Two weeks before my fifteenth birthday, I knocked on death’s front door and begged him to let me in.

I was 58 pounds, had just suffered a stroke, and anorexia had siphoned away any desire I had left to live. Fortunately, death did not oblige. He cracked open the door, took one look at me, and slammed it back shut in my face.

That was six years ago. If you’d have told me then that today I would be speaking to Sanjay Gupta, the chief medical correspondent on CNN, about how yoga can help people who struggle with eating disorders, I never would have believed you. But here I am… alive, healthy, and dare I say it, happy! I feel incredibly grateful to my friends, doctors, teachers and community for helping me get to the place I am today.

I want those who struggle with this illness to know that recovery is possible. I hope that sharing this story publicly will remind people grappling with hardship in silence and isolation that they are not alone. Finally, I hope we can begin abolishing some of the stigma associated with eating disorders and show how many of the misconceptions often taken to be the disease are merely symptoms.

Below is the video interview from CNN. If you have or know someone who has struggled with an eating disorder, I would love to hear about your experiences in the comments.

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