Yoga changed my Life

I started practicing yoga in 2007, as I stumbled across a local yoga flyer which was something I felt very drawn to… So I was intrigued to give it it a go!
Yoga was something I always wanted to try, after seeing the amazing body postures others could preform and hearing about the celebrities that take on the practice for a healthy lifestyle…I was inspired to try it.

At this point it was still unknown to me how much my Yoga practice would influence positive change in my life and open my eyes to a different approach to living, which changed my whole life…

I always had a strong interest in health, wellness and eating right, I had a fairly balanced diet, I took up running and ran a lot, some swimming, juicing and the occasional detox….

However, once I started my yoga practice I was quickly amazed by the way it made my body feel…like no other physical exercise had done before. I was hooked in no time, I loved every part of the class…the whole body stretching, breathing, holding postures and the relaxation was bliss.

Above all, I was blessed to have found a very inspiring and enthusiastic Yoga teacher and now my friend who taught me so much about my mind and my body than I ever thought possible.
Yoga soon became much more than just a physical health kick, for me it was an escape from what was going on in my life at that time and the techniques I practiced started to open my mind and my intuition to new ways of thinking.

That’s the thing about Yoga, even without you knowing much about the practice, with a good teacher it works the whole body and mind for a complete body cleanse and workout and leads you into this discovery of finding yourself. It goes beyond the physical, it’s not what the postures look like. It’s how it feels.

As my practice grew, so did my physical and mental strength. I started to feel a stronger sense of intuition and I started to listen to it, trust it and follow it….as i started to follow my intuition my life started to change-majorly and for the better! It opened my eyes to so much more about life, about people and how I really wanted to live!  I was more able to understand the toxicity that surrounded me, the toxic people I needed to break away from! It really opened up my intuition, the intuition that was there all along but this time I followed it fully…

It can be hard to follow your intuition, as often your heart and your emotions can feel like a strong achey pull…So it can feel very confusing to know which feeling is the right one!
However, they are both completely different feelings. Intuition is not even a feeling-it’s not emotive, it holds no emotion, no pain, it is just a strong sense, that inner nudge  (as I have experienced it to be) that directs you to do something or change something!

I believe in spirituality and the power of the universe… and in order to be open to this Devine light and live your true life path you have to tune into your body; and from time to time you have to let go of stagnant energy that builds up in life. Your intuition is there to guide you and lead you to the best life!
It is your divine purpose, it’s a sense that is strong, yet often many of us ignore it or don’t follow!
Generally this is due to the body and mind being blocked…this can be from poor body postures, sitting for long periods of time, not releasing all that stagnant energy, it can get blocked by your own or other people’s negativity, toxic lifestyles, toxic food, drink and drugs and of course by our emotions and our hearts giving us another feeling at the same time.
This is because our hearts hold the thoughts of people, memories, relationships, and emotional pain…which often stops us from following our intuition.

Yoga helped me change my life because it opened up my mind to deeper levels of intuition that I chose to follow fully, I didn’t know where it would lead me, it was the complete unknown, but I felt drawn to listen to it!
It helped me break away from unhealthy relationships, which although can be incredibly hard when experiencing all the above emotional dilemmas, the pain and grief that can rip open your heart and take time to heal from… But deep down I knew I needed to step away from the people that treated me poorly. It pulled me away from toxic people, controlling and abusive people who I allowed for too long to take thier emotional baggage, anger and crap out on me! it was a big lesson, I cared so much for other people and their feelings I realised I didn’t take much care of myself! But my yoga practice and experiences did change my mindset, it taught me that no matter how hard you try to change things for other people, no matter how much you love them and help, you should never forget yourself. People can heal and change for the better but it has to start from them! You can’t allow their negative behaviour to contiue hurting you, and it will continue! It will strip away the real you if you let it!

I chose to walk away and start a new life. And even though it was hard, even though it was so painful I kept going because deep down I knew nothing would ever change. I wasn’t looking for perfection, I know that does not exist but I do believe people can heal if they are open to it! But like I say, that healing can only start with yourself!  You have to be ready, admit to these imperfections and be willing to heal for better change!  am thankful I changed my life and left them behind. Nothing or no one is ever perfect but no one has the right to keep hurting you. No one has the right to control you and bring you down.

Yoga helped me to stay strong through loss, heartache, pain and change. Yoga helped me find so much more mental strength. Through crazy times I have used so many calming and grounding techniques to get through life’s challenges…

So, I continued to study and practice more and more “Yoga”… I eventually moved from a 9am-5pm job to go self employed and become a Yoga teacher, living my passion and actually working doing something i loved and building a business and a healing yoga studio to share the practice. It was scary, a risk maybe but I took it and let my passion for yoga lead the way. I enjoyed living on my own, took the time to heal and eventually met new and better people…and my second journey begun, it wasn’t always easy but it got better and better as I continued to release and let go of old baggage. It took time to adjust to a new life but with the kind and patient people around me it unfolded as it should… And I took the biggest and most life changing journey ever into motherhood. A true blessing💙

I cared for my sick father and nursed him for nearly two years whilst working, building my new yoga business and caring for my young baby on very little sleep…it was lots of restorative yoga that I used to really helped through the stress of this extremely busy and demanding time as well as the severe sleep deprivation I experienced. Yoga got me through all the past heartache and loss I experienced, allowing me to keep feeling everything, learning acceptance and being present. For me, yoga got me through the stressful times.

Now my yoga work enables me to help others, share the amazing benifits and give to others what it has given to me.

Yoga can help you cope better with the many untold life situations that are thrown at us… as much as I believe we are in control of our lives, still there are circumstances, situations and things that happen that are not always in our control. Often when these “things” do happen or cross our life path we get that nudge or that inner voice of intuition calling you and it will be even stronger when you practice yoga, because you are practicing the art of letting go! Letting go of all the build up of stress and crap that we carry or endure, physically and mentally.
Looking back I wouldn’t change the pain or struggles I’ve experienced, because it has bought me to where I need to be and where I am today. Life is a constant flow of holding on and letting go, working as hard as possible to make a good life and not being afraid of the  heartache, pain and struggles as they do bring greater compassion and understanding.

Life is about choices and your choice becomes your reality. What you choose or how you choose to deal with life’s situations shape your life. Shit experiences can shape you for the better.
Wether it’s your intuition you allow to help you or not, you have the choice to choose and you have the power to create the life you want.

Yoga is now my way of life and the techniques I practice have made me a stronger person and have enabled me to have so much focus and positivity that over the years what ever I’ve set my mind to or whatever I have wanted to achieve or have, I’ve been able to attract and make it happen.                                                       I feel so grateful every day for all that I have in my life, i feel blessed to have a beautiful son and loved ones. I have met so many more friends and like minded people on this journey. Everything is energy, we attract what we vibrate.

By moving on from the toxic people in your life you only make more space for new and better people to enter. I believe in living freely and unconventionally, if people feel the need to judge you it really is only a testimony of themselves…Dont allow toxic people to ever hold you back!

So, I would not have any of this if I didn’t listen to my intuition years ago! I no longer feel like someone is holding me back because I am now surrounded by healthy people and a healthy way of life, through my own choices.

I have opened my own Yoga Studio and created my vision to share my Yoga practice and improve the lives of others even more. It is such a joy and I feel truly grateful.
I just wanted to share with you that no matter how hard life gets sometimes, you can still turn it all around or make the best out of a bad situation. Let your heart break open from time to time and never hold back!

Love and gratitude to all my clients who follow my practice, Keep practicing…Yoga can make a positive difference to your lives as it has my own.

Tina
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