Yoga Teacher Training Forum

HI Steph!

Well...rats....reading over the list I see that the ringing in my ears and electricity feelings in my skin are not signs from the Gods that perhaps Patanjali is trying to contact me from the great beyond.....sheesh...reading your list of peri symptoms is enough to scare even the bravest of souls! But...alas...yes-this is what many women face during the years from about age 42-50 some.....I began experiencing these symptoms around the age of..hummm....??(sorry I forget easily) er...oh yes...now I remember...around the age of 43 (or was it 42?) I'm going to be 48 this year in September. When I was 44, I ran into an old friend of mine-we used to "workout" together at the gym-she (not me) went on to become a champion bodybuilder while I went on to gain about 25 lbs... ahem....or was it 26? At any rate-during the years that I had not seen her she began to practice and study yoga-in India and at Mt. Madonna California...and several other places. So all in all- she dedicated her life to yoga. We ran into each other in the grocery store- SHE looked great! I could see this light radiating from her....I mean she had this..aura...I almost wanted to hide from her because I felt so low at that point. For several years I had been really suffering with most of the symptoms on your list. She saw me and the biggest smile spread across her face- and she warmly embraced me and asked me how I was.....and...I spilled my guts-right there in the produce section, tears and all. When I was done spilling myself all over the tomats and celery I remember she looked at me with such compassion and said "I teach yoga now...and I have a studio in town, why don't you come and try it"? "I think I can help you". I remember thinking..."what"? "help me"? I really wondered how she would manage that when even the doctor couldn't help me. Long story short-the first time I walked into the yoga room I experienced relief. The relief came at first in the form of mental peace. The more I practiced, the more I saw other areas of my life being healed-physical, mental and even spiritual. I wrote all that because, I really don't know who will read these posts and I wanted to share a "true story" ...my way of reaching out to other women to tell them that this is real-not a fluffy idea on a webpost....this is real-yoga has done for me what no physician could.

I live on a small island out in the ocean-near Guam, 120 miles north to be exact. We are hugely influenced by the "East". Many of the doctors at our very small hospital are educated in the West-however-we have access to a host of people here from Eastern countries with totally different thoughts regarding health maintenance. I do have enough experience with Western medicine to know that you are absolutely correct about wanting to "cut" what ails us!

My yoga teacher moved away-to Indonesia. The studio closed. There is not another one on island. But I have maintained a faithful home practice and now...am studying with Aura to become a teacher myself. I want to share this wonderful gift with others-this gift of healing for body , mind and soul.

I hope that other women read these posts and become encouraged. There really is hope. I was personally at the point where, quite frankly, I wanted to give up. In a BIG way. I won't say the word..but I was thinking of the ultimate end to my suffering. Until..yoga came into my life.

Yoga with a dash of humor.....

Ok...well..let's see where this post gs!

hugs and much love
Namaste

ZY