Today I’m excited to share with you a guest post from fellow blogger Taylor! The fun thing about this is Taylor is a strength training / bootcamp guru who’s just getting into yoga and I’m a yogi just getting into strength training & bootcamps! So, we agreed to swap posts to share our experiences, enjoy!
Hi everyone! My name is Taylor and I blog over at Lifting Revolution. I am so excited to be here today as I have been a long time reader of Live Run Grow.
Danielle and I have one big thing in common: we love all things fitness. I do not classify myself as a lifter, a runner, or a yogi. In terms of fitness, I will try it all. I’ve done figure competitions, a strong women contest (who says size = strength?), mud runs, half marathons… you name it and I’ll try it!
But there was one form of exercise that I stayed away from: yoga.
Why? Because I didn’t think it was for me. In high school, I went to a camping festival with a friend where they did sunrise yoga. During the class they made us repeat:
“Breathing in I call myself, breathing out I smile”
And as if that wasn’t awkward enough for a 17 year old, then proceeded to have us lie on our bellies on the cold ground to give it a “hug”.
Okay then.
In college, I gave yoga another try. In an effort to stay fit, I took a physical class each semester…by senior year yoga was the only one I had not done so I decided what the heck.
Ugh.
The teacher cared less about us and instead of leading us, we basically spent an hour in either child’s pose or hugging a stability ball.
Strike 2.
Fast forward to the present day. With a pretty hectic and intense running schedule, weight training, and herniated disc in my lower back, I knew my body would appreciate some extra attention placed on stretching. So I finally decided to try a 3rd (and what I thought final) time with yoga.
But if it let me down, I would follow the 3 strikes, your out rule. Fair enough, right?
Maybe it’s because I have grown up some and my views on fitness are much more open. But I think its more about the experience it’s self. Giving yoga another shot was the best choice I have made in a long time!
Because of my lifestyle, I decided to ask the yoga house what they recommended: Yin.
It changed my life. Seriously, in 75 minutes, my body felt new.
Not sure what Yin yoga is? Here is the description from the yoga studio I practice at:
“Find balance in a mostly Yang – fast, hard, aggressive – dominated world with a slow, quiet, cool Yin yoga practice. Yin asana reaches deeper than the superficial and muscular tissues of the body to stimulate the often neglected deep connective tissues, ligaments, bones and joints. These deep stretching poses are held for several minutes, leading to powerful transformations.”
I know that sounds all great, but it doesn’t put into perspective what yoga has given me: freedom.
After just one class, I woke up the next morning feeling different. I reached across my body to help myself get out of the bed. A habit I have been doing for 10 years because of my back pain to discover… I didn’t have any. The pain was gone.
My hips felt great, I actually had energy in the morning and I felt alive. Now the hard part is finding time in my schedule to add yoga on top of everything else.
But just like the saying says: “If you want something bad enough, you’ll find a way.”
I might not become a yoga guru anytime soon but I can now fully appreciate what it has to offer.
Increased flexibility
Increased recovery times
Increased lung capacity (great for a long distance runner)
Improved posture
Improved mind set
Combined with my other workouts, for once I feel balanced. And isn’t that really what it’s all about? What the heck was I waiting for!
So yes, I wrote a blog post on yoga but there is one more take away here.
Don’t be afraid to try something new. Even if you had a bad experience in the past, you might be surprised what can happen now. This is something I keep in the back of my mind each time I am presented with a new opportunity that at first makes me scrunch my face and question it
Again thanks for letting me share my new love with you!
Thank you so much to Taylor for sharing her story of re-discovering yoga, I of course love hearing about people enjoying all of it’s benefits!
You can find Taylor at:
Blog: http://www.liftingrevolution.com
Twitter: @femininemuscle
Thanks Danielle for letting me write for Live Run Grow!
What a great post! A friend and I were discussing this morning how I LOVE yoga, but she isn’t a fan. We talked about how there are so many different kinds that you really have to keep trying before you can say that you don’t like it. (I’ve never tried Yin Yoga, but am intrigued!)
I totally agree, there are so many types of yoga to try you really need to find the right one! I remember being so excited to try Bikram yoga and was disappointed when I took a few classes and realized I really didn’t like it! Yin is really great! You can probably find an online video class to try if you can’t find it in your area – yogavibes and my yoga online usually have good stuff!
That;s a great idea. I think that gaiamtv.com might have some to try out.
Ive been doing yoga for years and every time I move, its a difficult for me to find a new instructor/class that I connect with. Having a good teacher makes all the difference! I’m glad to hear that you found a class and teacher you enjoy practicing with!!!
So true! The very first time I went to the studio I go to now I really didn’t like the teacher (she was sort of scary as far as yoga teachers go!), but I’m glad I stuck around and tried a few other classes because there are some really great teachers there!
Thanks! The teacher really does make such a HUGE difference. I’m actually excited about yoga for a change!