A Yogi's Quest to Costa Rica

Hey y'all, my name is Savannah Crespo. I am 17 years old and I live in Asheville, NC. Last January was an incredibly tumultuous time in my life. I was struggling to combat the fringes of an eating disorder, and was completely at war with my body. I measured my self worth by the numbers on my weighing scale, and the drive to be thin dominated my every waking moment. Even now, it's hard to look back on photos from that time and see that yes, I was the skinniest I've ever been, but also to remember how miserable I was due to my constant guilt about eating and seeing my body as an inadequate object.

But then my entire perception of myself changed when I first began my yoga practice. It was the catalyst for the transformation that has occurred within the relationship I have with my body. Yoga helped ground me in every molecule of my being, and I have begun to cultivate and celebrate my physical capability through my practice. Yoga has also helped me deepen my ability to understand and be compassionate towards my entire being, and in turn, the world around me. I see how far I have come in this last year, but there are still days where old shadows, old stories, old insecurities threaten to engulf me, and I have to remind myself to do the first thing yoga taught me: to breathe. And I remind myself how much is left to learn and live and love, and what a gift it is to be learning and living and loving each and every day.

And now, I am asking for my community's help to support me in this next journey of learning and living: In t-minus seven days, I am embarking on an adventure with Asheville Community Yoga for a week long yoga intensive in Costa Rica. I have long lasting ties and gratitude for my community at ACY, and I know I will have a safe place in a foreign land to explore this next expression of myself and my practice. On my trip, it will be early to bed and early to rise, with both asana and meditation every morning, daily community service projects in the area, and continuous opportunities to further discover how I exist in myself and in the world.

From the beginning, this trip hasn't been about the monetary value, but about the value of my personal growth and experience. But it will take money to get there, and between working my two jobs, I have used over a thousand dollars of my personal savings; however, I need a little help to cover the rest of the trip's cost"”this is where you come in. I am hoping to be matched in the money I have already put forth, so please, watch/share this fundraiser video and donate if you can. My gratitude overflows.

Namaste, y'all.