My Yoga Experience

I tried yoga for the first time about about 7 years ago. It sounded like a "gentle" form of exercise that I thought would be good for my aching back. I couldn't afford to go to classes so I bought a yoga tape called A.M. Yoga with Rodney Yee. Rodney Yee is one of the most recognized and popular yoga instructors in the world. I am addicted to his soothing voice and could listen to him for hours.

The yoga worked well for me, but like every form of exercise I didn't stick with it for very long. I have issues when it comes to staying on any exercise plan. The issue is...I don't. There have been many times that I have come back to that tape and started on my yoga journey once again, only to give it up after a while. It has nothing to do with yoga, it's me.

Over a year ago, I decided I would try yet again. I purchased two of Rodney Yee's DVDs. I was having back problems again and I remembered how helpful yoga was last time. This time I bought a DVD for strength and flexibility and one for meditation...another thing I have an interest in, but have not pursued.

The DVDs sat for a long time in their sealed packages. Then one day I decided to give it a go. I started with my A.M. Yoga tape for a couple of weeks first to get back in the swing of things, and then graduated to the Flexibility portion of one of the new DVDs. Oh my goodness, was it hard. It was a lot of bending and stretching.....what did I expect it to be if it is meant to make you more flexible?? Silly me. Anyway, I was on a roll. I got to where I could bend over and almost put my palms flat on the floor. I felt wonderful. I felt stronger and leaner and felt so focused mentally.

That's when I started my etsy business.....and stopped doing yoga yet again. Every minute I had when I wasn't at my full time job I was devoting to etsy. It wasn't until a few weeks ago that I realized I wasn't paying any attention to ME again. I know from being in the natural health field for 5 years, that ignoring your own health is NOT a good thing to do. When your physical and mental health aren't good...nothing in your life seems good.

So, I decided it was time to get back in control. I made up my "plan" and I have been on track for a week now. I started this week with the easier A.M. yoga, and tomorrow I will move onto the flexibility routine. Once I am comfortable doing that one, I will progress to the one for strength. I am so proud of myself and so happy. Doing any form of exercise for a week straight for me is a miracle in itself. I also love yoga. It is not running and jumping around, but instead it is a slower paced very smooth series of movements. It makes me stronger and improves my posture. What it does for me emotionally can't be measured. I have not tried the meditation DVD yet, but I will.

There are two things keeping me on the straight and narrow this time. One is that my daughter is getting married in March and I want to get a dynamite dress. The other is that I am at an age where many of us seem to start falling apart, and not caring if we are falling apart. I don't want to do that. I have a lot of life left and I want to be healthy and happy so I can enjoy it.

To quote Rodney Yee, "They call me a yoga master, and I sort of laugh. What have I mastered? I don't even know what that means. It's just an ongoing exploration. The more you practice, the more you sense the infinite nuances. It's an endless journey of your curiosity." I agree. Each time I am doing yoga, I am so surprised at how different I feel. I also want to learn more and accomplish more, both in yoga and in my life. It really does clear your mind, and that's always a good thing, at least for me.

I also wrote a blog post and I told everyone on the face of the earth what my plan was, and since I don't handle failure very well, I am sticking to it. To make sure I do, I even post my daily activities on my blog. That's called accountability. Now, I need to get this posted because it's Sunday, and the dog and I are going for that long relaxing walk!