I found yoga in my early 20s, in the middle of a fast-paced marketing career in New York City.

From the outside, everything looked “fine.” But internally, I couldn’t turn my mind off. My head was filled with a constant chatter about work, my to-do list, self-criticism, and underlying worry.

I had always been interested in psychology (it was my college major), so I started working with a therapist. It helped, especially during our sessions. But in between sessions, the noise in my head would come right back, constantly pushing me to achieve more, do more, look better, and somehow always be “enough.”

My inner dialogue was loud and exhausting.

My therapist eventually said, TRY YOGA.

Honestly? It felt like a strange idea to address my mind, but I was willing to do anything.

I wasn’t flexible; I wasn’t graceful; and I definitely wasn’t interested in sitting still in poses like
savasana. At first, I spent most of my time in class mentally reorganizing my to-do list.

But—I kept showing up.

And somewhere along the way, something shifted. The messages the teachers shared started to make sense and pop into my head when I wasn’t in a class.

Messages like…

“OBSERVE your thoughts coming and going. You don’t need to engage.” I never thought of that! I always ruminated in my thoughts as if they were crucial.