I first tried yoga about 9 years ago when one of my
friends introduced me to it. At that time, yoga was just starting to become
more popular in mainstream fitness. I had my serious doubts as to whether I
would like it as I came from an athletic/dance background and the thought of
sitting and "stretching" for an hour was nothing short of torture for
me. At that time in my life I was also leading a very fast paced life and prided
myself on being able to juggle many different things at once. I thought this
made me “tough” and resilient! I even thought that yoga was for “lazy” people!
It came from a lack of knowledge of what the practice of yoga actually
encompassed.
One of
my friends at the time had just come back from her training to become a yoga
teacher and she encouraged me to try it. I was extremely reluctant but the
class was free and I was always up for a challenge. So when I went for my first
class, which was a vigorous vinyasa class,
I strained and forced my way through every pose just to prove that this
yoga thing was too easy for me and I could master the poses without difficulty.
I didn’t listen to my body, in fact I ignored it. I continued going to the
Vinyasa classes with my friend because i preferred the intense and fast paced
nature of them, until one day my friend and I went to a Hatha style class. I
found it torturous to sit and focus on one pose for what seemed like an
eternity, and I felt like I was wasting my time. I remember thinking,”I’m never
going to get strong with a class like this. This is doing nothing for me!” I couldn’t wait for the class to finish so I
could jump back into my busy life. But I never gave up on the challenge and I
continued going with my friend for classes until something changed in me and I
actually looked forward to the classes. I slowly realized that it was “ok” to
calm my mind and body, and to just surrender to being present. I realized that
yoga was exactly what I needed to help me quell the need and drive to be in
constant motion. I also came to realize that the reason I needed to be busy in
my life was to avoid being with my inner unhappiness. I had always suffered
with anxiety even from a young age and I found being busy helped me ignore my
thoughts and feelings.
Today,
yoga is a part of my daily life and I could not imagine life without it! If
someone would’ve told me 9 years ago
that I would be teaching yoga, I would've told them that they were sorely
mistaken! I find every practice is different in some way, some new challenge or
feeling to experience. Yoga has, and will continue to teach me so much about my
body, mind and soul!
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