I'm a Survivor

How yoga served me on the set of a reality TV competition.

- WARDAH HARTLEY

THEY SAY THE BEST way to truly test yourself-to see what you can endure-is to experience an extreme situation. For me, that was participating on the reality TV show Survivor.

If you're unfamiliar with the Survivor series, here's a summary: Sixteen to twenty contestants are left in a remote location with little more than the clothes on their backs, a few supplies, and some basic tools. That, and cameras recording their every move and conversation.

For more than a month, these "castaways" are left to fend for themselves while they compete in a series of physical and mental challenges. Most importantly, they have to navigate treacherous social waters to avoid being voted off the island by the other contestants. A sole "survivor” walks away with a fat cash prize.

I grew up in Cape Town, South Africa, watching the American Survivor series as a tween. It was like nothing I had seen before. It had a basic structure and set of rules, but the game evolved based purely on the personalities and interactions of the contestants. No two seasons were ever the same.

Fast-forward to 2018: I left my job as a TV sports anchor and began to follow my passion for fitness and wellness. In the process, I worked with a life coach and took my yoga practice even deeper. I ultimately completed my yoga teacher training. I had never even been camping before, but I decided to audition for Survivor: South Africa as a kind of master class-the ultimate test of all the personal growth I had experienced.

ISLAND LIFE

During my season on the show, we were based on the Eastern Cape in an area known as the Wild Coast. It's a beautiful part of the country, but we were there during the rainy season. Our shelters constructed of palm trees and bamboo got rained through and I was wet most of the time. It was tough, but meditation, and breathwork helped me find my calm.