Yoga Is Where It's At!!!

by Sara
(Decatur, GA, USA)

I was really nervous about trying yoga for the first time. When I pictured people doing yoga, I imagine a bunch of "ohms" and, basically, a bunch of weird-os!

My sister first gave me a gift certificate to a yoga studio in my town for 6 free lessons. I probably went about 3 times. It was not helpful at all, because the instructor was trying to get me to stand on my head on the second day!

Needless to say, I was unable to do this and took that to mean that either 1) the instructor was just crazy, or 2) I wasn't cut out for yoga.

Years later, I joined a gym at work. They had a once a week "Power Yoga" class.

I was hesitant about the "power" aspect of it, but decided to give the practice of yoga one last try. What a difference!

The instructor didn't push anyone further than they were comfortable, and even though the poses looked easy, they were actually very challenging!

But even though my body felt pushed, it wasn't the same feeling that I had experienced when trying spinning or kickboxing or other high-impact workouts.

Yoga has become the only workout that somehow magically seems to not only work out my body, but also relax my mind. When I do other types of exercise (like running, for instance, which I hate every single moment of), all I can think about is "when will this torture be over?"

With yoga, if I work really hard to clear my mind, the workout goes by so quickly that I am almost always disappointed when it's over.

They say that yoga is the union of mind, body, and spirit. It sounds hokey, but it's true.

Don't get me wrong, the instructors are all a little "off," and they're always ringing these little bells and stuff at the end of the workouts, but I just kind of ignore that stuff and enjoy the deep stretch that yoga provides.

But the great thing about it is it's not just about stretching and flexibility. Yoga actually makes you STRONGER.

And the emotional benefits are second to none. Even though you are pushing your body to the limits, your mind is at peace and you can forget about all of the extraneous thoughts that normally cloud your mind.

The bottom line is, I would recommend that anyone try yoga.

And if you try it once and find it to be too weird or challenging for you, try it at least one more time somewhere else or with a different instructor. If I hadn't, I never would have realized what an excellent workout it really is.