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COBRA POSE (NEXT PAGE)Last year I was in a very dark place. I lost my
aunt, who’d been like a mother to me after my
own mother died a few years ago. You think
your parents are going to take care of you and
make you feel better, no matter how old you get.
That’s what I lost. And then I really lost myself.
My husband is great. I love him, and he is
always there for me. But after my aunt died a
part of me was just gone. I felt unlovable, and I
used food to numb the pain. We all know what
chocolate does: I’d think, “OK, I’m going to eat
this sugary thing, and for a little while, at least, I’ll
feel better.” But as with any addiction, it was only
a quick fix. I was in a cycle of overindulging.
Then I saw a video online of a military veteran,
a paratrooper who had damaged himself from
all of the jumps he did and was told he would
never walk without braces. He had overcome
his disability through a style of yoga called DDP.
I watched how hard he’d worked to gain his life
back. I said, “If he can do it, I can do it. I need to
find that strength inside myself again.”
I was telling this story to a cousin, and she said,
“My friend Jesse just got his DDP instructor cer-
tificate. I’ll ask him to get in touch with you.” The
next day, Jesse messaged me and encouraged
me to try the program.
At first, I ordered DVDs and did them at
home. I was too embarrassed to go to a studio,
so Jesse coached me with online messages. I was
so down on myself. When I’d say, “Oh, I am so
fat,” he would say, “We’re going to work on that.”
He gave me my motto: One meal, one workout,
one day at a time. When you’re in a depression,
just getting through daily life seems monumen-
tal and overwhelming. He would say, “Go do one
workout. It’s only twenty minutes. Just go do it.”
After about a month, Jesse convinced me that I
was ready to come into the studio. He had a friend,
Chris, who was training as a DDP instructor and
needed to practice teaching a student. That’s
how Jesse got me in, by persuading me to help
his friend. When I walked into the studio, Chris
showed me old pictures of himself to help me