Finally...My first ever blog post :)

hello you lovely lot, so its been a while since i created my website and during that time I have wanted to create the perfect first blog post. I have gone through about a million ideas and topics I want to touch base on but nothing seemed right or "perfect" enough for my first blog post on my first ever website. But perfect doesn't exist. So my first blog post is a little bit about me , I thought it would be the best way to begin my blog post journey with you all!

So, my name is Chelsea im 29 years old and i currently live in Bolton. Now where to begin? maybe with how I found yoga and what made me want to share it with the world.

I had a pretty tough childhood and because of this i found myself on a path of anger, self destruction and self hatred. I was constantly against the world and went through lots of anger management and therapy from being 10 years old. I also become a young carer for my dad from 10 too, as you can imagine this was a huge responsibility for someone that young and I was constantly overwhelmed. I know people seem to think all yoga teachers must be the calmest people in the world but for most of us its an outlet, a way to find calm in the chaos and help us ground. Most of you will have something like this in your life, whether its a hobby, a person, a place. A refuge from the craziness.

My main refuge is yoga, meditation and pranayama (breath-work) I honestly dont know where i would be without it.

Anyway im getting off track a little, so when i was around 20 years old a hot yoga studio opened in the town I lived in. I was obsessed with loosing weight at the time, i was recovering from an eating disorder and the thought of sweating that much whilst exercising just sounded like a perfect answer to a problem i thought needed an answer. I didn't expect to feel what i felt from it or how it changed me. And im not going to lie my first ever class was HARD! it was so hot, i had never moved my body in any way like this, I left the room half way through to feel some cool air :,) But I did go back, the main thing pushing me at the start was that weight loss goal, so I forced myself to go back. Day after day and week after week i found myself on my mat, surrounded by amazing people, in this beautiful studio. I wish i could tell you the exact moment I realised yoga was something more but I cant, I think it was a series of moments. From hearing about the philosophy, learning the breathing techniques and feeling the tension leave my body whenever i would move my body. I began to fall in love, i forgot about the weight loss and I delved into the mental, physical and emotional benefits I was starting to feel. When I stepped on the mat the world would melt away.

Nothing else seemed to matter and my problems seemed insignificant, I started to love my body and not because of the way it looked but because it was mine and the best way i can describe it is I felt like sunshine every time i would go to class.

I bought my own mat, I remember my first mat was one of those shitty foam ones from TK max it was so pretty had all these gorgeous designs on it and i felt like a proper "yogi". I started to do yoga at home, in the park, at friends, everywhere and anywhere i could roll my mat out I would.

I felt like I had found my home, somewhere that was always with me but i just needed to learn how to find it. I am crying right now as i type this. I never felt good enough, sometimes i still dont but when im moving or breathing or meditating all of those things dont matter.

I began teaching my friends at home in my shitty little room, i would make up my own flows and help people connect to their inner child, inner goddess, inner curious George. I loved seeing people laugh and smile, seeing people feel so calm and relaxed that they didn't want to move at the end of my unofficial classes.

Eventually i started to realise this is what i wanted to do, to be. This was what i wanted to share with the world, help people who felt like i used to feel amazing, love them selves and the world around them. At the time I was moving towns, so I didn't act upon this straight away, but i planned, i dreamt i continued to teach my friends and learn as much as i could.

2019 I applied to do my yoga teacher training, I remember being so nervous, but so excited. I couldn't believe i was going to train as something I truly love. fast forward to the end of 2022 im now a fully fledged yoga, meditation and breath-work teacher. starting my children's and pregnancy qualifications next week! im not going to lie its not been easy. Especially with covid putting every plan i had on hold, but things are looking brighter again. My goal and aim is to open a space for movement, mental health and community. Offering everything from yoga to aerial to dance classes and holding circles for men and women etc. This is something i want to create within the next 2 years !

So to cut an even longer story short, yoga saved me from myself. It forged a path I never thought i would go down, now im not saying im this totally calm relaxed person now, believe me im not ! i still worry, still struggle with body dis-morphia but yoga has given me the tools to deal with it better, to not feel so lost all of the time and its given me a place to go to when the world is too much.

Every bodies reason for getting on the mat is different, everyone will take something different from their practice. There is no one size fits all with any kind of practice like this, you find what feels good to you and explore it. Fall in love with it. You dont need to be able to touch your toes, or bend in half to start, you dont need to be able to completely quiet your mind or be perfectly still in meditation to start. All you need is an open mind and yourself.

I hope to meet you all one day

love and light

Chelsea

p.s. keep an eye out for more blog posts ! im hoping to do one a month ranging from anatomy to philosophy to random shit about my life !