An Update on My Beginners’ Yoga Experience

Beginners' Yoga Was A Good Experience

Today I want to give you an update on my progress with a new direction in my life–starting my yoga journey.  In September, during Yoga Month, I set a goal to begin a program of yoga.  I have reviewed a lot of research lately about the health benefits of yoga, so I thought I would give it a try.  I also thought yoga would help me cope with stress. So, I enrolled in a class that is taught at the university campus.

Meeting this goal was not without its hurdles.  Much of my time during the fall was dedicated to writing grants for work.  As soon as that finished, I enrolled in my yoga class, but had to miss it because I was sick.  Despite the stress of being sick and the stress of the holiday season, I managed to complete my first set of beginners’ yoga classes.  I have to say that I really enjoyed them.

My Concerns About Yoga

Many of you out there may be wondering if yoga is something you should try.  When I started the class, I had some concerns.  First, I was not sure that I would be flexible enough to do it.  I had tried a pilates class many years ago when I was younger and in pretty good shape, and I did not really like it that much because I lack flexibility.  However, when it came time to do yoga, I found that my concerns about flexibility were unfounded.  Although I am not the most flexible person in the world, I was able to do most of the yoga poses, even though some of them were tough. My yoga instructor helped me to modify poses that were hard for me.

I also wondered if I would be able to focus on the breathing parts of the yoga experience.  Yoga, like many techniques that include a meditation component, does have a focus on breathing and keeping the mind focused on the present moment.  My mind has a tendency to wander and think about things that I need to do.  Although I was far from being able to do this perfectly, I found that I was able to focus it on breathing most of the time.

Things that Surprised Me About Yoga

There were some things that surprised me about yoga.  First, I felt good about doing something, even if it was just one thing, for myself.   I thought that I might feel guilty because it would be time that I took away from my family each week, but I realized that they did not really miss me!

Also, I was surprised by how relaxed I felt and the length of time that the relaxation lasted.  Usually, I am one of those people constantly working on something or thinking about what I need to be doing next.  I move from one task to another all day long and into the evening.  Usually, this helps me accomplish so much, but I found that this cycle of work was broken during yoga class and in the hours that followed.  I was so relaxed after the yoga class that I really did not feel compelled to do much of anything for the rest of the evening after it.  I have to say that this experience is nice.  I have not felt this type of relaxation on a weekly basis, especially in the middle of the week, since my child was born.

You may be wondering what my next step will be for yoga.  I plan to travel a lot in the next few months, so I am going to take the next session off.  I hope to enroll in the beginners’ yoga class again in a few months.  Hopefully, I can continue to improve my yoga techniques and make it a more permanent part of my life.

For those of you who are considering whether you should do yoga, what are your concerns?  For those of you who do yoga regularly, why do you like to do it?

Category: Stress Management, Uncategorized, Yoga