A Time of Uncertainty and Growth
March 2020. The world stopped, and so did I. Routines unraveled, certainty disappeared, and I found myself alone with thoughts I had spent years outrunning. It was an isolating time, but also a period of quiet transformation. On paper, I was making progress—graduating with my bachelor’s degree, stepping into a new career—but internally, I felt stuck, questioning everything.
Between 2020 and 2021, I couldn’t see how much I was shifting. I was too focused on what I hadn’t done to realize the depth of my own evolution. Since childhood, I had dreamed of traveling the world, but I always let something hold me back—fear, doubt, excuses. When the world shut down, it hit me: life is fleeting, and if I didn’t start now, when would I? At the same time, yoga became a guiding force in my life, teaching me how to navigate uncertainty with presence and resilience. Yoga and travel became my catalysts for transformation.
The Intersection of Yoga and Travel
That realization didn’t just lead me to travel—it led me to yoga. Almost in parallel, I committed to both, and I quickly saw the connection. Yoga and travel are both journeys into the unknown. They push you to expand, to be uncomfortable, to sit with yourself and really see what’s there.
Stepping Outside the Comfort Zone
In May 2022, I took my first leap—solo travel to Iceland. Just six days, but enough to change everything. No one in my family had done something like this, and my boyfriend at the time didn’t understand why I needed to. But I trusted myself, and that trip was the spark. Since then, I’ve visited 8 more countries.
Coincidentally, while I was in Iceland, I noticed a Memorial Day yoga membership deal at the studio I had recently tried. It felt like the right time to commit, so I did. What started as a membership turned into a lifeline—a place of connection, grounding, and growth.
Yoga and travel demand a willingness to step into discomfort. To leave what’s familiar. To meet yourself in a new way. Travel introduces you to different cultures, perspectives, and versions of yourself. Yoga peels back the layers, revealing who you are beneath the noise. In both, transformation happens at the edge of your comfort zone. The more you embrace the unknown, the more space you create for growth.
Learning Presence and Self-Love
Through yoga and travel, I learned how to be present. On the mat, in meditation, in breath. In a new country, with heightened senses, noticing every detail. Both experiences force you to engage with life fully, to let go of autopilot and actually live.
Fast forward to 2024—everything shifted. I quit my 9-5 in July. I experienced heartbreak in January, then again in February. By March, I was in Bali, moving through grief in a yoga retreat with my best friend. In May, I took my first true solo trip to Palermo. In July, I became a certified yoga teacher. Somewhere in between, I met someone who felt like fate. And now, I’m teaching at the same studio that feels like a second home.
In Palermo, I had a moment alone in my Airbnb, crying, asking for clarity, for proof that I deserved better. That I was worthy of my own love. By the next morning, I had felt like I experienced a revelation. I no longer wanted to hold onto things that weren’t meant for me. I no longer felt the need to keep grasping for little pieces of love, when I was full of it for myself.
And when I did my yoga teacher training in July, yoga philosophy taught me exactly that—that happiness starts within, that our suffering often comes from clinging to expectations, that true contentment is an inside job. I learned to take responsibility for my joy, to treat myself with the love I used to search for in others, and to believe, deeply, that I am enough.
The Heart-Opening Power of Yoga and Travel
Both yoga and travel crack you open. On the mat, heart-opening poses invite vulnerability and self-compassion. On the road, you open yourself to people, places, and possibilities. Strangers become friends, landscapes take your breath away, and suddenly, the world feels smaller—yet more expansive than ever. These experiences dissolve old limitations and remind you of your own infinite potential.
Looking Ahead
Now, I step forward with open hands. Teaching yoga. Traveling. Helping others as they find their own path to healing, self-love, and bold, unapologetic living. A few years ago, I never would’ve imagined taking these risks. But here I am in 2025, taking them all at once. And for the first time, I am certain I am living in my purpose and deeply at peace with where I’m meant to be.
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