I encountered yoga several times over the years, but I thought it wasn't for me: too slow, too boring. It wasn't until 2012 when I moved to Shanghai that my true love for yoga began. Trying to get fit again after four pregnancies, I had taken up running, but this led to a persistent knee injury. I was also feeling anxious a lot of the time. For both reasons and after reading about the benefits of yoga, I decided to give it another try.

To my surprise, the classes were physically demanding, but somehow, I felt very peaceful at the end, every single time. When I first saw my teacher perform a headstand I was inspired. Despite being the inflexible yogi in the room, I persisted with my practice, later completing four teacher training courses. I am fortunate to have trained both with an American teacher with a Western perspective and with an Indian master with a very traditional and hard-core approach.

Yoga benefits all aspects of my life: the physical practice fills me with energy, while the breathing and philosophy make me more mindful, peaceful, and joyful. I love the changing pace and movement, the sense of play as you flow into positions that you didn't think possible, the grounded feeling as you use the anchoring power of the breath, the experience of the body becoming lighter and softer as your strength, flexibility and mobility improve, and the mental toughness and awareness that the practice as a whole brings.