How yoga ruined my life forever and why I keep doing it

Yes, it’s true. Yoga has completely ruined the life I was living. It absolutely smashed my previous beliefs, destroyed old paradigms and kissed my ‘happy’ life goodbye.

For the better.

How? Just over 10 years ago, I lived a pretty happy life. So I thought. I had a secure 9-5 job as a fashion designer, a stable income and my precious car. Every week, my friends and I would wait for the weekend to come so we could go out and spend our hard-earned cash in the bars and nightclubs of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Let’s just say, I was living comfortably. We worked hard and played hard. It was fun – for a while…

But then came the day where it all changed. I was tired and uninspired. Surely, there must be more to life than 9-5 and shallow friendships. I was longing for more meaning in my life. I was longing to live with passion. I was longing for adventure.

During that time I made a simple decision. I dropped everything, packed my bags and left for Australia. Yes, just like that! Never had I left my own country before. I was scared. But that couldn’t stop me anymore. I had made my decision.

Now, I could go on about my travelling adventures and how I got stuck at the airport when I arrived, but this post is about yoga.

So, after a few months in Sydney, still working in fashion design, I decided to join one of the local yoga classes in Paddington. It was great to meet new people and I made some progress, but then one day it suddenly hit me. Something changed. I changed. Week after week I started feeling more alive. I was happier, had more energy, but most importantly, I was living with passion! How did I know? I could feel it!

I fell in love. not only with yoga but with myself again. It was as if I had finally woken up. My old ‘life’ was destroyed. I was experiencing a new version of myself and still do so today. Yoga has changed my entire belief system. Through yoga, I have been able to expand my mindset, push myself to new heights and achieve things I previously thought impossible.

Ask me now, and I will tell you that nothing is impossible. Life is one big miracle that allows each of us to manifest our dreams in ways you can’t even imagine, if you learn to let go of the old and allow for change in your life to happen.

Our biggest enemy in life is inaction. To welcome the change you are longing for, you need to start acting, start believing. Now I know that the thing holding me back was my mundane daily routine.

It’s when we start listening to our hearts again – as we all did as children – and align our actions with our deepest values and desires, that life doesn’t only get better, but it becomes magical.

How can yoga do all that, you ask? When we practice yoga, we focus on within. We learn to align our movement with our breath, our body with our mind. With regular practice, you will learn to put yourself in a more harmonious state. A state of mind that allows us to be more positive, more resourceful and compassionate. A state that allows us to see more clearly and make better decisions in line with our values. Life-changing decisions.

Thank you for taking the time to read about my journey. I hope to see you on the mat soon!

Namaste,
Carmen