One of my (many) 2019 new year’s resolutions is to start practicing yoga more consistently. I’ve been going to classes intermittently for the past several years and have always been attracted to the idea of yoga, but this year I decided it was finally time to get more regular in my practice. Thanks to Christmas, I received a beautiful new yoga mat from my sister and new Lululemon leggings from my mom. Needless to say, with my flashy new accessories and unrelenting eagerness to start the new year off right, I was ready to conquer the studio! Andrew and I went to a class at CorePower down the street on a rainy Sunday morning and that day I purchased a membership, pretty much sealing the deal and guaranteeing that my butt would be back in class.
Although it’s only January 14th, I have managed to attend 5 classes now in the past 2 weeks – so I’m off to a pretty good start! They say it takes 21 days to form a habit, and I’m pretty darn close. Gotta keep it up for the remaining 50 weeks of the year though, that’ll be the true test! One thing that has always helped me stick with my commitments is to go back to the root and remember why I started. So the other day I began to think about all the reasons I really love yoga, and I made a list below that I can come back to throughout the year when I (inevitably) start slacking off.
- It’s rejuvenating – I have never once left a class feeling worse than I did when I came in. Always better, every time.
- It promotes self-love and self-confidence – “I am strong, I am powerful, I have everything I need”
- It encourages you to connect deeper with the world and people around you.
- It discusses spirituality and connection with God, without specifying or singling out any particular religion or belief over another.
- It allows you to get to know yourself and your body – through introspection, deliberate focus on your breath, and slow, deep movements you really begin to formulate the connection between your inner and outer self, while understanding and challenging your physical limitations.
- You get to make love to your body.
- It gives you one hour to be self-centered and let the rest of the world melt away. That’s right, be selfish sometimes! Focus on you, your inner self, your breathing. Set an intention for yourself, manifest it through your practice, and bring it out into the world.
- There is no yelling. (Thank the Lord)
- It recognizes that everyone is different – there are variations and modifications for every level of yogi as to not discriminate or make anyone feel inferior in class.
- It embraces imperfection – everyone falls down sometimes and that’s okay. The important thing is that you get back up and meet yourself where you left off.
- The music is fantastic.
- It values the little things. You literally feel proud of yourself for simply coming to your mat, even if you stay in child’s pose the entire time. I mean there’s actually a pose where you lay on your back with your eyes closed (Shavasana)…kinda like sleeping…but it’s yoga so it’s different, duh.
- It inspires progression throughout the flow by challenging yourself to take each pose a little deeper, every time.
- It encourages happiness! Good vibes only on the mat, people.
- The clothes are super cute. (not sorry, it’s true…I mean have you seen Spiritual Gangster? )
- It promotes the ideas of enlightenment, rebirth and balance in all parts of life. If you can bring the teachings of yoga beyond your mat into your everyday routine, I believe you’ll see a huge difference in perspective and how you react in situations.
Yoga can teach you much more than just poses. Yoga can teach you about life. Yoga can give you the wisdom to positively change your outlook, and the world. I strongly believe that yoga could teach our nation’s leaders how to settle their differences in a more effective manner, and maybe even turn the government back on, if they’d be willing to practice. Though I know that’s a stretch – literally. But I figure if I can personally commit myself to regular yoga, then I’ll at least be doing my part. So like my Yogi tea says, I have to emulate strong character and commitment in order to build a steady routine.
I don’t know if it’s the yoga, the reduced time on social media, or the 14 sober days of “dry January” that I’ve completed so far, but I’m feeling pretty good right now. Positive energy seems to be abundant in 2019 and something tells me it’s only going to get better from here. I’m ready to own it. Who’s with me?
(If you’re interested in learning my other resolutions for 2019, click here)
Xoxo & Namaste,
HP
Diary of a Daydreamer 