How a mum of 2 finally put herself first and reconnected to her joy
“I feel much more confident now and I'm working on my personal project that I postponed for a long time.”
Federica spent years putting everyone else first - raising her children, working, and managing life’s pressures - while rarely stopping to check in with herself. Her story shows how she used Kaya to slow down, reconnect with her body, and finally find calm and clarity in her everyday life.
I was born in the very south of Italy and at 18 years I moved to the north to study. There, my adventure begins. Just turned 23, my first son came to life. I met his father studying in Argentina and since then we have battled our life together. Now we are 20 years together and 2 sons. We lived together in different countries but I wasn't happy. He favoured work over family and I was raising my children almost alone while working a lot and studying.
Living in Germany and feeling daily racism on myself really brought me to my edge. During covid we come back to Spain where we were living before and where I felt safer. But still I had already opened my Pandora box and I didn't know how to deal with this. Yoga was my refuge and it's because of this that I found Manu's videos on Youtube. They felt different and since then I discovered that I could go slower and listening to myself was difficult but helpful.
I always used to be the strong person in the family, no time to think about my self or to engage with my emotions. I just need to carry on. Starting practicing with Manu and then with Kaya helped me to understand what was happening to me, to give a name to my emotions and to understand my body better. There is a reason why it's so rigid, tense and bloated. And discovering that I can work on it, appreciate it and feel better opened a new vision of life to me.
My body was hurting constantly and everyone was asking me if I was breathing or not. I wasn't hungry at all (and I love food!) but I just couldn't stop eating and I used to eat very fast and nervously. I wasn't enjoying cooking anymore (which is one of my passions) and I always feel attacked.
I usually do my practice with Kaya early in the morning or as a break during my working day. I love taking that short, slow pauses for myself and I understand that is a necessity for me, not a luxury. I'm able to recognize the emotions that are coming and give space to them, embracing them with curiosity and not fear. Also if not using the app, I'm taking time to just breathe deeply and move slowly daily.
I feel much more confident now and I'm working on my personal project that I postponed for a long time. I can breathe again. I sleep 7h30 hours and I feel new. I feel much more compassionate for myself and I honour my body, instead of fighting against it. I still have a lot to learn but now I know I have time and I'm confident I can do it.
Your body knows your story and it's also the best guide to help you create new stories.
