How Yoga Changed Me
How Yoga Changed Me
I have always loved to exercise. I love how I feel after a sweaty workout. I like how I can do my daily activites and my body does not hurt (like raking, gardening…etc) Even if I didn’t get anything else done on my checklist that day I know I can cross off getting in my workout. I like just about all kinds of workouts, except for Zumba and Yoga. I just don’t feel like I get a good enough workout from either of those workouts. I know they are both great workouts and people love them, but not everyone loves HIIT workouts like me either. We are all different. Anyways, January 1, 2016 rolled around and I wanted to have a New Year’s Resolution that included fitness so I decided I would make myself take 1 yoga class per week for the entire year. I picked yoga because I knew I needed to relax my body. Doing some many high intense workouts is great but your body needs a rest/stretch too. Plus, there were so many studies out there that showed the benefits of yoga from body, mind and spirit. So, what happened over the course of 2016.
When I first started taking yoga I would stare at the clock every time we were in downward facing dog thinking, “how has it only been 10 minutes”. I would think, “we could be doing burpees right now or jump squats”. I would think about 100 other things then focusing on the moment…..my to-do list, my grocery list, what I was going to eat for lunch….etc. Honestly, this lasted a few months. The first few months I really dreaded going to yoga but I made myself go because this was my resolution. I was going to try 1 day per week of yoga for 1 year to see what happens to my body.
After a few months, Molly (the yoga instructor) had some inversion time in class and demo’ed some inversions for us to try. She had showed them in the past but I could not do them. This time I tried and what do you know, I could do them. I started small with crow and hurdler. About 6 months into my experiment I noticed one day in class I did not look at the clock! I also noticed I didn’t think that much about burpees! I still could not lay still in final savasana but I was making progress!!!
Other the next few months I noticed my upper body and core became stronger allowing me to do more advanced inversions like side crow, hurdler with both legs straight and headstand. I did not change any of my other workouts besides adding in 1 day per week of yoga. I also noticed how much better I felt physically and mentally after the yoga class. My body felt stretched out, my muscles did not hurt and I just felt good.
As December 31, 2016 came I reflected back on my experiment. 1 day of yoga per week for a whole year. And you know what-it changed me! My whole body is stronger. I can hold poses for longer, my balance is better, my mind- almost never 🙂 wanders during class, I still don’t like final savasana but I can lay still for 1 minute!! And the best thing is, I look forward to going to yoga. I actually take more yoga classes now because I have seen and felt the benefits of yoga and want to continue to see and feel the benefits that yoga can bring.
If you have never tried yoga or have tried it and thought it was not for me then I double dog dare you to try again. Try my experiment and see what happens to your body after 1 year of yoga. You will truly be amazed at how much stronger your body is, how much better your balance is and I guarantee you will grow to love it just like I have. If you are local, you can find a yoga class at www.bodyworksprescott.com or call them at 715-262-2053
If you give yoga a try I would love to hear from you. Comment below with your feedback.