"Diagnosed with MS 3 years ago. Everything changed"

Meet Cara @queendomoffife sharing her #yogasavedmylife story with us. These are her words

.

"My future became uncertain & I was acutely aware of the limitations the condition might bring. What lay ahead seemed so dark

.

To prove I was ok I did the only thing I knew how to do. I worked harder!

.

Kettle bell workouts, 5k runs, more projects at work. .

The inevitable happened. I became so tired mentally & physically I crashed. The wall I had built to cope collapsed. I was left feeling helpless, hopeless & defeated

.

The wall had to be rebuilt, but I knew I had to do it differently. I decided one of the bricks I wanted was to feel physically fit. My therapist suggested trying different classes like pilates or yoga

.

I walked into my first yoga class 9 months ago not knowing what to expect, in fact I chose the class because I wanted an “easy” exercise ¦ I thought I’d be able to cruise through it without effort

.

I was completely unprepared for the effect it would have. I didn’t realise it, but that first step onto the mat was in fact, the first step on a new life journey

.

From the moment I started, I loved it. Over the weeks I grew confident again. Although I had developed a new physical strength & flexibility, yoga was teaching me so much more than how to touch the floor with my head, or stand on one leg

.

When I am on my mat I am truly at peace, each pose feeling like its own meditation. The connection I feel to my body and to the sense of something greater, something bigger than me, can’t be measured

.

I have energy, I am strong.

I’m not anxious Cara, MS Cara, depressed Cara

.

On my mat, I’m present & connected & can just BE. I’m at peace, in balance

.

Yoga rippled out from the mat into other areas of my life – I had confidence to write again, set up my own online magazine, be a more connected mum

.

And now, I want to pay those gifts forward, so I’m training to be a yoga teacher. During my recent training weekend, for the first time in my life I managed to do a headstand

.

It made me realise this - when life flips you upside down, you just need to learn to love standing on your head! Namaste

Cara