"I was living the dream in one of the best cities in the world, San Francisco, for nearly a decade during an explosion of tech startups. I had a booming career at a unicorn company riding an unprecedented wave of growth. Good fortune seemed to follow me with an abundance of opportunities at my fingertips
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Or so I thought...
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I worked long hours every day of the week. I loved what I did and highly motivated to produce. Work was life. They say "if you love what you do, then you don't work a day in your life" & I believed it. I traded my health, my friends, my freetime, my life for my career
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Like many of us, I sat down for most of the day whether it be sitting at my desk, driving to work, eating meals, or relaxing at home. I developed intense chronic pain that I ignored until I could no longer bare it. I became bedridden. I couldn't sit or walk up & down stairs. I took a high dose of morphine just to get through the day. Still in my 20s, I relied on a back brace & a cane to walk around
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I started practicing yoga. It was gentle, I did it at home, and it reconnected me with my body. I started the first steps of a long road of recovery
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I concluded that the human body is not meant to be sedentary, chained to a desk wasting away behind a computer. I needed a lifestyle change that freed my body of these shackles. I left my highly paid career in search of something more sustainable and rewarding, all the while practicing yoga every day
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Throughout the 3 years of my recovery, yoga had been consistently beneficial to my life by providing a physical practice, social community, & spiritual foundation. I gained a deeper appreciation for my back injury & became more grateful for my life
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Every challenge provides an opportunity for growth. Yoga gave me the tools to step back and figure out what really is important in my life. I used the momentum of my setback to spring me forward into a life that I only dreamt of
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Its safe to say that yoga saved my life. I'm now a yoga teacher who loves exploring connection on & off the mat. I've recovered & feel like I am 20 again
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Now, I am really living the dream 🙏