At 33 I began to wake up.

I was deep in self-destruction in my twenties and early thirties-too much drinking, overexercising, and in a complete disconnect from my body.

I'd spent years running from my own trauma. I'd spent so much time literally running that I ended up with stenosis in my spine. My nervous system was constantly triggered and I spent much of my waking day in flight mode.

Looking back at this time I can't help but notice the metaphor of running so deeply ingrained in my life on an unconscious level.

I was in so much physical pain that I took a yoga class at my gym to stretch. Soon I discovered yoga went way beyond stretching. Over time, I started to reconnect with myself and who I really was beneath the rubble of my daily existence spent in survival mode.

I bought an unlimited package at a local yoga studio and for three years I practiced daily in that sacred space. My back pain decreased, my skin cleared up, and I felt lighter in general. The urge to run 5 miles a day to stay thin diminished. The battle with my body to look a certain way and my obsession with looking and being perfect took a back seat to being authentic and connecting with source.

This photo was taken in 2018 after I graduated from teacher training and I'd begun teaching. The last two years have been a time of continued growth as I continue to work on myself and discover tools to help others along their paths.

Yoga is a daily embodied practice. With that said it is indeed a practice. I continue to wake up as the days, months, and years go by.

I am forever grateful for the day my body quietly said enough and I sat on my yoga mat for the first time.

I love everything about yoga because it gave me a second chance at life and I believe it can do the same for others still struggling.

Be well from the Inside-Out

http://www.beckylaurenzanayoga.com/