I think we are still seeing all of the diets and workouts... for those of you in gyms, I hear we still have some New Year Resolutioners trying to stick with it.
Before I had my current job which requires travel, I kickboxed. And I kickboxed a lot. For nearly 2 years, I was crossing, upper cutting, side and forward kicking. I was up and down and jumping and kicking. I was faster and faster and then even faster. I was in amazing shape. Kickboxing was an amazing practice for reducing stress.
When I started traveling, I could not afford the expense of kickboxing and not being able to attend at least 4 classes a week. So I stopped. Over the past 2 years, I have tried traditional gyms, walking, running, Zumba, and at home DVDs (you can borrow anything from Tae Bo to the Brazilian Butt Lift, I have them all).
Nothing stuck. I always felt like I was not getting a great workout because I was not pushing myself - or even worse - I just wasn't doing anything. I didn't like anything that I found.
Then, I found Yoga. I think I went onto my mat for the first time thinking, this will be easy. It is basically sitting, breathing and holding some poses. No problem, I used to kickbox.
Wrong. Very, very wrong.
As someone who has little balance, is out of shape, and has been leading a mostly sedentary life, my first yoga class rocked my world. Sweat was pouring off of me like rain. I felt like I was hit by a truck I was so sore the next day - and I never moved out of my 2'x6' mat! There was no running or jumping jacks.
Now, I am loving yoga at the moment because it is helping me gain my flexibility back (that is going to be long road) and it is helping me tone and strengthen my body.
But why is yoga working for me when nothing else did? Yoga is more than toning the body - it is about working out your mind and it is about accepting whatever you may bring to your mat and practice that day.
Learning to accept me - what I can and cannot do, forgetting that the person next to me is not sweating and is doing something 3 levels more complex than me, letting go of what I cannot control in my life and at work, focusing on what is going on in my body and what is happening now... learning to accept and acknowledge all of this while making your body move and stay in poses is well, it is relaxing.
So when I fall out of a pose or can only do the beginner stage of a move - I don't get mad and quit. I don't get frustrated and judge myself - and I don't feel judged by others. Yoga is about me and my individual practice.
Now - sometimes this is harder than others. I had a rough day earlier this week at work - it was crazy and I didn't want to go to yoga. But I did. I could tell I was not focused on my practice as I struggled through every pose, messed up flows. Slowly, I forced myself to focus on the breathe of yoga. Focusing on in and out, one with each move. I stopped trying to keep up with the class. I flowed to my own - and it was fine. I let go - even if only for a moment.
And at the end of the session - I felt better - regardless of what comes and goes in our lives - the good times and bad - we have to keep moving forward. We must continue to breathe - in and out.
That is what I love about yoga. I find something different in it every time I step onto the mat. For me, in this part of my life - it is the exercise I need, physically and mentally. No judging, just accepting what I have today, but pushing myself to make it the best that I can make it. That is yoga.
Before I had my current job which requires travel, I kickboxed. And I kickboxed a lot. For nearly 2 years, I was crossing, upper cutting, side and forward kicking. I was up and down and jumping and kicking. I was faster and faster and then even faster. I was in amazing shape. Kickboxing was an amazing practice for reducing stress.
When I started traveling, I could not afford the expense of kickboxing and not being able to attend at least 4 classes a week. So I stopped. Over the past 2 years, I have tried traditional gyms, walking, running, Zumba, and at home DVDs (you can borrow anything from Tae Bo to the Brazilian Butt Lift, I have them all).
Nothing stuck. I always felt like I was not getting a great workout because I was not pushing myself - or even worse - I just wasn't doing anything. I didn't like anything that I found.
Then, I found Yoga. I think I went onto my mat for the first time thinking, this will be easy. It is basically sitting, breathing and holding some poses. No problem, I used to kickbox.
Wrong. Very, very wrong.
As someone who has little balance, is out of shape, and has been leading a mostly sedentary life, my first yoga class rocked my world. Sweat was pouring off of me like rain. I felt like I was hit by a truck I was so sore the next day - and I never moved out of my 2'x6' mat! There was no running or jumping jacks.
Now, I am loving yoga at the moment because it is helping me gain my flexibility back (that is going to be long road) and it is helping me tone and strengthen my body.
But why is yoga working for me when nothing else did? Yoga is more than toning the body - it is about working out your mind and it is about accepting whatever you may bring to your mat and practice that day.
Learning to accept me - what I can and cannot do, forgetting that the person next to me is not sweating and is doing something 3 levels more complex than me, letting go of what I cannot control in my life and at work, focusing on what is going on in my body and what is happening now... learning to accept and acknowledge all of this while making your body move and stay in poses is well, it is relaxing.
So when I fall out of a pose or can only do the beginner stage of a move - I don't get mad and quit. I don't get frustrated and judge myself - and I don't feel judged by others. Yoga is about me and my individual practice.
Now - sometimes this is harder than others. I had a rough day earlier this week at work - it was crazy and I didn't want to go to yoga. But I did. I could tell I was not focused on my practice as I struggled through every pose, messed up flows. Slowly, I forced myself to focus on the breathe of yoga. Focusing on in and out, one with each move. I stopped trying to keep up with the class. I flowed to my own - and it was fine. I let go - even if only for a moment.
And at the end of the session - I felt better - regardless of what comes and goes in our lives - the good times and bad - we have to keep moving forward. We must continue to breathe - in and out.
That is what I love about yoga. I find something different in it every time I step onto the mat. For me, in this part of my life - it is the exercise I need, physically and mentally. No judging, just accepting what I have today, but pushing myself to make it the best that I can make it. That is yoga.
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