My Yoga Healing Journey – A Seva Reflection

One day, many months ago, I began a journey through the doors of the Holistic Yoga School to pursue my 200 hour certificate. While I have almost completed this certificate, I know this will continue to be a lifelong journey.
Let’s take it back a few months prior to when school began around May/June 2016. I began working with Krista in a trauma sensitive yoga program through my place of employment and expressed then my desire to pursue a teaching certification. After watching Krista always arrive to my office in a blissful state, I decided to take a class with her to determine if her program would be what I was hoping to find. I walked through the doors and entered the Atrium and instantly felt as though I was in a second home. Our intention for the class was around co-existing, and we did just that, as there happened to be a family reunion with multiple kids running around during our practice in the middle of it all. I left that practice firmly believing her program would be exactly what I needed. What I didn’t realize then was that it would exceed that precise thought.
In early July 2016, I unexpectedly contracted the West Nile virus, which led to meningitis and encephalitis. This diagnosis meant I experienced a traumatic brain injury that left me with lasting cognitive issues and fearful that I wouldn’t be able to begin my journey with the Holistic Yoga School. It took control of my body to such a level that I could hardly stand for 5 minutes without taking a 5 hour nap. This led to expressing fears at my first neurologist visit around having to cancel teacher training. To her credit, she instantly insisted she wanted me stay in the training. She said that if there was one thing she wanted me to do, among a multitude of rehabilitation, it was yoga. With her encouragement and Krista’s never-ending support, I decided to at least go to the first class and go from there.
In late August 2016, I arrived at my first class, exhausted from just driving down from our house, and feared I wouldn’t be able to sit for the three hours, let alone attempt any yoga. Amazingly, my body refused to succumb to my mind throughout the time. At the end of class, I shed tears as I shared with everyone that my hesitations about entering this program due to my illness had been lifted, and I knew with every ounce of my being that I was in exactly the right place to begin healing.
Fast forward to December 2016, as we finished our training in the Hatha sequence and began our exploration of Vinyasa. During the prior months, I had been so inspired by my peers in class and all of our instructors. The dedication and passion that emanated from each of them really made me feel full of gratitude. I tried to find a way to give them something that represented our close group of yogis, while also sharing my gratitude. With 5 students, I chose the Hamsa symbol to make bracelets for each of my peers and teachers. They came with a card that had the Mangala Charan Mantra, or the “White Light of Protection Prayer”. As the new year approached and we had all conquered our own battles from the previous year, I was drawn to infuse each bracelet with this guiding light mantra.
After sharing these gifts with my class, I learned the studio was looking for local artists to display their work. Without a second thought, I wanted to be able to give back to the Holistic Yoga school. Even though I was only halfway through my teacher training, I had gained so much from this incredible program. I was exposed to a world of never-ending learning and expedited healing from my debilitating illness that I continue to recover from. Therefore, I decided to donate bracelets to the school to sell. Upon sharing this, I learned the proceeds would go towards the scholarship fund for future yogis in pursuit of their certification. I chose to use the Hamsa bracelets again, and additionally made ones with a simple silver circle to represent the unity I felt between my peers and the school. Additionally, I attached the Shiva Mantra to remember all that we are capable of and all that we can become.
As I sit and reflect upon having the opportunity to share my journey into the world of yoga with both the incredible teachers and the amazing individuals in my class, I feel a multitude of inspiration. I feel compelled to continue to find ways to connect with the world on another level, to give back to the yogic community in any way possible, and to find a way to share the incredible benefits of yoga beyond the physical aspect. For this I have endless gratitude and a desire to learn forever. Yoga is life, it is unity with all, it is home.
Namaste