heal | nourish | grow
more about jeffrey allmen
Sad truth: Society tells me I am too obese, too hairy, too old, too effeminate, too queer, too happy, too optimistic, too liberal, too much.
Fact: I am the strongest and healthiest I have ever been. I love myself completely. This is the only body I will ever have. My body is perfect today and everyday. My body changes with my practice and my journey. My body is my soul carrier, and spirits home. This body of mine is beautiful. Regardless of societies rules on who is allowed to be beautiful, healthy, sexy, popular; this is who I am, I am enough, just the way I am.
Join me for yoga. Let me help you see yourself, be yourself, and completely love yourself too.
You are already perfect just the way you are. Yoga has the power to awaken your mind, and transform your body. This is a journey through awakening and transformation. This is a journey that will last longer than mortal life itself. This is not about a perfect mind-body destination. If your mortal journey ends today; be prepared and be loving yourself today, right now, in this moment, love yourself completely in every moment, any moment could be your last.
This is easier said than done - yoga, breathe, meditate = heal, nourish, grow - these tools will help you continuously come back to self love and awareness.
yoga and me
My yoga story started 22 years ago. Around 14 years ago I found the Chicago yoga community and yoga became a foundation of my life. About a decade ago I was in a bike-meets-cab accident on Chicago’s lake shore bike path. I flew over my handle bars, landed on my hands and knees, and the weight of my head caused a compression on my spinal cord. I lost almost all of my strength on my left side, and suffered unbearable shooting pain and numbness. I medicated with valium, vicoden, whiskey, edible marijuana. I would punch walls to distract my body, to take my mind off the crippling pain and loss of strength. I went from a 32-inch waist, visible abs, and 185lbs to over 240 lbs. I was miserable all the time and felt like giving up.
One day it dawned on me: every body sustains injuries and carries scars, and not all will fully heal. That’s ok. We can still thrive and transcend theses challenges. I was inspired by my father who, as a young man, fell on icy steps and fractured vertebrae. The result was a life of chronic pain. He managed to continue his life and provide for his family while struggling with this pain. The pain did not stop him.
I realized my pain may never go away. The prospect of drug dependency to manage my pain while dealing with depression and obesity was unacceptable. On my path to surgery, a medical doctor and good friend of mine said, “I shouldn’t say this, but maybe try acupuncture before surgery.” In my first acupuncture session, I found some serious pain relief. I started thinking a little more clearly with a little less pain.
Embarrassed, depressed, weak, and overweight, I dragged myself back to the yoga mat. Very quickly yoga reminded me how much power I had over my future. I quickly fell into a regular yoga routine practicing 10 to 20 hours a week. The rest is history. No surgery for me. No more drugs. In fact, I no longer drink or take any drugs beyond the occasional advil or excedrine. I am literally high on yoga. My sultry Saturday nights have turned into Sunday morning yoga. I am the happiest, strongest, and healthiest I have ever been. I don’t have visible abs anymore. I don’t weigh 185 lbs. I have found happiness in a bigger body. I have found self love and confidence in the body I am meant to have without the unhealthy lifestyle and constant dieting. I thrive, not just survive. That is how yoga really became my everything.