"I have a generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) that mentally, emotionally, & physically crippled me when it first manifested itself"
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Meet @gretta_au_yoga sharing her #yogasavedmylife story with us. These are her words 💚
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"It was my last year of college and I was a wreck. Nothing felt good and I was scared of my own thoughts. I thought I was crazy and thought about ending my life on several occasions. For most of that year, I slept on a mattress at the foot of my parents’ bed even though I rented a room with some college friends a few blocks from campus
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Yoga was one of the main reasons I made it through that academic year 🙏
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Although I had discovered it the summer before, I really began to practice regularly thanks to two of my roommates, who told me about the work exchange programs that traded free classes for a cleaning shift at the local studio. I began to discover the healing power of mindful breathing and centered movement. After graduation, I took a break from life in the US & went back to my home country Cote d’Ivoire
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There, I really started to incorporate yoga into my daily life, practicing at home, recording my practice, and sharing it with my network on social media. It was liberating. I felt invigorated yet grounded
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Yoga became the home I went back to over and over again, whenever my anxiety threatened to take over my existence. It taught be how to detach myself from toxic thoughts, how to be gentler with myself in times of mental distress, and how to reclaim my power as the creator of my own wellbeing 🙏
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Today yoga is a core pillar of my life and I can’t imagine where I would be without it. I am able to actively manage my disorder, and while I still occasionally experience some waves of overwhelming anxiety, I am able to ride those waves more swiftly thanks to my practice
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I know that wherever I go, in any and all circumstances, my yoga will be right there with me 🙏
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