I was always in a rush. And everything I did had to be done to perfection.
Yoga started to make its way into my life when I was juggling a career as an Engineer with a passion for long-distance running and swimming. The postures and breathing exercises I learned provided the relief and balance needed to maintain a demanding work and fitness schedule. A few health setbacks soon saw me turning more and more to yoga and learning about its many other facets and benefits.
As life marched on, I married and prepared for children, only to find my fertility severely compromised by my high-stress lifestyle. Diving deeper into a more gentle and nurturing yoga practice, in conjunction with the support of an amazing acupuncturist, I was able to decrease my stress, and re-tune my body to its natural cycle for conception.
Pregnancy presented some challenges for me, as I suffered through an inguinal hernia and turned again to yoga for support. The chronic pain faded into the background as I welcomed a beautiful, healthy baby boy into my life.
With the rigours of motherhood becoming a reality, pelvic pain soon returned. Lying in my hospital bed after hernia surgery, I realised what I needed to do: continue my yoga studies. Initially this was simply for my own personal journey, but many in the remote community in which I lived were seeking yoga classes. I quickly realised how much I loved teaching yoga and that my own experiences were my inspiration to empower others.
Since then, I have learnt to become more flexible with how I incorporate yoga into my family lifestyle. I have found that the more I am open to surrendering to the flow of life’s cycles, the more things seem to fall into place with ease. With a combination of dedication and faith, things tend to work out.
Now, I am only sometimes in a rush. And I do my utmost to seek compassion over perfection.
But I’ve certainly got a long way still to go on my journey. I will forever be a student of yoga.
In the meantime, I seek to light the spark that can ignite the fire in others to overcome their own personal obstacles in life…
As an old story ends, they find themselves on their way to their very own Bright Beginning.