I was a professional mountain bike racer when I had a spectacular crash. What followed was two surgeries, paralysis of my quadriceps, and a veritable yard sale of cartilage and bone scattered about in my knee. My left quad went from powerful and exceptionally muscled to a useless twig. My physical therapist, Doug Kelsey, called me Atrophena (we had to find some way of laughing at the situation!). For the next two years I used crutches or a cane to walk. I lost my ability to balance and my proprioception (like sensory perception and awareness) in my left leg. I would close my eyes and Kelsey would hold my leg up, then I'd tell him it was pointing down. I had no sense of where my leg was in space.

During my rehabilitation I was working at Dell. When I reached the point that I could support my own body weight, I started taking yoga classes at work. Sapphire was my first yoga teacher, and she was just amazing-such a kind and passionate spirit, always encouraging me and helping me find modifications to work with my knee. Slowly, I regained my balance, and some awareness of what my body was doing in space. But that first experience with yoga didn't seem touch my spirit. I was still a warrior athlete determined to get back to racing my mountain bike.

At that point I decided I had gained all there was to get from yoga-"yoga shoplifting" I call it-and I left my practice returning to racing my bike.

Apparently, the universe was not finished teaching me what I needed to know about yoga! In December of 2006, after 15 years in Austin, I was bushwhacked by my first case of cedar allergies. I was sneezing so much I couldn't even ride my bike, and going through two boxes of tissues in a day. Just as I had with my knee injury, I decided then that I could either learn something from the situation or get clobbered by it.

I survived cedar season 2006 by going to spin classes and riding my stationary bike indoors. But since the essence of riding is freedom, going nowhere toward a wall left me feelings trapped, empty, and frustrated. In preparation for cedar season 2007, I knew I would have to change something, but what? My good friend Virginia Everett suggested I try Annick's Ashtanga class. Because of my earlier experience with yoga, I was familiar with most of the poses in the primary series, although the order and flow was new. And, of course, I didn't know a word of Sanskrit. Virginia said, "You can learn this one of two ways. Take the star classes, in which case you will be bored, or come to Annick's 9 am classes Monday, Wednesday and Friday. You won't understand a thing, but you'll figure it out in about a month."

When I started learning Ashtanga with Annick, I felt some of my old athlete feelings of wanting a tough physical work out. Then I started to notice changes in my body directly related to the practice. If I walked into the studio stuffed up, I could walk out with a clear head. My allergies were no longer debilitating. I felt lighter and more energetic and so… just happy, inside and out! Slowly, the journey became more mental, emotional and spiritual than the purely physical workout I had come looking for.

My yoga journey is like reading the best book ever, one page at a time, only it's my life and I get to live and experience it! After cedar season 2007 ended, there was no way I was going to step away from my newfound practice. It was just beginning. Every day since then it gets better and better. I even feel blessed to have been given cedar allergies, because without that special delivery I never would have returned to yoga. And I never would have met Annick!

When I started practicing with Annick, I carried 15+ years of horrible posture due to swimming and bike racing. Ustrasana (camel pose) made me break out in a dripping sweat, accompanied by horrible nausea. Today, I am opening up and ustrasana even feels restorative.

For me Annick has been an ideal teacher. I love how diligently she studies yoga, and her knowledge is deep and comes from the heart. In a world where "good enough" is so often the standard, Annick's strict approach is refreshing. Annick cares about details. Sloppy postures will lead to injury and are not acceptable. Each class with Annick is a journey deep into my soul, and I feel very safe with her.

I recently practiced in San Diego on a business trip. A yoga teacher of over 25 years pulled me aside after class and said, "Obviously you have an amazing teacher in Austin." Very thankfully, I agreed.