The Wild Daughter Story

Wow, the first blog post! It's a little bit intimidating, staring at a blank page and knowing that this post will forever be "the first one". I figure, let's dive right into it with the full story of how Wild Daughter Yoga came to be. To be honest, the story of Wild Daughter Yoga is mostly the story of Emma and my journey to healing. So, in order for this to make sense, I need to go back a bit.

Before I get too ahead of myself, though, let me just first say, hello! My name is Emma and I am the founder and creator of Wild Daughter Yoga! I wear many hats in my life, including professional actress and dancer, certified yoga instructor, dog mom, outdoors enthusiast, bookworm, fiancé, and artist. I started Wild Daughter Yoga because I found profound healing through the melding of my yoga practice and my Catholic faith. What was I healing from? Well, I suppose that is where my story starts.

We can pretty much all recall times of heartbreak in our lives, right? Well, I was in the throes of it just a couple of years ago. I had been in a long term relationship that I was so sure would end in marriage. There was no convincing me otherwise. I'm sure you've guessed by now, that is not at all how it ended. After many ups and downs, separating and getting back together, periods of time apart and then reconnecting, it finally ended in a billow of smoke. It was bad. I was a wreck. Unfortunately, that was not where my relationship woes ended.

Dating continued to be a huge struggle and giant pain point in my life. I am, by every definition, a people person. The relationships in my life, whether familial, romantic, or platonic, are all extremely important to me. However, I could not seem to get the hang of dating after The Big Breakup. I was depressed, I felt like I had completely lost myself. I had so much anxiety around dating, including my fair share of panic attacks. (I am prone to anxiety and depression and have been my entire life. This did not help.) It was a pretty ugly cycle. I felt hopeless. I did not understand why this just wasn't happening for me.

All this time, I was holding onto my ex and that relationship. Figuratively, yes, but also literally! I had a box full of notes, small gifts, cards, and other memorabilia from those years. That box went with me from apartment to apartment. I could not get it rid of it. I never felt like I was ready. I didn't think it was a problem, I just figured it would always be a part of me.

I had no idea how much it was holding me back.

Then, in September of 2020 (yes, right smack dab in the middle of the pandemic), I decided to do a Yoga Teacher Training. I entered the YTT because I had dreams of living on the road in a converted van and thought that being a mobile yoga teacher would be a great way to make my financial ends meet while on this grand adventure. Hey, I was a dancer and a group fitness instructor already, it made sense! Little did I know, it would completely change my life in ways I could've never expected.

A couple of months into the training, we finished a meditation session and were encouraged to take out our journals and spend a few moments writing freely. That's when it happened. The words emerged from my pen without me even thinking about it. "It's time to burn the {ex's name} box". There it was, in black and white right in front of my face. I knew in that moment what I had to do. I texted my sister immediately and asked her if we could build a fire in her backyard and literally burn the box.

Just a couple of days later, there I was in the freezing cold of January, setting fire to the physical remains of the relationship, but also to my pain. When I tell you that my entire life changed after that, I am not exaggerating. The next day, I went to a yoga class and got good and sweaty. During savasana (corpse pose, the final pose of the practice), I had a vision wherein I saw myself, and my heart was glowing with white light. It was emanating out of my chest and I was floating. I went home and took the hottest shower I could stand. I was cleansed.

My entire psyche shifted. I started to feel like myself again. The confidence that I knew was hiding inside of me started to re-emerge. Then, just days later, I met the man who is now my fiancé. It is crazy to think about!

So here's thing about this story. There is not a single doubt in my mind that God placed that realization on heart that day in the yoga studio. There is not a doubt in my mind that God led me there in the first place. There is not a doubt in my mind that the Holy Spirit was present in the fire and water that cleansed my life. My yoga and meditation practice opened me up and grounded me enough to receive the message that God was giving me. I will never stop speaking of the healing powers of yoga, especially when combined with a strong faith.

That is why I started Wild Daughter Yoga: To share the profound healing effects of yoga with faith-driven communities, particularly women. Yoga is so much more than some poses on a mat. It is a lifestyle of care for the self and care for others. So many Christian people have been told that yoga is dangerous and contrary to their faith, but I can assure you that that is simply not true. I am here to educate, to encourage, and hopefully to inspire with my own story and journey.

Why Wild Daughter? Well, we women, we are Daughters of God. And if you find yourself sticking with me, you'll see that I am not one to follow the beaten path. I wanted to live in a van! Being wild and free has always felt so natural to me. So this community is for those daughters who go against the grain, who feel connected to nature, who look for adventure, or even just simply feel that wild pulse in their hearts.

I am so incredibly excited to be here, with you, sharing my knowledge. I cannot wait to meet all you amazing Wild Daughters who join me on this journey, and I hope to lead and inspire you to a more peaceful, aligned life where you feel closer to God than ever, and closer to your greatest, truest self. Amen, and Namaste.

P.S. I want to hear from YOU! Leave me a comment and say hi :)