My Yoga Journey...So far...

I’ve always had an interest in yoga. I think Sting and Madonna were the known celebrities at the time for practising yoga. I wasn’t particularly body conscious at that age, but I guess it looked impressive and that appealed to me. Although I wasn’t body conscious, I was body aware and very aware that there were things that I couldn’t do with my body that some of my peers could. I’d dabbled in dance, but gave up. I’d never been ‘flexible’ and saw this as a limitation. I remember in my early teens getting a book from the library about yoga. Brought it home, done some of the stretches, probably couldn’t do them as I thought I should, and then moved on.

In my very early twenties, I then found yoga again in the form of a free 10 minute video (remember those?) with a magazine. I liked it. It looked doable – anyone can do this, great I thought. Now at this age I was becoming very body aware and body conscious due to my changing shape and weight gain, so I was seeking out that ‘secret’ which would transform my body. But then I moved on from yoga again.

I’d joined various gyms and attended a few yoga classes in my early to mid twenties. The classes were fine; it was exercise – great or maybe not. I didn’t like exercise, never did. Having been a very skinny young girl, and getting picked on in P.E done nothing for my self-esteem when it came to exercise, and also never gave me an opportunity to explore what I could actually be good at.

So over the years, the yoga video (and DVD which they progressed to be!) came out from time to time, especially when I was dieting and striving to achieve weight loss and the perfect body. And I would lose weight, gain weight and so on!

Then in 2015 after having my third baby, I attended another yoga class. Let’s give this another try! I was already on a different path to what I had been before. My eating habits had already drastically changed, I was happier than I had ever been before, so I was ready for a new challenge. I won’t lie to you. I was still won over by the awesome poses we see in the media. In particular there was a photo of a lady doing a headstand on a beach in her bikini and I thought “yeah, I want to do that”.

The warm up, the class and relaxation were just awesome! I came away feeling contented, relaxed, in tune and in harmony with my body and as though I could achieve anything – yet I could barely touch my toes! But that wasn’t going to stop me!

So my Thursday night yoga class became a regular thing, and I would also practice during the day too, when my baby was asleep. It was summer, and yoga in the garden was amazing! Salutes to the sun with the sun shining down on you is a perfect recipe for making you feel empowered, enlightened, loved, guided and at one with the earth and everything around you.

My Thursday night class soon turned into a few more classes a week, sometimes three to four classes a week in total, and always with a practice at home. Even if I’m cooking dinner or playing with the kids, I’ll still find a moment to quiet the mind, and gently salute to the sun, simply and slowly. The kids will join in too! Breathing has never been more powerful for bringing energy and peace to my life.

Later on in 2015, I made the decision to not return to my full-time job at the end of my maternity leave and I would study to become a yoga teacher. My particular passion is pre and post-natal yoga. Anyone who knows me, knows that I love and advocate natural birth (when it’s possible). I have a vision of having a post-natal yoga group where mothers can bring their babies along to the session and relax, stretch and basically come away feeling as awesome as I did from my first yoga class that year. What new mother couldn’t do with a feeling like that?

So that brings me to where I am now, I’m nearing the end of my first courses but I still have a long way to go. I don’t want to rush this; I want to be great and want to make other people feel great too.

I wouldn’t want you to think I’m now some sort of ‘zen-peace-out hippy’ (although I can be at times!), but I’m still the same person I always was. I still stress, get emotional (just ask my husband!) and life can be a struggle sometimes, but I now have something which I never had before, a tool to get me through.

Can I touch my toes now? Yes I can! Can I do a headstand? Yes I can! Can I do the splits? Not yet.

Yoga is not about what you can’t do though, it’s about being happy right where you are and even I need a reminder of this from time to time.

Namaste Xx

#yoga #happy #mindful #peace