Learning to Breathe
Turning down the lights, lighting my candles, and laying our my yoga mat is my favorite part of my day. I look forward to that time I set aside for myself to just sit, and breathe, and move. I began taking yoga lessons in high school when I was struggling with mental health and needed an outlet. I studied all of the different types of yoga through a class I took in school, and learned about the deep and important history behind the practice. One of the first things you learn about when practicing yoga is that the breathe is the most important aspect, and one of the hardest things to nail. You have to consider how you are breathing with every movement, and learning to control your breathe takes time.
Yoga makes me feel aligned with my body, and energy in a way that normal exercise doesn’t. I begin and end every session the same way. I sit criss-cross on my mat with my hands on my knees, and eyes shut for a few minutes just breathing in and out trying to even my breathe and clear my mind. I start my practice by setting my intensions, and understanding how I feel now versus how I want to feel at the end. Then I just move however my body wants to move. I never lay out a specific flow, even though at this point I have many memorized, and just allow my body to move the way it needs to to release. I end my practice by sitting again, reflecting on practice, and deciding how I want to continue the day.
Yoga relaxes me and makes me empty my mind of all thoughts. It has become a channel for me to bring people together as well. On vacation my friends and I do it together no matter where we are. One of my favorite memories is from my junior year spring break when my girlfriends and I would go to the beach every morning to hang out, stretch, and connect with each other. I also began to teach a few yoga classes every other week for my sorority, Zeta Tau Alpha. We would do it either or in a local park, or in a rented gym space, but it gave us an opportunity to see each other, and calm down during the hectic school day. I love that my passion for yoga gave my favorite women a space to be with each other and bond.
Yoga has helped me become patient with myself, appreciate my mind and body, and feel strength in so many new ways. It has provided me many tools I use everyday like learning to control my breathe, be present in the moment, and tune out the outside world. I plan to continue to practice it everyday and share my love with the people around me.