Women's Network August 2019 | Page 33

August/ 2019 In 2007 Anne Noonan faced a hysterectomy. She says that she was overweight, swollen, inflamed, chronically anaemic, had hot flushes on constant high volume, cardiac issues and needed to reduce her stress levels which were turning up in all forms from financial, to business, to family to children. Her health she says really was on a downhill slide. It was the discovery of Yoga that literally turned her life around. When the operation was over she thought life would be better. It wasn’t. Her weight kept increasing, and the other symptoms hung around. Three years later she was still searching for relief. Anne needed to take her health into her own hands. Doctors offered pharmaceuticals. However it was a conversation with a Yoga Therapist that was the catalyst to change. Anne used to be the aerobics queen. Back when many joined an aerobics class because of the cute outfits and the big hair while totally ignoring the knee and back injuries that proliferated that movement. Her aches and pains soon made aerobics and Zumba near impossible. Anne thought a PT would sort her out – it didn’t. A gym membership was of little use once she realised that she had no discipline to work through a circuit. Anne’s inflamed body remained that way while her choice of movement did nothing to relieve it, so she decided working it harder must be the answer. It wasn’t. YOGA IS A JOURNEY OF THE BODY, MIND AND SPIRIT AND IT TAUGHT ANNE TO LINK ALL THREE. A Yoga Mentor, who looked amazing, suggested that Anne should come to one of her classes. This mentor helped her understand the inflammation in her body, the heart pains, the body aches, and taught her how to breathe and move slowly and deliberately. Anne learned how to open her chest muscles, to move her lymph, reduce her blood pressure and calm her nervous system. She simply had no idea yoga could do all of this. So Anne continued on a regular yoga path from that moment and has never looked back. Once she could feel the body benefits, she knew her calling was to become an instructor for women experiencing similar life issues. It’s been almost 10 years now and it still astounds her to see the small incremental improvements that are continually happening. It’s not an overnight fix by any means. continue to next page... Women’s Network Magazine 33