognise we have the tools within to cultivate & nourish a more balanced, fruitful, fearless & healthy approach to life
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I teach yoga so that others may find that connection to their own physical & mental body, that they may realise they too have the tools within to nurture their own wellbeing 💚"
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