How I Started My Yoga Practice
When I first came to my mat I was at a low, I had suffered from depression, a lack of self-love and poor body image. My intention when I started yoga was to build lean muscle and strength. I started practicing at a hot yoga studio a few blocks away from my college campus. They were running a student special and practically giving away month long memberships. I couldn’t resist the offer, I paid for an unlimited monthly membership and went to class almost every single day. As dramatic as it may sound, that first month of unlimited yoga changed my life for the better!
It didn’t take long for me to realize that yoga was more than just a workout. After a week straight of yoga every day (sometimes twice a day!) I started to feel the benefits of the practice. My mind was calmer, my outlook had shifted and I gained tools to combat my negative thoughts. I stopped focusing on building strength and started to notice the strength that I already had. I no longer went to battle with my body on the mat, instead I worked with my body and found an appreciation for all that it does for me. As I look back at myself when I first found yoga I laugh, I was totally naive to the true nature of the practice. I entered the practice one person and continue to evolve into another every day.
I share my story because whatever your reason for coming to the mat, it is valid! Since yoga has grown in popularity so has the divide between traditional practitioners and modern-day yogis. Many feel that with the commercialization of the practice, the true intention has been lost. While I would love to get into this debate I will save it for another post. It is true that the practice has changed dramatically since being introduced to the western world but I do not think that the heart of the practice will ever die.
Whatever you are seeking on your mat, you will find along with so much more. If you are truly focused on tuning into your breath and building a relationship with your body, then the heart of the practice will present itself to you. That is the beauty of yoga, the philosophy can reach us even when we aren’t intentionally seeking it.
I love teaching because I get to witness students enter the practice with one mindset and leave with another. I never judge my students for their reasoning to come to the mat, I simply guide them through practice, sprinkle philosophy in correlation with certain poses, and allow the fruits of the practice to sink in on its own terms.
