Introduction of a Norwegian yogi to Steemit!

Hello lovely people!

My name is Tone, I just turned 26 years old and I live just south of Stavanger, close to the sea on the coast of beautiful Norway. Here's a brief introduction about me.

When I was 17 I wanted to study to become a classical pianist, but when I got the opportunity to take part in a local musical I fell in love with the thought of dancing on stage (and not just sitting). I auditioned and got in to a musical theatre school in Oslo and after two years there I got accepted at a prestige drama school in England, Guildford school of acting. I left my little country in 2012 and moved to Guildford, Surrey, just outside London.

I was in paradise. Every day started with ballet, jazz or tap, we had singing lessons and tap classes and I was surrounded by people who had the same passion for theatre that I had. The joy didn't last too long, however. Halfway through second year I had a foot injury that increasingly worsened and I had to defer third year and watch my friends graduate without me. The pain in my foot wouldn't cease, and strangely enough my hips started stiffening so much that simply walking was agonising.

I was diagnosed with femoro acetabular hip impingement syndrome (FAI). My hip didn't quite fit into my hip socket, so it was tearing down cartilage and tissues. No amount of physiotherapy could fix this, I needed a surgery of my right hip, to file down the cartilage and sew the tear in the tissues.

After 6 weeks on crutches and a 6 months recovery period I was ready for third year and prepared to finish my Bachelor's degree in musical theatre! Or so I thought... The damage had been made on both sides, and I needed to have an operation on my left hip as well. With a heavy heart I had to defer yet again and fly to Bergen, Norway, where I had my second hip operation. I was then 24.

Dancing was my passion. There was nothing else I'd rather do. But I understood from the doctors that I had to embrace the possibility of never being able to dance again. The thought still makes me well up. Nothing up to this day has ever broken my heart in this way.

At this time I had done a fair amount of yoga, as it was the only form of movement/workout I was able to do (at least for a while). I decided to reward myself by becoming a yoga instructor, figuring it was a great way to make money next to my acting career and at the same time stay fit. Little did I know how much it would change the course of my life. Not only did it help me recover from the operations physically, but it changed the way I view life and interact with people. Despite the doctors' warnings, I have now been dancing for 10 months without pain and I have more control of my body than I ever had. :)

I no longer want to pursue a career in acting, at least not for the time being. I want to help people with their bodies, their mind and spread love in a world were bad things get way too much focus and attention. Currently I teach yoga in Norway and next year I want to become a physiotherapist. I still sing and perform but as a side business next to teaching.

This summer I managed to finally finish my Bachelor's degree after 5 years instead of 3. But I did it. Giving up was never an option and I'm proud that I managed to fight my way through it, even though my dreams are no longer the same.

If you want to read more about what I do you can find me on @yogawithtone on instagram and I'm also on Facebook and Twitter (Yoga with Tone).

Can't wait to start meeting people on here! The thought of a page with only positive content and no advertisement is just fantastic! Spread the love and keep smiling. 💜

Love,
Tone