I Believe In Myself Because Of Yoga

I struggle with self-doubt and hating myself on a daily basis. That’s why I started Yoga 4 Change.

I have the best partner, an amazing daughter, and a job that I love.  I know I should be okay with who I am and what I do, but that’s not always the case. I also know that self-care is important, but sometimes I choose to not help myself.  This causes me to struggle with self-doubt and discouragement. That’s why I do yoga.

Employing yogic breathing benefits me when I am working through a stressful moment, when I am coping with sexual trauma from my past, or when I am being seriously honest with who I am as a person; and facing the truth that sometimes I suppress my feelings with wine. When I do not practice yoga, when I do not breathe and move my body, or when I stop implementing self-care, I am truly a different person.

Sometimes I feel like I’m under water or drowning.  I stop feeling this way when I breathe deeply in an intentional way. Some mornings I wake up and it is hard to put my feet on the ground to start the day.  Those mornings I remind myself that I am good enough, a saying I heard in a yoga class four years ago by an amazing teacher who I deeply respect to this day. I then take a deep breath and I make the decision to get out of bed.

Trauma sensitive yoga is a part of my daily routine.  I believe in Yoga 4 Change because I am living proof that practicing yoga can change your life. My practice allows me to function at an optimal level and sometimes it is the glue that holds the pieces together. It also gives me the strength and confidence to stand in front of people and talk about the service we provided to incarcerated men and women who are at their absolute bottom.  I believe in myself because of yoga. 

I’ve spent hundreds of hours on my yoga mat.  In doing so, I’ve learned more about myself than I ever thought possible.  Yoga has also granted me the opportunity to learn about others.  I have seen students who are down on themselves literally change their trajectory and start believing in themselves and what they are capable of achieving.

The Yoga 4 Change team is invested in what they teach because, like me, they are living proof of the benefits of yoga.  Each of our teachers faced their own respective hard truths at one time or another and yoga helped them heal and move forward.  Yoga taught them that they were strong enough to crawl up from whatever depths they were living in and now they share the wisdom they gained with others. Yoga reminds us all that we are good enough, that we can give back, that what we say matters, and that who we are matters.

 I believe that we need to invest in the things that are inline with our values.  This means putting your resources (e.g., time, energy, and finances) where your beliefs are. We are inviting those who have a passion for serving others, those who want to help our community members who are struggling with depression or trauma, to attend our trauma informed yoga and teacher training workshops or volunteer with our team. Or, if you simply want to further develop your yogic practices and feel more connected with your own body, attend our re-occurring community classes. 

Your donation to Yoga 4 Change is used to support our core programs and helps us fulfill our mission. Please click below to donate online.  You can make a one time or reoccurring tax deductible contribution.