"I had my first experience with yoga from a workout video, then a hot yoga class @inbalanceyogablacksburg
Little did I know it would help me cope with grief & addiction
From that first class I fell in love. For while, my mom and I went to three hot yoga classes a week, & I'd never felt better. At this time, my main goal with yoga was to lose weight. I had such negative body image & yoga was the only time I wasn’t ashamed & felt proud of what my body was able to do physically
.
Then my dad was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer. After we found out, my mom took care of my dad, so we weren’t able to attend classes anymore. At the time, I didn’t have a home practice, so I stopped practicing all together. I picked up yoga again a few years after my father passed away as a way to deal with the pains of withdrawal from the drug addiction I had developed
.
I made my yogi Instagram at that time as well so I could keep track of my form & progress. As my addiction reached it’s darkest point, I once again stopped practicing
.
About nine months later, I finally found recovery and began practicing again to gently nurse my body and soul back to health from all the trauma my drug abuse had caused
.
I still use the same Instagram that I first created as a way to try and spread hope to those who not only are having issues with addiction, but also depression and anxiety. I want people to look at my profile and become hopeful for a better future
.
What originally attracted me to yoga was the physical aspect, but these days, I find myself more & more involved in the spiritual side of it. My practice now keeps me grounded in times when I start to think it would be easier to go back to using and numb my emotions rather than feel them. Yoga saved my life so many times & does everyday 📷 Jamie"