Every journey starts with the first step. You’ve just made the first step in taking back your life. Welcome to Three Keys Yoga where you can RELEASE your worry, REPAIR your mind, and REVIVE your soul.

It took me a long time to make that first step. Growing up, I believed I had to do everything on my own, because completing tasks independently would make me successful. I graduated from college, earned a Master’s degree in education and even published several novels. But yet, I never felt successful, because there was one thing that I couldn’t achieve. Tapping out at 303 pounds, I started a diet every Monday morning, and by 3:30 p.m., I was drowning my woes and worry in Cookies-n-Cream ice cream, wondering why I was so unhealthy and unfit. This was cyclical; this was my life. Sadly, I accepted it.

Then one day, I looked at myself in the mirror and said, “I need help.” Those three words are hard to swallow. I felt like a failure. I felt like a fraud. I felt foolish. But, I had to face the truth. I needed help. So, I got help. I was four foot eleven and weighed 303 pounds. According to the medical charts, I was SUPER morbidly obese. The term “super” was actually on the website I used to calculate my BMI. I guess they figured I had superhuman powers if I could still be upright and breathing at such a weight.

Little did they know how much superhuman power and drive I possessed. I took a deep breath, swallowed my pride, and scheduled gastric bypass surgery and followed all the rules and regulations. The surgery was successful, but then, I had to do my part. I had to take over now that the surgeons were done with their work.

Deciding to make my health my top priority not only saved me—it created a whole new me. The day I realized that I needed help was the first step in becoming the woman I am today. Sure, my body isn’t a chiseled masterpiece of perfection—nor will it ever be. I have accepted that—embraced it even. The surgery didn’t give me that. Honestly, after the surgery, I was much thinner, but I still struggled with who I was and how I felt in my new, saggy, and wrinkly skin. I was still berating myself. Then, I began my relationship with yoga. Surgery changed how I looked on the outside; yoga changed the whole package. Yoga taught me to love myself—flaws and all. I am me, and I am proud of who I am. It takes a strong, courageous person to say, “I need help.” Everyone needs help. Everyone needs support. Everyone needs a community. Let Three Keys Yoga be the community you need to support you and help you love yourself in ways you never realized was possible.