Yoga Helps Deal with Life's Challenges

Yoga is an amazing tool.

I first began teaching yoga in California in the 1970’s where it was already considered mainstream. As a new teacher, I quickly realized I was a small fish in a very large pond. Hoping to make a bigger impact, I relocated to South Florida, where there were very few yoga teachers. With my training, I theorized I would immediately step into a role as a senior instructor.

However, I failed to recognize why there were so few yoga teachers in South Florida at the time. Most locals assumed yoga was a fringe religion—or worse. There was virtually no community support for it. Because my livelihood depended on sharing this work, I realized my survival required educating people about what yoga actually was, and what it wasn't.

There was just one major problem: I was terrified of public speaking.

Yoga is not a religion. It is a practical methodology designed to help restore your natural balance—physically, emotionally, and mentally. It is about learning to control your body and mind in ways you might never have thought possible.

Through yoga, I learned to confront my personal challenges and apply those lessons directly to my life off the mat:

Overcoming Fear: To educate the public, I had to face my fear of public speaking. By using yoga breathing and grounding techniques to manage my anxiety, I successfully entered the local lecture circuit to dispel myths about yoga. Since then, I have lectured across the United States and abroad, given countless television interviews, authored three books, and come to thoroughly enjoy speaking to audiences.

Overcoming Physical Stiffness: When I first started yoga, I was extraordinarily stiff and tight—in fact, those who knew me well would say I was downright "uptight." Within a few years, my increased physical and mental flexibility transformed how I navigated everyday stress.

However, those early obstacles were nothing compared to what lay ahead.

Fifteen years into my teaching career, I developed Multiple Sclerosis. I began losing my hard-earned flexibility, my shoulders became semi-paralyzed, I gained twenty pounds, had difficulty walking, and fell into a deep depression. Feeling as though yoga had ultimately failed me, I quit practicing and teaching altogether.

Then, four years later, a series of unexpected events prompted me to revisit my practice. In a twist of irony, I began using my own previously published book, Recovery Yoga, as my sole guide and teacher.

Re-engaging with those non-forceful principles dramatically changed my life. It forever altered how I understood the needs of injured, ill, or aging individuals. I was no longer just an instructor relying on formal studies of anatomy and kinesiology—I was now living the experience firsthand.

Now well into my own recovery, I am able to share a uniquely grounded perspective on using yoga not only for healing and physical renewal, but also for teaching yoga to physically fit people, but from a different perspective. This particular approach improves strength, endurance, and flexibility without promoting injury or otherwise irritating an already stressed or injured body.

Ultimately, yoga is not about performing perfect poses when life is going smoothly; it is about giving you the resilience and tools to navigate life when things fall apart. Whether you are confronting fear, recovering from illness, or simply trying to get your body moving again, an appropriate practice meets you exactly where you are. It reminds us that no matter how far off track our health or circumstances may seem, we always have the capacity to adapt, rebuild, and reclaim our vitality.