Eating raw foods and practicing yoga are two holistic disciplines that can have very positive effects on your health. Yoga is derived from the Sanskrit word meaning union or yoke. Through physical postures and relaxation techniques, the mind and body learn to work together in balance. Yoga strengthens the muscular, skeletal and nervous systems while increasing flexibility. If you think of your body like a sponge, yoga twists the toxins out of it. Additionally, yoga uses the power of your breath to reach parts of your body where you hold suppressed emotions and tensions. Many yoga students notice an increase in spiritual enhancement.
My good friend, Joanne Osborn, was my yoga teacher while I lived in Texas. Her story is so inspiring that I want to share it with you. At the young age of 21, Joanne suddenly became very ill. Within a year, her pain was so intense that she spent most of her time in bed and sometimes her husband had to feed her.
Doctors at the Mayo Clinic diagnosed Joanne with severe fibromyalgia. She was told that she would be in a wheelchair by the age of 30. As a young bride with a young daughter, in profound pain, her prospects were dim. Joanne decided that either she was going to go in the garage and turn on the car or take an entirely different course. Happily, she chose the latter. She discarded all the pain medications she was taking and started looking into other healing modalities. She tried Reiki, acupuncture, and other alternative therapies. She began to notice improvements.
Finally, Joanne decided to try yoga. She couldn’t do many of the poses, but after the first class she felt much better. After each succeeding class, she noticed her pain diminishing. Joanne also began eating a holistic diet of organic, non-processed foods and no refined sugars. Gradually, her health began to improve.
It has been more than nine years since Joanne was diagnosed with fibromyalgia. She now has a fully-functioning life. She is one of the most energetic and positive people I know. She can light up a room by her presence and I love to be around her. Although Joanne still has fibromyalgia, the symptoms are more of an achy feeling versus the intense pain of the past. Joanne readily says “Yoga gave me my life back”.
Joanne became a certified yoga instructor in 2001. Being a spiritual person, she believes that she got sick so that she would find her purpose in life: teaching yoga. She is a fantastic yoga instructor and teaches her students how to bring the healing power of yoga into their lives.
