From early childhood sexual abuse, to the victim of soul crushing bullying throughout my public school years. I left an abusive, dysfunctional home when I was 13 to pursue my dreams of "happiness". I applied for financial aid, got my degrees in Computer Science, and thought the money and power that came from leading big projects in and around Washington DC would make me happy. Spoiler alert: It didn't. I simply spent the next 30+ years numbing out in any way possible (overwork, food, sex, abusive relationships, drink, drugs...). I thought at the time I was livin' large, but inside I was hollow, miserable, and filled with hatred at everyone, but especially at myself. Until one day while skiing, an unfortunate fall took me out of commission, stopped me dead in my tracks for nearly a year, and forced me to look at who I had become. I didn't like what I saw, and I began the slow, painful ascent out of the pit I had dug for myself. During and after the surgeries, my orthopedic surgeon suggested I try Yoga to regain my range of motion. What I found was so much more. From the very first class, when the instructor said "for the next 60 minutes, give yourself permission to put down [...]