Yoga changed my life, no doubt about it. I practise Yoga at least 3-4 times a week and I know my Yoga practise has made me more flexible, stronger, way less stressed, less anxious and more present.
I love Yoga. And I love that it’s a super accessible tool I use every week to feel better (seriously this whole human-ing thing is hard at times).
But I didn’t always love Yoga. Hated is a strong word… but I literally dreaded going to a Yoga class.
I used to think it was a waste of time, during Yoga my thoughts were like…
Why am I here, how can Yoga help me get fit?
How can it help me lose weight? Surely I need to lift weights, I need to slog it away on a treadmill.
And why do I have to sit and breathe for 10 minutes…? I am too busy for this.
Why are you telling me to open my heart? What does that even bloody mean?
WTF are chakras and energy lines. Ahhh this class is way too woo and hippy for me.
Urgh, this pose feels gross, how does she do it?
And NO I don’t want to get lower and I don’t want to hold it for another freakin 3 breaths. And I am pretty sure we already breathed for 5.
I can’t breathe through my nose for a whole hour. And I simply can not breathe for 8 counts ARGHHH.
What’s for dinner…
Wonder if he’s messaged me.
What should I do on the weekend? Oh crap, I forgot to send that email.
Oooops, why am I standing when everyone is on the ground. Emma… FOCUS.
Anyway, you get it and maybe you can relate?
I knew Yoga was good for me, I knew I felt good after a class. But it took SO MUCH effort to get my butt on the mat and I truly didn’t enjoy the DURING part of the practice.
Even with a Sister for a Yoga teacher (who lives and breathes Yoga) I just couldn’t see it. I didn’t get it.
And then I did 50 days of Yoga in a row to help me through a break up (read more here) and I finally experienced the magic.
I began to notice the physical benefits. I couldn’t get over how much my flexibility increased during those 50 days. I was way less stiff, I had more mobility in my joints and this felt amazing.
Yoga helped my back pain. When I was 14 I found that I have slight scoliosis (curvature of the spine) I’ve had on and off again back pain. This was why I started Pilates when I was 15. BUT it’s the combination of both a Yoga and Pilates practise that helped my back pain the most. Right now I have NO BACK PAIN!
I also felt less puffy, all the Yoga twisting movements are supposedly known to detox the body AND maybe this is not scientifically proven but the important thing… I experienced it.
I’d read about these benefits over and over, I saw other people experience them and FINALLY, I was seeing them.
But the real magic. During those 50 days I would walk into a class feeling heartbroken, disconnected, anxious, depressed and leave feeling more grounded, connected to myself and filled with more gratitude for life. I know the Yoga helped me move through the emotions and pain in a healthy way.
If you feel that sense of dread for Yoga and if you struggle to get on the mat, let my experience be your motivation! Let me be proof that practice makes progress.
This experience proved to me that a Yoga practice is definitely worth it (times a million) and never a waste of time.
What started as a way to get me through a hard time has now become a part of my life.
Now, I am excited to get on the mat and NOT just for how I am gonna feel after.
I enjoy the process. I enjoy the poses. I enjoy the challenge. I see a purpose for the discomfort, whether the discomfort is sitting in stillness or holding a difficult pose.
Yoga got me present. Yoga helped me feel at home within my own body and mind and it’s simply allowed me to feel more content with my life and exactly where I am.
Always merrymaking,
Emma
Ps. if you’d like to try Yoga for free you can sign up to our MerryBody classes HERE.
