My Health Journey

In high school, college, and even the first few years of adult life I had been in decent shape just because of my lifestyle. I had been in marching band for eight years, snowboarded regularly every winter, served tables at several restaurants over the years, and walked or biked anywhere I could. I was able to eat or drink whatever, whenever.

 

But it was hard keeping up that kind of lifestyle – as I grew into adulthood, my responsibilities grew, too. And once I became a mom, it was even harder to be active, but my food habits were just as terrible as they had been. I tried to work out, and I tried to eat better. I even tried yoga, but I had some terrible experiences because the instructors were more interested in their own practice than actually helping their students who were struggling right in front of them in the class.

 

When my daughter turned one year old, I looked at the pictures from her first birthday party, and I didn’t recognize myself. I decided then and there that enough was enough. It was time for me to really evaluate my relationship to not only the food I ate and the way I looked at exercise, but also the way I treated myself. I was in need of some serious self-love.

 

I began to meditate on the amazing things my body had done and still does – it could still dance the night away (when given the chance); it housed a baby and gave birth; and it breathes, digests food, and sends signals from my skin to my brain everyday without me even telling it to! I realized my body was a beautifully designed temple – and I treated it like crap.

 

So I started listening to my body, and the first thing I realized was that gluten was my body’s enemy. Within three weeks of eliminating gluten from my diet, I was smaller. I hadn’t lost any weight – apparently, I had been bloated and swollen for quite some time, and it was going away. My digestive issues almost subsided completely. I had bumpy red rashes on my arms and legs all the time, and the redness disappeared!

I began listening to my body more and more after I ate, and slowly began eliminating other things and substituting them with other options. Evaluating how I felt after eating something new was also really helpful - that’s how I learned that I’m allergic to celery.

 

All of this “listening to my body” eventually led me to listen to my own intuition more – not just about physical health, but mental, emotional, and spiritual health, as well.

 

And all of this lead me back to yoga.

 

My aunt was a yoga teacher in Ocean City, Maryland, so I began to ask her more about it, and she encouraged me in every way possible. She has since passed away, but her lessons will be with me forever.

 

Eventually, the more yoga I did, the more I found myself practicing cuing in my head. I have been teaching piano lessons since 2003, and I was a preschool teacher for 3 years, so one could say I have a teacher’s heart. I love learning, and I love to pass on what I learn.

 

And that’s what I want to pass on to you.

 

You can do yoga. It doesn’t matter who you are, what your gender is, or how much you weigh... There is a way for you to do yoga, and I would love to help you on your health journey.