Yoga Teacher Training for image disorder

     Hi! I'm Danielle and am 22 years old living in Santa Barbara, CA. I'm reaching out to my friends new and old, near and far, to help me raise money so I can become a certified yoga teacher through YASA Yoga's 200 hour Registered Yoga School teaching program beginning in August. (See http://www.yasayoga.com/ to learn about who I'm studying under.)
     This past year, I fought the hardest battle of my life: I fought for my very life itself. I suffered from anorexia and bulimia around anxiety and depression. Over the course of three months, I lost over 40lbs. I was fading away every day, but my mind and body were tricking me into thinking I was okay. This disease is silent, sneaky, and secretive, but is very real and is the deadliest of all mental health illnesses (see https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/) for more information and statistics.  
     I dropped all of my classes and left my job so I could fully dedicate myself to a three month Intensive Outpatient Treatment program. It was the HARDEST work I've ever done, but it was the BEST thing I've done for myself. I am now recovered and have learned so much about who I really am, and how important it is to live each day with compassion, curiosity, and appreciation for the self and for the universe we share.
     Throughout treatment, breath work (and later yoga) were my go-to tactics when I felt overwhelmed or unaligned. I focused on just breathing, and soon the physical motions began to naturally flow. Eventually, I learned how to acknowledge each thought and let it go until I could quiet my mind of all "noise." I realized that if I left all external influences and worries outside, after practicing I was more internally oriented and felt mentally and physically empowered.  Since recovery, I have been deepening my yoga practice, and each time I find a more comforting and strengthening home within myself. 
     I am seeking your support to help me continue to deepen my practice and become certified so I can teach others to find their authentic selves through practicing yoga. I hope to use my voice as a teacher to share the importance of uncovering, understanding, and loving who you are right now. I will encourage myself and my future students to let go of the ego, which is in direct opposition to the authentic self. I will, through the marriage of breath and movement, create an enviornment where we can freely flow and be constantly open to mental and physical growth and change. 

     Friends: Please do what you can, even if it is just passing on my mission. Lastly, I ask you to cherish the earthly temple you have been given, and to love yourself and others. We all exist in this universe together, and I seek to make this existance meaningful and fruitful for us all.