I love dancing. And for as long
as I can remember, I was always the kid most excited to bust a move during
family gatherings and school programs. Up until after college, I made it a
point to find myself time to dance. But reality bites and as I got busier with
work, I soon found myself being pulled away from one of the things that I
really love doing.
Luckily I got acquainted
with yoga. It was something that I never thought I would learn to love and
would become an important part of my life--just like dancing.
I have been practicing for five years now and to celebrate the first International Yoga Day in 2015, I will share some of the reasons why I love doing it.
Yoga keeps me fit and healthy
Being an athlete and a dancer when I was younger, I was used to living an active life. I’m not genetically gifted so I need to bust my ass off with exercise and work out to make sure that I stay fit and healthy. Yoga helps me burn the calories I gain from eating, keeps me flexible and strong, and trains me to work hard and be gentle with my body at the same time. Plus it also helps restart and detox my whole body--intestines and heart included.
I was nursing a year-old
muscle injury that I got from dancing years ago. And after a few months of
doing yoga, I was so pleased to wake up one day with my injury gone. The heat generated
by my body through the different poses and the stretching conditioned my muscles as
I tried to heal my body with every class.
I am competitive in nature,
but I’ve always wanted to learn how to relax. Yes I know that I’m only human
and I can’t always do everything in flying colors. But not until I started
practicing yoga that I only ever learned to pause, take a deep breath, and
learn not to be bothered by the pressures that surround me.
Yoga is also popularly
known as a stress-reliever. And this is quite true for me. While some exercise
can make you dread being healthy, yoga eases the body and the mind and helps
flush out toxins and bad energies. It calms my mind and body whenever I practice.
Namaste.
Yoga healed all the broken
pieces (physical or emotional)
Not only did yoga relieve
me off my muscle injuries, it also helped reduce back pains caused by sitting in an office the whole day.
And you might say that I’m
exaggerating, but practicing yoga also helped me in dealing with my inner
struggles during low points in my life. How? By teaching
me how to LET GO.
My first few classes of
Bikram yoga were really challenging. I was easily distracted by a lot of
things--the heat, the lack of oxygen in my body, my inability to do some of the
poses, and most of the time, the unbelievable amount of sweat dripping down my face. But practicing Bikram, as is with other yoga, taught me some pretty important
lessons in life.
I remember one particular
class a after my long-term relationship of six years just ended; the
teacher said something that really got stuck in my head. I was in a dead-body
pose (savasana), cursing the standing series and feeling dizzy with my heart
pumping inside my chest when he said, “You have to acknowledge the pain and
let it go”.
That hit me in a very good
way. I couldn’t just ignore the pain, and neither should I dwell in it, because
sooner or later I would have to start letting go. And only then will I be able
to move on. That and all the other negative things I feel and think about, I
needed to acknowledge them and let them go, said the yoga instructor over and over in my head.
Yoga and heartbreak: they
can be the same at times, both can be painful and challenging. But at the end
of the day, you’ll only find yourself nothing less than stronger, even wiser
and better.
Yoga takes the wastes out and pulls energies in
The asanas in yoga help in improving the different systems—from circulation to digestion to respiration. You would know and feel that you really are getting healthier after doing it for some time.
I not only get positive energies from the practice and the people around me, I also have the opportunity to give away my own positive energies. And that’s a really good thing, in my opinion.
Yoga pushes me to my limits…
Yoga is for everyone; it does not discriminate. But just like any other fitness or health-related practice, it takes discipline and perseverance to achieve a particular goal. And I believe that the only way to improving my life and my practice is by doing things with enthusiasm and consistency. Yoga constantly reminds me of these.
When you practice yoga you will be surrounded by other people who will motivate you. Some people’s practice and limitations become a challenge for me many, many times. I have yoga classmates from different fitness levels and it was really inspiring to see each and everyone repeatedly going back to the studio even if they sometimes look like they’re suffering. Of course, I have my fair share of constipated looks whenever I do the more challenging poses. But it didn’t stop me from practicing and going to class.
...and yoga always remind me of my limits
Whatever pose I can’t do for a day, I can always give another shot the next class. And it became more apparent to me that until blood flows in my body, there’s always another chance to try. Outside the studio, I started practicing to be more patient and easy on my self.
I’m currently practicing many different types of yoga and I must say, it gets both easier and harder—making it a wonderful challenge for myself. I hope more and more of my friends will discover how amazing yoga is, because it absolutely changed my life and it continuously changes me for the better. I still love dancing but for the remaining days of my life, yoga will be my heart and soul.
Ever since I was a young girl, I've always enjoyed moving my body. From dance to sports to cheerleading, I just find it really fun to have something to do that's not sitting or lying down. But nine years ago, I had to say goodbye to sports and dancing when I started working in the corporate world. I spent two-thirds of my life doing both and as soon as I hit my mid-twenties, I noticed a big change in my body that made me panic and feel scared.
I started practicing yoga more in 2012 and it helped me become better both mentally and physically. In a previous post I listed down the reasons why I loved it. In 2014 I tried running (even though I used to hate it so much) and it showed me a different way of refocusing my energy and clearing my mind of stress. This year, to improve my endurance and build more strength in my muscles, I tried my hand in boxing and core conditioning. I feel empowered every time I box, just like when I danced in college.
