Yoga Girl

Traveling nonstop was a lot of fun in the beginning, and still is, but
after a few months on the road I started to feel depleted. We were so busy
traveling and teaching that I didn’t have time for my own personal practice
anymore. I’d do my best to sneak in some high-powered dynamic
sequences when I had the time. I wanted to sweat and move as I always
had, but there wasn’t time for it anymore. I also did a lot of photo shoots at
the time, which meant I’d put my body in difficult poses without warming
up or preparing the way I normally would. All of this combined with
something I’d been lucky enough to avoid for most of my life—stress—
brought me back to the same place I had been years and years earlier: with
back pain. We were on airplanes and in airports most of the time, sleeping
in hotels, going from country to country, city to city, teaching every day.
One morning in San Francisco I awoke to the sound of my alarm clock,
reached out to turn it off, and literally felt something snap in my neck. I
had no idea what had happened. I couldn’t move! I was in very little pain
at first, but within minutes it was almost unbearable; I couldn’t even get
out of bed. And I had a jam-packed class that very afternoon! I knew at
that moment that things were getting out of hand; I had become so caught
up in teaching and trying to connect with everyone—I literally said yes to
everyone who asked me to teach abroad—that my health and well-being
had been compromised. This was not okay.
One of the most important rules that I live by is this: “To love others,
you must first love yourself.” You have to give yourself all the care you
need! It’s not just okay to be selfish, it’s a necessity. If you run out of steam,
how are you ever going to be of service to the world? If my body wasn’t
feeling good, how was I ever going to teach others to take care of theirs?
at day in San Francisco I made my way to the acupuncturist and was
lucky enough to get a ai massage from one of the most prominent
therapists in the city. I felt better, but I walked into that class wearing thick
knitted socks and a scarf (I was freezing!) and feeling so sad I could cry. I
was teaching a handstand workshop and I couldn’t even turn my head;
someone had to help me sit down on my mat. The class went well anyway,