Yoga is something that I have been practicing for a few years now, but I just recently got serious about it. I’m not a guru and by all means not perfect at it, but it brings me and my body peace and that’s simply all that I can ask for out of it.
I started getting into yoga my senior year of high school when I was getting a lot of headaches and was stressed out a little too much. I also didn’t have a lot of time to go to the gym between school, work, and a long term relationship. It’s something I started doing quietly in my bedroom before I went to bed some nights. I started with the basics, childs pose and downward dog, just to get my body moving a little bit. I was also struggling with gaining a huge amount of weight during this time, so yoga was a way for me to allow myself to feel the good things my body does for me.
Moving forward to being at the University of South Carolina, the gym in my apartment was always super full. I don’t have the best image of myself, so going to the gym when it was full scared me and I never did it. Practicing yoga in my room suited me just fine. It started becoming a daily thing I did, even if it wasn’t a full on session. I started doing some harder poses and getting into the breathing aspect of yoga, which felt really nice.
To be perfectly honest with you, I never owned a yoga mat until a few weeks ago. I kinda just did it wherever I felt the need to, whether that was at my apartment, my ex’s apartment, home, and even at my apartment at Disney. Pro tip, don’t try to practice yoga on a hardwood floor in socks. I definitely ended up with a few bruises after my first attempt.
When researching about yoga, you see a lot of talk about the body. Yoga is actually a practice for the body AND the mind. I focus more on the mind, more on improving my thoughts and stress. While the body does matter quite a bit too, it’s always been important for me to focus on the mind aspect of it.
A few things that yoga has given me since I’ve been practicing is a better posture, I noticed that I don’t slouch nearly as much as I used to. It’s also helped my back feel a little better, but that might be because I never had a locker in high school and my textbooks were super heavy. I still struggle with sleeping, but not nearly as much as I did in high school. I sleep very well in comparison to my life before practicing yoga.
A big reason why I love yoga is because it really connects me with my inner self. When I practice it, I really feel as if it’s just me in this relaxing bubble full of zen almost, like nothing can get in the way. A lot of people love running and love the adrenaline rush from it, but that’s how I feel towards yoga. I love running, however cannot do it consistently due to the amount of headaches I get, so yoga has been something that I can practice everyday or multiple times a week and get better at. It’s like a little hobby for me that I guess I chose to stay humble towards for a while.
A few weekends ago I took a professional yoga class with some other members of Her Campus South Carolina and we all had fun. We pushed our bodies beyond the limits we set for that day, but it was truthfully nice. During the session I was reminded that I am showing up for myself. Our instructor kept saying that, and she also mentioned to hold onto a word for the practice. The word I chose was heal, both mentally and physically. Since then I have been doing just that, and I want to keep that word with me for the rest of my yoga sessions after, whether those are professional or some I do by myself.
I encourage everyone to find something that they care about in this way and embrace it. Maybe even try yoga, get some balance in your life! I know it’s helped me, and I hope it’s able to help others!