I was a varsity athlete on both the field hockey and lacrosse fields in high school. I spent my summers at international field hockey camps hoping to one day play at the collegiate level. That dream became a reality once I committed to play field hockey at Adelphi University. The future that I set up for myself would unfortunately end sooner than expected.
By 19 years old, within my first year as a collegiate athlete, I decided to quit. I found myself depressed, anxious and with a lumbar disc herniation. I felt like a failure and even asked my mom if I could take the semester off.
She did not however, allow me to give up on myself that quickly.
I could not cough, sneeze or laugh without being in uninterrupted pain. I began physical therapy and started taking medication to alleviate the extreme discomfort. It was time for a lifestyle change.
In the fall of 2017, I started working at Adelphi's campus gym. I decided to take a yoga class; naive to the path that I was about to head down. By the end of my first session, I found myself crying. Not because I was in pain, but because I finally found relief.
Fast forward to August 2020, I decided to start my 200 hour yoga certification. It encapsulated what the last 3 years meant to me but was also a starting point to a new beginning.
I am thankful for the young, ambitious version of me for trying to play a college sport. For if I had not played at the collegiate level, I may have never found a passion for yoga.
