Back in 2005 when I first started taking yoga classes, I went onto the mat with one very clear goal: to release my stress. I owned a small business and the planning, talking, and strategizing were each so stressful. Needing a way to surrender, I returned to the mat again and again.

Seeing my enthusiasm, my first yoga teacher recommended that I become a teacher as well. He also introduced me to Vipassana meditation.

My first meditation retreat brought me such peace and connection to myself that I truly saw myself for the first time. We were deep in the woods beside a lake where everything surrounding me sparkled! Life and all my surroundings were suffused with new energy. Trees became vividly defined while the mist from the lake swirled in its beauty. I connected with everything, especially with myself.

For months after I returned home, I retained and recalled the quietness in my heart. My interactions with my family, friends, and business were forever changed.

I am humbly grateful for the interactions with people from so many cultures and backgrounds who have been in my classes. One student shared that she was in a car accident, but instead of her usual reaction of fear and panic, she heard my voice instructing her to pause and connect to herself. She was able to replace her usual response pattern with the capacity to be compassionate. Stories such as this inspire me to try to reach people from around the world and build a safe place for people to heal.

I have deep gratitude for this path. Awakening to awareness and compassion saved me during my cancer treatment, including stabilizing my mind and body during the changes brought about by chemotherapy. It also supported my experience of giving natural birth to both of my kids at home and helped me create space to align with pain and joy during the process. Mindfulness has brought me the realization and experience that I am inseparable from all the beings in the world. During meditation and yoga, I often feel this unity. It inspires my wish that all beings live in peace, harmony, and happiness.

I thank you for joining me on this path and giving me the chance to fulfill my life's quest. May all beings be happy, be happy, be happy.

Caroline Chang (ZitaMae) has led online and in-person classes for students from the United States, Canada, Singapore, Malaysia, Taiwan, China, France, the United Kingdom, and Australia. She is a certified yoga alliance yoga teacher and certified mindfulness meditation teacher. She was a counselor at Didi Hirsch Suicide Prevention Center and has collaborated with such organizations as Team Survivor, YWCA, Isu University, Micron, and many others.