Solitude.
I am a person who requires moments of quiet.
Anyone else with me on that?
Sometimes I just need to recharge.
Mental Health.
I was never a person who “worked out”. I don’t feel some great sense of enjoyment out of running, biking, or lifting weights. A treadmill makes me go absolutely stir crazy. Don’t believe me, check out this post.
I have talked before about how this move from Florida to Virginia affected my mood. To keep from drowning, the hubby convinced me to go to the gym. He also opened the blinds every morning so I didn’t dwell in a cave. I went and rotated through my list of weight machines.
And I still did not love it.
But it forced me out of the house.
Yoga.
I had also started going to a bible study and met a girl there who told me that I should check out the Bodyflow classes at the gym where we were both members. Having someone to take the class with helped me press out of my comfort zone and wander into the crowded room.
And I loved the class!
Calm.
Out of clutter, find simplicity. From discord, find harmony. In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity. -Albert Einstein
Yoga helped me to find my calm to search for that quiet center.
Crow Pose.
I have certain poses that are my favorites. One is Crow Pose (Bakasana). It makes me feel strong. This is only in a few BodyFlow releases that I’ve taken. The girlie and I spent a snowy day last winter working on it.
Reverse Warrior.
I also like Reverse Warrior (Viparita Virabhadrasana), Warrior II (Virabhadrasana) and Triangle (Trikonasana). I still have a long way to go on the form (made even more noticeable in the fact that the photo is on self-timer and I am not that fast!), but I have seen tremendous changes in my body over the year and a half that I have been going to this class. When I started I couldn’t even get my chest off of the floor in locust pose (Salabhasana) and now I can even do Upward Bow/Wheel Pose (Urdhva Dhanurasana).
Bodyflow.
I had taken yoga some when the kids were little, but Bodyflow is a little different. It is a choreographed yoga-based workout. There are new releases every three months. At our gym, they do those new releases for 2 weeks and then the instructors are free to choose whatever prior release they want. I enjoy the fact that this changes things up a bit.
We warm up with tai chi inspired moves. The next section is similar to power yoga. We start with sun salutations. After that is standing strength (think warrior poses) and then balance (tree, eagle, flower, etc…). Then we do core work, based on pilates or yoga moves. Then twists. Then stretching.
Then my favorite time of all:
Savasana.
When I leave there I am able to deal with the chaos of life in a slightly calmer manner. It helps me recharge my pause button (the one that stops my mouth from running before thinking things through).
Fitness.
I don’t lift weights because I figure my body weight is enough for me. I have long arms and legs. I can tell you that when I am holding some of these poses, my quadriceps are talking. I think this made a huge difference on my hike (another form of exercise that I actually love). My thighs did not hurt at all afterward (calves were another story though).
If you throw in some side planks, fireflies with push-ups, or whatever else ends up in the release and my arms are getting a pretty hefty workout too.
Pilates.
This past month I have also started going to a Pilates class at my gym.
Wellness.
I understand there is a lot more to yoga than what I gain from this class. I have read numerous books and scoured many a website. This class is what works with my life right now from a time of day and location perspective. And it keeps my head above water and helps me center my life.
I am stronger than I have ever been in my life.
In both body, spirit, and mind.
Yesterday I was clever, so I wanted to change the world. Today I am wise, so I am changing myself. -Rumi
Let your light shine!
Amy
You do tai chi also? That’s impressive!
