Before I became a yogi and exercise fanatic, I was many things. It took me many years of exploration and soul searching to figure out who I was and what I wanted to do with my life.  While I don’t believe we ever really stop learning, as I’ve gotten older I have become much more in-tune with my feelings, needs, wants and desires.  I have learned to love myself and work hard everyday to never doubt, never hate, and never criticize who I am.  We all make mistakes and I try to learn from mine with compassion and love.  

I am ambitious, a goal setter and have worked hard to make my dreams come true. I try to be the best that I can be for myself and also for others. I strive to lead a good and kind life, to be a role model, a positive life force, and an advocate for others who need it. I may not have always been the person I am today, I didn’t trust, always doubted, but I think some of the things that have happened throughout my life have guided me to be the person I am and for that I am grateful. I love my life- my husband, my family, my friends, and my dogs… and to be honest while things may not have always been so great; I am grateful for it all. Both the good and the bad, have helped me to grow, made me stronger, and made more confident in myself and my abilities. A few years ago, I stopped hating myself and making excuses for the things I didn’t have or didn’t like.  Now, I believe that I am in the driver seat and that I have the ability to live the life I want. I am excited for what the future holds and look forward to many amazing years to come.

So here are five things (of course there’s others, but that would take a book lol)  that have molded and shaped me into the person I am today…

1. I was 3 months premature and weighed 3 pounds when I was born. I was supposed to be named Kim, but my sister wanted that name so she wouldn’t let my mom name me that, so she came up with the name Keri (after Keri Lotion).  This goes to show you that miracles happen and you should never give up when things look bleak.  I may not have made it, but I’ve always been a fighter and my parents knew that; they have never given up on me!  Also, my sister was blessed with two sons, and never got to use the name Kim. So I guess I could have been named Kim after all… but that’s ok, I like Keri better anyway!

2.  I played softball growing up.  I was a catcher and outfielder.  I really enjoyed playing, was very competitive and was pretty good too.  As an adult my friend asked me to join her coed softball team, which is actually where I met my husband.  If you ask Dan, he will tell you that I am the most intense softball player in the world. For a time, playing softball was the only exercise I got, I am glad I was able to transfer some of my skills in childhood to adulthood (especially since it introduced me to my husband!).

3.  In high school, I had short spiky hair that I died all of the colors of the rainbow. I wore Jenco jeans and spiked jewelry. I also had an eating disorder, hated myself, and never thought that I was good enough.  I was really kind of lost back then; I was trying to fit in to wherever I could.  In reality, I just had not gotten comfortable with who I was as a person or who I wanted to be.  I took me a long time to be comfortable with who I am, how I look, my strengths and my weaknesses.  Sometimes it takes some experimenting to understand who you really are.  Eating disorders are very complex and can be difficult to overcome; for me, overcoming  it was all about learning to love myself (this is not meant to downplay the severity of eating disorders, but just a very brief explanation of why I was having issues).

4.  I am the best at winning things off the radio. I’ve won money, concert tix, and gift cards.  I don’t think this really has anything to do with luck however.  It has to do with persistence, I have won so much because I was relentless with calling every time there was a give away, no matter what they were giving away.  This lesson goes so far beyond just winning things off the radio however. I truly believe that with hard work and persistence, anything is possible. Eight years ago, I firmly believed that because of my asthma and body type, I was not capable of running long distances. Through my hard work and persistence, in the last four years, I’ve run seven marathons and an ultra marathon.  Persistence goes a long way!

5.  In 2009 I became very sick. I was out of work and at the time, was told that I may never be able to have children.  Having always wanted kids and being a newlywed I felt lost, inadequate and guilty that I may never be able to provide a biological child for my husband.  Being sick sent me into a severe depression, to a point where I contemplated suicide.   At the end of 2009, I found yoga and it saved my life.  Yoga has taught me countless valuable lessons that have transferred into the way I live my life today.  For me, yoga is as much mental and spiritual as it is physical. It has given me tools to help me get through the tough times, helped me to breathe easy, to heal, to have faith, to see myself more kindly, to see my life more clearly, and to value and appreciate all of the wonderful things in my life.
With yoga I have been able to recognize my true identity and for that I am forever grateful.  Now as a yoga teacher, I get to give back to a community that as given me so much. How amazing is that!