Soul Seed Travel Life Transforming Stories:
Laura Thorne shares her story of how yoga helped her to recover from a stroke and being diagnosed with Aggressive Relapsing Remitting Multiple Sclerosis. Laura went on to do a yoga teacher training in India and is now running her own yoga retreat called Mountain Paradise in France.
When life throws you lemons, you make lemonade. A saying that echoed in my head during my life changing recovery.
I spent 10 years working hard to carve a successful career in London in music and events and finding ways to balance my life, I found yoga. I had always loved yoga, and in between my busy working schedule, I would try and make time for twice a week classes, it was the only thing that gave me balance in my life.
In the summer of 2012,  after finishing my job at the at the Olympic Torch relay, I started working freelance for a large advertising agency in central London. During an important conference call to a client I lost my speech. I tried to speak, and nothing came out. I couldn’t believe it, I didn’t know what was going on aside from it being embarrassing, the words just weren’t coming out.
Something serious was happening, I got sent home and went straight to the doctors, after some tests they thought I had had a stroke. I was feeling terrible, nothing was not making any sense and I knew something was seriously wrong. The doctor gave me a letter, I had a bath and managed to get myself on the 106 bus to Whitechapel Hospital in East London. I handed them my letter and they told me to call my mum, I didn’t come out of hospital for two months!
I started to deteriorate pretty quickly, and I was VERY scared. At the hospital they scanned my brain and the MRI results discovered I had a large legion in my brain that looked similar to Brain Cancer. The neurologists were left with no option other than to operate with a brain biopsy which required an operation and 28 staples in my skull. More legions appeared and I was later diagnosed with Aggressive Relapsing Remitting Multiple Sclerosis  (a lifelong condition that affects the central nervous system), and epilepsy as a result of my surgery plus the loss of my driving licence as well as my career.
I spent over two years undergoing intensive rehabilitation learning to speak, read, write, even humour among other things. I was grieving, I had lost me, who I was, I was depressed and I had to learn everything again, both physically and mentally. I was determined to find my path and slowly started trying out some light meditation at first, and doing some yoga videos. My pathways between my body and brain were permanently damaged, which meant I had to re-route them all. However, something started to click, day by day and week by week I was beginning to understand life again.
When I decided to embark on my life journey changing journey of becoming a yoga teacher, I signed up to do a yoga teacher training course in Goa. I had no-idea what I was doing, but I knew it could only be a good thing. I went to Oceanic Yoga and it was the perfect choice. It was a struggle learning the names of the body parts, the name of the asanas, the movement, the names in Sanskrit and trying to link them all up together.
The more I practiced, the more I felt at peace, although it was extremely exhausting I tried as hard as I could and after a month in I completed my 200hrs teacher training which was the greatest feeling I had ever felt. I had conquered my fears and my determination had paid off.
Yoga saved my life, it gave me such confidence during my recovery and I gained a spiritual understanding of how important life really is. I learnt that no matter what happens now, I love to live my life. By keeping that feeling I love using it to help heal and inspire others. Yoga and meditation gave me strength.
Join Laura on her ‘Mountain Paradise’ Eco Therapy Yoga retreat taking place from the 25th June – 2nd July. It is set in a boutique mountain lodge located on the edge of a charmingly rural French hamlet, surrounded by jaw-dropping views and pristine alpine forests in Les Laix, France. The fun packed week will have a full program of twice daily yoga, forest meditation, mindful art and crafts, delicious vegetarian cuisine, luxury accommodation and a jacuzzi.
Mention Soul Seed Travel on enquiring to receive a special price of £895 (including transfers, excluding flights).
Contact info:
Tel: +44 7766 112992
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.lovelemontree.com
Facebook.com/welovelemontree
Instagram/lauralemontree
This is such an amazing story…yoga truly is astounding in what it can do and I don’t think enough people realise this. ive actually had my own recent experiences where yoga has saved my life and am planning to write about it to tell people too but don’t quite feel ready yet. I just wanted to say well done for believing in your body and sharing this story- people need to know it’s not about touching your toes! Well done and best of luck xx Carolina