I posted a photo on Instagram yesterday captioned, "My Happy Place." I'm not sure that most people know that I practice yoga every single day...so there's a fun fact for you!
I attended my first yoga class during my senior year of high school. One of the women in my family and I had hit a rough patch, and so we went to yoga together to try to bring peace between us. I'll never forget walking in and seeing the instructor for the first time--he looked exactly as I'd imagined every yogi looking: tall and thin with a tie dyed t-shirt, baggy sweatpants, and long, wavy hair to his waist, tied back in a ponytail. He led us through our poses with his soothing voice and then guided us through final meditation (my seventeen-year old self didn't quite have the maturity for that part yet--at least not as he led us). Yoga didn't "take", we'll say. I went to a few classes, but I couldn't commit.
Fast forward ten years, and I found myself back in class. As I've written, I suffer from an anxiety disorder. I know it and I claim it, and I decided yoga might be helpful. Thus, I began taking a restorative yoga class on Sunday afternoons at the local gym. The teacher, Nicole, was just right for this class. Her voice was beautiful and sing-songy, and when she chanted--ah!!! We used our bolsters and blocks to relax into poses, and during final meditation, Nicole would cover us with blankets and put eye pillows filled with lavender over our eyes. At least once a month I would fall asleep during meditation. It was heavenly--perfect if you're in need of self-care.
I also took hatha yoga and power yoga classes, though inconsistently. Then I got pregnant with my daughter and yoga was over (let the record show that I did purchase a "Prenatal Yoga" video, which I completed a couple of times, but I'm being real--I was a pretty huge and immobile pregnant woman early on).
I returned to yoga a few years later, when I was in the deepest place of anxiety I had ever been. Both my pastor and my doctor recommended yoga and meditation in addition to medication and therapy, and I was excited at the prospect: I had deeply missed my time on the mat.
So now I practice yoga every morning, first thing (unless I've done something silly like over-snoozed, in which case I practice before bed that night). It begins my day perfectly. My favorite spot to unroll the mat is in our library, facing the open windows at the front of the house. Our yard is beautiful and green, and in the fall we have the most beautiful tree in the South. This view connects me with nature, with my breath, with God, with the earth. It grounds me. Yoga reminds me to appreciate my body, my heart, my mind, and my strength. In fact, most often my mantra is, "I am strong."
Centering myself at the beginning of the day clears my mind, refocuses me on gratitude, and helps me begin with a fresh, anxiety-free slate. On particularly difficult days, I'll add in a ten minute meditation at the end of my practice.
Now you may be asking, "What does this have to do with words?" Everything. The words in yoga are breathtaking. From "ujjayi" and "chaturanga" to "savasana" and "namaste", the words flow beautifully, guide the breath, and fill me up.
No matter if it's at a yoga studio where everyone's ujjayi breaths sound like Darth Vader descending into the room or if it's at the gym with blankets and eye pillows, I hope you'll give it a try. Remember that yoga is a practice; no one expects you to hit and hold the poses perfectly. As with most things in life, we are continuously practicing.
If you'd like to get a start at home because you cannot imagine trying to get yourself into downward facing dog in front of strangers, I recommend the YouTube channel "Yoga with Adriene". She has videos on all of the foundational poses of yoga, and her "30 Days of Yoga" challenge is a great direction from there. Plus, her catchphrase is "Find What Feels Good", so you know you're with a chill yogi.
For an introduction to meditation, search for guided meditations by Deepak Chopra on YouTube. I found him through Oprah, so there's an endorsement for ya!
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