This trial started with no intention of committing to a daily practice, but I ended up following along with a video series on YouTube every day this past week. The sessions were short but a lot of fun and every time I was on the fence about doing so, I’d remind myself it will probably be fun to learn some new pose or stretch.
Anyone who knows anything about my physical ability would know I am far from flexible. I would get consistent crap from my coaches back in college track for how poor my form was and that my stride was a fraction of some of my teammates. I would suffice to say this was largely due to some pretty weak stretching habits. A typical day I might cover a few basics for a couple minutes if anything at all. Practicing yoga has definitely changed that for me. While I still have a few kinks and sores throughout my body, I think a lot of once tight and sore spots have really loosened up.
The benefits haven’t been only physical. Whether it’s a result of feeling physically better or not I’m not too sure, but I feel a lot more relaxed and comfortable over the past week. The amount of learning I’ve been doing has made the experience even more fun. Trying a new pose and getting a feel for the muscles stretching has been a great experience.
The only thing I’m struggling to get behind is things seem to be a bit spiritual for me at times. I follow along with the closing rituals, in this series being some “reminders” by placing the hands to certain parts of the body. I don’t mean to criticize anyone who enjoys these sort of things, but for me, it’s tough to follow along with without feeling a bit silly. For most of my life, I feel I’ve been a pretty secular driven person and have struggled to get behind many spiritual ideas. I’m trying to let that pass and really take in the whole practice of things like yoga, but we will see where this goes over the next few weeks.
I really am looking forward to continuing the practice and, whether I intend to or not, I wouldn’t be surprised if it became part of my daily routine over the next few weeks. I’m also considering researching an actual in-person class with other students over the next week. The video series I’ve started has been a good experience, but I want to see what other options out there are like.
Trying Out Before Buying In 