For years, I chased every wellness trend and fitness fad, thinking I had to tick all the boxes—hit the right workouts, wear the right clothes, and follow the ‘perfect’ routine. As someone who lived in the gym and pushed myself hard, I thought that’s what wellness was supposed to look like. But it left me feeling burned out, pressured, and disconnected from what my body truly needed.

Then, yoga came into my life, and it completely transformed my perspective. Yoga opened a door to a more mindful, compassionate approach to wellness—one that wasn’t about striving for perfection, but about listening to and honoring my body. It taught me that wellness doesn’t need to be about pushing harder, but about being kinder to ourselves.

However, my yoga journey wasn’t smooth at first. I didn’t start off strong. I couldn’t hold a plank or flow through poses with ease at all. My flexibility was good but my strength, balance,  and stability wasn't. I often left yoga classes I attended feeling deflated so I focused more on building my home self practice. That’s when I turned to functional strength training, working with my physio and exploring movements that built my strength in ways that felt more sustainable for my body. Over time, I began to integrate these functional movements into my yoga practice, finding a beautiful balance between strength, flow, and mindfulness.