“I was trapped in a controlling and abusive relationship; I wasn’t allowed to leave my own home unescorted for almost 7 years
I’d always been interested in yoga but attending classes was always out of the question, so I downloaded an app to try at home
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Yoga gave me the confidence & the courage to break free, not let someone control me via the threat of violence. Abuse stole half of my life but yoga gave it back to me, & I am so much healthier (physically, spiritually & emotionally) for having downloaded that app
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I grew up in a home where we had very little, & our family became fractured, spread across the country. Because of this I struggled with feelings of low self worth, & this seemed to attract predatory people like a drop of blood in shark infested waters
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After being assaulted by someone I knew at age 14, I started to abuse my own body as punishment for not being good enough. Routinely I would starve myself & self harm, because I felt I wasn’t worth any more than that. The only person I confided in (who did everything in his power to champion me) was my Dad. I didn’t feel worthy enough to burden anyone else, after all as a family we had all been through so much pain
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After my dad died suddenly when I was 17 I was completely lost, & turned to someone to fill that void who was physically and mentally abusive, who used my trauma to control me. I managed to escape his clutches but ended up falling into the same trap several years later. The abuse & isolation was subtle and crept in so slowly it was impossible to detect. I felt like I was the problem, & that I deserved everything I was going through and it was my punishment for not being enough
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Yoga came into my life when I was at my lowest ebb, when I felt I had nothing left to live for & it gave me hope and a sense of purpose, it made me part of something bigger than myself. Through yoga & the support of my new partner and family) I managed to break free and have finally started to build a life for myself, one where I matter, & I cannot even begin to express my gratitude to them or to yoga for saving my life 🙏"