Yoga journey

My Yoga Journey – A Childhood Dream Becoming Reality

by Katerinain Sustainable Livingon Posted on

“I know that everybody I meet has their own story. Let me tell you mine. I wrote not only about my yoga journey but also about my journey to self-realisation and self-love. I have decided to write this as I realise that by sharing I can help others who might have similar experience; or who might have a different experience but also haven’t given up on their dream. I also share it because those who hurt us should see what their actions can cause. I have been lucky, in spite of what happened to me, I still had many people around me who loved me and depended on me. These were some of the reasons that kept me going at the darkest times. Thank you for reading 🌸.” Kate 

There were times in my life where I felt broken. Not financially or materially, but in my thoughts. Even though I’ve always had loving brother and parents, and I had an amazing childhood, my teenage years weren’t easy. I faced sexual harassment and bullying on a daily basis and it was not nice. On top of that, my family have always had high expectations of me and so have I.

The Journey Has Not Always Been Easy

I was born in the beginning of the 90s, just after the Velvet Revolution and so my childhood was heavily influenced by deeply rooted gender stereotypes. Being tired was seen as a weakness and something unacceptable. When I was at high school, sexual harassment was considered as something totally natural and teachers used to just say: ‘boys will be boys’. So when it was happening to me, I thought it was normal or that I was the problem – because I felt very uncomfortable with it. I left that environment in my twenties. It was then that I realised how much pain these experiences caused me.

I know that many children had experienced what I had experienced too but I hope that the tide is changing. I know now that this is not a healthy culture and I have learned that it can be different.

Yoga journey

Finding Inspiration in Nature

I have always found inspiration in nature and I have known I wanted to make nature seen since I was about 15. So after I finished high school I applied to study at the University in the UK. I wanted to understand people and their motives but also I wanted to learn how business works in the big world. After BSc I continued into MSc, which again gave me many opportunities I could learn from. It was amazing. In addition to improving my English, I also had a chance to get to know people from many different cultures.

Founding Yoga Circé was the materialisation of my long term dream. There was always five year old me at the beginning, a girl who always wanted to be able to save as many animals as possible. This young girl came up with an idea at fifteen, which she has been bringing into fruition for another almost fifteen years.

They say that when somebody really wants to achieve something they can. I think I am an example of that. I know that I am at the start but I would definitely tell my eighteen year old self to chase away negative thoughts. When I was growing up I often felt I did not fit in. To be honest I’ve never loved mainstream and I used to be a nerd. I still think that I kind of don’t follow the mainstream. I work on budgets and social media content during weekends and visit museums and galleries when I need to get an inspiration. I would not change that though. I have learned to accept myself the way I am.

My Yoga Journey

What has really helped me to reach this place in life, among other things and many people, is a regular yoga practice. To be honest, yoga has in a way changed my life. From a girl who experienced suicidal thoughts, a girl that in response to a violent relationship stopped trusting people, to a woman who finally stopped apologising for being who she is and is not afraid of going forward. I am so grateful for the people I have met in the past 5 years and who have stayed next to my side—even though I can be quite OCD about things and for my parents and brother, who have always supported me.

But back to yoga. My yoga journey was not straightforward. I would even say that yoga found me.

I used to think that yoga wasn’t for me because I thought it was too slow and that I preferred fast-paced fitness. I got to learn about a different lifestyle when I moved abroad. Then, about five years ago I tried yoga for the first time on a Thai Island Koh Phangan. I must admit that even then I didn’t enjoy yoga much, but that might have been due to the fact that I had just recently ended the violent relationship. However, I knew back then that I would find my way to yoga. I felt it. It was an intuition.

My intuition has been always quite strong and I do tend to listen to it. And it was right in this case too. A real change came in 2019 when I travelled to Tenerife for a yet another yoga retreat. That time I was leaving with a new love: yoga. 

Founder Katerina Vachova

2 Comments

  1. Adrian
    April 2, 2023 @ 8:30 am  ·  Reply

    Beautiful story, blending pain, hope and renewal, thanks for sharing with us- I’m sure it will inspire others xx

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