Enjoying the Yoga Journey
June 26, 2015You’re Not Going To Get It
New to yoga? Let me ask……
- what are you looking to get from yoga?
- what attracted your attention?
- have you practiced before?
- what type of yoga have you practiced?
These are some questions I ask a new student. Logical questions I would say. Now I’ll share the 2 most common answers I get….
- I want to loose weight
- Everyone’s doing it (not really an answer but I’ll take it)
I’m lucky I’m passionate about teaching & sharing the many benefits yoga can offer because my biggest struggle is today’s society.
Our hero’s are not world leaders, artists, activists, they are celebrities! Celebrities give the impression that instant gratification is real. IT’S NOT REAL! She didn’t loose that baby weight in 4 weeks thru diet & exercise! How the heck did he get those abs so fast!!??!! Those boobs are not natural. You cannot grow out a pixie cut in 2 months!!!
I explain to new students they’re not going to “get it” (yoga) the first time, or the second, third, or fourth time. You don’t get muscles by lifting weights once.
First – we start with the breath. Students are always questioning why the breath is so important during our yoga practice? When you connect with the breath, it’s a method for being present. It calms the mind, a calm mind makes better decisions, better decisions brings quality of life. It’s a domino effect. This is not an easy task to master if you’ve never done yoga or any method of calming of the mind.
Some students get bored and/or don’t believe that the breath is the most important part of practicing yoga. This is exactly why I always tell them they’re not going to “get it” at first but one day it’s all going to click. They’ll feel the calmness within and understand the connection. There’s truth to the saying “calm down, take a deep breath”……Yoga happens when the mind is still.
I promise you, it’ll happen! And you will experience the benefits!! It just takes time.
If you want to make a change in your life, start by setting small/easy goals you know you can achieve, then slowly start to increase them. Everything in moderation. Depriving yourself of things makes you want them more!
One of the reasons I incorporated yoga into my everyday life was because I wanted to strengthen my mental health, soon after that I noticed my decision making improving and I was able to loose close to 30 pounds within a year. I did not go on a diet, I ate whatever I wanted, the only change was better decision making when it came to portion control and what I was eating, I was able to stop eating when I was full and I had energy, not caffeine energy, nice smooth, clear energy.
Notice how I underlined “within a year“? I cannot tell you how fast that time went.
I end a lot of my classes explaining that your “true yoga begins when you leave the matte”.
Change takes time & commitment.
Don’t give up!
