How I went from anxiety and depression to peace and joy!

Hi!To start, you should know what brought me to myYogaTeacher. Why I actually care about our service to you, your experience and most importantly your results.

You see, I'm not a natural yogi. I'm not all Zen and infinite positivity.

I'm an engineer. I have an analytical, 1000 mph mind full of scientific facts and equations. Logical solutions to every speed-bump and challenge.

I used to subcontract for NASA. I'd fly around to different bases, run structural analysis on new masts, sensors and solar arrays we'd be sending into orbit.

Basically, I had a lucrative career that my friends admired. My family was proud and my life looked great.

But inside. Inside I was a mess... I was angry, anxious, mildly-depressed, and most of all, Unhappy!

I mean, I had a lot of pleasure-happiness - the kind of skin-deep happiness you get from nice clothes, trips to Tahoe and Vegas, and Sunday brunch with friends.

But nothing real and deep. Not the happiness that touches your heart and makes you spontaneously grateful.

The best part of my week was drinking with my friends on the weekend. And when drinking is the best part of your life, you know something's wrong.

I needed to make big changes.

I needed to find the answer to one big question. "How can I be happy, stop living in anxiety, and start living MY life?"

I had no idea how to answer that question. But I knew I wouldn't find it sitting at my desk running computer simulations of shuttle launch conditions.

So I did the only thing I could think of, something crazy and irrational in my friend's eyes. Stupid in my parent's eyes!

I quit my job and left the US to travel and do some "soul-searching". ... crazy right? Right.

Well just like everyone predicted, I was lost in the world. I was looking for something as vague as deep-happiness and less anxiety. And I was drinking and partying more than ever.

I mean, I was having more fun than ever before in my entire life. Going on adventures, riding camels through Indian deserts, river-rafting in Thailand, seeing Halong Bay in Vietnam and the magical pillar-like islands jetting hundreds of feet out of the crystal-blue water.

BUT... and this is a big 'but'.

As soon as I slowed down. As soon as I stopped for just one minute... I felt so dissatisfied, so anxious, and more unhappy than ever.

It was hopeless!

I couldn't go back to a life of desk-work. Where every soul-sucking minute still haunted my nightmares. But I wasn't finding any real change by just wandering the world going on adventures either.

I always succeeded in school and work. But in life, I had just proven myself an epic failure. I was crushed... desperate.

Then, by sheer chance, I ended up in a Buddhist meditation retreat in Dharmashala, India - McLeod Ganj where the Tibetan government in exile is.

That was the beginning of HUGE changes for me. I started meditating daily and reading tons of books about Buddhism, meditation, compassion, yoga, eastern philosophy.

And you know what?

Pretty soon... I was right back where I started. Same patterns, same dissatisfaction, same everything.

But I had hope, I had a glimpse of real happiness and peace. Something stable that comes from inside - rather than running on overdrive trying to get the outside to be 'just right'!

For a while, things went back and forth for me. Making positive changes in my life, meditating, practicing yoga, reading ancient wisdom. Then drinking, partying, feeling lost in life, anxious and mildly-depressed.

That's when the real breakthrough happened. I found a place where I could practice yoga and meditation. A retreat center in Mexico, in a little beach town on the Pacific Coast.

There were teachers there to help me stay on track, to answer my questions, to motivate and inspire me. People to help guide my practice so that I could actually LIVE the glimpse I had found in India.

With this personal attention, immediate feedback and guidance, I started stabilizing in peace, joy and fulfillment.

Can you guess what the biggest change was?

I realized, I didn't need to run away from my old life, society, or anything like that to be happy.

You always hear things like "happiness comes from within" - but it's kind of pointless to know that - and not live it!

So now, I'm working with myYogaTeacher to make that same kind of impact on others. Connecting YOU with a teacher who can give you that same guidance. The guidance I had to travel thousands of miles and live abroad to find... this is a dream come true.

And I am so grateful that my work gives you the same opportunity I had. You don't have to uproot your life, wander the world, hope to stumble across a caring teacher dedicated to helping you.You get all of that delivered to you.

So this is what makes my work here a lot more than just a job. This is why I wake up excited to support our Members, work with our amazing teachers and our team of developers.

I get to be part of a team making meaningful change in the world and positively impacting the lives of everyone we serve.

Thanks so much for reading all of this and I sincerely hope you enjoy (and live the benefits of) your time with myYogaTeacher.

I've decided to start sharing some of my amazing stories of transformation, peace, health and personal development from my travels and times living in Yoga and Meditation retreat centers! So keep a lookout for emails from me

Your friend in Peace and Joy,Will