“So many people walk around with a meaningless life. They seem half-asleep, even when they’re busy doing things they think are important. This is because they’re chasing the wrong things. The way you get meaning into your life is to devote yourself to loving others, devote yourself to your community around you, and devote yourself to creating something that gives you purpose and meaning.”
15 years ago as a college freshman at UCF- was the first time I recognized I had anxiety. Panic attacks began to ripple through me. Depression set in. I grew up in a small coastal Florida town, a sweet little corner of paradise. It was all I knew. Then I was thrusted into a much different life. I life that was all my own. In a place much bigger then I ever had experienced. A large university in a big city. Orlando doesn’t seem like much now, that I’ve done a bit of traveling. But at 18 it definitely was.
I felt lost. But found. Scared. But excited. I could have left. But I didn’t. And I sought help for my anxiety. I opted for a holistic approach & was told yoga, meditation, and exercise would help.
I never thought that a decade & a half later yoga, meditation, and exercise would be my life and my career. Sometimes hard things happen to show us our path. I’m grateful for those moments now, because I get to help people alleviate the same struggles I dealt with. I haven’t had a panic attack in almost 10 years. I don’t take prescription medicine. I can feel it coming. And I just know now. What to do. Breathe. Sit. Feel. I don’t run. Like I wanted to my freshman year. I stay. Evaluate. Take my best step forward. One breath. One moment.
When people ask me about yoga or meditation. I can’t give a quick response about what it means to me. Because it changed my life. Completely. I found myself and my strength. It’s there for everyone. You just have to try it. I wouldn’t be who I am today without yoga, and more importantly meditation. The calm and peace is always inside you. Sometimes you just have to wade through all the shit to find it. Trust me... the wading through the shit is worth it. The calm is always there.
How Yoga First Changed My Life
How Yoga Became My Life’s Work & Purpose
In my early twenties I was living in NYC briefly, feeling a little lost and unsure where I was going in life. I started taking yoga classes at a donation based studio the next block over, in an effort to squeeze in a daily workout on the cheap. I had been practicing yoga for years but I never had a community like what I found there. Little did I know, that my whole life and career path would soon be transformed by the magic of yoga…
A year later, I moved back to Florida and continued to work in corporate finance, but my desire to teach yoga and live on the beach was quickly becoming too strong to ignore. Cubicle life was depleting my spirit and soul, and I knew I needed to follow my heart. I quit my corporate job and completed my training and certifications for both yoga and paddle board. And the journey began... A few years of teaching went by. And the summer of 2016.... SALTY BUDDHA was born. We offer weekly paddle yoga and beach yoga classes, sunset paddles, private sessions and customized tours, SUP fishing charters, kids paddle camps in the summer, and international yoga retreats. I love creating memorable experiences for people on the water!! I’ve been able to grow my business with a staff of amazing instructors and finally have the time to build an online community- and that’s what RachaeLynn is. A place to share online yoga with you along with inspiring content about health and wellness.
