I want to describe how and when my interest in yoga and meditation first arose.  In 1999, there was an earthquake in my hometown that killed hundreds of people.  We who were able to stay alive witnessed and sometimes helped the rescue workers pull bodies from ruined buildings, clean up the environment, and serve food and provide clothes.  This happened in my teenage years, when I was a high school student, and it put me and my community under a lot of stress.  During the next school term, instructors came to my school regularly and taught classes in mental relaxation.  This helped me a lot: I began having better sleep at night and to maintain positive energy throughout the day.  The lessons also helped me become aware of my own body, refreshed my mind and my inner self.   I have continued to practice what I was taught in these lessons, usually before I sleep and anytime I feel tense.