Rachael

I went from feeling like I’d been hit by a truck every morning, and unable to work, to lifting a woman above my head as part of a circus troupe—due to my determination and the healing power of yoga.

I was never officially diagnosed with fibromyalgia. My doctor told me he doesn’t diagnose disorders that are psychological, not just physical, encouraging me to find out more about my symptoms, and what I could do to change them.

For some people, this might have been insulting. For me, it gave me the opportunity to discover how I could help myself.

For his part, my doctor started me on iron infusions and other strategies to build up my body physically. He also sent me to a psychologist.

I started making important changes to my lifestyle: I found a new job that gave me more personal satisfaction and I took greater care with my food choices.

I also concentrated on the practice of yoga, adapting classes to suit my needs, and how I felt about my body began to change.

Through yoga, I learnt about the link between how we move, and how we think and feel, and I also felt a greater sense of self-awareness and self responsibility.

I took a leap of faith and enrolled in a circus school in England, training six hours a day, for six months—something I never believed would be possible. I wrote about my experience in my ebook What My Body Wants.

I then decided to study yogic education at the University of Lille in France, and learnt about yoga as not just a physical technique, but one that also addresses the social and psychological aspects of the self.

Today I’m able to manage my symptoms so that I rarely experience them, and I’ve developed a Yoga for Pain program, to help others.
There is also Yoga for Pain Care Online to reach people in regional areas, and Yoga for Pain Practitioner Training to teach health practitioners how yoga can be an effective part of pain care.