Yoga is more than just bendy moves.  

My first experience with yoga took place when I was a freshman in high school. My step mom had bought some DVDs and was practicing herself. She said it was really relaxing and helpful for her body. What I remember witnessing was a lot of foreign ways to put your body into different positions. I was confused, but intrigued all the more. I started trying it myself, and at first, great frustration accompanied my practice. I soon realized there must be a mental aspect to yoga that I was missing. One that was more about willing your body into the poses, rather than forcing contortion. I practiced yoga on and off, and when I was at my physical worst, I decided to give it a try again. At first, I started by just breathing air into the parts of my body that I could not feel, or that were extremely tight. I began to envision movement and relaxation of my rigid muscles. I would then incorporate stretching if it felt right that day. I very quickly fell in love with the practice. Finally, 5 years after originally practicing yoga, I decided to take my first class in a studio. I researched some studios in the town I was living and was immediately drawn to one such studio. The second I walked into that yoga space, I felt hOMe. I knew I was where I was suppose to be and every experience with that studio since has been a blessing. I am learning and feeling the deep undulalation that yoga provides within our body and spirit. I am practicing my yoga ways off of the mat too, because as I said, yoga is much more than just some bendy poses. It is a mind, body and soul experience that has the ability to transform your whole life if you have the power to trust. I eat in a more yogic way, I speak in a more yogic way, and I practice being more connected in a yogic way.... taking my practice off of the mat and into the real world.

Energy is everything.  

This seems like a relatively easy statement to grasp. However, since living with an auto-immune disease, this statement has taken on an entirely new meaning in my life. I have become so aware of energy around me and within me. I made the decision that in order to heal my condition, I have to find a way to bring more energy in than I am putting out. Seems simple, right? Well, let me say again...energy is EVERYTHING. Meaning every word that comes out of my mouth, every conversation I have with another, every thought I think (good or bad), and the list goes on. My point here being that when we decide to consciously refill our cups before letting it run dry...energies began to shift. You start to notice which relationships are pulling the life out of you, and which ones leave you feeling recharged. You are acutely aware of the tasks in your life that do not bring you joy and again, those tasks that make you feel like you are pulling teeth. I have come to a personal realization that I just simply do not desire to live a life of those practices that drain my energy and life force. Of course this has called for A LOT of rearranging in my personal and professional life, but the energy is good my friends, real good.:)

Love & compassion for myself. I am not sure why, but this has always been a difficult responsibility for me. To love myself, unconditionally. I seem to notice every detail about myself that is out of place. I have been driven by living and working in a world where visual appeal is EVERYTHING, and if you aren't just this way...well then you are basically a failure. So that's how my journey of self-loathing started, mixed in with always being tall AND the new kid. I've faced teasing and bullying most of my younger years in school. Those are things you assume you grow out of, except many of us do not. We allow that pain to guide our choices in how we are dressing, speaking, socializing, etc. It may take us a long time to acknowledge this pattern of living through our past fears, but for me getting sick blew that all out of the water. Really, I can say, for the past few years I have been confronting Danae Demons, sometimes on a daily basis. One of the times that I was having a flare-up and laying on the floor in tears and pain, I started praying. This was a typical practice for me, prayer while in pain. I'm so glad this has become an even more regular practice. This particular time, I begged God for some solutions and in return I would make a promise. My promise was to share my experience of my healing journey. I promised that I would be completely humble and vulnerable in sharing what has worked (and not worked) in hopes of leading others to less pain and more peace. I promised that I would devote my life to learning more about the causes of pain, and to create solutions based off facts and my heart-filled desire to serve. Little did I know that this promise would equate to me facing those Danae Demons, regularly, so that I could become even more cleansed, vulnerable, and able to see clearly past that which is keeping me stuck. As I watched my shortcomings, like a personal movie play before my eyes, a plethora of emotions would sweep over me. At first, I was mostly disgusted! Look at those memories you tried to hide! Look at that 'flaw' you're exposing...put IT AWAY!! As I am learning more about my condition and guiding others to healthier lifestyles, I have starting viewing those personal movies from a different viewpoint. Now, I have a deep compassion for my trials. 'WOW Danae! You did THAT and now you're HERE?! That's pretty terrific sister, I mean DON'T do that again, but lesson well learned!' Much different than crucifying myself for each indiscretion. I know changing my viewpoint and loving myself deeply has been and will be a special key that unlocks exponential healing over me.

If you desire a particular outcome, you will have to pave your own path.  

I thank God consistently for my inner voice that led me off of the beaten path that's called 'traditional medicine'. If I had been 'traditional' I may not be writing this blog today as I wholeheartedly believe my quality of life would be drastically diminished. There was something inside of me that 6 years ago told me my diagnostics were NOT correct. I have refused to believe that my health would continue to deteriorate as a result of my conditions and dependency on medication. I knew in my being that there were answers and causes for my situation. I knew that with a HUGE faith and a humble heart, I could find peace and healing. So my real journey began. I have been building my path stone by stone. Sometimes I have to use a machete to cut back all that stands in my way, but here I am, 7 years later and in many ways in better health than I have ever been. Paving your own path is not for the faint of heart, but it is always deeply rewarding.

I am more than just this body. Paving my own path has led to many realizations that otherwise may have gone unbeknownst to me. One of which is the presence of my physical body. For a long time I just assumed my body should work perfectly. When this was tested, I was left feeling completely betrayed. I let this betrayal and negative feelings reside in my being for awhile, until I realized the contribution those feelings had to my overall health, or lack of wellness. As I began to question my state of health, many layers were peeled back. Underneath it all, I realized the delicate dance of the human spirit and body. While I was denying myself the right to feel my emotions and validate my pain, my cells, nervous system and immune system began to cry out. At the time, I was so numb to the pain that I did not realize my contribution to my illness. Through this heightened awareness, I have made the connection between physical ailments and those of my soul. The greatest discovery was just that! I am not just my body. I am a soul; a glowing, thriving, manifesting goddess that had the courage to speak up and remind my body of the intrinsic relationship between the two.