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T
o me, finding the yoga practice that suits you is like
discovering your favourite cup of tea. It’s a bit like Earl
Grey or PG tips! There are many different schools of
yoga and so many teachers interpreting these in their
own ways. But once you find your practice, it feels like
arriving home. At least that’s how it felt for me.
What I love most about yoga is that it is a journey. A journey
through your body and mind but also through your life. I practiced
gentle yoga through my recovery, I flowed through powerful asanas
when I was on the mend, and even through the times when I could
not physically move much I was practicing yoga in some way too...
through my breath, my actions and my intentions.
When my mother-in-law ushered me to my first yoga class I had
already finished treatment for breast cancer. I was 33, with three
children under the age of four, when I discovered my lump. Surgeries,
chemo and radiotherapy had left me tired, weak and riddled with
anxiety. I was still waiting for my hair to grow back, and I had lost my
toenails through treatment too. So I wore a hat over my wig, socks
on my feet and the first few hours on the mat were merely taken up
by me worrying that my wig would fall off or that my feet would slip
and I would fall flat on my face in downward dog.I did not fall in love with my practice immediately. But I kept going
back, week after week and today I love it so much I want to stand
on my head everywhere I go! Much to the annoyance of my three
daughters and my husband.
But between my self-conscious first few classes and today lies
a journey of transformation, which seems to continue to take on
shape, and I will be forever grateful for that.Being in the now
Initially, my physical yoga practice slowly started to rebuild my
‘house’. I gradually grew stronger and more flexible, which in turn
gave me a little more confidence that I was on the right path. And
with confidence came hope.
But it was mentally that my yoga practice made the biggest
difference. The weekly hour on my mat was the only time of the week
where I did not feel panicked about the future or where past events
weren’t constantly rushing through and to the forefront of my mind. I
did not know what it was for a very long time. But today I understand
that I was able to tap into my present moment. Little by little, yoga
helped me find some mental relief.
From focusing on my breath to pulling up my knee cap, I becomeMy Story:
The power of yoga: Dani
Binnington explains how
yoga helped her through
her cancer and recovery