How long did it take me to start practicing yoga (and why)?
I often share about how yoga has helped me and that got me to thinking, why on earth did it take me so long to start practicing ? I got super curious how long it took so I checked my Amazon account and I had purchased AM/PM Yoga for Beginners on VHS Jun 9, 2002!!! I used that tape (maybe) twice and then shelved it. I didn't start practicing again until 2014.
Why? Why? Why?
After a lot of reflection here is what I could come up with.
1. I was no longer flexible in my mind. After growing up taking ballet and jazz classes I had achieved a level of flexibility that many strive for. After sitting on my keister and not doing anything from college until whenever, I was not flexible in my mind. I was still more flexible than the average person, however I thought that to do yoga you had to be super flexible. Boy was I wrong, yoga will help you become more flexible and I don't mean just physically, but you absolutely do not need to be flexible to do yoga.
2. I thought yoga would be all wooo-wooo and mystical. That made me super uncomfortable as I am a person rooted in logic and science. I learned that yoga is centuries and centuries old, it has a beautiful and rich history and tradition, and science backs the results. I have also come to appreciate theming and enjoy learning more and more about the history and tradition behind the practice. I've also learned that some people are more woo-woo than others, I simply take classes from those that feel right to me.
3. I feared I wouldn't fit in. I saw pictures of yogis dressed in their fancy athletic gear from expensive retailers doing balance poses that my arms couldn't support and taking pictures in shapes that boggled my mind. I have come to realize they aren't doing yoga and I have learned to not go to studios/take classes where that is the vibe. I have found places where I fit in and places I don't and I simply go where I feel good.
4. I didn't understand that yoga was about more than stretching. I, initially, started taking yoga classes because I needed to loosen up physically. The mental feeling I had after my first class prompted me to dive in and learn more about what could not only loosen me up physically, but make me more flexible mentally and make me feel so calm. Given I'm a type A driver, this was something I hadn't felt before and wanted to feel again. I'm still amazed at how I can feel after a practice.
5. And the excuse I used the most, because I didn't realize all of the above until I really thought about it recently, is that I couldn't find a convenient time/location. Granted, that was in part true as there weren't many studios back in the day but it definitely was an excuse. This is no longer a problem and I can find teachers that resonate with me and that I want to learn from.
Does any of this resonate with you?