If you’d told me this time last year that I’d take up yoga and spend at least one hour a week in a class when I completely shut down all my worries and fears to embrace feeling’s of calm, I would have thought you where crazy.
Like all the sport’s I frequently practice, I just want to be the best I can be. Whilst practising Yoga I do naturally think ‘I’m not going into poses deep enough‘ and I thought I’d be laughed out of class for not being able to touch my toes. Turns out I was so wrong, what I needed to do is find what worked for me and because there is so many different types of Yoga and so much inspiration and information available finding my happy place was easy.
Moving on for a moment, I’m going to prepare you for a burst of Katie style honesty…
Even though the first class I attended was taught by a beautiful and knowledgeable Yogi whom I greatly admire; yet I was often intimidated by others attending the class.
Why? Because I honestly felt so bulky and ungraceful next to everyone else; this is not a ‘poor me’ moment because I’m not bulky, but I was having a unreasonable time in my crazy little mind. For some reason I cannot explain; I thought that I would never be a Yogi because I was not light, fluid or relaxed as the others surrounding me and by setting the wrong mindset for my practice meant I didn’t get as much from it as I wanted. I leant a lesson from this is which is when starting something new, it’s best to start with a class for the absolute beginner and put all personal/mental/physical concerns to one side because frankly life is too short and far too beautiful to waste time with worries.
Last night during practice at my new class, we where having a slightly more intensive than normal practice working our cores which I was hugely grateful for, I felt so content in my environment and even though it hurt at times I finished feeling lighter. However I’d been reading the latest ‘OM Yoga’ magazine the night before and out of the corner of my eye I watched the Yogi next to me, she was beautiful, with feminine curves and she relaxed into poses so softly with the greatest of ease. I smiled whilst taking in her movements and remembered reading the article that reminds us that ‘Yoga is for every body’ and I felt so thankful for being able to have some peace with my body.
Even though I’m not longer fuller figured the cover of the latest ‘OM Yoga’ magazine really touched me, I would have been so captivated and placed at ease if I’d seen that 5 or so year’s back. As always, I slowly worked my way through the articles, lost in my own little world and soaking up the content and best of all is that the magazine is on my phone/tablet as so I can read it whilst travelling (bliss).
Touching on the subject of travelling, I travelled to London last month to attend the ‘OM Yoga Show’ and it honestly exceeded all of my expectations. The crowd where happy, smiley and buzzing around the streams of stalls (my goodness I could have brought so much), the food was perfect (I grabbed a falafel and hummus wrap for the way home – first one ever, now I’m addicted) and I heard from those who attended the classes that they where excellent.
To round this up, if you ever have a moment when you wonder ‘Is yoga for me?‘ remember if you are male/female/tall/short/tattooed/young/old whatever..there is a practice just perfect for you!
Do you practice Yoga? Do you prefer at home or in a class? Do you ever doubt yourself with sport?
Katie
x
Disclaimer: OM Yoga magazine very kindly provide me with a subscription and where amazing enough to send me ticket’s to attend the show; however the opinions expressed are always my own.