Confessions of a Yoga-Phobe

I have a confession to make. It’s been a dirty little secret for almost 15 years now and I just can’t keep it in any longer – I’ve always been afraid of yoga. There, I said it. I remember a personal trainer tell me at least 15 years ago “you know, you would probably do really well with yoga”. I just smiled weakly and said “yeah, when I find the time”. With three small children and a busy music teaching business and performing schedule, it was a miracle I could even get to the gym, let alone take on something as daunting as yoga!

The thing that scared me about yoga was that while I am pretty flexible, I have crummy balance. I was afraid that I would embarrass myself in a class where all of those graceful, lithe bodies would be perfectly in unison and I would be the awkward clod tipping over, fumbling and bumbling and completely ruining the calm, relaxed vibe of the class.

Happily, all of this changed recently. I had made a wish collage over Christmas that represented my goals for the year - physical, financial, relationship, travel... I have been making one every year since 2002 and always put it up in a place where I will see it daily. This year, just like the previous 5 years, was a picture of a lovely woman serenely sitting in a lotus position, signifying that I was to begin going to yoga. I looked at the collage and thought "here it is, almost the end of April and I haven't even looked into starting somewhere. At this rate, that serene yoga pose would continue to stare me down and end up mocking me for the rest of the year!  Impulsively, I did a quick Google search and went on the website of the nearest hot yoga studio to my home. To my surprise, I found that they had an unlimited introductory month for only $49.00. This was too good to pass up! I went to my first class that night.

Wow! All I can say is “Wow”! Why did I wait so long to discover this amazing thing? There is no “keeping up with everyone else” in yoga, no competition, no feeling of inadequacy; each class focuses on doing only what YOU can do… it completely takes the pressure off of keeping up with all of the veterans. I love the way my body feels at the end of every class and the way that yoga reconnects you to your body and your breath. It is, quite simply the most wonderful thing I have ever done for myself and I look forward to how I’m going to feel one month, two months, a year from now. Woo Hoo! Another dragon slaine!!