“Back in 2009, I went in for my first 40 year old mammogram and found out I had really bad breast cancer. I had no symptoms. No family history of it. Had always eaten healthy. Had been practicing and teaching yoga for years. So there was nothing that would have lead me to believe that I would have breast cancer. I was shocked. It was really big so within a couple of weeks they threw me into chemotherapy. They shrunk it first before they did the mastectomy. I had 3 months of chemo. Chemo was long and tough. I did not feel good. I rested a lot. After that, I had the surgery and then radiation. Having cancer freaked me out because I had no idea where it came from but even during cancer treatment, prior to the surgery, I was still practicing yoga. And after surgery I got right back into it, as soon as I could, and it really was amazing how the rebuild of my body came back because I started in a good place and I was able to kind of get back to that. I have been teaching classes for about 15 years. Yoga has been such a game changer for me. It’s opened up doors for me. The cancer was honestly the catalyst and the launch to my yoga retreats. Because before I would question whether or not it would work and I wondered if people would come. Then I realized if I don’t try now, then when? I used to think I would live to be 108 because that’s what people in my family do, but when you get cancer your odds go way down. And not that I don’t anticipate that that’s still an opportunity, but it made me know that I have to live this really great life right now because this is what I have. The cancer is a part of my story, but I’m kind of over it. I really am living the healthy life that I want right now and I want to maintain it. I love the idea that I get to make other people feel good in their bodies. I think teaching yoga is probably what I was put on earth to do.”