Yoga and Narcolepsy

Photo via remrunner.blogspot.com

One of the best parts of being a yoga instructor is the amazing and inspiring students that I get to work with on a daily basis. It's a strange situation at times, because often I'll see a student on their mat 2-3 times per week; I'll know their name, their body, their injuries, their practice, and a few tidbits about their daily life here and there, but sometimes it will take months before I find out what else they've got going on outside of the studio--and often, when I do finally find out, I'm completely inspired. This happened most recently in the case of a Tranquil Space Arlington student named Julie Fylgare. I knew Julie's name and her practice, I could tell she had a passion for yoga, and that she was a regular in our classes. But what I didn't know was that off of the mat, Julie was writing a memoir about her struggles with Narcolepsy, and that she was becoming a well-known, recognized spokesperson for the illness.

Julie was recently featured in Marie Claire, and just last week, NBC Washington did a piece on her. I wanted to share this segment today, because I'm truly inspired by the work that Julie is doing as she spreads the news and raises awareness of Narcolepsy. Something else that I love about her story? Yoga has played a great part in her journey, as has running. She's even shown practicing yoga at TSA at the beginning of the segment! Word on the street is that the piece that aired talked a bit more about her yoga practice (sad that I can't share the full version here!), but at least we still get a glimpse at it :)

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Take a look at Julie's story below:

View more videos at: http://nbcwashington.com.

To read more about Julie and her journey, check out her personal blog, here.

Also, since it is Thanksgiving week, after all, I wanted to give a BIG, special thank you to Julie and to all of my students for being such a constant source of inspiration in my life. This is why I love. my. job.

Namaste,
Mary Catherine