"I appear to be a pretty outgoing and confident individual, but I actually struggle with a lot of social anxiety and self doubt"
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"For a really long time I could barely go to the grocery store alone and if I didn’t have someone to go with me, I’d avoid social events and running errands. Fortunately I have a very supportive husband, but he’s more introverted than I am so social gatherings were rare. I was really depressed, my anxiety and depression were snowballing, which was making everything worse and even causing issues in our marriage. Counseling wasn’t working and I really didn’t want to go on meds
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That brings me to 4 years ago, my coworker took me to the yoga class that changed my life. I’d been doing yoga on and off since 2009, but there wasn’t anything like the yoga practice I walked into that day
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The teacher, Corina, taught us to breathe through the difficult moments and learn to sit in the discomfort a little longer until it wasn’t uncomfortable anymore. She taught us to look inside and truly understand what our bodies needed and were asking for. She introduced me to the chakras and the energy inside us like no one had ever done before. She guided me in finding my own personal strength and resilience. She pushed us past our personal boundaries and taught us to believe in ourselves, that fear was just something we created in our minds
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I learned to love myself and to have self confidence in those classes. I recently traveled across the world by myself for a yoga retreat, something I would have never even considered 5 years ago. It felt incredible to be alone, which is something I never thought I’d ever say! When it did get stressful I called upon the breathing and mantras I learned in my yoga classes. Yoga has done so much for me in all aspects of my life. Depression and anxiety no longer have the same hold on me. I’ve learned to listen in my marriage, I’ve learned to take risks and be more confident in my career, and I’ve learned to appreciate the little things in life more
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Yoga truly saved my life🙏
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