How did I Start? I get this question a lot.
Before I incorporated yoga into my daily life, my days were filled with stress. Stress from working 12-14 hour days would then cause stress in my home life as a wife and a mom. No matter how "Superwoman" I thought I was, I was not giving myself any self love.
Imagine, going to work at 6:00 am every morning, skipping lunch because there wasn't enough time to get the job done, then leaving for home at 6:00 pm. Now add in homework time for a 9 year old and 14 year old, making dinner time, getting everything ready for the kids before morning came, finding time to spend with my husband, and adding in another hour or two of work. Repeat this Monday through Friday. Now throw in working Saturday and Sunday, which meant no time off. At some point I was either going to become crazy, or just have a massive breakdown.
The light bulb finally went off! It was time for a change. A change with finding work, life, balance. I found a new job that allowed me to work remote from home. This meant more time with my family before and after work. I made a promise to myself that I would work efficiently and effectively in order to work no more than 9 hours a day, find time for self love, and find a hobby that I would enjoy, while having more time to be present with my family. Yes, my hobby became Yoga. Not just yoga, but a yoga lifestyle that included, meditation, eating with intention to feed my body with the right foods, aromatherapy, and keeping a journal. However, Yoga was where it all started.
I have been practicing yoga for over 3 years. Attending a class for yoga seemed very overwhelming for me. The thoughts of "Am I doing this pose right?" or "I'm not flexible enough to do this pose" caused me to not want to join a class. Well, I became a closet yoga junky. I didn't want anyone to see me doing yoga, yet, I wanted to practice yoga.
Social media was exactly where I started. Instagram and YouTube became a place that I could find yoga friendly flows or poses for beginners. Not to mention, Pinterest is also amazing for finding tools for yoga. I practiced for about 10 minutes a day, putting myself in poses that I didn't even know the names of. Talk about confusion when you start watching Yogis put up a pose and post a name like "Chaturanga" or "Crescent". How do we manage to keep this all straight? Don't be frightened by the amount of information you will stumble across when researching. It is all part of the journey.
What finally got me to post a picture of me doing yoga on Instagram? Thank you to the yoga community for utilizing the social media platform to invite any person in the world to join their yoga challenges. People just like me, walking through this yoga journey together is so inspiring. I looked forward to a new yoga challenge each month, as it kept me practicing yoga daily in order to attempt a pose. You should never just attempt the pose. Getting your body flowing and stretching with a simple yoga flow is the best way to start. This will help you open up different areas of your body for these poses.
Some of the yogis I follow on Instagram that provide beautiful flows, 1 minute pose explanations, and just help show that we all have our struggles yet finding our power through yoga isn't impossible. You can also find them on YouTube with flows that run from 15 to 45 minutes as well. Please keep in mind that it is extremely important that you do not compare yourself to any person for any reason. I actually have 1000's of yogis that I follow that inspire me daily, but these are the yogis that helped me from the beginning.
Morgan Tyler @findingmorgantyler
Jessica Olie @jessicaolie
Chelsea @chelseasyoga
Joyce @geeoice_yoga
By the way, I fall, lose my balance, and even have days where my focus is just off. Don't get upset with this because it honestly happens to all of us. Always remember that tomorrow is a new day and you get to start again.
I am extremely humble and have nothing but love and gratitude for my practice. Becoming in tune with my mind, body, and spirit has created the deepest connection to everything around me. Five years ago, my stress level was through the roof and today, I can honestly say that I am at peace. No matter the rough spots in my life, I have new profound way of looking at the positive side.
It isn't about the yoga outfit, the mat used, or how beautiful a yoga space may be. You will find your space that will become your space for practice. I have many spots that I practice depending on my mood. When the weather is perfect outside, I find my practice subtle but intense while listening to the birds singing. When I am in the mood for yoga before bed, I find my practice by my front door being a space where I can hear my family while I practice. I even practice in my kitchen when I am challenging myself to a smaller space. When you start your practice, you will find the space that makes sense for you.
Today, I can still say that I am 100% self taught. I create my own magic on and off my yoga mat. My soul finds the harmony and I begin to dance. I hope that this blog entry helps to inspire anyone that is looking for a not just an exercise, but something that has power and meaning. A change that you may have been needing for a long time.