I have walked my talk. At age of 26 I was diagnosed with an autoimmune syndrome and had to change my whole lifestyle if I wanted to live longer. Besides radical restrictions in my diet, I tried a few things, like Thai-chi, yoga, running – anything that would ‘calm my mind and slow down my routine’. Nothing really helped until I took a specific style of yoga class that caught me off guard. I remember asking the teacher: “Is this yoga too?” It just felt so good! For the first time I was really present in what I was doing for more than a few minutes. I had found something that would get my doctor off my shoulder, it may help me feel better and it was actually enjoyable. So… I started practicing it regularly.

I cannot say that life changed immediately. It didn’t. Everything was “normal”: working, dating, going out with friends, traveling, working more, taking care of my dogs – there was no immediate radical transformation. Some good days, others not so good, just as it goes. But slowly, as I kept consistency in the practice, I started to feel better. I went deeper into studying and researching what was happening inside my body (and mind). It became clear to me that healing was accessible. And over the years the transformation began to show.

I could manage my feelings with more clarity, understand what was happening inside me and in my surroundings, I would see people differently. Think differently. Choose differently. Until one day I realized I was still the “same person”, but a much different one – if that makes any sense!

There’s no denial or avoidance about my issues, but lots of gratitude for my slow, steady, and yet bumpy path. Some would say I ‘learned it the hard way’ – having to go through so much to be where I am now. But I would say I learned it the good way. The best and only way. By living it, fully. Every treatment, every doctor’s visit, every retreat, workshop, new study, new technique, tears, laughter, goodbyes, welcomes. With time, every new experience was absorbed by soul in a more intentional way. And that was the real transformation for me.

I dedicate my journey to all my instructors, masters, friends, colleagues, students, family members, my dogs, travel buddies, forests, mountains and beaches, insect bites, broken bones... They were all amazing teachers to me, each one in their own way and ‘category’.

You don’t have to change your whole life (i.e. quit a job, get divorced, move to a new country) in order to live better. It’s about changing the way you experience things that will bring more joy and quality to your life.

My invitation to you is to hop on your journey. Every soul has their own. But walking it together makes it so much more effective, enjoyable and fun.