"The earliest memory I have is my dad saying to me `Don't eat that. You are fat and no-one loves you when you are fat.' It made a huge impression on me."
Thus begins Sarah Vanis' journey of self-loathing and self-mutilation to try and win an aggressive father's approval and a struggling mother's acceptance. Her story is of a living hell. She describes herself as is a perfectionist - and at one stage her only talent was having anorexia. In fact, Sarah was one of the people with the lowest weight in hospital! And she had to carry around a cushion to avoid sitting on her bones! She was so proud. But deep down she knew this wasn't right. Sarah Vanis is a survivor. She knew she had to find a way to crawl up out of the agony to find hope. And she did it.
Sarah writes a compelling tale of her life - part biography and part self-help book. She details how she found yoga. She began to find that the way her body moved was okay. She no longer needed to punish herself at the gym. The day she found yoga was a day of revelation, but she was still stuck.
She listened and found Ayurveda. The journey of Ayurveda and yoga together helped her to heal. The story from her dad and the acceptance from her mum didn't matter so much anymore. She was learning to accept herself. Her story changes from living hell, to living a life, naturally. This is a must-read for anyone struggling with their self-esteem, self-worth or body issues. This is a must read for caregivers of sufferers. It is a helping hand reaching out to people who need help by someone who has travelled that same path and found her way back to health and happiness.