How Ayurveda And Yoga Helped Save Me
This is a story of a young, ambitious woman and her journey towards health, happiness, and inner peace. She is me, a unique soul who knew a seemingly endless cycle of loneliness, heartbreak, and hospitalisation. Here’s a snapshot of how yoga and ayurveda helped her transform her life with gratitude, regained joy and sprinkles of grace. Our adventure starts when I got closer to my dream job in IT security; then the end of her 11.5 year toxic situationship; and finally my system reboot in Spain after heartbreak.
Burn-Out, Break-Up, Breakdown, Breakthrough
Burn-Out
August 2011 I burned out Big Time 2 years after completing my Master of Science at Towson University. One Friday, after Happy Hour (HH) with my cousin and a friend from college I went home, passed out, and woke up with the world spinning (literally). You might be like, “gurl, you just couldn’t handle your liquor,” partially true, I had lost a lot of weight and only drank 3 glasses of red wine, which before then, was nothing. Fast forward to Saturday morning, after not being able to hold any food down and the room continually spinning my partner at the time called the ambulance and I was rushed to the Emergency Room (ER). This experience changed the direction of my life because after a week off of work, it hit me I could die tomorrow and the job would still be there with someone else doing it; my partner would be with someone he actually cared for; and my family would milk the sympathy of losing a child they loved to use as an emotional punching bag.
Break-Up
Fast forward a year or so later, I ignored my gut and bought a house with my long-time partner in city; I hate living in cities because they are too noisy and the pulsing energy drains my already low battery, yet I did it anyway. So at this time, I’m looking for houses, while studying for an IT certification, working full-time, and burning the candle at both ends…again. Welcome to the first step in the recipe for burn-out. Step two in our burn-out stew, pile on more things to do because health is important as I commuted an hour round-trip to do yoga and Zumba classes. Hello step three, after many arguments ranging from small household things to not spending time with each other and eventually my partner’s frequent trips to Colombia (the country) and the admission of cheating and wanting to break up I broke down. Divine timing as it were a bit before the break up a yoga studio had was about to open in the neighbourhood.
Breakdown
Now that I was single single my life felt even more empty than when I was with my ex-partner, especially after my return from a month spent in Costa Rica to continue to elevate my fluency in Spanish and visiting a friend in Japan before a week-long yoga retreat in Bali. Deeper feelings of loneliness had set in because all my friends and family were busy with their lives. I had felt excluded, but admittedly I had been too busy to include myself. I didn’t make time to make new friends as it used to be hard for me; I rarely saw the family members who lived in the local area; and would only see my immediate family if I made the effort or if they passed through and had time. Upon my return from a mini sabbatical, I prepared for my transfer to a new organisation and the ex-partner was pressuring me to make a decision about the house we bought together, as I had been living there alone. Enter stage left, the yoga studio down the road finally opens and I start practicing Yin Yoga and Restorative Yoga for a year before deciding to enroll in a yoga teacher training. Step four, get a house ready for sale during yoga teacher training, quit your full-time job to mentor university graduates in Trinidad and Tobago, all without the help of its co-owner. Two weeks after I move back to the place I felt the most peace and free (Atlanta, GA) my grandmother dies and I crashed mentally, emotionally and spiritually.
To Be Continued
All the burn-outs and break-ups from 2011 until 2022 led me to create a recipe towards a cure and recovery during life’s transitions. The loss of my grandma had been the straw that broke the camel’s back so to speak. By then, I had left my 9-5 with dreams of helping others recover from burn-out and doing it from anywhere in the world. With a tired brain and a bit of savings I travelled to the Motherland and the beginning. Stay tuned for the steps towards the breakthrough and creating a recipe towards a cure from burn-out…