Awakening
I was always on and off diets but after marriage and major life events, like being a caregiver of my elderly parents, and nurse to my husband when he fell ill with Guillain-Barre Syndrome. I started piling on the pounds! Daily life stresses of freelance work, graduate school, marriage and taking care of an elderly parent with Alzheimer's would trigger the urge to be comforted. But it wasn't until I was diagnosed with mild sleep apnea that I was able to focus permanently on losing the weight. I started eating healthy food the staples like veggies and fruits, no processed foods. In less than a year I lost over 50 pounds and got back to my goal weight by learning new ways to cope with stress. I joined a nearby health club and took my very first yoga class 2001. By practicing yoga I became more aware of how I was actually living my life and taking care of myself. I was hooked on Yoga! Simple faith, prayer, yoga practice and a "renewed" mind, made me see that being confident, productive, happy, and healthy -- were not , selfish things but necessary to cope with life's challenges. I enrolled in a 200 hr Hatha Yoga teachers training during the summer of 2006 at a near by yoga studio and haven't looked back since.
Yoga will forever be a part of the rest of my life. I hope to help other stressed out women to achieve all the benefits of fitness whether they are afraid to step into a gym in fear of being laughed at or if they are coping with some serious issues due to abuse in their past. I've been there.
