Adventures in Self-Care: Yoga

I have done so many different things while in college I could have “#YOLO” tattooed onto my face (I actually did get a tattoo though). But there is one thing I always wanted to do that I always said I was going to try but never did: Yoga. The last gym class I took was as a freshman in high school, and I’m not going to lie, I got a D- in it. However, I have a lot of friends who are yogis (not like the bear) and so I thought I would give it a shot.

That was three years ago. Mount Pleasant, Michigan, where I go to school, has a hot yoga studio. I consistently told myself I would sign up for a class, but then I would chicken out, always saying I couldn’t afford it or saying I didn’t have time. But finally, during my last semester of college, there were two spots left in Intro to Fitness Yoga and I thought to myself, “eff it” and registered.

I am not the calmest person. One of my dearest friends likes to refer to me as a “scared, shaky Chihuahua.” And that’s what I felt like about an hour before class. I didn’t know anyone in the class and I didn’t know what to expect. Although I knew it was going to be good for my anxiety, my depression, and my overall health. Luckily, I ran into my friend Sammie and told her I was on my way to class. She decided last second to register and go with me! I was so happy to not have to go alone.

When we got to the classroom and I was super intimidated by all of the mirrors on the wall. I was also intimidated by all of the lean mean, dancing machine students in the class. They all seemed to know each other. Once the class began, it turned out we were in the wrong class all together. Secretly relieved, we went to the correct classroom, where everyone was barefoot in a circle with the professor looking like he just came from Woodstock.

He talked about how everything we do can be yoga, and that yoga is about being transcendent. Yoga is about tackling life’s problems, not running away from them and opening a new lens to life, a lens to the unseen. As an atheist, it’s hard to grasp this, but I am looking forward to exploring this.

Although it was just syllabus day, we did some stretches and breathing exercises and I cannot wait for the next class. I am excited for this next adventure in the journey for self-care.