My Journey to the Yogi Lifestyle: From Dance Floors to the Mat
If you had told my younger self that a yoga mat would one day feel more like home than a stage, I probably wouldn’t have believed you. I grew up as a competitive dancer, starting at the age of 3. Dance was my world, choreographed routines, perfectly timed movements, and the thrill of performance. But even in those early years, something deep inside me craved freedom beyond the eight-count.
At the age of 12, one of my dance instructors introduced me to yoga. I still remember how foreign it felt at first. There was no routine to memorize, no judges to impress, just me and the mat. And that’s when I felt it for the first time—the pure, raw flow of self-expression. Yoga became a sacred space where I could move for myself, not for the applause or aiming to be in the top 10.
As I continued dancing competitively, yoga quietly became my refuge. Whenever injuries flared up (which, as any dancer knows, was often), I turned to yoga to help my body heal. But it wasn’t just physical recovery; it healed the mental exhaustion, too. In the chaos of teenage life, yoga was my anchor. It taught me how to breathe through anxiety, how to sit with my emotions instead of running from them, and how to embrace stillness in a world that constantly pushes for more.
At 16, I took another big step toward a healthier life and chose to become vegan. That decision wasn’t just about food, it was a vow to live truthfully and compassionately, to nourish my body in a way that felt aligned with my heart. Around the same time, I started reading about Buddhism and exploring how people around the world lived simpler, more mindful lives. These weren’t just philosophies I studied, they became pieces of a lifestyle I was building, one that honored my mind, body, and spirit.
By 17, I was teaching dance, sharing my love of movement with others. And yet, yoga kept calling me deeper. So at 20, I officially stepped into yoga teacher training. That experience opened up a whole new world. I didn’t just learn about asanas and breathwork, I learned about myself. I uncovered old wounds, found healing through movement and meditation, and connected with a community of people who valued authenticity over perfection.
Today, I live a version of the yogi lifestyle that’s uniquely my own. I still have days when I feel off balance. I still catch myself chasing perfection. But yoga reminds me that the goal isn’t to be perfect, it’s to be present, to live truthfully, and to honor the journey, no matter how winding the path.
My life now is a beautiful blend of everything I’ve learned, fluid like dance, grounded like meditation, and guided by the belief that health is not a destination but a daily practice. I’m still learning, still growing, and still moving through this life one breath, one step, one intention at a time.
And that, to me, is the heart of the yogi lifestyle.
