I launched my book on Instagram and Facebook with a long post about some of the hardships that I’ve faced in the past. I thought I would share it here too.
My life has not been easy but I’ve always felt like I had a purpose. Learning was easy. Math, science, writing. I could just do it. When we didn’t have food to eat I knew god had a plan for me. When I finished A level and I could not find work I wrote the SATs and got a scholarship to the United States Coast Guard Academy. Boot camp was hard but I knew that if I hung in there the academic year would come and I would shine. And boy did I shine. I got As easily but I struggled with my PFEs. I made great friends I had great times and I travelled. When I didn’t get a job in the Marine unit as promised I went to grad school at the University of South Florida. I was diagnosed with endometriosis there. After graduation I struggled to get a job and moved to New York. Eventually I got an awesome job and things were looking good. Then my endometriosis got worse but my friends came to my rescue and I had surgery with one of the leading endometriosis doctors. When my work permit wasn’t renewed as promised, I packed my bags flew to Austin to see my bestie and came home.
Once I got to St Lucia I started looking for work. I volunteered at the department of fisheries but got a teaching job soon after. I worked hard for my students. In 2012 my trials began. First I was up for my dream job at the department of fisheries. We were discussing start date etc when the job basically vanished. I was angry. Very angry. But I would see my bestie that summer so I was hopeful. Then my brother died and my world came crashing down. I got fibromyalgia. I felt like I was fighting for my life. I decided to follow my dream of doing yoga teacher training. When I came back from training my job was gone. I could not find another job. So I became a full time yoga teacher.
Teaching yoga was great. I went to the beach a lot. I met new people. It was hard building a business from scratch in a country that didn’t know much about yoga but I was happy. I didn’t have much money but I was making a living. In March 2015 I won young entrepreneur of the year. Life was good. In October 2015 I started having trouble breathing. By April 2016 I was really tired all the time. My health just continued to deteriorate. I was in pain all the time. I really wanted to work less but I couldn’t figure out how. In April 2017 I was diagnosed with asthma. In September 2017 I moved back to my mom’s house. By April 2018 I didn’t think I would survive. For the first time in my life I was unhappy, depressed. I just couldn’t find the strength to do anything. The pain was overwhelming. I really didn’t know how to cope. I prayed to find a way to take care of myself without over taxing my body.
Then a few weeks ago my little cousins decided to spend some time with me as did my friend Ciara. I had been waiting for this opportunity for months so I could get some pictures for my kids book. And that’s how it happened. Everything came together in a few days and I taught myself how to self publish. I hope you enjoy the work of art that is Yoga with Aunty Mo; available on Amazon and coming soon to select locations island wide.
There are two things I wanted to add. The first is that ever since my first yoga class at the Coast Guard Academy yoga has been a centering and healing presence in my life. Teaching yoga brought true joy to my life. I first knew something was wrong when teaching yoga didn’t make me happy anymore. I knew something was terribly wrong when my body felt worse after doing yoga. Until then no matter how I felt I could always count on feeling better when I stepped on my mat. If I couldn’t even do yoga I still wanted to be able to share yoga with others. That is why I am excited about the book.
Yoga with Aunty Mo is the least amount of yoga you should do. It takes you through a series of poses that release tension from the body and help you relax. I wanted to help kids deal with anxiety and feeling really wired so that they could have a tool to help them find calm and transition to quiet time. I also thought it would be a great way to relax at bedtime.
I would love to hear your thoughts on the book and how you use it. If you haven’t gotten yours yet, get your copy today! Available on Amazon and coming to locations island wide soon.
