Beginning my yoga journey
This summer, I took my first yoga class. I have been practicing yoga on my own for a few years, doing youtube workouts, or finding poses on pinterest. However, this was my first time taking it in an academic arena, learning from someone face to face rather than through a screen.
Although the journey has just begun, this has been one of the more fulfilling summers of my life. I can't exactly translate the array of little awakenings that this has produced, but I shall detail some of the things that have been lingering on my heart. Just itching to be expressed. Written.
Where shall we start?
One of the best things about the class is my professor. She is positive, engaging, helpful, patient- everything that you could want in a teacher or professor. One of the things she emphasizes in class is to work at your own speed. We are all unique individuals, with different body compositions, learned habits, & unique perspectives.
A part of working at your own speed is resting/recovering at your own speed. At any point during the class, if we feel our body needing something different, or a muscle cramp coming on, we stop and tend to our individual needs.
This is so different from any other athletic class or team that I've been a part of. I feel like, in a community-based type of workout, people are encouraged to just keep going, regardless of what their own body is whispering (or screaming) at them.
The other day I had a conversation about how trauma can live in the body. I have experienced this myself as stress manifests for me as muscle cramps sometimes. These can be painful, and discouraging, and lead to further stress on the body.
If this idea interests you, please check out our blog post on the topic, including ways to release this trauma, more resources, book recommendations, etc.
Working within my own capacity has been instrumental and so helpful in keeping me on track. If I need a breather, I take it. And that allows me to work at my highest capacity, rather than overdoing it, which can result in longer recovery times.
One of my favorite concepts that I've taken from the course is the concept of a prosperity mindset.
A prosperity mindset is the idea that there is enough for everyone. This speaks to me because it encourages me to go full force after what I want. There is enough for everyone, so there is enough for me too.
We learned, some of the history and evolution of yoga, stress and stress management, self-massage, acupressure, spinal and skeletal health, meditation and creative visualization, and much more. We practiced the sun and moon salutations and created our own flows, full-body workouts.
Some of my favorite poses have been: tall tree, goddess, eagle, warrior I, II, and III.
My fav yoga prop lately is the foam roller, (which we use for all sorts of poses; including pyramid [an inverted standing pose]. The foam roller can be used to modify positions as well, like with "animal relaxing". I have my own foam roller at home and I use it usually multiple times a day, for stretching and massage, warming up, yoga, and pilates.),
My next yoga class starts at the end of the month. It will be fun to build upon my knowledge and connect with new classmates. It feels like this past semester was gone in a blink, so having a full semester ahead is soothing.
I'm really excited about all this because it opens the door to many future possibilities. I am beaming with the prospect of intertwining guided meditations with yoga asanas, and look forward to teaching yoga in groups and on an individual level.
I know that this journey still holds much ahead, and I'm so happy you're here with me.
Sending you a world of love,
Abby Blue @ Blue Wellness
