One of the good things about committing to a year of yoga as a newbie is that I don’t feel any pressure for quick changes. It’s not about quickly getting into shape, loosing weight, or entering a competition that needs training. This is about finding something I love, finding positive mind and body changes organically and just enjoying the journey.
It has been one month already, and although many movements don’t come easily there are five things that are noticeably new!
- Deeper breathing – My breathing has become deeper and I am understanding what it means to ‘breath into’ certain areas of your body. Originally the idea of breathing into my thigh just sounded ridiculous. Now I am taking time and using my breath to be calm, hold a position, and deepen into a pose as I breath out while focusing on a specific area . . and it works a charm!
- More flexible – There is no way my feet are flat on the ground in Downward Facing Dog, nor can I bring my leg through to between my hands after plank (See injuries blog, or Instagram photo!) But I am surprised with an overall improvement with my flexibility. The awkward photo of me sitting nearly upright in a seated forward fold . . well I can fold at least 10cm further now!
- Better sleep – Lately I have been really keen on fitting in some more yoga before bed. It’s helping me relax, stretch and ‘shut down’ for the night. What use to take me up to an hour to get to sleep is now about 5 minutes before I am completely out to it. I will delve into the scientific reasons for this in the future, as it is just too interesting not to.
- Helping Anxiety – Breathing deeply into the stomach has been quite a learning curve for me. I get anxious and tend to take short quick breaths up high in my chest which only worsens the situation. Recently before speaking at an event I took time to really breath deep and slow into my belly. Instantly I felt calmer and positive thoughts of ‘I can do this’ had the chance to enter my mind instead of ‘Oh man I don’t want to do this!’.
- Positive attitude – Making sure I have ‘me time’ each day has become a bit of an addiction for me. Weather it is ten minutes or an hour to do yoga this time has become a moment of the day just for me, where I can zone out, enjoy the peace, and connect with . . me. The rest of the day feels more achievable and enjoyable, so I will mark the me time as creating a positive attitude 🙂
