I took my first yoga class over 20 years ago - it is a key part of my wellness routine and helps me control my Type 1 diabetes. I vividly remember some details of this first class. In 2001, a friend invited me to join her for yoga classes - we could even ride our new beach cruiser bikes! Somehow ended up driving to the first class in chaotic traffic. I am not sure if I had even heard of yoga before signing up. While Google had been launched, it wasn’t mainstream - the internet was just starting to bubble up during this time in the very early 2000s.
I left feeling a calmness that was new to me - and surprising considering where my mind was after dealing with traffic. Traffic was still hectic after class but somehow I didn’t care.
The next day, my muscles were sore. Another surprise - I was pretty fit at the time. I guess some new areas got woken up. But it didn’t feel like exercise.
I completed the 6 week series of classes and would have continued but the instructor moved on. I went several years with no yoga but I never forgot the experience. Now, with technology and the gaining popularity of yoga over time, it’s pretty easy to find classes but back then it was a challenge to find something that worked with my schedule and geography. I ended up buying Bryan Kest’s yoga DVDs. I loved him. Side note, he had long hair and wore jean shorts. It worked for him. Like I’ve said before, you don’t need special yoga clothes - yoga should be a practice that allows you to come exactly as you are.
I enjoyed these DVDS but slowly started taking classes in person, online and even went on several yoga retreats. Yoga was something I enjoyed but it has also helped me with the following:
Low back pain
Stress/anxiety
Insomnia
SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder)
Creativity
Building strength and stability
Communication (calm people tend to respond vs. react)
Flexibility (Yin yoga was key to me during my frozen shoulder days)
Blood sugar control (cortisol can raise blood sugar, reducing stress helps)
I was so intrigued - how did this one thing help me with pretty much everything? I had to learn more. I eventually became a yoga teacher which led to taking several trainings including yoga therapy training. During this time we discussed yoga philosophy for hours including defining yoga. The simplest definition that resonated with me was that yoga is a tool. What do tools do? They allow you to do things you wouldn’t normally be able to do.
Fast forward to today. At the beginning of 2024, I started a list of potential intentions for the year ahead. Some were very tangible - learn to play Wingspan, see more movies in the theater than in 2023, etc. Many were intangible (don’t give up on goals, keep a positive mindset, be courageous, etc) so I started looking for tangible things that would help me achieve these more ambiguous things. All roads pointed to yoga - if I practice yoga daily all of these things should fall into place. So, for me, yoga is not only a tool, it’s everything.
If you're interested in taking my classes or reading my yoga-focused blog, please visit the link below:
I hope to see you on the mat!
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