By JODIE TWEED Contributing Writer
Blissful Awakening W
How yoga saved Jennifer Bliss’ life
hen Jennifer Bliss walked into the front door at Lakes Fit Yoga for the first time last year, she was searching for something more than just a workout.
“I was looking for peace,” Bliss explained. “I was unbelievably broken at that time of my life. My life was so out of control, and I was at a crossroads. I was either going to give up or dig in harder than I ever had before.” Bliss, 33, had ended a relationship, and was experiencing a tumultuous time in her life. But this wasn’t the first time. She is a 2004 graduate of Teen Challenge, a program for adults and teens struggling with drug and alcohol addiction. “So I’ve been making consistently bad decisions for a long time,” Bliss said. Bliss wasn’t sure she would feel comfortable going to a yoga class. She figured all the other women next to her on the yoga mats would be thinner than she was. She summoned up the courage to go to her first class, despite her own
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insecurities. As she started to attend yoga classes regularly, she learned how to let go of her stress, to center herself, and slowly, she began to change from the inside out. She also realized that everyone in class had their own insecurities, too. “I started thinking about the decisions I’d made,” Bliss said, of her time dur-
ing yoga. “It was about making my mind healthy. I began thinking about why I keep making the same mistakes. I wanted to be fixed.” Bliss said she has struggled with weight her entire life and at one point had lost 100 pounds, although she said her weight loss was accomplished through unhealthy means. She wanted to stop this self-destructive cycle, including all her negative self-talk. She wanted to figure out why she felt the need to be so secretive and dishonest. She found her answers on the yoga mat. During the past year, Bliss said her life has been transformed. She has found peace within herself that has helped her deal with life’s difficulties. She has a new outlook, and is less angry, too. This has helped her rebuild the relationships in her life, including those with her four daughters, Brigette, 13; Nicole, 5; Sadie, 4; and Layla, 3. She also believes her relationship with