The truth about me.

I love honesty, sharing and learning about all the different people that i connect with in all areas of life, from students to strangers to my own friends. Connecting with others, for me, is so powerful and beautiful. Esspecially when we have that aha moment realizing we all have so much more in common then we thought and ultimately realizing at our core, we are pretty much all the same.

So in spirit of that i wanted to share with you a few truthes about me that perhaps you didnt know, hopefully bringing us closer together ( virtual closeness is a thing right??) sharing some vulnerble truthes along with some funny and kinda weird ones...

1.What propelled me into yoga was a $20,000 credit card bill, moving the other side of the world,a deep depression, falling in love and becoming a groundskeepers... no really!

In late 2012 after travelling the world near enough non stop for 3 years and accuring a growing credit card bill ( travelling is much more addictive then retail therapy i can tell you..) i decided to apply for a working holiday visa in Australia, somewhere i had visited many times but never worked, aiming to work remotely and stay focussed on the goal.

Like many great humans have stated, life isnt about the destination but the journey and what started as a venture to pay off a credit card followed into a dark and pretty lonely depression. Its amazing how transfixed we can become on certain things and i guess, mainly, how we can allow our own well being and worth slip down the list of priorities in order to 'reach the destination'.
No fireworks or certificates were handed out when i finally reached '0' on the credit card bill but my own health, mental well being and self worth were in an extremely fragile state.

After taking a well needed trip home i arrived back to Australia, decided this irish gentlemen who had been my best friend when i most needed it ( and for main part was a bit of a nightmare to be around..) wasnt so bad after all and i decided to take myself off into the bush. After a huge wrestle with feeling like a failure because i hadnt experienced the 'Australian dream' that i was sold on facebook, surely i couldnt leave somewhere on bad note? having not had a great time and made a million friends?. After many nights unsure what to do i reminded myself that when things aren't serving you, let that shit go! people, places, clothes! anything.
Gumtree called at the right time and off we went to a work at a remote Eco Retreat as a grounds keepers. Living in the depths of nature, the stillness (where unfortunately you cant distract or run from your thoughts) allowed me to come to understand my inner demons, heal and rebuild myself into a stronger, better version of myself.
I met a beautiful in house yoga teacher who reminded me of the dream i had to teach, that maybe the time was now? As they say,if not now when? And if not you who?

This story could fill an entire book but what it taught me and what i always hope to share is that nothing matters more then your own health and well being, that being kind, patient and loving towards yourself matter greatly. Your dreams, your abilities and ultimately the quality of your life all comes from within, from what we think we deserve and what we put at the top of that list of priorties. Never allow any external possesssions, the paper dream disctract or lead you away from what matters most and that's you.

2.I love Hip Hip music, ok ok im obsessed!
So most people think that i run around all day to the sounds of indian sanskrit songs, piano instrumentals or mantra repetitions and well, yes i do love the music that i play in classes but my love for old school hip hop is still going strong!! I have to say i am that girl in her yoga leggings, on her way to teach peace whilst listening to old school Dr Dre... I'll let you make of that what you will haha!

3.My favourite thing about myself is my smile and my ability to keep smiling throughout all situations i find myself in.
From day dot people have always commented whether there isnt a day i don't smile? And well, no there isnt really.( i know, i know, it a really annoying cliche thing to say and read but anyone that knows me will know its authenticity, promise.) I read once that a smile is an offering of peace and i believe it so, the power of smiling at a stranger, at a situation that is annoying/ frustrating or perhaps makes you really angry and most importantly at yourself! Nothing in life is permenant, lets have a good time while we here right?

4.I write to myself every single day.
Svadayaya is the yogic term for self study, a practice of anything that brings you closer to your true essence and for me this is writing. Not for anyone or anything just a general run down of the day, unfiltered and unsensored, often never being reread. Some days its a paragraph and others its 3 pages long, just the practice of writing allows me to offload, let go of conversations/situations and or figure out how i actually feel about something. I couldnt recommend it enough.

5. Despite being plant based now i used to often chow down 3 steaks a day and never knew what a vegan or vegetarian really was...
I know, i am slightly embaressed at all of the above and my general ignorance and 'antiness' ( i'm making that a word) towards anyone who didnt eat meat. I was a crossfit junkie that only believed in protein protein protein!! Since meat and most dairy left my diet over a year and a half ago i couldnt feel better from my energy levels, physical state and how my perspective of what goes into my mouth is one of nourishment and kindness toward myself and to other beings instead of restriction and being skinny. Its one of my greatest achievements. ( and yes, i get enough protein.. Yes, you can live without cheese and no i dont live on salad... Haha...)

6.Up until 5 weeks ago i have pretty much lived out of my backpack for 3 years!
I have been travelling on and of for 6 years and pretty much solidly for the last 3, moving at the very least every 6 months.
Things like longing to just have your own house to walk around naked in, a wardrobe to hang your clothes in or just to not be mortified when you end up sleep walking into your hosts room in the middle of the night, undressed because you can't remmeber where you are.( i know, ground swallow me up) I think at one point whilst waiting for our Australian residency, on the brink of it either being accepted on declined we stayed in 8 airbnbs in 9 weeks!So blessed, yes of course but stress free? not a chance!
One thing living out of your backpack does allow you to do is strip away all you dont need, material wise , expectation wise and rid of your attachments to having to have things a certain way. It is an extremely liberating feeling for the soul. If you have never done it, try it! Even if for just a weekend away, the feeling of freedom is wonderful.

7. From cleaning toilets to erecting Marquees, I have had well over 30 jobs in the past 6 years.
From working as a housekeeper, farmhouse cook, groundskeeper, global account manager, sales, erecting marquees , accounts assistant and of course teaching yoga (the list could go on and on!) i really have dipped my toes into most things.
Whilst travelling around the world and doing anything and everything to fund the next trip i learned how to say yes.. alot and use you tube and google as my faithful friends to teach me how! (Apart from all things yoga, i promise, i actually know alot about that.)
The value in meeting/working and being able to communicate with so many different kinds of people, understand there stresses is something i am so grateful for. It enriches how i can reach people on the mat, greatly.

8.People often think im a bendy pretzel but in truth I am extremely hypermobile.
People have often commented on how 'flexible' i am, way before i practiced yoga and it wasnt until 4-5 years ago that realized i was hypermobile. This means that i have Increased range of movementin my joints, and joint laxity - meaning that my joints dont have the same saftey screening to stop moving to a certain place, they will just keep on going until i say stop. This often resorts in injuries and moving into a place of compensation rather then real flexibility. So whilst i have built my range of flexibility there is a big element of hypermobility.Hence why i am constantly reminding people to always focus on there own practice and there own body as you have no idea of the persons next to you.

If you enjoyed reading or even made a connection with something above, no matter how small! i would love to hear from you on helen@mahatma.yoga or via facebook
'mahatma.yoga'

Love and light
Hells

In my happy place with my family and friends in Buckingamshire UK, my beautiful niece in my lap :) post yoga retreat.