What Yoga has given me

I never thought that Yoga was for me. The idea of it was initially boring and I never took the time to look into it more. After giving birth to my daughter, I decided I needed some form of exercise that wasn't so high impact because I was still breastfeeding. A new Bikram studio was opening nearby and along with two friends, I gave it a shot.

I'm not exactly new to working out because I used to attend spin class, gym, boxing, pilates, kick boxing, and barre 3. The cycle would be: try the work out, love it, go as often as I could for a long period of time, get sick of it, quit. I needed a new type of work out all the time because the goal was to tone up or lose weight. The difference between what the other work outs I've done and Yoga is the new found respect for long term health.

Bikram Yoga is HARD to say the least. I struggled through most of my first few classes. I felt challenged to do better and I willed myself to make it happen. Yoga became the "me" time. I felt no guilt when I left my kids at home to go practice yoga. After the first month, I noticed my body was changing. I was no longer a slave to food. I wasn't feeling hungry all the time and when I did feel the hunger, I craved for something healthy. Why? Because every time I stuffed my face with junk food I paid for it at Yoga. If I ate fried, salty and oily food the day before, I was sure to feel terrible during my practice. I felt tortured and I was traumatized. I realized I needed to feed my body with healthy food. The first step? I gave up eating beef, pork and chicken. I won't go into all the reasons why I decided to do this. The bottom line is, if I can live longer and healthier without it, I can give it up. Yes I still allow myself to eat meat once in a while (especially if I cook it) but I don't crave it anymore and I certainly don't feel deprived without it.

Aside from eating better, Yoga helped me sleep better. My sleep is deep and when I wake up I feel well rested. Sleep is a very important factor in determining how my mood will be and how much I get to accomplish.

There is a moment during my practice where I feel totally relaxed and absolutely certain that there is no where else I want to be at that moment but where I am. It is in that moment where the clarity of what I want for myself, my friends, and my family is felt.....HAPPINESS. Yoga brings me happiness. Life may never be perfect but I find comfort in knowing that there is a place in the quiet of my soul that I can escape to and find absolute peace.