Yoga...its more than just the pants!

One of my goals this summer was to begin to take yoga. For both my physical and mental health, many of my family and friends, and even when I was in the hospital, my ER nurse suggested it. I mean, really, yoga couldn't really hurt me, but I really did want to get some benefits from it. I was hoping it would increase my flexibility, help with my upper body strength, lessen my anxiety and basically just mellow me out.

There were many reasons that I didn't do yoga before. I thought it would be too slow. Too boring. Not good enough of a workout. Too expensive. So many excuses. But this summer I vowed to give it a go because I thought I owed it to myself and my friends and family that really thought it would be beneficial to me.  Now that I have been doing yoga for a month now, there are quite a few things I appreciate it about it now.

1) The clothes. I LOVE yoga clothes. Even before I started doing yoga, I basically lived in yoga pants and yoga capris in the fall and winter and spring if I wasn't in a dress or basketball shorts (my two basic forms of clothing). If it was acceptable, I would wear yoga clothes all day, every day. (See video below for part of my rational for this.) They are cute, comfy, and functional.  If I could afford yoga clothes at Lululemon, I would buy most of them there, but since I can't, I rely on Target, TJ Maxx, and Dick's. I still have some pretty cute yoga outfits though. Good thing I do yoga now so I have more of an excuse to wear these clothes. 

 

2) The stretching. I don't stretch nearly enough in my every day life. And I am not a flexible person so I should do it a lot more. I mean, I can't even touch my toes. Not standing. And not sitting. It's pathetic. And my hamstrings and hips are so tight its not even funny. It's just plain sad. The instructor even tried helping me the other day as I quietly had to explain that my body simply does not move "that" way. I think its from all the running and lack of stretching over the years. I would love to increase my flexibility, even if its just so I can touch my ankles.

3) The sweat. I didn't think I'd get an actual "workout" out of yoga. Call me ignorant, but I really didn't think I'd work up a sweat. Boy, was I wrong. I sweat just as much doing yoga as I do during spin class. It's not pretty. In fact, its kind of embarrassing, especially when I am slipping and sliding on my mat. I was truly shocked how hard my body was working and my heart was beating. I mean, I was out of breath. (Although that happens when you are concentrating on a move so hard and forget to actually breath.) I don't know if I could do yoga as my only workout because I think I need that aerobic exercise in my life to burn off energy, but this is definitely a welcomed addition to my routine.

4) The social component. The thing with yoga, is that many of my friends do it. So we can go together now. It's something that people of all skill level can do at the same time because there are different modifications when doing the the different poses based on your ability. It's fun to go with friends and try new things. My friends have been very supportive of me trying yoga and sticking with it and encouraging me to keep going. Thanks ladies!

5) The mind game. I have been going into yoga very open-minded. Trying to accept it for what it does for my mental-emotional health too. It's supposed to have a lot of meaning and although I still haven't found "it" yet, it's still very early in the process. I am definitely opening up to the process though. Inhale. Exhale. In with the good energy. Out with the bad energy. In with the positive thoughts. Out with the negative thoughts. I think this is probably the most important thing I can take away from the overall yoga experience. And it's something I definitely need in my life.

Sidenote: One of the things that makes it hard to concentrate at yoga is the noises that some people make. The exaggerated exhales. The sex noises (you know what I'm talking about, right?) that people use yoga as an excuse to make in public. It's distracting and sometimes my immaturity even gets the best of me and I giggle at some people's noises. I mean, do they realize they are in public making those strange sounds? They are probably too much in the yoga-zone to realize or care and I respect that, but it does affect my concentration and ability to get fully "in it."

Overall, doing yoga once a week probably won't cause me to change majorly. However, I have noticed little changes here and there. Most of it is in my attitude and mindset. I don't know how much I can get from it physically from only doing it once a week, but its a start. I do know that I am trying to accept the idea of yoga as a whole. I can only hope that once school starts, I will still be able to fit yoga into my schedule so I can continue on with this process and hope that it improves my mind and my body. I like what's its done so far and I can only grow from here.