Yoga

I started doing yoga roughly one year ago.  I was at a point in my life where I knew I wanted to make some changes to who I was, and I imagine because it’s the easiest thing to do, I turned to a new exercise routine and healthier eating habits first.  I decided to try looking at YouTube for exercise videos since I’m always trying to find a more economic way to do things.  And, in doing so, I came across 30 Days of Yoga by Yoga with Adriene, and while it took me about 45 days to get through my 30 days of yoga commitment, I found several benefits to completing a practice video several times a week. 

I can’t say enough good things about Adriene and her videos.  Having tried multiple instructional yoga videos, the Yoga with Adriene channel is by far my favorite.  She makes yoga so accessible to the common person or new yogi/yogini.  It’s not so much about doing a movement perfectly but rather finding what feels good for you in that movement.  Some people are more flexible than others and we each carry our stress differently within our bodies.  I love her mantra – “Find What Feels Good.”  There are days when I start out doing her video by following along exactly and other days I stray away from the instruction and really do what feels good for my body on that day.

For me, tying my movements and breath together was super therapeutic.  It really helped me to de-stress after work.  I used to dance, and by doing yoga, I became more aware of my body again.  The first thing I noticed was my poor posture.  There are days when I really put my body through the ringer.  Now, almost a year later, I can see increase in flexibility and strength.  Yoga has given me the courage to work harder and build muscle where I never really did before.  I’ve always been petite, so there was no huge motivation to get to the gym, keep weight off, or build muscle.  But, now that I’m getting older I need to be stronger physically.  I’ve watched women close to me start to shrink and lose their youthful bodies.  I want more for myself.  I’m determined to remain strong.

30 Days of Yoga: Day 1