The Incredible Perseverance of Ninja Amy

"Never in a million years did I think that clicking on that ad would change myself and my life."

In 2020, scrolling Facebook, I saw some upside lady and the word Ninja.  I thought, what have I got to lose? I might learn some new things to incorporate into my yoga classes.  Never in a million years did I think that clicking on that ad would change myself and my life.  

My story begins in 2017, when I severed my ACL and went through a long process of surgery and physical therapy to get back to 80% mobility. 

During this healing process I felt sorry for myself, gained a ton of weight and did not make my health, mental or physical a priority.   My Orthopedic surgeon told me that my range of motion was as good as it was going to get.   

I’m not great at accepting what other people tell me I can’t do.  So I found my way back to yoga.  I knew I needed to focus on myself and yoga was a low impact way of getting my health back.  I had dabbled in yoga previously, but would find anger in the stillness, and would tell most people I hated it.  This time around I found so much more passion, a new love while returning  to the practice and soon after became a yoga teacher.

Fast forward to 2020, when I found Yogi Flight School and Nathania.  

"There was such a sense of empowerment.  It wasn’t about sticking the pose (although that was a badass feeling as well), it was the feeling of flying, the feeling that you have control over your body and control of changing your story."

From the first class there was such a feeling of positivity and so much support not only from Nathania but from the rest of the group.  In each live session we were all doing things we had never been able to do before and cheering each other on all the while.  There was such a sense of empowerment.  It wasn’t about sticking the pose (although that was a badass feeling as well), it was the feeling of flying, the feeling that you have control over your body and control of changing your story.

In October, the week after we had finished the headstand module, I was diagnosed with leiomyosarcoma. 

My doctor told me not to google, but google I did and started to go into that downward spiral I had worked hard to get out of.  Surprisingly though, when I found out I had to get surgery my first thought was how quickly can I get back to arm balancing.  I didn’t let myself fall back into the self pity that I had been immersed in back when I had knee surgery.  I had changed my story.  I pushed myself throughout the rest of the modules to become as strong as possible to prepare my mind and body for what was to come.  Surgery was scheduled for a couple of weeks after we finished our full program and all went well with clean margins and have continued to have clean scans since.  

"I couldn’t wait to get back to practicing and even though I wasn’t able to practice physically I jumped right into the next round with the new ninjas and thrived once again off the positivity and the community that was growing until I was able to fly again."

After surgery when my doctor said that I would need to take it easy for 8 weeks I asked if I could do yoga and they said yes. I had to clarify what yoga now meant to me and she suggested I take it a bit easier than the ninjarific things that I was striving to get back to.  I couldn’t wait to get back to practicing and even though I wasn’t able to practice physically I jumped right into the next round with the new ninjas and thrived once again off the positivity and the community that was growing until I was able to fly again. 

This is more than a yoga program.  It is a family. Community, a source of strength and confidence. 

Thank you to the OG ninjas from that first round back in 2020 and all the ninjas since new and old for making this community into what it is.  

- Amy