I do beginner’s yoga. 🙂
The beginning is tai chi inspired. It moves faster than tai chi I believe, but it warms up the body and helps to get into a different frame of mind. I think yoga is so beneficial. 😊
Yoga is amazing. So happy you love it!! As a yoga teacher I love to hear these wonderful experiences. ❤
Yoga has definitely been a life changer! I love it. I’m hoping to find time in my schedule to go to an actual studio sometime this year 😊
I love the yoga, but you’re way more .. yoga-y, yoga-er than I 🙂 And wow on the tai-chi. I struggle with the tai chi, even after years. It’s hard for me to slow down, which is EXACTLY what I need to do and why I need to do these things. I cannot ‘work out’ without hating life. I enjoy yoga, dancing, swimming, walking, and tennis. I don’t like to feeeeeel like I’m exercising, I like to feeeeeeel like I am doing stuff 🙂
(Also, I love that you have peace lilies in your space. Mmm, deep breaths. <3 )
I would say that the tai chi inspired moves are a little quicker than real tai chi. I’ve seen that done and I think I would have a HARD time slowing down.
Exactly the same feeling I have about “working out”!
I do love those peace lilies. We originally bought them because they naturally purify the air. They are also quite hardy, which is a huge plus for a black thumb like me 🙂
You are a yoga rockstar in my opinion. I love yoga too. It’s my dream to be a true practicing yogi. I have a long way to go but as you talked about…I can see changes (quite quickly actually) when I make time to practice. <3 I love Warrior too! 😉
Thanks so much Nikki! I’m not sure I’ll get to a true practicing yogi, but I deeply admire those that are and think they offer a lot of wisdom 🙂
It’s amazing how quickly the changes come about. I’m not good about practicing on my own, so it usually falls off during vacation (I’m hoping to find the discipline to change that). Best wishes in your practice! <3
Wow… your flow is inspiring to me and others. Keep the flow going and let it pour over you… I do sun salutations every day and when I need a reboot.
Thanks so much Nathan! I need to practice more often at home, but I figure any forward progress is a step in the right direction 🙂
I love both yoga and tai chi! Also, I can totally relate to not being one for super active working out either. The calm, flowing movements are much more fulfilling. 🙂
I do love the calm, flowing movements much better! 🙂
So good!! I need to get more into it too 😅 sometimes I make the excuse “I don’t have time” but it’s just a matter of doing 🙄
I think it’s easy to put it off for more pressing matters, but I definitely feel better when I take the time to do it. 🙂
This just motivated me!😍 amazing!
Have a look at my blog, follow if you like it ♥️
Thank you 🙂 I’ll check it out.
Great blog!
Thank you 🙂
Your bakasana and reverse warrior are gorgeous 😍! They might be your favourite poses but they are definitely not mine, though we both can agree savasana is THE BEST. It’s so nice to see yoga having such a positive effect on someone’s life. Keep up the good soul work 🙂.
Thank you for your kind words 🙂 And yes, savasana is the BEST! I do not like Warrior I very much, but I’ve heard that the ones you don’t like are the ones your body probably needs. I don’t know if this is true or not, but I just keep practicing.
It has a very positive effect on my soul. I hope that you are continuing to enjoy your practice. 🙂
Yes, keep doing the poses you don’t like and I’m sure you’ll start to love them! I wish you more strength, patience, and ease in your practice. Namaste 🙂
Thanks so much! Namaste 🙂
Yoga is this best!! Your article encouraged me to start it up again! Do what your body loves ❤️
Yoga has been great. I hope that you do start up again. I think it’s such a wonderful thing 💕
I couldn’t agree anymore, some of my most creative and peaceful times are in silence and solitude. I’ve also found that by switching up my practice (ie: on my own vs with an instructor, changing the setting) helps to improve my concentration. How long have you been doing yoga for?
I have really mainly been taking yoga flow at my gym. It’s time works best for my schedule. It is considered a fusion of tai chi, pilates, and yoga. Although I would call it predominately power yoga based. I’ve been going for almost 2 years now, which is the longest I’ve stuck to any form of exercise.
Going to a studio is on my list now that I’ve found that I enjoy the practice. I should find time to do it at home, but as with life, I am slowly learning to make time for what is important to me. 🙂
Thats awesome! I started it by going to group exercise classes at college and now I’m on a daily routine at home. It has slowly changed my life. Looking forward to seeing your future work. Namaste.