A few years back, I was a horse trainer and I loved to run. That’s all I had to do to keep in shape. Well, the horse training slowly started to be replaced by children and running for myself was getting replaced by running after kids. I needed to do something.
So what did I do? I joined a gym. I made the investment in a personal trainer for a couple of months and worked out on my own a few days a week. I was sore periodically and was feeling ok about working out. I didn’t see the results I was expecting (granted, on my own, it was hard to motivate myself). But something didn’t feel right. It took me a while to figure it out but it felt unnatural to me. I was forcing myself to go to the gym because I thought it was the right thing for my well being at the time.
After about a year and a half, I gave up on the gym and started to do bootcamp with some friends. I started to enjoy exercising again! That was short lived. About 4 months into it, my body decided IT didn’t like bootcamp any longer (years of being thrown around by 1,000 pound animals had taken it’s toll).
One of my dear friends, who had been bugging me for a year prior, convinced me to join her for a yoga class. After my first class I was hooked! The instructor kicked my butt and I loved every minute of it! I couldn’t walk for a couple of days but I went back for more. That one class showed me it was ok to not be flexible, it will come with perseverance and hard work. I have never been one to shy away from a challenge, I think that’s why yoga appealed to me so much. It was challenging mentally and physically, plus, you have the opportunity to learn something new about yourself every time you step on to your mat.
Namaste and Practice in Comfort,
Barbara Merrill
How did you discover yoga?
