Words: Josephine McGrail
How yoga changed my life
“Honour your memories and emotions, not bury them”
The moment that changed everything
Sometimes in life we get a sense of what may be for us: who we may one day become. It may happen in the middle of the night as we wake ourselves up from a scary dream, it may happen on a sunny day with nothing but the sounds of birds filling the space between thoughts. It may overwhelm and knock you over, or leave you feeling calm and settled – perhaps even a bit chirped, knowing what you now know; that something is possible… that you are possible. A version of you that you didn’t even know existed .Until now.
However, none of it happened like this for me. And yet, it happened exactly as it was supposed to: it came out of nowhere, unleashed me into the biggest somewhere I had yet experienced, and somehow my entire life was changed – for I was forever changed.
This is the story of how it happened for me. I hope it will remind you that you are always guided and held and that, whatever you are going through right now: there is another way.
A much, much better and brighter way. That there is a BIGGER plan here for you than you may even be aware of currently.
I hope it brings your heart beat back into its most powerful rhythm ,so you can finally walk to the song that is for you and -no one else.
Let this be your home calling. Your heart song.
How it all began
Like so many others, my childhood wasn’t just a rosy collage of summer family holidays, adventure filled friendships or educational success. I was a highly sensitive little girl with the biggest heart and, often, nowhere to put all her emotions. The day I discovered ballet, and later on got accepted to join the Royal Danish Ballet School, was the day that completely changed my life. I went from someone who always felt like an outsider – a no one- to part of the team- a someone. Finally all my many emotions and huge amounts of energy and passion had not only a place and an outlet – they had a stage! The fairy tale didn’t last long though- as this is the story of a ballerina whose dream, while once a refuge, soon became a cage: Ballet helped to temporarily mask the pain I carried deep inside, but it wasn’t until one transformative yoga class that I began to physically feel what true, sustainable and above all lasting healing was.
Letting go of ballet was like tearing off a plaster that had kept my deepest wounds covered for years. It was a terrifying plunge back into raw emotion – and the 7 year old little girl stood ready to greet me full of fear, shame, grief and anger -things I had avoided for as long as I could remember. But that one yoga class-It was the moment that completely redirected my life.
At my lowest, I was living a life that looked perfect on the outside: performing across the globe, modelling for high-end brands, and starring in commercials. Yet, on the inside, I was exhausted, disconnected, and always running- running away from emotions, from love, from myself. I was constantly in survival mode, unable to trust life or others. My inner critic was relentless, telling me I wasn’t worthy of happiness, love, or even peace. It did not matter how much “success” I received from the outer world – my inner world continued to be in chaos and the louder the audience would clap the emptier and lonelier I felt feeling a complete failure – “I should be happy now”.
Then I met yoga and everything shifted. Something deep within me started to fall into place. Peace even.
It wasn’t an epiphany in the way movies portray it. There were no flashing lights or grand realisations. But for the first time in a long time, I felt present – in my body, in my breath, in the moment. The feeling of being held, grounded, and truly seen (by me!), was something I hadn’t known I had been craving; I didn’t even know it existed.
That meeting was the turning point. It wasn’t just a physical practice. It was a spiritual awakening. It taught me that true healing comes from within, that my body had wisdom I had long ignored -out of ignorance or fear – and that I didn’t need to escape myself in order to finally find me. That I was in fact the one I had been looking for. Longing for. Praying for.
I realised that I (my higher self/soul/inner child/God/Universe whatever you resonate with) had been right there with me since day one. Never left (like my dad) or abandoned me (like my beloved ballet school).
Right here, patiently waiting for my arrival – always ready to welcome me home. Anytime, any place – no matter what! That the I inside myself would never leave, never judge never fall out of love, never mistreat.
Wow!
The scriptures were right. The songs were right. The whispers of your heart were right: GOD/YOUR HIGHEST SELF is always here.
That monumental yoga class, through embodied experience, made me realise that I was safe in my own being: that I not only could be still, but that stillness was where I would find my truth.
Timing is everything
These things can’t be rushed. It happened when it happened. The avocado matures when it is time. No matter how much praying or mind shift work you try. Trust the timing of your own timeline: your soul matures in perfect pace and alignment with the evolution of your intended life. Keep going, take actions, be willing to step forward and be seen with all that you are, however, don’t ever believe that you are somehow not doing enough or missing your opportunity. Everything that is for you is meeting you half way. Like attracts like. Everything that you need to know, feel, experience, create, achieve is already in the making. Trust the process.
From that class forward, everything shifted. I began to reconnect with my heart and align myself with what I truly wanted. The frantic pace of my past started to fall away. I let go of the external validation I had been chasing for years and started focusing on the internal connection to my inner self that I had been denying.
Yoga became my foundation – a way to heal and release old wounds, an ongoing practice of self-discovery and self acceptance. And it wasn’t long before I felt called to share this gift with others.
I trained to become a yoga facilitator, eventually stepping into the role of an international teacher, traveling the world to guide others on their own transformative journeys. I also became a wellness coach, an energy healer, and an author, helping people reconnect with their bodies, their minds, and their hearts. What started as a personal healing journey had turned into a calling – a way to support others in their own awakening and transformation.
Now, I wake up each day feeling grounded, joyful, and in flow with life. I am finally living in alignment with my heart. I have created a life where I get to do what I love, help others heal, and feel deeply connected to the world around me. The feeling of true happiness and contentment I have now is something I never thought was possible, but I couldn’t have known or forced how this would happen.
Transformation happens in the everyday moments- the little things- that time when you say no to something that doesn’t feel right, or yes to something that does. The moment when you speak your truth regardless of what others may think or do. These are the things that creates future you.
In the end we become who we practice every day.
I guess you can say it all started with a single decision to show up for myself, continue that path of following what felt good and trust the process of transformation unconditionally – without force or judgement.
It happens when it happens -and if it hasn’t happened yet; something more aligned is on its way to you. Always remember: there is a much bigger plan here for you my love.
One yoga class didn’t just change my day – it changed the entire direction of my life. And the most beautiful realisation? That we can achieve and have anything as long as we are willing to become it. Our dreams are not distant, unattainable goals – they are invitations to step into a version of ourselves we have yet to fully meet. If you’re ready to transform your life, take that first step. Start where you are, with what you have. Healing begins with you, and anything is possible when you dare to courageously pause for long enough to hear the calling of your own heart beat gently guiding you back home.
Follow what feels good. We are not here to think life or fix life (you are NOT broken). We are here to feel alive. The feeling is your healing.
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