This only made me angry and frustrated, and the sharp pains in my chest became more frequent and intense. I saw that doctor after being taken to the ER by my boss, who thought I might have been having a heart attack due to the sharp, debilitating chest pain that came on suddenly. I also had suffered several emotional and physical traumas throughout my life, including a 15-foot fall to the hard desert ground, breaking my bones. I was also a diagnosed narcoleptic, receiving treatment for it since the age of 16, when I fell asleep driving and wrecked. 

 

The studio in Loveland was a welcoming environment, but I was terribly shy and self-conscious. I recall walking home from that first class not sure what had just happened. I had never experienced a real sense of relaxation before. I had never really opened to experiencing my breath and the ability to be fully present in my body and at the same time relaxed. I had danced as a kid, but ballet for me was an emotionally charged nightmare in some ways, and in other ways the very thing that likely saved my life. I cried on that walk home from the yoga studio. It wasn't sadness; it was a distinct feeling of cracking open and an unfamiliar sense of surging energy.

 

In 2006 I moved to Roanoke, Virginia, and I fell in love with the Ashtanga yoga method. The active practice of meditation in motion was exactly what I needed. I still had mysterious pain. As I practiced, I learned how to negotiate with the pain—to learn from it—and to notice where I met it, and if it was physical or emotional. The concept of physical pain being from an emotional source was new to me. As I practiced I began to work with softening the edges and began to feel less pain and more of a sense of release and relief and more joy.

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During one practice, I was working through a lot, after the class I spoke with the instructor; she suggested I see Kathleen Barratt for a breathwork session. After that experience, I knew there was so much more I needed to learn! Working with Kathleen and the Barratt Breathwork® model taught me more about breath, energy, and consciousness, and it introduced me to bioenergy. I later studied with master bioenergy healer Mietek Wirkus. In the first bioenergy class I took, I knew that I had tapped into a natural innate healing ability that had been dormant.

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As I practiced yoga, breathwork, and bioenergy, it became clear to me that helping others through these modalities would be part of my path. With that awareness, I left the corporate world in 2014 after 14 years of working for global agriscience and biotechnology companies. I am grateful for my time in the corporate world. The last five years with my full-time job became much smoother as I integrated yoga, breathwork, and bioenergy practices into my life. All three practices have a deep focus on breath and meditation.

 

My meditation practice developed from this trinity of disciplines. Synthesizing them has connected me to a depth of my being I had no idea existed. They have allowed me to serve others, support my health and wellness, and heighten my intuitive sensitivity so I can continue the work. I no longer take medication for narcolepsy and have a more loving relationship with my body, mind, and spirit. I have opened to Joy—the real deal, not something that can be bought or conjured up.

 

I still encounter challenges, but my trove of practices supports me at all times. Maintaining a sense of curiosity is key; we are are all in this school of life together. Each moment is an opportunity, every breath a gift. I will always be a student walking along the path. Now that I've opened the door, see the path before me more clearly, and am ready to step out, I extend my hand in service to others to walk through their own personal door home to freedom.