Y O G A// L I F E S T Y L E
I have been practicing yoga for the past five years, but did not dedicate myself to making it part of my LIFEstyle until the last 6 months or so.
I always found yoga intimidating; all the poses, their common names and their correct “yoga” names, the inversions, the flexibility… ahhh. Too much. Especially growing up an awkward chubby kid, who was terrible at sports… yoga definitely seemed like a mystical, scary thing.
Then in January, I decided on a major life overhaul. The more I looked back into yoga, the more it became…simple. Yoga is about patience and breath, and pushing yourself through challenging postures (or challenging moments in life)… and then accepting yourself when you are at your limit.
To me, that sounded wonderful.
So, for me yoga is a work out, but it’s also about stretching my muscles, finding calm in moments of chaos, taking myself to the limit…and being patient with my progress.
Let me leave you with some yoga phrases from my previous yoga instructors that have brought me peace but also pushed me to dare try just a little bit harder than I normally would.
“If you are irritated by every rub, how will you ever be polished?” – (that’s a Rumi quote, but I love hearing it in yoga class…I actually had it written on my yoga journal)
“In yoga, we begin where we are”- I love this because it always reminds me that we don’t have to have a certain expertise or skill level to benefit from practice.
“Everyone should be inverted at least once a day”- This saying strikes a chord with me. Sometimes we get so caught up with our perspective on our own lives… we just need to turn our worlds upside down and approach it all in a different way.
Yoga is much more than exercise; it is a path to a healthier, happier, calmer life.
Be well! xx (and wish me luck, because I am in the middle of yoga teacher training right now!)
**Alexandria is such an inspiration to me! She sets goals and goes after them with a full heart! I am so glad we have become fast friends over the past couple of months thanks to our love of a healthy lifestyle and Instagram. Be sure to stop by her blog and follow her and her hubby's adventures, healthy living, and exercise tips!**
XOXO,
Amber
1 comment:
I am really loving yoga. So glad after all these years that I finally gave it a try. I'm going to head to IG and check out your posts. I need all the encouragement that I can get.
Post a Comment