
My trusty yoga mat – maybe I’m also learning to tolerate it because Adam used it to propose. He’s a tricky one.
Yoga and I have long been sworn enemies.
“Wait, I just have to stand there holding that position?! Where is the cardio? Where is the high intensity? I’m bored. Are we done yet?”
“Hmm, so you’re telling me that I need to just relax and sit there? And empty my mind? How the heck do I do that!?”
and…
“I’m expected to hold positions called ‘downward facing dog’ and ‘tree’ and take this whole thing seriously? Yoga people are in la-la loosey goosey land”
All of these thoughts have crossed my mind about yoga at one point or another. For many years I had a flat out yoga boycott. “It’s stupid and touchy feely, therefore I will not do it.” That seemed to be enough for me. I happily avoided yoga, pursuing other fitness endeavors including running, zumba, or the elliptical. But within the last year, something within me has changed: I have learned to appreciate yoga. This has been a conscious effort and it hasn’t been without work! It’s a huge step and honestly, I’m not that upset about it :) These are some of the reasons I wanted to ‘learn to like’ yoga:
- It is very complimentary to high intensity fitness. Doing yoga on my “off” days is perfect. It allows me to remain active and workout, without too much wear and tear on my body. I use it for days off from both running or lifting.
- It can be refreshing. Once you understand it and know some basics, it can feel very refreshing when you’re done. It took me about 6-8 months to feel ‘refreshed,’ but eventually it happened.
- I am injured. Yeah, between my knees and now my ankle, I wanted a form of fitness that I can do despite injury or age. Yoga rarely irritates my knees. Yoga FTW.
- Increased flexibility which helps other things. Whether it’s running or dancing, increased flexibility can have a positive effect on performance. I have really enjoyed the new flexibility gained. Makes me feel less “old” :)
- I feel like yoga is helping me have a more ‘well rounded approach’ to caring for my body. Instead of focusing on burning calories and high intensity, I’m giving my body a little love by forcing myself to slow down, stretch, and smell the roses. All things I need!
- I can’t run so I need something where I can ‘zone out’ – after months and months finally yoga is that for me.
So how did I do it? How did I force myself to learn to like yoga? Well, first of all… it takes time. And in my case, lots of time. I didn’t expect it to happen overnight, and frankly I had very low expectations for even liking it at all. Here’s what I did.
How I Learned to Like Yoga
- Start with a DVD. I started doing yoga out of the comfort of my own home. I didn’t have to worry about feeling embarrassed in front of a bunch of yogis. I didn’t have to worry about not knowing what the heck to do. And for me, this method was perfect. I could watch the DVD and learn on my own schedule and timing (conveniently could pause it if I needed more time to study a move). The DVD got me familiar with the lingo and ‘language’ of yoga. Heck, it even allowed me to laugh out loud at some of the ‘silly phrases’ that can come along with yoga. What can I say, I’m mature.
- Start with a routine. I did yoga every Thursday. I just knew it was my yoga day and dang it if it was scheduled, I was going to do it. I did the DVD as a rotation of other workouts so I was in the habit of working out every day and yoga was just the next one in line.
- Mentally prepare for it. Starting about Wednesday morning I had to start ‘talking myself into yoga’ so I’d be ready by Thursday morning (and wouldn’t press the snooze button). I would give myself the expectation that I was going to do it and think about all the reasons why I wanted to do it (distress, stretch, flexibility, stamina, mental health). Self talk can be a powerful thing!
- Start small. P90X has a yoga DVD that is 90 minutes long. NINETY MINUTES! Well knowing my hatred of yoga I knew that just wasn’t a smart way to get me to do it. Adam and I found a yoga DVD that had 6 different segments that averaged 20 minutes long. We could do anywhere from 20-60 minutes by combining different segments instead of 90 minutes. This was my gateway to yoga.
- Get a mat. Making a small financial investment in yoga made me feel more invested ‘in my practice.’ I guess I would liken it to runners buying their first pair of ‘real’ running shoes… just makes you feel like a runner.
- Be patient and kind to yourself. Holy cow those first few weeks months of yoga were frustrating. I felt like I literally couldn’t do anything. I tried to be kind to myself and constantly reminded myself that this was a journey that would take awhile and benefits would come. They may take forever, but they’d come. It took a lot of positive self talk (remembering the why) to get me to return.
- Have an accountability partner. When I first started yoga I had Adam to encourage me to keep going. And I could encourage him on the days he felt less than enthused. Now that I’m out of the hating phase, I don’t need one as much – but it was incredibly helpful during those first few months.
- Take a class. When you finally feel ‘ready’ – take a class! Just a few weeks ago I took my first yoga class after about a year of doing yoga at home. It was awesome! I could understand what was going on and while I’m by no means great at yoga, I felt competent at least attempting most of the moves. In the class I learned more proper technique for some moves and it was very beneficial.
So there you have it – my recipe for success. I still don’t ‘love’ yoga, but I’ve made huge strides. This morning I voluntarily chose my yoga DVD because I’ve been pretty sore lately due to all the dancing and P90X, and I wanted a low impact workout to take care of my body. Yep, I wanted to do it. Crazy things can happen kids. I guess it’s time to call a truce with my war on yoga.
Hope you’re all having a great week. Happy Tuesday!
-Kelly
Do you do yoga? Why? Any major benefits you enjoy?