A Cork woman has spoken about how yoga played an important role in her healing journey.
Erica Bracken first started doing yoga 10 years ago, back when she was battling an eating disorder. “I first started doing yoga back in 2013, I had an eating disorder at the time. I was over exercising, and yoga was on the list of things I could do. I thought of it as a compromise.”
The first class she went to was a very traditional yoga class, which had Sanskrit, chanting, and deep breathing. “I was hooked from then on. I was doing yoga every day, and my weekends revolved around it.”
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She explains how yoga, along with therapy, were integral to her recovery and overall wellness .
“Yoga helped me connect my mind, body and soul. When I was struggling with mental health issues, I was living in my head completely, I had no sense of trust in my body.”
Yoga helped Erica notice how she was feeling. “Any day I was having a bad day, I would meditate or do yoga, and I would feel so much more hopeful after it. I also found a community and friends through yoga, I can’t imagine my life without it.”
Erica decided to take it a step further by becoming a yoga teacher. She trained online initially and then went to Thailand for about five weeks to train further. “It was amazing. Everyone was on the same wavelength.
“Yoga is a way of living - I was eating nourishing food, studying yoga philosophy and practising yoga daily. There were no stresses of daily life, no kids pulling you away from the mat,” she says.
Yoga itself is at least 5,000 years old, according to Erica. “It is so vast and ancient, I am always learning. It’s not just about the physical poses, flexibility and strength, it’s about the mind and soul too. The physical part is barely mentioned in the ancient texts.”
The yoga teacher is already planning her next yoga training trip - this time to Guatemala. “I am really interested in sound ceremonies and exploring the voice, so mantras, sound bowls, vibrations. Once I receive training in this, it will help me with my own practice and I can offer it to my students.”
Erica also says yoga is for everyone and has many health benefits. “If you can breathe, you can do yoga. It’s all about connecting the body and breath. Most of us are respiring - we aren’t breathing. When our breathing is regulated, this tones the vagus nerve, which helps calm us and can reduce anxiety in the long term.”
She adds that yoga also produces a rush of endorphins, which activates the chemicals in our brain to lower stress and anxiety.
We often see stereotypical yoga poses of people doing handstands and bending backwards, but just sitting cross-legged and meditating is also yoga, Erica adds.
The Cork woman says even the way she perceives life has changed. “I have more faith in the world. I realise that life is for me, not something that is happening to me. Yoga teaches us to accept and surrender.”
Erica has also built a following on Instagram , where she shares yoga tips and skincare advice.
For help and information on eating disorders, contact Bodywhys helpline on (01) 2107906.
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