FitFriday Yoga, Oh how I love thee

FitFriday Yoga, Oh how I love thee

Erika Townsend
PSC Contributor

As I began my fitness journey many moons ago, it wasn’t until I began to practice Yoga that I discovered my potential both physically and mentally. You see, I had a plan. I would do weights to build my strength, cardio to work up a sweat, and Yoga for flexibility. At first, lifting weights and cardio exercises were I invested most of my time because I wanted the most bangs for my energy. I worked out during my lunch hour, so I was concerned with over exerting myself. I continued this routine for a while until one day I came into the gym and there was someone on every piece of equipment. Every piece!

Since I hate waiting, at least I did then; I wandered over to the group class schedule and took my very first Yoga class. It was very intimidating my first few classes.  The poses that they could twist and fold their bodies into seemed impossible and the balance required to hold them was initially very cumbersome. Being that I was once very competitive, seeing others do poses easily only discouraged me. That said, I would not be defeated.

Every class I got better and better, but it wasn’t until I met the right instructor to bring out the very best in me that I really began to excel. The first lesson she taught us, was not to look and compare ourselves to others, but instead to do our personal best. She couldn’t stress enough that it was not a competition, but a personal journey. With this in mind, I tried harder and harder each day. Of course, some days were better and she intuitively knew when her class members were struggling. She would never single anyone out but would constantly remind us that our abilities would change daily and to give in to our bodies. Yield when it wanted to slow down and realize every day would be different. If we fell out of a pose, it was ok. Try again. If we couldn’t maneuver a certain position, rest in the child pose until we could regain composure. In Yoga, you are taught to focus not only on your breath, but also to those subtle signs from your body like pain, fatigue, and tight muscles.

Yes, I lost weight and became more tone and flexible. Though that was my initial goal, I learn more about appreciating my body, my needs, and most importantly acceptance. I knew that whenever I stepped into that class, no matter how stressed I was, I could let go and check in with my body, mind, and spirit. Although many see it differently, I was really able to be still and in this stillness could hear my Heavenly Father telling me that I was good enough just as he created me.  As I matured and grew closer to Christ, I kept these lessons in mind and it helped me to eventually accept my purpose and not my passion.