How Yoga Changed My Life
My friends and family know four things about me to be true. I can’t sit still, I worry more than I should, I love to be active, and I love to exercise and the faster I move the happier I am.
So, when someone suggested that Yoga would be good for me, my response was that while I love yoga flows, the breathing, stillness and savasana were not for me. And, furthermore I insisted, I am not good at meditating, sitting still or abdominal breathing and I don’t enjoy it!
My friend being very persistent persuaded me to give Gentle Yoga a try. Fast forward to today, yoga has helped me in every aspect of my life. After much practice, classes, certification and affiliation with the Yoga Alliance, I now share what I learned with my clients during my private and small group yoga practice.
Here are 3 very important lessons I learned on my yoga journey
Lesson #1:
Meditation, just most things in life, is learned and gets better over time as do the benefits from meditation. I learned that just because I couldn’t focus on meditation and breathing at first, that with practice I got much better at it. Once meditation and abdominal breathing became more natural, I found I had a new sense of calm. I also had a new tool to turn to when I felt stressed, worried or anxious. I now feel more grounded and centered.
Lesson #2
In stillness there is strength. As I slowed down and focused on doing balance poses like Tree Pose and Warrior III, I felt stronger than I have ever have. I started feeling like I could conquer anything. The visualization of my body being deeply rooted into the ground and at the same time lengthened to the sky was mind blowing. I know, this may sound like hogwosh but I’ve always moved so much that I never thought about being rooted and grounded and what it really means to engage my deepest muscles (mind and body). I started feeling stable and light at the same time. I now find that when I enter into a situation that makes me feel uncomfortable, I am able to draw on that strength and light and approach my discomfort with confidence.
Lesson #3
I found that taking a little time to slow down allowed my body to move and flow better. I also found that slowing down and adding meditation, savasana and slow flows helped me sleep, approach the world with a new sense of calmness and confidence and provided me with new tools to draw upon when life happens.
I am in deep gratitude to my special friend who convinced me to give yoga a try and I am here to help when you are ready to embark upon your yoga journey.
Interested In Trying Yoga?