Welcome dear reader, This is my very first blog post and I would like to take you back a few years.
I discovered Yoga about six years ago. A lot has happened since and I have learned a lot about the practice. Childhood I am more than blessed that I was born into my family. I couldn't have asked for a better father and mother, or a more loving brothers and sister. Of course, I had my difficulties when I was growing up, but my family was always there. No matter what was going on. My mother in particular, was always my lighthouse to guide me out of the dark places in my head. We would talk about Buddha, spirituality, or we would analyze my behaviour when something was up. She taught me the value of communication and explained me a lot about life and the inter-personal connections that occur. My parents divorced when I was 12. Now, I know that there are a lot of stories where the divorce was hard. On both of the parents, as well as for the children. We were lucky enough that a lot of drama and aggression was spared. Looking back to it, I'd have to say that my parents took care of it as best as they could, never forgetting about the welfare of the children. They were/are still a team, no matter what happend. The divorce actually gave me and my siblings a chance to connect on a deeper level with each individual parent. Fast forward a few years. In 2015, I moved out of my father's house, to live on a small island all the way up North in Germany.
The island is called Pellworm. It's about 27 kilometers in diameter, roughly 1300 people living there and a little over 3000 sheep.
It's very green, quiet, in the summer somewhat bustling, but always;
Beautiful and breathtaking.
The tides of the North Sea make it perfect for both swimming and for mudflat hikes
(walking on the bottom of the sea)
Before I moved to Germany, I started my fitness journey while still living at my dad's. I noticed my body had changed a lot throughout the years and I wanted to get back into shape. Not having the confidence to walk into a gym just yet, I started exercising at home. I did Insanity, Insanity Max 30, Charlean Extreme and a few more. Even though after some time I was getting stronger, losing weight, I still felt like something was missing. I couldn't tell exactly what. In one of the programs that I was following, there was also a "Saturday Yoga". Looking back to it however, this was basically just stretching and nothing even close to Yoga. This really put me off and I thought Yoga wasn't my thing.
And one evening, it happened.
I was looking into Yoga some more, I was reading a few articles and the meantime was listening to music.
At one point I discovered the website DoYogaWithMe.com. I was amazed that Yoga was openly available and that you could practice it from the comfort of your own home. Ever since I took my first class there, I was hooked. I'll never forget how I felt after that. I felt so light, it was quiet in my head, my body felt worked; I felt fulfilled. This was what missing the entire time. Not just a physical practice or activity, but something with meaning and awareness behind it.
Over time, I stopped lifting weights and Yoga became my main exercise.
Even calling it exercise doesn't seem to do it justice. I became so interested in Yoga that I wanted to delve in deeper and deeper.
I practiced every day, 7 days a week for weeks on end.
Yoga kept me sane in a lot of hectic moments in my life and still does to this day.
It brought me so much closer to myself and it helped me to cope with my anxiety.
How this exactly helped me is for a different blog post.
