Yoga was my gateway to connecting to my intuition

I have been reflecting on how I spend a lot of time in my head. Strategizing and overanalyzing. For me yoga has been pretty magical as it helps me with my busy mind. And I give yoga credit for the current path I am on. Yoga was there for me before I experienced over night relief from my chronic shoulder pain (Podcast: The One with Amber Kelly). I started my intuitive journey by going to yoga. I started going because I knew I was tight and inflexible. But, what I got and continue to receive today from yoga is so much more!

Yoga gets me out of my head and back into by body. I was playing regular volleyball and working out. But, during one of my first yoga classes I was blown away by how tight my shoulders and torso were. The simple act of putting my arms straight up over my head felt amazing. It felt SO GOOD to move my body in such a simple way that I wasn't accessing day to day. I spent so much of my time with my arms down and shoulders rolled in towards my chest (unconsciously protection my heart). Yoga became a thing for me all of a sudden. During each class I noticed improved mobility in my chronic shoulder. At the time I just praised yoga for the stretching.

But yoga is so much more. Yoga is connecting to your breath. Slowing Down! Getting back into your body and out of your head. Yoga poses open you up to be able to release stored and stagnant energy and emotions. And yoga was one of the first times I felt seen.

Only a few classes into my yoga journey I went for a mid-day yoga class with Tahnee Fournier. She has us move into a twist and I was struggling to relax into the pose as I was so tight. Although, two kids later I would love to go back to that "inflexible" version of myself, because I am very tight now!!! I was also new to yoga and didn't understand the benefits of props to help support you in poses so you can relax and actually go deeper. Tahnee came by to try and adjust me so I could relax more. At that time even with her adjustments I was stuck not able to relax as I just couldn't twist enough to relax parts of my body on the floor.

And to this day, I will never forget, Tahnee then leaned in and asked if I journaled. I responded "yes", even though compared to how I journal now, I would describe it as infrequent at best back then. She could sense there was so much more there and so gently reminded me that things do get better and encouraged me to keep writing. I was floored, this was the first time in my life I felt seen. She acknowledged my struggles without knowing anything else about me except I was tight.

That simple interaction disarmed me is the best way possible. I had never told anyone or let on I was struggling. Not to my friends, boyfriend, family. I was soldiering through. As Tahnee left me I started to cry under the lowered lights of the yoga room. A small release of the emotions I had been hanging on to for months, possibly years.

How did she know I was struggling? Well, she didn't. But my body was screaming at her through my restriction and tension, telling her my unspoken stress. It was my first "bodytalk session", aka intuitive healing before I ever was open to intuitive healing. She intuitively could sense I was stressed because I was trying to hold it all together, literally so much tension in my body as my body gripped on for dear life.

Not too long after this, bodytalk walked into my life. Bodytalk was that next level of healing and support I didn't know I needed and it cracked me wide open as it gave me a safe space to start to release the years of repressed emotions and energy. Having my chronic shoulder pain disappear over night after a single bodytalk session (Podcast: The One with Amber Kelly).

And I know yoga was the gateway. Being my first chance to release. My first chance to be seen. My first chance to slow down. My first chance to actively connect to my breath.

Because at the end of the day I believe the magic in intuitive healing is it provides a safe space. Then a chance to be acknowledged and seen right where you are at. Then a chance to connect to your breath to help keep you in the present moment. Then finally comes the release or shift in energy that was stuck. The energy that is ready to be released, transmuted and repurposed back into the energetic cycle of life.

If you want to explore yoga and are in the Saskatoon area, I highly recommend the Ivy Yoga House for their restorative yoga classes! Or if you want to go to the next level, I also offer Inner Knowing Sessions.