Today we’d like to introduce you to Linda Black.
Hi Linda, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I started my nutrition/exercise exploration early on in life…
I can remember in the 7th grade wanting to eat so that I had more energy for gymnastics. My gym teacher was slim and fit, unlike many of my past physical education teachers. How was she in her 30’s and still able to do everything that we as kids could do? She tumbled, could walk on her hands, show us tricks for our routines and more.
It was at this time in my life that I really started to notice the difference between folks who were active and healthy and those who were sedentary and unhealthy. I equated movement and an active lifestyle to a healthy way of being. I also noticed that what I ate made a big difference in how I felt.
In high school my low back was in serious pain from cheering and gymnastics. My mom took me to a chiropractor. This is one of the earliest experiences I can remember with alternative medical practices. The chiropractor made some adjustments (which freaked me out a bit) and then showed me some simple exercises to do at home. I did them and my back felt better in a week. It was a combination of weak muscles and tight muscles. Some too tight and others too weak. By balancing them out I found great relief.
I grew up the 3rd of 8 kids. I was the “skinny” child. Therefore, I could eat anything I wanted. Right?
After binging on bags of candy at a social party one night, I felt the effects so strongly that I puked and vowed that I would never again abuse my body in such a way. It wasn’t until 3 decades later that I made the same connection to the abuse I perpetuated in my thoughts.
Throughout high school and college I kept a highly active lifestyle that verged on the edge of frenzy.
During my 20’s I had the idea that if I “DID” more I would be “ENOUGH”. I was constantly competing with my inner critic to prove how I was “worthy”. My self-esteem was hiding in the shadows waiting for outside approval. My “to do” list became unmanageable and during my quest to become better, stronger, faster, smarter, I only validated my limiting belief of not being good enough when put my “compare” lenses on.
Happiness became an illusion. I felt good only when comparing myself to someone lesser. I became good at the “compare and despair” game in life.
If I made one mistake or set back, feelings of imperfection would bring me crashing down from my precarious pedestal. I didn’t fit in. I wasn’t good enough. I was too young. I was too old. I was too whatever. I struggled to feel confident without feeling like a fraud or that any minute I would be “found out” and then sent home a failure…again.
I graduated college with a BS in Computer Science and a minor in Mathematics. I was the smart girl who was a cheerleader at a prestigious university. I was able to land a high paying job in the relatively new market of computer programming. Why was I so uncomfortable with myself? Why was I sooo unhappy, moody, jealous and critical? Was I a victim of circumstance? Why couldn’t I be prettier or smarter or richer? It seemed that no matter what I did the quest for perfection and being on top was a struggle. I wanted the grass that appeared greener in someone else’s pasture.
Three years after I met and married the love of my life, we brought our first child into the world.
Things would be different. I would stay home and be a mom. My husband would make me happy.
It’s funny to reflect back on all the lies my mind conjured up. The illusions of hope for a better brighter future someday kept haunting me.
Fast forward a few years to being pregnant with my 3rd child.
I was working full time (40 – 50 hours/week) for a successful and well-known software company in Orem.
I was also running 3-6 miles three times a week, dancing, and teaching fitness classes at the gym where I worked.
My crazy schedule landed me in the hospital with pre-term labor about 6 weeks before baby was due. A wake-up call? What was I trying to prove? That I was super woman? That I could have it all? Why me?
Pre-term labor is prevalent in women who smoke…nope, do drugs….not me, or drink excessively…I don’t think so.
I felt like I was really taking care of myself. What I hadn’t realized is that I suffered from mal-nutrition…Yep.
I wasn’t getting enough nutrients or eating the right kinds of foods to sustain the lifestyle and pace I was putting myself through on a daily basis.
The long and short of it is this: I learned how to read my body through muscle testing. I learned that sleep and rest were not a “luxury”, but an actual necessity if I wanted to be available for my kids. I learned that nutrition helps fuel my passions. Basically, It was up to me to create the life I longed for. Happiness and Health are a choice not happenstance.
Instead of excusing myself for my conditions, I started taking responsibility for my health and well-being. Being in the driver seat of your destiny is so much more powerful than taking a back seat and waiting for things to happen.
When I became pregnant with my forth child, my interest in health grew intense. I studied everything I could about nutrition, iron levels, deficiencies, macro nutrients, micro nutrients, folic acid, brain food, sleep, exercise, food absorption, digestive disorders, etc.
I wanted a healthy pregnancy and a healthy child. My studies paid off and healthy baby number 4 came 2 days after due date, healthy 7lb 4 oz baby girl
I was still maintaining a full-time job, now raising 4 kids, and trying to keep up with church and volunteer work. Somewhere during the 8 years of child bearing, my husband was changing careers and we relied solely on my income. Looking back I can see how stressed out I was. I wasn’t able to slow down and appreciate the green grass beneath my feet.
It was in 2000 that I was introduced to yoga.
This changed the trajectory of my life forever.
I was hooked on yoga and saw a way out of my Corporate career.
Three years later I quit my job and began a career as a yoga instructor.
Yoga quickly became more than just an “exercise routine” to get me more flexible. I used it as an outlet for stress. I began to notice that my reactivity was down and responsiveness was up.
I was hearing my family and noticing with gratitude how much love and happiness I had in my life.
How could this be? Nothing in my life had changed. I changed.
25 years later I am still practicing and teaching yoga. Along the way I have certified as a teacher’s teacher of yoga, an Integrative Health Coach, a Yoga Therapist, and Virtues Project Facilitator.
These roles don’t define me but they do describe the experiences that I’ve gone through that have helped me through more than a few rough patches in my life. I’m addicted to transformation and showing others the way to peace, prosperity, and their best health.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about InTune Yoga & Wellness?
At InTune Yoga & Wellness our intention is to provide services that help you LIVE LIFE BALANCED.
We mentor you every step of the way to help you reach your health goals.
– peace of mind
– lose extra pounds
– level up your experience to feel whole and well!
– Tone and firm
– Get the right nutrition to feel better on a daily basis.
From yoga therapies to Health Coaching, to Yoga Teacher Trainings, and meditation workshops, we’ve got you covered. •
InTune Yoga & Wellness is built around 4 pillars of Health:
• Move – Empowering the Client to move in ways that are optimal for their body type and goals.
• Breathe – You will learn the magic of breath awareness and practices that affect the nervous system.
• Live – What brings you the most joy? We encourage you to build your day around your passions.
• Be – We believe that what a person thinks and how one feels has a direct impact on happiness and well-
being. Meditation is one of the tools used and taught to become more aware and in charge of thoughts
and feelings.
Everything we do is in alignment with these four principles!
We all have a different way of looking at and defining success. How do you define success?
Success = Feeling proud of who you are and what you have created/contributed to the world.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.InTuneYogaWellness.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/intuneyogawellness/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheYogaLifeMentor
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/LindaBlackYoga
