Why Yoga? Why Now?

Someone recently asked me, “why should people do yoga?”  I gave them my usual answers.  Then they asked, “well, why do YOU do yoga?”  To be honest, I feel like most people know “my story”, or the parts of it I publish in interviews, anyway: I was in a car accident, it prevented me from having back surgery, it helped heal herniations from my spine, it helped bring the curve back into my cervical spine, it has healed my body and soul and heart over and over and over again.  Yoga is my refuge, it is my church, it is my therapy, it is where I pray, it is where I move, it is where I sweat, it is where I let go, it is where I feel strong, it is where I thrive.

All of those reasons and so many more are the reasons I practice yoga.  It comes as no surprise to any mother that since the girls I RARELY make it to a yoga class at a yoga studio.  I mean, if I can get one a week, that is amazing.  (And, teaching at Five Pillars has really helped since so many of my favorite teachers are there and I can just piggy-back into a class after I have teach, so, YAY. Prior to starting there, I was lucky if I made it to one class a month.)

But, Alex, my husband knows this: every time, I do this whole song and dance about: “I don’t have time”, “oh, I’ll just do some yoga at home”, “I’d rather have family time” (even when the girls would be napping for most of it), etc, etc.  He practically shoves me out of the door, and then when I come home beaming ear to ear thanking him for “making me go”, raving about how amazing and clear headed and joyous I feel, he just smiles and shakes his head.  Because, he knows.  He knows I need that “me time”, especially to do yoga.

We all know the oxygen mask theory: you have to put on your own oxygen mask first before you can put on others’.  Because if you, the caregiver, run out of oxygen, not only can you not help yourself, but you can’t help ANYONE. So, why is this so hard to implement?  You don’t have to be a parent to struggle with this.  Most people I know struggle with this.  All of us givers out there, the nurturers, those of us who just want to HELP. Why is this so hard?  Why can we be SO compassionate towards others and not show ourselves even a tiny bit of that compassion?

I KNOW how important yoga is to me and in my life.  I say it over and over and over again: it makes me a better, happier, healthier, stronger, more flexible (in body and mind) version of me; as a wife, as a mom, as a friend, as a daughter, as a sister, as a teacher, as a human.  Self-practice / Sadhana is great and super important, it forces you to listen to you, and to really connect, go inside, and go deep.  But, being led and having teachers is really important, too.  We all need to be inspired to move to new places.  I feel SO inspired when I leave a great yoga class.  I soak in every word, every mantra, every feeling, and every lesson that I can.  I love being the student, which is another reason I love yoga. I will forever be a student of Yoga.

Going to a yoga class vs. going to another group fitness class has become an important distinction for me.  Not only does going to a yoga class allow me to practice checking out of and turning off my “teacher” mind and practice being the student, and feeling inspired, and getting curious about my own craft, but it allows me to check IN on such a deeper level to my breathing and come fully and completely into the here and now of those moments.  Everyone knows how much I love SoulCycle, and for some reason, it’s easier for me to make time for that.  Perhaps because you can’t cancel after 5pm the night before class, perhaps because I have to sign up at 12pm Monday to get into my favorite class, or maybe it is the price tag, or maybe it is that the class is 45 minutes only, or because I can do yoga by myself for free at home.  I don’t know why I have an easier time making time for things that aren’t yoga, but I know that has to change.  I have learned that I need to place the same amount of importance and commitment to going to another teacher’s yoga class as I do to my SC class because yoga gives me things I can only get in yoga.

Yoga gives:

1. ME TIME to the fullest.  There are no phones, no distractions, just me and my mat (or you on your mat), moving together with the other like-minded bodies in the room, being led by the same teacher. It is 60-90 minutes (depending on the class) of paying attention to MY needs without having to consider anyone else – that feels like SUCH an indulgence, but again: oxygen mask.
2. Reminds us to BREATHE.  No other form of exercise cues breathing with movement.  If you are in the right yoga class, a teacher will cue each inhale and exhale where appropriate and helpful.  Take the guesswork out, take some big, deep breaths, get your oxygen moving, blood flowing, and you will feel amazing when you walk out of that class; I know I do.  Inhales create space.  Exhales move you into the space YOU have created.

3. COMMUNITY.  Yoga tends to attract like minded people.  It is amazing how you can know nothing about what a person does, or where they come from, but you feel their energy in class, and it allows you to have common ground to talk after and before class in a safe, friendly space.  It’s super easy to feel alone in this world of social media and digital everything, so having a physical human to speak with and share experiences with is priceless.  I started my 9:30am YG Studios Wednesday class just for that reason. 9:30am tends to be the perfect time for downtown moms to come to a class after kiddo drop off.  We are creating a community to give moms (and other yoga loving folks) me time, breathing time, and support.  During class, I lead a flow to open whatever needs opening or strengthen whatever needs strengthening, and then we chat, and connect, (and sometimes even pamper in the steam room or sauna upstairs) so no one needs to feel like they are going through anything alone. Because no one is! I cherish my yoga community, and I love getting to connect with amazing people at each new class.

4. The feeling of STRENGTH.  Nothing can show you how strong you really are like holding yourself up with your own two hands.  I have written numerous articles on this for so many different publications, and it is so, so true.  And, everyone needs that reminder.  No matter where you are in your practice: rocking your very first crow pose, or holding your handstand in the middle of the room for as long as you feel like it, it remains empowering and true.

5. ENOUGH-NESS. You are enough. Exactly as you are.  You are a child of the Universe, and you are loved.  The Universe created you to be perfect, and the right yoga class reminds you of this.  I say this at least once in every class I teach, but hearing and knowing it is another thing all together.

I could go on and on, and seriously write a book, about why it is so important to GO to yoga classes, but I digress.  I have made it a mission of mine to do one a week. I schedule it, I put it in my calendar, and I book out the time.  Because if it is not in my calendar, it’s not real, and it won’t happen.  If we go around looking for excuses as to why not, of course we will find them.  But, if we look for the reasons why we CAN, and why we WILL, we will find those instead.

I want to know.  Do you take the time to GO to yoga class?  If so, why?  Why is it important to you? Please, share your inspiration in the comments below!

Xoxo,

Heidi