"I used to call myself an anxious and depressed person. For years, I let this description of myself guide my choices and cloud my judgment of my true ability and confidence
Over the past four years, I’ve added in more tools to redefine myself and manage anxiety and depression, rather than letting it define me. Better food choices, less and, now, no alcohol (coming on to nearly a year without drinking!😲), specific supplements and more mindfulness about how I feel and who I let into my life. I also work hard to avoid calling it ‘my anxiety’ or ‘my depression’ - I don’t own it and it doesn’t own me
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Yoga, has truly been incredible in helping me build a daily habit that makes me be aware of what’s going on in my physical body and the connection with my mental and emotional state
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It’s not just asana. I’ve cultivated a pranayama practice that I can connect to any time I feel anxiety rising and the black dog of depression creeping. Some mornings, I need to roll out of bed, hop on my mat and spend 5 minutes practicing nadi shodhana pranayama to beat back those early tangles of anxiety I feel rising in my stomach
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Yoga has allowed me to recognise my physical, mental and emotional power, changed how I define myself and see what a transformative effect the mind-body-spirit connection can have. Yoga did that"
