Open (love) letter to Adriene Mishler

Dear Adriene,

First, I’d really like to thank you for everything you are giving to me. I literally can say that your yoga videos are one of the things that saved my life.

I found your videos in 2014, when I searched for every kind of solution for my panic disorder. In 2015 I was in a really bad place. I needed to skip trips because of my anxiety attacks and the only thing I could do as an exercise were your yoga videos. I was afraid to go out alone or take out the trash all by myself, because I was obsessed with my heart rate (still am but trying my best). I can remember how hard it was to do your 30 Days of Yoga in 2015, but I tried my best. Sometimes I sat out half of the videos, but you gave me strength, because occasionally I felt I could do this. I made it through some of the videos and it was a huge accomplishment for me. That year after your 30 Days of Yoga I attended a yoga class, it wasn’t a complete failure, but I felt really anxious doing it, not like with home yoga, where I could be myself and be calm all time. It’s still in my bucket list to join in for some classes, I hope I can do it someday.

In 2016 I did Yoga Camp as well. Yoga became my safe haven, my routine. It helped me to feel grounded after a busy day. I work from home and I am all the time on the computer, so your videos helped a lot with my backache and posture. I moved with your videos from Poland to England, in the meantime I got married. My yoga mat came with me across countries. I still use the same I got sometimes in 2016 with white butterflies on it. I did yoga in my Grandma’s garden in Hungary, I did it without mat in my mother in law’s hard floor, but I was consistent, I never gave up.

In 2017 I did Yoga Revolution in England. That was the year of new beginnings for me. I worked on several books that time, my first book just came out, and your videos were right there with me.

2018 was quite special, because my husband joined me and we did True together. We bought a second yoga mat and I nudged him in. He’s not the yoga type kind of a guy, but it was really nice to share those moments.  I hope that later I can pursue him to do more yoga together.

2019 was quite hard on me again. I started Dedicate in Hungary, finished it in the United Kingdom, but my anxiety creeped back again after a loss of beloved family member.

This was my first year when I almost finished Home on time. I was just two days behind. The first time I could almost do everything in your videos. After so many years of doing yoga together, I felt that I am getting strong enough to show up for every workout.

From 2015 to 2020 I came a long way with my anxiety disorder, I learned a lot from myself and my body. I am still figuring things out, the journey is not over. It definitely felt like you holding my hand in the roughest patches in those years. I am so-so grateful for it, I cannot really express. You taught a girl how to love exercise who hated it in her whole life, and now I feel I can build up more from it. Last year I started running, and I ran my first 2.5K in my life. Without you and Benji it would never happened. Thank you for everything.

Lots of love,

Gabi

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