My Yoga Love Story
You have heard of love at first glance, but ever heard of love at first asana? My experience with yoga was not about taking an impressive pose in Instagram. It was an agonizingly lovely burn, a deeply yoga love affair that re-wired my life entirely. It is not only about stretching, but the passionate, occasionally difficult yet consistently rewarding relationship that I formed with myself in the course of my practice. You may feel lost, stressed or you are in need of some other form of love, then allow me to tell how this ancient art turned out to be my best love.
I have been using my body as a machine without listening to it over the years until it started screaming that I was in pain and anxiousness. My initial yoga experience was due to utter desperation when I fell into the first session hoping that I will have a workout session. It turned out to be the start of a lifetime discussion. There was no dramatic headstand that started my love story with yoga, it was just a single and conscious breath that finally left me at home in my own skin.
What “Yoga Love” Truly Means
In my case, the love of yoga does not come a minute. It is a deliberate, day-to-day involvement. It is the love that I invest in my practice and even more so, the deep-seated love and acceptance that I find to myself due to it. This love exhibits itself in three ways:
Love to my Body: I have stopped warring with my body and I have learned to listen to my body. Yoga has made me recognize the beauty of my strength, forgive my shortcomings and wonder at what I can manage to do.
Love for My Mind: In the mat, I learned the importance of not letting my chaotic thoughts get the best of me. This has provided me with a peaceful environment that I can always get everywhere.
Love for my Spirit: This practice keeps me related to something more significant than my day-to-day concerns: a feeling of calmness, purpose, and connectedness that makes me feel truly joyful.
The Way My Practice Changed My Life.
This yoga love did not remain within 6×2 feet of the mat I was on. It infiltrated into all spheres of my life and left rippling effects of which I have always never expected.
My Body Became My Ally
I went with a hope of having fit arms and bendy hamstrings. I got that, but so much more. The permanent strain in my shoulders? Gone. The shallow breathing which I believed was normal? Substituted with deep, nourishing breathing. I also learned a confident posture and physical strength that help me to get through busy days. My body is not my ornament anymore, it’s my partner.
My Mind Found Quiet
My mind used to be a browser with 100 tabs open and each of them was showing a different video before yoga. It turned out to be the soft hand that gradually began clenching those tabs. I learned to come to a state of relaxation through specialized movement and breath (pranayama) and that has become my default response. Fear still has come to visit though it does not own the house anymore.
My Heart Opened Up
This was the biggest surprise of a gift. My compassion towards myself developed in the mat was naturally transferred to others. I was able to be more patient, become a better listener, and become a much less judgmental person. I ended up having a surplus of love that I was available to all my relationships in a more complete and loving way.
Falling in Love With Your own Practice: My Advice to you.
You do not have to be flexible, skinny, or spiritually enlightened in order to begin. You just need to show up. And here is how I fell in love, and how you may, too.
Get Over Perfection: My original downward dog was a calamity. I laughed at myself. I became curious instead of struggling to pose picture-perfectly. What does this feel like? Where is my breath? Criticism was no longer present, and the magic started.
Find Your Style: I attended a Vinyasa class that was fast-paced, and did not like it. I used to feel a failure until I found out about the slow and deep poses of Yin yoga. That was my love language. Explore! Sample Hatha, Restorative or Iyengar. Your ideal partner awaits you.
Always: It is the golden rule of yoga love, which means to listen to your body. The body is the supreme instructor. Back away in case a pose results in extreme pain. In case you have to rest half the lesson in child pose, then do it. The final expression of self-love was to honor my body messages.
Compliment the insignificant achievements: The first time I could maintain a balancing position with three complete breaths, I considered myself a hero. Give yourself a pat on the back whenever you achieve a little tiny goal, a more intricate twist, a smoother transition, just getting yourself to your mat on a bad day. This generates favorable momentum.
This Love is not a Destination, but a Journey.
My yoga love story does not have a denouement. On certain days, my practice becomes easy and God-like. There are other days when it is not that easy, and my mind is racing all the time. I have come to know that they are both ideal. The mat is the mirror that depicts the mirror image of what I need to see and what is required to work on. It is a lifetime affair, which keeps on instructing, provoking, and reassuring me.
This is the love that has provided me with the most consistent and gratifying relationship I had in my life since it is the one I have with myself. It is the love that is constructed on presence, acceptance and some sweat.
Your Yoga Love FAQs
Q: I’m not flexible at all. Can I still do yoga?
A: This is the biggest myth! I was as stiff as a board when I began. Yoga does not make us flexible; it is a fact. It is similar to the fact that you should be clean to shower. Come exactly as you are.
Q: What would be the frequency of the practice to experience the benefits?
A: Consistency is better than time. Three 15-minute practices a week will change your life much more than a two-hour one per month. Begin small and keep to it. My affection increased with the mere appearance, even in ten minutes.