Yoga

At home
Spring 2019

Sentosa Island, Singapore
March 2019

a flexible and strong
body allows for a
flexible and strong
mind

Throughout my life I had tried
to ‘like’ yoga. My mother took
yoga classes at the community
center and we would follow
Richard Hittlemans’s Yoga 28
Day Exercise Plan (I still have a
copy on my bookshelf) but
because she was crazy and it
didn’t seem to be helping her it
wasn’t incentive for me to
explore it.
I took a yoga class my first year
of college. It was slow and I
didn't get it. I continued to take
a few classes, during lunch at
work, or with friends when they
invited me to their classes, but
the heavy breathing, breaking
wind and overpowering patchouli
odor was painful and fueled my
aversion.

In my 20’s I discovered that
cardiovascular activity and a
healthy diet allowed me to
manage my depression and
anxiety without prescription
drugs, so spare moments were
dedicated to getting my heart
rate up; kick boxing, aerobics, in
line skating, running, anything
to make me sweat, lift my
endorphins and rid myself of my
demons.

At the same time, always, the
universe was sending me
signals, tugging at me, that
yoga was the answer. If I had
the discipline and patience to
practice, yoga would give me
peace of mind and allow me to
age with grace and strength.
But it was hard. I had no time. I
had no real motivation.

In 2015. I had a ski accident.
Carried off the mountain.
Emergency rooms. Doctors.
Surgeons.
Surgery, they harvested a
hamstring to rebuild my ACL &
PCL. It took months of physical
therapy. I swam laps and rode a
stationary bike. I would have
dreams that I was running. That
I could run. And I would wake
up and still have a busted knee
and be limping.

I recovered. Sort of. I continued
to limp, I couldn’t fully
straighten my right leg and if I
sat for any amount of time and
stood up I would be stiff and
sore, I had the grace of a very
old woman. My hip flexor was in
pain and both Achilles tendons
were inflamed. I was a mess.

In July of 2017, still being
mostly stiff and sore, I noticed I
was also irritated and anxious. I
had a bad habit of checking my
work email as soon as my feet
hit the ground. Something
needed to change. I needed to
change. A new ritual was
adopted, 10-15 minutes of yoga
and only then could I check my
email.
I started by focusing on yoga
positions that targeted my pain
areas, the backs of my legs,
Achilles tendons and hips, adho
mukha svanasana for my
Achille's tendons, urdhva
dhanurasana helped to have the
flexibility to put my heels on my
glutes - this was a significant
milestone after knee surgery
and rajakapotasana to open and
ease my hip pain.
Within a month of short daily
practice I had total mobility and
was pain free. And, I was
starting my days from an
emotionally grounded place.

I found myself doing more than
10-15 minutes of yoga a day
wanting to improve and learn
more. Since my work requires
me to travel, yoga was
something I could take with me
and do on the road. I enjoy
running but my work days are
full and long and it isn’t safe
running in the dark (early
morning or evening) in an
unknown city and I don’t love
running indoors, on treadmills,
in hotel gyms. Instead, I didn't
even need a mat, I could just
grab a hotel towel and practice
yoga in my room or by the pool
or on the beach.
I was fortunate that if I was
traveling to a destination and
had to stay over a weekend I
could organize 1.1 yoga
sessions (India and Bali) or take
classes (Tel Aviv and Taipei).

I loved to see how different
people taught. Different styles,
different energy and this
diversity allowed me to stay
curious and want to learn more
about yoga. I also loved talking
to the yoga teachers, I would
always ask, what brought you
to yoga and more often than
not it would be a beautiful story
of being bed ridden or on
death's door and that yoga
saved them. I admired their
humility, quiet strength and
peace.

I am fortunate to have an
amazing yoga school - Scuola
Anahata Yoga - very near my
home. I was able to enroll and in
between a crazy travel schedule,
and thanks to a patient and
loving maestra, I was able to
complete my teacher certification
in July of 2019.

Much of my practice and
teaching focuses on chakra
awareness - when our energy
channels are in balance, we are
in balance.

Today, thanks to yoga,
depression is part of my past. I
respond rather than react. I
don't have a constant knot of
fear and anxiety in my gut. And
I don't wake up feeling
overwhelmed and afraid.

I am more at peace.

I am proud of my journey. I am
still learning. I still have so much
to learn and I am grateful that
yoga is a discipline, a lifelong
learning journey, that will carry
me into old age with grace and
strength.

Namaste,
Leah Esther

Yoga Alliance Instructor
Milan, Italy

~ a collection of some of my,
mostly outside, beloved practice
places ~