This past month, I've finally begun the journey of one of my life long goals, learning to enjoy yoga. I've taken yoga classes off and on for the past ten years.... on average of about twice a year. I was never able to be consistent with it, I didn't feel like it was worth my time compared to other athletic endeavors I wanted to pursue. I also had a terrible time focusing, slowing down and felt kinda silly and awkward in the classes that were really "spiritual". I sort of always knew in the back of my mind, I'd know when the time was right for Yoga. Maybe I needed to mature? Become a bit more centered? It's taken some time, but I'm ready to slow down and embrace Yoga and incorporate it in my weekly routine.
I'm not sure why I feel like I'm clicking now with Yoga. It might be that over the past few years my workouts have been very body weight focused, and many exercises I'm doing demand full range of motion, which has improved my flexibility tremendously. I like feeling limber and lean, and not stiff and bulky, which I've experienced as a result of heavy lifting and crossfit type workouts I did in the past. I also think I was missing something in my life that was relaxing. I've definitely slowed down over the years, if you know me personally, I'm a "Go Go" type of person. I have type A tendencies, and have to feel like I'm productive and doing something all the time. I can be a workaholic, and I'm always thinking of how I can make things better, improve, and keep moving forward. I don't slow down to enjoy the now, and what's going on in the present.
Yoga demands you to slow down, breath and really become aware of your body, and keeping your mind quiet. This is hard for me, but I have to take my own advice that I always say in my classes. "When something is hard or your dislike it, it's usually your weakness. Work on your weaknesses!"
Flexibility has never been a strength of mine and I definitely needed to work on worrying so much about the future. I needed to take a few steps back, and enjoy what's going on around me right now, instead of worrying about what's next. Yoga is helping me find a bit more calmness in my life, which is something very new to me. Yoga is also improving my posture, balance and flexibility, which carries over to my current workouts.
It's important for us to look at our weaknesses head on, and make an honest attempt to conquer them. It can be scary, it can be frustrating and challenging.... but that will only make us stronger and well rounded. With every yoga class, I feel more comfortable in poses, I feel the breathing becoming easier, and I feel like it's a little easier to quiet my mind. I'm still struggling with not filling every breathing moment with something productive, and realizing it's important to stop and smell the roses every so often.
This yoga experience had made me think about other weaknesses in my life. Looking at them head on, can be daunting, but that's the hardest part. Admitting our weaknesses, addressing them, and attempting to improve on them can only help us become better human beings.
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