I first found yoga during the first stages of finding myself as a young adult. I have been practicing now for 9 years, 8 of them being mostly Bikram. As a beginner I understood how honored I was to be present in the practice of yoga and those who are present in it as well. This is what kept me coming back, fleeting to the undeniably loving atmosphere. Looking back to those younger years, I was not so present inside myself, as other priorities were raging fires of defiance. Not by any means lighting things on fire and committing crimes, but by fueling my own fire with getting high. At that age of 21, I was open to it all and pushed all boundaries to the tipping point. After college, substance abuse still stuck to me, through high and low points of my life it was always there. I never really looked at these behaviors as detrimental to my development, as I had been living out my dreams traveling, and landing a career to further carry my dreams. This past October, an opportunity came up at my local studio to join a SoberYogi challenge, I then made an eight week commitment to practice five times a week, and meet with a group once a week. I joined to quit tobacco. I successfully quit, and began unfolding deeper addictive behaviors in the therapy and with steady yoga practice. Yoga is the only thing that truly does heal addiction, and even a broken heart. Although I am sober, I am constantly putting my pieces together. I must remain consistently practicing, to keep nurturing my true self.
