How do you think about yoga? Is it a fitness practice? Is it a spiritual practice? Is it a means to reduce stress? Or is it just a bunch of nonsense? Now, I'm guessing if you're reading this that you don't think yoga is a bunch of nonsense. But I could be totally wrong and you are just finding yourself curious about what yoga is and what it could be for you.
I took my first yoga class about ten years ago with my grandmother who values fitness greatly - she was a personal trainer for many years. At that time, I was a serious dancer and never really considered yoga anything special. It was nice to do a class with Mimi and share our love of movement together, but that was about all I got out of the experience.
Fast forward to post-college life... there were a lot of moving pieces and a lot of new things to adjust to that I found to be quite overwhelming. Exciting! But overwhelming. I didn't really dance in college and I had no idea how to get into dancing again as an adult, but I thought back to that first yoga class I took and figured "why the heck not?" I found a small studio close to home and signed up for their new member special - something like unlimited classes for two weeks. I went almost every day for those two weeks! My very first class at that studio was so incredibly challenging and I had no idea what I was getting myself into. I remember feeling self conscious and watching the other people around me wondering if they were judging me. But I fell in love and after my two weeks were up, I signed up for a monthly membership.
Now, I've mostly gotten into the "how" of beginning my yoga practice, but not so much the "why". Yes, I was overwhelmed with life changes, but the main reason for exploring yoga was to find a fitness regimen that I enjoyed. I was mostly focused on weight management and health not realizing it would give me so much more than that. Sure, I'm stronger than I used to be, have most of my dancing flexibility back, and feel healthier; but I also gained confidence and courage, I met an amazing friend after just a few classes at that small studio, and I found a passion that I can incorporate into all facets of my life.
So what does this all look like now? Well, had a pretty consistent asana practice in a studio for about two years. Then COVID happened and I was a little lost on getting into a home practice - especially being in a tiny apartment. I used that time to get on my mat when I really felt the need to and researched many different teacher training programs. I kept coming back to Thrive Yoga for teacher training and took a few classes there to see if that studio would be a good fit for me - it most certainly was!
In the summer of 2021, I received my 200 HR yoga teacher certificate from Thrive Yoga and began teaching that September. My home practice is better than those crazy first COVID months, but I will always be a student of the practice of yoga. I continue to have an ongoing yoga book list, I love to take classes from various teachers to add a little spice to my asana practice, and I'm learning more about being present on my mat through the lens of being a teacher myself.
If the thought of ever taking a yoga class has crossed your mind, I'd say to jump right in! Even though I felt self conscious and like I was maybe being judged, I came to realize after continuing to practice that there's no way the people around me even noticed what I was doing. Yoga is such an incredibly personal experience and journey. When you take group classes, yes everyone is doing the same thing most of the time - as the teacher instructs, but everyone is invested in their breath and their practice.
So then you may think "well, why would I want to take a group class if it's a personal practice?" Let's just say, the energy and breath given by the people around you does a little something extra - but I think we can get into that in another post.
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