WHY I LOVE YOGA
The other day, the yoga instructor and owner of my yoga studio, asked me why I love yoga. My first thought, of course, was “I assume you want this in 1-2 sentences rather than an entire blog post.” We both laughed in a knowing way. I told her that I might have to write an entire blog post to come up with just 1 sentence but that I’d get on it.
She asked the question again, only slightly different, “Well, what do you love about yoga?” I sighed and said, “I love how it makes me feel alive, and how it isn’t just about the physical. Yoga touches the physical, spiritual, and mental. Different than running, which I still love, yoga doesn’t take it all out of me.” These days, I seem to need an outlet for my stress, worry, grieving, and such. And I simply cannot run that much. My body just won’t do it.
I went on to describe how fascinated I was with her Basic Yoga classes when I first came to the studio a year ago. Each and every class enthralled me, and I was blown away by the parallels to everyday life.
I believe that it is because of the way yoga parallels everyday life that my response to the question is different. Just like waking up each day, I come to the mat in a different space each and every time. Similarly, I roll up my mat in similar fashion. It’s awesome!
What’s more awesome is how it doesn’t stop when the mat is rolled up. Since I’ve begun my practice, I’ve noticed a change in how I am out in the world. I’m more at ease with people and situations; I am able to access tolerance and patience more readily when needed. I am more open, more flexible, and more in balance (physically, mentally, and spiritually). Most certainly, I love that about yoga.
I also love the sweet sound of “Om,” sung at the end of class, and the way singing it makes me feel so joyful. In fact, I’ve come to love yoga so much that I am currently training to become a yoga instructor. When I finally complete my training, I will need to have my own site to promote myself as a certified yoga instructor. For this reason, I’ve set up a companion blog to this one. It’s called Keeping Balance. If you’re interested, you can check it out at www.keeping-balance.com