So here's a bit of background regarding myself and my yoga practice. I have been practicing yoga on a consistent basis (a minimum of 4 times a week) for a little less than two years. At one point in my practice, I took it to the extreme and challenged myself (yes, on my own) to complete 40 practice hours of yoga in 40 days (the brain cells may have been misfiring when I decided to take on this task). Talk about being hooked, right? There would be no possible way that I would have been able to complete that if it wasn't for Rene, Claudia, and Seth, my mentors. These three magnificent instructors have really helped mold me into the little yogini I am today. They all have guided me in my vinyasa practice and have helped me learn how to be patient, mindful, and gracious for what I have been given. I literally, couldn't have asked for better guidance!
As we age and take our first steps in unexpected territories, the only way we tend to remember it is if it was either great or awful. Tell you what... I will never forget my first real "hard core" yoga studio styled class, and it wasn't because it was awful. Talk about an overwhelming feeling of intimidation, though!!! Fortunately, I have always been pretty athletic, and my background as a high school cheerleader gave me more flexibility than I could ask for, even after ten years since my last go at splits. Nonetheless, I tucked myself and my pink yoga mat in the far back corner of the class because I had NO idea what to expect and I most certainly didn't want to look completely clueless for everyone to see. The lights dimmed, Rene (our yoga instructor) stepped to the front of the class, and turned up the heat. Here we go...class began, I sweated my brains out, and tried so hard to make it not look blatantly obvious that I was a newbie. Crazy enough, I was HOOKED. After that first class, I was reeling for more and couldn't wait for the next opportunity to roll out my mat. As my practice grew, my side angle pose became easier and the next thing I knew I was able to bind it. I remember hearing Rene call out to my peers in that first class to transition into bakasana (crow pose) and as I watched the other students put their knees on their triceps and take flight, I literally thought to myself "WHHHATTTTTT....you want me to do that?!?!". With practice and a little bit of confidence, it now comes easily and gracefully to the point that if I see a solid boulder while hiking and I want to take flight off of it right then and there!
Grand Canyon Rim to Rim Hike May 2012
There are so many things that I absolutely LOVE about yoga, and I can't wait to share them all with you! If you ever given yoga a try, what was your first experience like? Do you remember the style of yoga you practiced? I can't wait to read all of your stories!!!
