BAM Fitness Coaching

Yoga (Photo credit: d.norwood)

A year ago I thought yoga was a waste of time.  You could say that I was anti-yoga and that I didn’t “get it”.  I’d been to yoga classes a few times and I tried to like it.  But, every time I went, I found myself attempting poses I had no business doing, feeling intimidated by the instructors, and watching the clock, anxiously awaiting the end of the class.  I also felt like I was competing with everyone else watching what the person next to me could do.  Now that I look back, I’m sure I had a closed mind, that I didn’t have the right instructor or attend the right type of class.Fast forward to January of 2012.  My good friend introduced me to a little local yoga studio that specializes in just that.  It wasn’t the big health club that had spinning, body pump, and yoga – all taught by the same instructor.  My friend told me to keep an open mind.  And, once class started, to just pay attention to myself – no one else.  Once class started, I was on my own.At that first class, the instructor was wonderful.  She was bubbly, energetic, and very much hands-on and helpful.  She was warm and welcoming.  I didn’t feel intimidated by her AT ALL.  She walked around and helped everyone, and gave great cues and direction.  She explained things that no other instructor had ever explained before.  I tuned out everyone else in the room and just focused on me.  I didn’t push myself or try poses that hurt.  I had opened my mind to yoga.

I can’t claim to be any great yogi, but I continue to try to improve my skills and get to a yoga class once a week.  I don’t think I’d ever want to learn how to teach yoga – I want this for me.  What do I like about yoga?

* I have learned how to be still and clear my mind.  I can just sit or lay in a yoga class and tune out the world and focus on me.  I can show up to a yoga class stressed, and leave feeling refreshed and relaxed.  I no longer look at the clock.  I often find myself wishing class wouldn’t end.  (I still don’t “om”, but I’m not totally opposed to it anymore.)

* Yoga is the perfect supplement to lifting.  I lift 2 times a week and like to be strong.  But, I’ve found that yoga compliments it so well.  It has helped me learn how to breathe and relax, which has helped with certain lifts, especially squatting and Turkish get-ups.  These skills will also benefit my cycling – I tend to be very tense, stiff and have a death-grip on the bars.

* Yoga has helped me learn how to take my time and do things well.  I can’t rush through a yoga pose.  I can’t rush through lifts, if I want to do them well.

* Yoga has improved my flexibility.  I have some hip and lower back issues, and hopefully, those issues will continue to improve.  I try to incorporate a lot of yoga-type of stretching in workouts for both me and my clients.

* Yoga helps me recover.  I no longer consider a yoga class a “day off”. . . I consider it recovery.

As a former anti-yoga person, I’m now officially on the bandwagon.  (I even ordered my own yoga mat this weekend!)   Although, I still don’t think yoga is the be-all, end-all answer for fitness.  I do think it is a GREAT supplement for anyone’s workout routine.  I’d never recommend that anyone just lift, or only run, or only play tennis – for overall fitness – I’d also never have yoga be my only means for fitness.  Being fit to me means being able to do a little bit of everything – including yoga.

Thanks, JB!  Namaste, MF!