Why I'm Loving Yoga
Lately I've been getting more and more into yoga. I started taking a weekly yoga class at the rec center in February and it didn't take long before I was hooked. It wasn't my first attempt at yoga, I'd taken several beginner classes a few years ago. And I also took prenatal yoga while I was pregnant. Both of those classes were great and I'm definitely glad I took them because the class I"m in now is not really geared towards beginners and I'm sure I'd be completely lost if I hadn't had some background. There are several reasons I love going to my yoga class
1- It's an hour and fifteen minutes each week in which I get to just focus on myself. I don't have anyone else to share my attention with... no family, no friends, just me alone. It's somewhat selfish, but at least it's a healthy selfish activity. I don't really even talk to people in my class all that much because I really just want to appreciate my alone time. And I do.
2- I'm actually getting better. Last night we did the wheel pose. I remember the first time we did it in class... I was not at all successful. Then the next time we did it, I kind of pulled it off, but it was pretty shaky and I couldn't really go up as far as I was supposed to. But in the last month I have been able to do it the way it's supposed to be. And last night, it wasn't even hard. There are lots of poses I could say the same thing for. It makes me excited to see that I'm progressing.
3- It challenges me. Similar to reason #2. For everything we attempt that I can't do (all the way) I get motivated to improve. Honestly my biggest challenge is that I can't touch my toes. But I've been working on that and getting much better. I really think once I master that a lot of the other poses I have difficulty with will get much better. And the really nice thing about the class is that the teacher doesn't push you to go beyond what you're comfortable with. So I don't feel like a total loser when I can't do something. It's a nice environment for a work out.
4- It feels good. I finally found something that helps manage the lower back pain I've felt since high school. But my legs, arms, etc all feel better too. I think yoga is a really good balance between stretching and strengthening (our teacher also mixes in a good amount of pilates which helps with the strength part for sure). And I find myself doing certain poses and stretches at home throughout the day whenever something bothers me. It's kind of addicting once you know how good you can feel.
5- Corpse pose. Seriously... what other work out ends with several minutes of laying on your back in a dark room with your eyes close while you learn to relax your entire body? None that I know of, but I'm starting to think that every work out should end that way.
I think that's it for now. Dylan is being less than cooperative this morning. So I'm gonna go tend to him for now.
1- It's an hour and fifteen minutes each week in which I get to just focus on myself. I don't have anyone else to share my attention with... no family, no friends, just me alone. It's somewhat selfish, but at least it's a healthy selfish activity. I don't really even talk to people in my class all that much because I really just want to appreciate my alone time. And I do.
2- I'm actually getting better. Last night we did the wheel pose. I remember the first time we did it in class... I was not at all successful. Then the next time we did it, I kind of pulled it off, but it was pretty shaky and I couldn't really go up as far as I was supposed to. But in the last month I have been able to do it the way it's supposed to be. And last night, it wasn't even hard. There are lots of poses I could say the same thing for. It makes me excited to see that I'm progressing.
3- It challenges me. Similar to reason #2. For everything we attempt that I can't do (all the way) I get motivated to improve. Honestly my biggest challenge is that I can't touch my toes. But I've been working on that and getting much better. I really think once I master that a lot of the other poses I have difficulty with will get much better. And the really nice thing about the class is that the teacher doesn't push you to go beyond what you're comfortable with. So I don't feel like a total loser when I can't do something. It's a nice environment for a work out.
4- It feels good. I finally found something that helps manage the lower back pain I've felt since high school. But my legs, arms, etc all feel better too. I think yoga is a really good balance between stretching and strengthening (our teacher also mixes in a good amount of pilates which helps with the strength part for sure). And I find myself doing certain poses and stretches at home throughout the day whenever something bothers me. It's kind of addicting once you know how good you can feel.
5- Corpse pose. Seriously... what other work out ends with several minutes of laying on your back in a dark room with your eyes close while you learn to relax your entire body? None that I know of, but I'm starting to think that every work out should end that way.
I think that's it for now. Dylan is being less than cooperative this morning. So I'm gonna go tend to him for now.
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