Why Yoga Rocks

i can't remember what my life was like before yoga.

it's my day off today, and i should still be in bed catching up on sleep. but it won't be like that today. i just finished some meditation poses and breathing exercises. i'm dressed in my comfy yoga pants and getting ready for my c2 yoga class. i'm not a morning person at all, but when i have something or someone good to look forward to, waking up early doesn't seem like such a chore. that's exactly how i feel about yoga. it's the only part of the day that is truly mine.

yoga's really helped with what can be an extremely stressful job. it's helped with migraines. it's helped with neck and shoulder stress, it's helped my posture, it's given me better coordination, it's firmed up my body and beginning the transformation of making it rock solid. i'm starting to feel the formation of muscles in places that i never knew were possible. and best of all, yoga has made me more mindful of all the things that truly matter.

i don't believe in doing things half-assed either. my personal philosophy has been to live with deliberation and passion or don't even try it. granted, i've never been petite. i've been blessed (or cursed) with height from my father's side. i can be quite clumsy. i always find a way to trip or drop something. but yoga makes it all ok.

through dancer's pose, the warrior sequences, arm balancing postures, and engaging my core, i've slowly started the process of reclaiming that body i was so proud of in my early 20's. i used to have flat abs and the beginner markings of a six pack, my arms and legs were firm and toned, and my energy level was through the roof. but i guess that was easy to have when i was working out twice a day for about a year and following a very healthy diet. and when i say diet, i mean i never deprived myself of things, i was just eating all the right things.

i still lament the loss of that person. where did she go? i never asked her to leave.

sure i could blame it on law school, depression after failing the bar three times, the devastating end of a relationship i had invested so much in, the death of a close relative, or the happenings of getting older. but the truth is. i never fully understood the principles of following a healthy and balanced lifestyle. i thought i could still indulge in summer barbecues. i thought i could drink in excess whatever i wanted and be ok. i thought i could skip a workout if i just doubled up on the next one. i thought tending to the needs of my boyfriend at the time were more important than taking care of myself. and of course, it's easy to fall into the comfort zone when you're in a relationship, so that you don't think it's that important anymore to work out. after all, isn't it more fun to go to dinner together? i said i was young and fit, but i never said i was young and smart.

before long, after living a lifestyle of such extremes, the abs started to soften, the muscles shriveled away, and the pounds clung on for dear life. because i was so focused with law school, my internship, passing the bar, pleasing, and pleasing the guy, i managed to waste away all my past efforts and became a "jelly belly." people would say i was fluffy but still cute. but trust me, there's nothing cute about a girl looking like winnie the pooh.

so fast forward to present day. i'm approaching this in a different way now and yoga has taught me just what i need to do to reclaim those rock hard abs and glutes. but aside from the physical benefits, yoga is teaching me about the mental strength needed to live a healthy lifestyle. summer is slowly approaching and i'm determined to have that solid core and muscle tone, but this time it's for me and me alone. skip that guy who demands perfection of me, and yet does not possess those very same attributes he tries to impose on me. skip that guy who made me feel i needed to starve myself to look good for him. skip that guy who wants plains instead of curves. yoga isn't about going to the beach and showing off my "t and a." and it's definitely not about impressing that shallow guy who only wants the skinny beautiful girl. i guess this especially matters a lot to me, because i've always been accepting of everyone as they are. i guess it's also different for men and women. i don't mind a stocky guy. but stocky in girls is a no-no.

yoga is all about balance. balancing the demands of a stressful job. balancing the needs of the self with those of others. balancing the need for vice and excess. yoga is all about slowing things down and taking a deep breath. yoga is about making healthy decisions at work, in relationships, in your diet, and taking care of your spiritual needs.

yoga is helping me reshape my priorities and learn to weed out all the unnecessary bs from my life. granted i have a long way to go in my practice. there are still a lot of poses i need to work on, and i'm still a few bowls of jelly away from toned and firm, but i'm in this for the long haul. this summer will be a good one. but for different reasons this time. it's going to be a summer of balance and calm.

so, in a nutshell. that's why yoga rocks.

namaste.