Meet Rosie Acosta

Hi, I'm Rosie Acosta. (upbeat music) My meditation fully helps me be aware and awake to my life, because if it wasn't for meditation, I wouldn't even know what my life was. (birds chirping) I grew up in East L.A. in the early '90s during a time of rampant gang violence. Life was mainly spent in a state of stress and anxiety. I was 15 when I first came to meditation. At first, it was very difficult. Closing my eyes didn't feel safe. But when I finally got to the place of being still and feeling my body and my breath, I remember thinking, "All right, here I am, this is home." (gentle music) Flash forward almost four years later and my life had completely changed. I went from getting arrested, being on probation, to having a job, going to college. The only thing I was able to attribute it to was the fact that I was meditating consistently. It was then that I realized I needed to bring this practice to people, like the people I grew up with, people in my community. I live in Los Angeles with my partner and three humongous pit bulls. I love to have people over to my house, sit on the couch with them and just have real conversation. My favorite definition for balance is to dance. Balance isn't holding two things equally but just doing a dance, you're moving and there's a flow. I'm so excited to join Headspace to help this movement continue to inspire people, whoever, and wherever they are, to look after their minds and feel more connected with their community and with themselves. So, yeah, that's my story....