Where do I start? My life has been one trial after another. The biggest ordeal having been losing both of my kidneys at the age of eight. I did ten years of dialysis, had two seperate kidney transplants and survived cancer. I found myself in a constant state of fight or flight.
Stress became prevalent later on so much so that I could not digest food. I thought I was getting painful food poisoning every two or three weeks. A friend introduced me to a vipassana meditation retreat. A place where one takes a ten day vow of silence and meditates for most of the day. In my typical fashion, I attempted this difficult task without hesitation.
I only lasted three days at the retreat. Sitting in meditation attempting to quell the trauma in my mind was too much to handle, so I left.
The retreat was not a failure. It was a gateway to a world where I could learn to detach from what was threating me constantly, where I could learn to be happy with what I am provided. I knew in my heart that I could only enjoy this life if I mastered my mind and perception.
Cue Yoga, a practice that I am a natural at, a series of movements my body has an intuition for. I first was introduced 20 years ago by my father, but never knew the capacity of the practice. Through many breathing techniques, physically demanding postures and mentally demanding stillness, I am discovering a state of neutral perserverance that will let me be happy no matter what.
Now, as a daily yoga practitioner, I want to feel fulfillment by guiding others through this beautiful practice. I'll end this short bio with a quote by the famous yogi BKS Iyengar, whom was once bedridden and used yoga to mend his body and perform astonishing feats.
"The mind is the king of the senses, and the breath is the king of the mind.-BKS Iyengar.