Full Description of Me 

Wow, what a story.  When I was thirty nine, I knew that something just wasn't right with my health. I didn’t know what was going on other than I didn’t feel good. I eventually found a lump in my breast. I always tell women to be in tune with their bodies and if something doesn't seem right, do some investigating. I could barely feel anything and by the time I went for my scan the lump was already fairly large. It was a whirlwind after that. I got the mammogram and they told me they thought it was cancer. And then it was much larger than they expected and had moved to my lymph nodes. I was diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer at thirty nine years old. It was a shock. I was young, I had children, one in kindergarten.   It was definitely a process. I just went into fight mode because I had my kids to think about. I went through four rounds of chemotherapy to shrink down the tumor to almost nothing, then I had a bilateral mastectomy followed by a reconstruction and radiation.

I had started practicing yoga about six months before I was diagnosed, and it was such a gift to me during that time. I was able to continue my practice throughout the entire experience, even if it was just laying on my mat for an hour and crying and releasing all of the emotions I was feeling. It was my sanctuary, that mat. I had a cousin that would come over and teach me yoga and give me scalp massages , and to me, that was such a gift and healing experience. It made me think, “after I get through this, I want to help others using this.” After about two years of treatment, I really got back into my yoga practice and was able to gain so much strength and confidence.
The thing about breast cancer is that it really takes away so much of your femininity; you get your breasts cut off, you get thrown into menopause, if you go through chemo you lose your hair. You look in the mirror and think “I look like a man.” It's so hard to go through that and continue to feel beautiful. Yoga really helped me to take a little bit of strength and confidence with me.

I became a yoga instructor because I just really wanted to help people the way my instructors had helped me. I started a program called Pink Prana specifically to help breast cancer survivors. I hold a class every week for survivors (and anyone is welcome to come). It’s a room temperature, restorative class with a lot of hands on adjustment. It’s a way to show love to these women who are facing all of these struggles and support them and love them through it. It’s also extremely beneficial to me to have this community of survivors to connect with on a weekly basis as well. We are like a little support group.

I have two tribes of strong female friends. I am blessed! I have my breast cancer sisterhood and my yoga sisterhood. My breast cancer sisters are so amazing. Even after you beat cancer, you don’t ever really lose that fear. If I get a headache or lose some weight, I start to worry that something is going on and it’s so wonderful to have these sisters to reach out to for a good laugh, reassurance, and love. My yoga tribe is so nurturing and they have taught me so much in regards to helping others, having patience, and self-care.

My hope is to help guide you through this healing journey with yoga, sisterhood, and sharing experiences that can help you find your inner badassness.