Hi all, Julie here!
Thank you for choosing to be part of this community and for supporting Julie Thayer Yoga. This project is a labor of love for me and, without doubt, very near and dear to my heart. Many of you are aware that I have lived and managed with depression for the vast majority of my life, having been diagnosed in my teen years; my nemesis, but also my greatest gift. At that time I worked diligently, and man it was hard work, to understand the diagnosis and learn how to manage its presence in my life. Years of counselling, family and friend support, my ever-evolving self-care toolkit (yoga, exercise, nutrition, sleep, counselling, medication, and so much more), have been critical to its management and have allowed me for many, many years to function with a great zest for life, savoring all it has to offer; productively, energetically, joyfully, and lovingly…undefined by my depression.
Fast forward to fall 2017, when life turned upside down for me, literally, in every possible way. Some, my own undoing and some, simply beyond my control. My crisis counselor summed it up perfectly as, “the perfect storm”. It kind of went like this for me…”I’ve got this, I’ve got this, I’ve got this, oh s*#%, I don’t got this.” I had managed for so long, without a speed wobble, it had not occurred to me that I could not manage the magnitude of what life was currently throwing at me. To say I felt sucker-punched is the understatement of the year, oh, and let’s not forget humbled. This time the depression was accompanied by overwhelming anxiety (a new experience for me) as my nervous system continued to brace itself for the next traumatic event.
Healing and recovery is on-going (again bloody hard, but oh-so rewarding) and has presented itself in many forms over the past few years including: a hospital stay or two; counselling, as an in-patient and out-patient; unrelenting support from family, friends, and community; yoga, more yoga; hiking, more hiking, and oodles and oodles of self-reflection and life-reflection. It is through these daily habits of wellness, I have graciously taken my life back – becoming the best me I can be… in this moment.
Thus the intention behind Julie Thayer Yoga is to inspire dialogue around chronic physical and/or mental-emotional pain, to be of service, to create a safe community for the exploration of yoga, self-care and whole health healing and recovery.
I will aim to be honest and transparent in the sharing of my story in hopes that it serves to unveil some of the realities and complexities of managing life with mental health challenges (in particular, depression and anxiety) and to enthusiastically explore with you the possibilities of supporting a vibrant, fulfilling life through the practice of yoga and self-care. TOGETHER let’s create a community of kindness, patience, compassion, understanding, and love…for self and for others.
With gratitude and love,
Julie