This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Health & Fitness

How Yoga Changed Me

Getting in shape for most is a forced adventure that usually comes about due to health issues, weight gain or the need for a mental outlet. No one I know has ever set out to get in shape "just because" (a sad, but true societal fact). In fact, most workouts have to be crammed into our busy days, and because we live in a society that suffers from the quicker the better syndrome, we often choose activities that are swift and easy. Physically, this may make a difference, but sooner or later heavy workouts without a balance of stretching and downtime will deliver rips, pulls, sprains or tears - and that's not a matter of "if", it's a matter of "when."

Guilty as charged. I usually choose workouts that output the most energy. Up until last year, my exercise regimen consisted of high cardio, low stretch. I've had multiple setbacks due to muscle spasms and pulled ligaments. We won't even discuss how my mother has been a yoga teacher for 40 years, and I've been schooled in meditation and the importance of honoring your body.

Throughout the years, I've tried various yoga classes, including the ones on exercise television. I found yoga to be challenging, but far too slow for my pent up energy. Deep breaths caused me to over breathe and hyperventilate. And though I could appreciate and envied those who could rise into a slow and perfect headstand, I deemed myself "one of those people" who determined yoga wasn't for them.

Find out what's happening in Burlingtonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Just over a year ago, my friend Ginger opened Roots Yoga studio. To show my support, I attended the grand opening and purchased some classes. If I wasted my money by not going, no big deal. I showed up to my first class with the I'm going to be bored and this class will last forever attitude. That was yoga lesson number one.

Time flew by, and I felt challenged by the instructor. More importantly, my body felt good, drank that class up like a cool glass of water quenching a dehydrated body. That was yoga lesson number two; yoga isn't about how you look, but about how you feel.

Find out what's happening in Burlingtonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

I possess competitive genes that coax me into foolish situations. I'd rather tax my body and risk a muscle pull just to keep up in a zumba class, where by the way, no one is looking at me. Yoga lesson number three: yoga is your own game, there is no competition because yoga meets your body where it is. Everyone has their own limit of bendy, stretchy, and twisty. To realize you've gone just beyond your personal edge is a surprising accomplishment.

Breathing is yoga. Literally. The poster girl for just how important breath is, I tend to hold my breath and can hyperventilate in a New York minute. From an early age, my mother tried to teach me how to calm my breathing through yoga breaths. I only paid attention when it was a choice of pass out or follow instructions. Other than that, I've spent my life in what I can only describe as a non-asthmatic nerve induced spastic breathing pattern. When practicing yoga, every breath becomes important, in fact, without the breath, the postures are useless. Really, they are. Once you get in the breathing groove, you'll develop smooth and long inhales and exhales that flow in rhythm with your poses. Yoga lesson number four: proper breathing is the most important aspect of practicing yoga, and for that matter, proper breathing is important for every minute of a mentally healthy day.

If yoga is such a positive in my life, why didn't I do it years ago? Yoga lesson number five: when the student is ready, the teacher appears. Like Ginger, my mom resembled an ageless supermodel yogi you love to hate, who can work herself into a perfect bind with grace. For the record, it wasn't easy to have a mother who, at 36, was more beautiful than her teenage daughter. I didn't think yoga had anything to offer me; a pudgy A-type who thrived on movement. The truth is, I wasn't ready for it, and when I was, yoga choose me.

It's been a little over a year since I began my practice, and I will admit that I have suffered some side affects. For starters, I've lost hours of anxiety time and spastic lung spasms. This did cause confusion at first, but eventually I grew accustomed to enjoying myself and smiling more.

Imagine that?

I've also become more mindful of my posture and hope to someday rid myself of my midday slouch. My lifelong habit of walking with my shoulders and chest inward to an almost concave has all but disappeared. I'm now standing erect, chest out, and possess better balance. My neck doesn't ache from my long work days at the computer.

I can live with these side affects.
 
Today, I'm flexible and bendy in areas where I used to be immobile. I don't compete (okay, that's a lie, I compete less) and am all about modification. My perfect bind is when I can actually make contact with my other hand without toppling over.

My favorite poses are those with a twist. When I questioned my mother on the twist, she replied, "Twisting, according to the yogis, helps keep your spine in perfect health if it is exercised in every possible direction. Your backbone can be bent in six directions; bending forward and backward, laterally to the right and left and rotating or twisting to your left and right sides. Twisting your spine affects your liver, pancreas, spleen, intestines, and kidneys because the blood supply to your vertebrae, and to the nerves which branch out from them, is increased to maximum effect. This asana exercises a therapeutic and rejuvenating effect on the entire body."

Oh. That's why I like it.

Thanks to actually listening to my mother and with the help of Roots Yoga, I've developed a better understanding of my physical body. More importantly, my body likes me.

Ohm to that.

Gratitude to Pat Bruno (mom, owner of Pathways Yoga Systems) and Roots Yoga.

For information on classes and upcoming workshops, please visit:
Roots Yoga 
220 Cambridge St.
Burlington, MA 01887
(781)272-YOGA
www.myrootsyoga.com www.facebook.com/rootsyogaburlington
rootsyogaburlington@gmail.com

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?