Cancer Teaches One Woman to Love Herself
By Karen M. Rider
Most people would never believe that Laurie Sabourin, owner of a yoga and massage therapy studio in Cromwell CT, was partying on the punk scene that was so chaotically popular during the 1980’s. They would be shocked to learn, during her youth, Laurie had no self-confidence, so she ran with a crowd of rebellious young adults.
“I was running fast down a dark path and could easily have self-destructed,” she says of that time in her life. Little did she know that dangerous path would, later in life, be a factor in her developing breast cancer.
How does a young woman who was practically sprinting to get away from herself, become a highly regarded professional yoga teacher? And, how does a woman who has come so far out of her own darkness cope when she learns she has breast cancer?
“Yoga Saved My Life”
“It is no exaggeration for me to say yoga saved my life. I didn’t feel good about myself. I was playing with fire. Yoga, though, helped me learn to love myself. Sure, I still had a healing process to go through—and breast cancer has been a part of that. But, it all began with yoga.”
After being introduced to yoga by her father and uncle in the mid-1980s, Laurie committed to learning as much as she could about yoga while she was working as a dental assistant. She had had inclinations about teaching yoga, she never believed she could make living as an instructor. However, it would become her destined path.
Instrumental in Laurie’s dedication to learning and living a yogic lifestyle was Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health in Lenox, MA. There, she not only learned how to bring the philosophy of yoga into all areas of her life, she also got a glimpse of an alternate career path—in massage therapy– that would eventually complement her desire to teach yoga.
A Destined Path
While attending Connecticut Center for Massage Therapy, Laurie continued to work full-time as a dental assistant. When she achieved licensure in massage therapy, Laurie went work for a chiropractor who was pioneering the use of home exercise programs for patients.
