Saturday, June 1, 2013

Yoga is hard!

Ever since Little Man was about six months old, I've said that I need to start committing some time to be sacred to myself. You moms out there know what I'm talking about. We take care of everybody and everything else before we take care of ourselves. And, most days, there's little to no time left once everybody and everything else have been cared for.

There's a yoga studio in my town that I've heard great things about, and I've been saying for a while that I wanted to give it a try. For Mother's Day, hubby purchased me a five-class pass to give them a try. I know... such a sweetie!

I've done yoga before, but only in the form of DVDs in my basement, so I wasn't sure what to expect from a live class session. Here's what I learned...

Yoga is hard!


I attended a gentle beginners class, and I loved the gentle stretches, the calm of the space, and the opportunity to focus just on myself for a little while. But I really struggled with remembering to breathe, with controlling my breath, and with keeping my mind focused on the moment.

Image Source
I discovered that it's harder than I thought it would be to truly block out everything else and just focus on your body and your breath. I know now why it's called a yoga practice; it really does take dedicated attention and practice.

I also discovered that I felt lighter, calmer, and more focused the rest of that day. It was a refreshing feeling, and I want more of it.

I'm going to my second-ever yoga class tomorrow morning and I can't wait.

Do you practice yoga? What is your favorite practice? What are your best tips for blocking out the world and focusing on your breath?