A number of years ago, I had a horrible surgery. They messed up the spinal block. My spine was punctured 5 times. It was traumatic and painful in way I still don’t have words for.

It also caused a cyst to form between L4 & L5. The cyst wasn’t operable, and there wasn’t anything to be done but PT. After a year of PT – 3 times a week – I could again sit/stand/walk. It was a tremendous win.

I was encouraged to get some exercise, and we discussed multiple options. It was finally agreed upon that yoga was probably my best choice at the time – with this one specific teacher.

And with great trepidation, I bought a yoga mat and showed up. I remember being terrified. I remember not understanding half of what she said. The class was finally over, and I returned home.

I wasn’t in love when I left that first class. But when I got home, I had to unload the dishwasher and re-load it with the dinner dishes. That’s when it happened. I bent down to do a task that was painful and unpleasant… It still had to be done. Somehow, though, it didn’t hurt this time. Somehow, that yoga class, just that first hour, it had changed me. I emptied that dishwasher for the first time in a year with being in pain that entire time.

And that is when I knew I was in love with yoga. I could live my life with less pain. I could function. I could do so much more.