Meet body positive teacher, Dana @yesyogahascurves, author of the book of the same name, sharing her #yogasavedmylife story with us. These are her words 💚
.
.
"Before finding yoga & becoming pregnant with my first child, stress was a way of life. I was burned out from too many obligations & my health started to show the telltale signs. I didn't believe I could sustain happiness & I looked for things outside of myself to fill in the empty spaces
I was in a constant battle to control the way my body looked through unhealthy practices & sought outside validation which led to a string of painful relationships
.
.
Six months into my first pregnancy my doctor advised me that I had to check the stress or else it would negatively impact my daughter. It took over a month & a health scare for me to truly embrace the fact that I had to check my stress no matter what. For the sake of my daughter and for my sake
.
.
It was then that a co-worker shared how yoga changed her life and suggested I take up the practice. I was extremely skeptical because I was pregnant and the only image that came to mind was someone with their leg behind their head. I didn't think it was for me at all. Curiosity got the best of me and I decided to give it a try. My practice began in my living room two VHS tapes loaned to me by my coworker: Yoga AM/PM. There wasn't much I could do being very pregnant but the little I could do immediately shifted something in me
.
I connected to my breath, the baby & to a deep sense of peace & calm that I had never experienced before. I continued to do gentle practices while pregnant and continued after I gave birth. Yoga opened up true happiness with no strings attached. The practice taught me that it was not only sustainable but it could also grow... & to this day, 17 years later, it continues to grow 🙏"
.
.
Dana is also a member of @blackyogateachersalliance & @ybicoalition .