Yoga as a Platform for Healing

When I was a young undergraduate student, up to my eye balls in a debilitating eating disorder, the practice of yoga appeared as if magically.

I was desperate for connection and meaning in this limited world of being fixated on food and what my body looked like and yoga was the medicine to soothe my weary soul.

I will never forget walking into that old church in Lawrence, Kansas with stained glass windows and wood floors, being greeted by a joyful woman named Anna, who would become my first teacher.

I have shared many snippets of my yoga journey over the years.

The most important teachings, however, that I have ever received from those very first classes in my naïve and impressionable state 24 years ago, has remained.

The teachings from Anna of compassion for self, of smiling internally to myself always, and that of self-love being at the forefront of it all.

That is what I can remember from those early days. Not if I could do a handstand properly or really anything at all about the physical postures.

I learned how to breathe with myself, to feel connected to my body in a way like never before….without force, with peace, kindness, and appreciation.

I learned how to feel genuine love for who I was as a whole being, not just the fragmented pieces of the puzzle of my existence.

And, it’s a practice.

Day-to-day, moment-by-moment.

It is a journey and relationship.

I truly believe that how we meet ourselves on the mat is such a mirror for how we treat ourselves in life.

Those moments at the ripe age of 21 were pivotal on my path of healing and embodiment and have remained a foundational aspect of who I am, how I move through the world, and the flavor of my work with others.

I felt moved to share this aspect of my personal journey. It has led to so many professional outlets. I am committed to offering this path to others as a gesture and an invitation.

Yoga is not meant to be a workout for our external toning needs but rather is a deep inquiry into the heart of who we truly are.

Our yoga practices teach us how to meet life, in all of its flavors, without contracting.

Rather, we cultivate the capacity to yield and soften to what comes towards us and are gifted with the opportunity to choose to respond from a place of embodied presence and acceptance.

Yoga, the union of our body, mind, spirit, soul, and heart is foundational in my work. It is not about how to do a downward dog properly but rather an opportunity to learn how to deeply connect to oneself on an embodied level so that we can live connected to our true essence. From that place, anything is possible.

How does yoga inform our healing path? Why is an embodied and connected yoga practice so crucial to a sustainable healing of life’s fragmentations, addictions, and other inhibiting patterns of living and being?

Yoga provides the platform for us to learn how to BE in our bodies, track our sensations, breathe into discomfort, and move in a way that is honoring and connecting. It is about learning how to stay awake and present and steady in midst of the inevitable storms of life.

I am sure that we can all relate to that need to flee when things get hard. We naturally want to jump out of our skin and numb, distract, and disconnect.

Of course we do, life is not comfortable!

By practicing yoga with intention and mindfulness we gift ourselves with those moments of breathing through hard things, staying present when we want to run, and really the most important aspect is that we create the most beautiful relationship with ourselves.

A relationship based on trust, infinite love, compassion, kindness, and acceptance.

We are gifted with that opportunity for pause, perspective, and recalibration. We can remember that we have choice in every moment and that we truly can choose to act in alignment and on our own behalf.

Moment-by-moment.

And, it takes practice, consistency, and a willingness to stay in the fire of life when we want to run.

We CAN learn how to unwind our systems through this practice, yet it is not an inevitable result of practice. There are many who abuse the practice of yoga…using it to create tension, rather than release it.

Curious to learn more about this life-altering practice AND how to use it to heal, grow, and shift in your life in immeasurable ways?

Yoga is one of the many tools in my toolbox that I use in my coaching practice. Body-Centered Holistic Coaching is an all-encompassing journey towards the Self that will support you to return to yourself…to the essence of your truth and empowerment from deep within. From that place, we may RISE and truly show up for life!

I have a few spaces open in my practice for some deep, 1:1 work as well as a new 5-month group beginning August 1st!

HERE is a link to schedule a 20-minute chat time to see if we are a good fit to work together. I would love to connect!