Growing up as a swimmer, competition was instilled at an early age...
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The more I grew the faster I swam, which raised the caliber of meets I qualified to compete in. I soon realized that if I couldn't win the race, I could at least beat myself in my best times which led me to believe that I should always be aiming for more
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By the time I swam in college, I was already burnt out. I transposed dropping times to dropping weight, & restricted my calories heavily throughout undergrad
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Amidst this anorexia, my yoga practice was sporadic & an additional workout to swimming. I continued this over-exercising as my undereating caught up to me, and bulimia replaced years of repressed hunger
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After quitting swimming and graduating college, I lost a sense of self and tried to find my place by living abroad. While travel is an invaluable asset to my self-development, I had used international flights to run away from my eating disorder
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It wasn’t until I returned home to Midwest America when I returned to my mat and put my health first
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I completed my 200 YRT in early 2019 to cross off my bucket list, though I never dreamt of the results I saw in my health & relationships after the training. Deepening my yoga practice allowed me to remove judgemental & competitive thoughts around both my body and others. The greatest tools I’ve adopted from daily yoga practice is studying the yamas & niyamas while applying these ethics to everyday life
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Yoga has saved my life in the way I treat my body, and will continue to heal my heart in how I treat others 🙏
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