little by little || stacey shares

I’d like you to meet Stacey. Stacey wrote me a few weeks ago sharing her experience which brought me to tears. I asked if I could share her story and if she would be willing to send me a candid selfie to go along with it. She kindly obliged and today, I would like to share it with you. Enjoy.

Bethany Bethany Bethany. Where do I begin?!

Your app is transformative.

I’ve been reflecting a lot over these last 3 weeks from starting your yoga program and all I can say is that I can’t get enough.

As you know, your motto of “I want to feel better so I can be better” really struck a cord with me and was a major factor in trying your program. I can say after 3 weeks… I feel better and I’m doing…better. I am making healthier decisions on food choices, I am more patient with my shortcomings, I am learning to love my self and my body for all it’s beauty, and wrinkles and rolls, and I am more connected to my inner self.

Not to mention the increased physical strength. While I can honestly say the scale hasn’t quite moved much, I am very ok with this. After all; this wasn’t and isn’t about a weight loss program for me. It was and is about and physical and mental journey to health.

As a 35 year old woman with Ehlers Danlos syndrome, I can tell you that I have not felt this pain free in a long long time. I have seen my body slowly reshape, my posture improve and my gait balance since starting your program. My loose joints and aches/pains that come with EDS are less noticeable and I can perform daily tasks without having to think about my body mechanics or hurting myself as much.

I love how your routines focus a lot on core strength. And surprisingly many of these positions do not put extra strain on my joints and back as I had feared. Something as simple as laying on my back with my knees in the air and holding that pose: you even say it; “without strain on your neck or back” and yet you can feel your core anchor into the floor. I’m in on this! I love it! I definitely don’t transition from each sequence as smoothly as you show on the videos, but I get there eventually and safely! And I can isolate the muscles to fire and continue to build the core strength that is essential to my health.

I have a renewed connection with my inner spirit that I have been missing and craving for a very long time… I want to thank you for this. I have learned to embrace the roller coaster from week to week: the first video I usually feel like a failure of sorts although your steadfast confidence and encouragement enables me to show up for the next day…and your right…it gets easier and easier as the week goes on. By the end of this week, I was able to one-legged “stand” after that curtsy pose on pretty much all of them! I started the week barely able to stand at all, let alone balance one 1 foot! AND…I was able to add a little dance to it! This ish is seriously awesome! I love the mental challenge of all of this to get my body to do what I ask… it’s SUCH a stress relief!!

I also love how you end each video with some kind of centered, soulful song. After I “get all the junk out” and push through the mental/physical…I love the quiet, connected warm down. That’s usually were the tears flow. And flow. And flow. Cuz they need to come out. And I feel beautiful doing it. Girl that last stretch reaching back, pushing hips up and letting our head hang back. Beautiful and perfect on every level…

I’m going to attach my pictures that I’ve taken throughout the week. I wasn’t able to have wifey take any shots during the workout between our schedules and life events. But I have been taking pictures of myself more for my own personal gain; as I am learning to love my body and look at a selfie with confidence for who and what I am. As I said, I’m doing this for myself and have a strange need to share with you so I know someone is listening. My roar, after all, is still building.

Be well, and thank you,

Stacey

p.s. this photo is my getting over a bad head cold, puffy eyes from snot blowing and crying after the warm down… prob not what you are looking for, but on a personal level, I like this for my own self confidence: to look at this selfie and feel strong and beautiful. Stacey I LOVE this photo!

Once again, thanks to Stacey and everyone who offers to be vulnerable so that others may find strength. I love you endlessly.

xx – Bethany