This week, my focus was to understand yoga a bit better, and appreciate the practice. This week I got more comfortable with the Yoga | Mind + Body app and found myself using it a few times. I spent just over one hour doing yoga. Although this is not much, I was hoping to ease into yoga since it is new and unfamiliar to me. The last thing I wanted to do was rush, and get bored… which can sometimes happens to me when I get too excited and rush into something.
Another online source I used was a Youtube video called “10 Minute Morning Yoga to FEEL INCREDIBLE! (Beginner Friendly Yoga)“. This video was helpful and seemed to be similar to the sessions I was using in the yoga app. Something I liked about this video was that the “instructor” did not talk much, but instead, showed what you had to do. I found that I relaxed more this way and concentrated on how and what I was feeling. I will continue watching this Youtuber’s channel as I found out she is a certified yoga instructor! I am hoping that her Youtube videos can also be a guide for me.
Although it is too early to say whether I am more flexible than I was last week, I can provide reassurance that I do feel looser when exercising, as well as have a better range of motion after repeating some of the exercises/poses I began with. I was NOT ready for some of those beginner poses… some are surprisingly challenging!!
Something important I learned this week was the importance of breathing and finding my calm. This may sound silly, but I never understood how breathing was so important when practicing yoga. Not only did I notice the importance in my first yoga session, but quickly throughout the whole week. I saw a significant difference in my mindfulness after focusing on my breath and thoughts. After I got over the “is this really going to make a difference” thoughts, I began to feel a calming effect and what felt like silence in my mind. I found myself being able to actually think about the present moment when giving myself a simple 10 minutes to just be with myself.
This coming week, I want to learn more about the practice of yoga and its significance. Stay tuned for that, and next weeks reflection!