Hi peeps!
I’m here today to talk to you about yoga. Sorry, I don’t mean to sound like a cheesy motivational speaker; I just didn’t know how to start this thing. So, that being said, let’s get started!
I’ve practiced yoga before, but never very seriously. My yoga sessions were pretty much bonding time with teammates and friends at 24 Hour Fitness after practice or after a workout. Don’t get me wrong – those classes are good, but they didn’t really make me want to come back the next day and work even harder.
Other times, I’d whip out a yoga DVD with a 20-30 minute session on it just for a quick workout or nice stretch. Heck, sometimes I just did it because I was bored.
Now, the Rec Center at Cal Poly offers yoga and pilates classes, like, 5 times a week, and there’s a yoga studio in downtown San Luis Obispo just down the street from Bliss – Yoga Centre SLO. Basically, I’ve been pretty much surrounded by it, so I figured I’d give at least one class a try.
About a month ago, I went to my first class in a long time with my two of my future roommates. It’s a pretty legit yoga studio – it smells like lavender and mint, there are only 2 rooms for classes, and the lobby (the tiny lobby) has several racks of fancy of yoga bras and tanks and fun, printed leggings!
That first class – Power Flow – was an hour long, and was right before the farmer’s market. Imagine my excitement here. We moved through poses quickly but at our own breath’s pace and definitely worked up a good sweat. The last 5 minutes were dedicated to Savasana. Basically, pure, whole, absolute relaxation.
It was awesome.
I’ve been going back to that class each week and even attending a few others!
Here’s the best part – a few days ago, I decided to practice on my own. It was Friday morning and I had planned to go for a run, but I woke up and just wasn’t feeling it. Yeah, one of those days. So I grabbed my yoga mat, some water, and any/all knowledge motivation I had in me and went down to my building’s community center since the busy Rec Center didn’t seem like the best place, even at 7:30 am.
The janitors let me in – they like me. Every time we run into each other, I’m doing some sort of workout. Without a question they kindly let me roll out my mat in the middle of the room while they worked on some construction projects nearby.
I had thought I’d be distracted by their noise, but it actually contributed to the whole experience.
How? I forced myself to focus on what I was doing – on my breath, on my pose, on my mind.
What was really cool was that I used this time to connect with God and dedicate my morning to my faith. I thanked Him for the ability to practice, prayed for the strength to continue, and promised a day (at least one, that is) full of smiles to let His light shine through me for others to see.
Yoga is completely personal. It’s about you – what you put into it is what you will get out of it. By letting my breath guide my movement, I am listening to what my body craves in terms of exercise. By pushing negativity out with each exhale and pulling positivity in with each inhale, I am ridding my body of everything preventing happiness and peace and filling my body with only the most beneficial, healthy thoughts.
And while all of that is going on in my mind and in my spirit, my thighs are growing stronger, my arms more powerful, my core more toned. Sweat drips from my forehead and my heart pumps as I push through each pose and breath.
I’m addicted – addicted to the soreness, to the fatigue, to the restoration, to the relaxation, to the powerfulness I feel all at the same time.
I can’t wait to keep practicing and improving! It’s been a blessing so far - thank you guys for taking the time to read about it. Give yoga a try!
Have a splendid Sunday :)