Yoga

^^Three months ago I could barely lift a toe off the ground, then a couple weeks ago I was able to lift both feet off the ground. I was so excited I could have cried, I came home after class so excited to show Dave and of course I made him take my picture.^^

Now a lengthy post about why I love yoga.



I had just started getting into yoga when I found out I was pregnant. I tried to keep going with it but my constant morning sickness made it impossible to keep with the practice, or any other kind of work out for that matter. So through out my whole pregnancy I basically just counted walking to class as my workout which I was fine with until about a month before Rivers was born. I started to feel that itch for a good workout again, the exhaustion that comes from a good long run, I even started to dream about running.

Two months after the birth of Rivers I felt ready to start running again, I started slow knowing that since it had now been a year since I last worked out it would most likely be a shock to my body. I ran a quarter of a mile and first and worked up to a half and then decided I was done with running.


I knew I wanted to try Yoga again but at a real studio in a class with an instructor, not a DVD. But I put it off for a month. I was afraid to go alone and wasn't sure where to start. I looked up yoga classes in the area and they were either too expensive or too far away.

So when a friend of mine joined lifetime fitness, a monstrosity of a gym, I had her get me a two week pass and we tried the yoga classes there, from the very first minute of that very first class I was in love. In fact every time I go I find myself thinking "I love this" "this is amazing" I finally found the workout that I'm going to be able to stick with.

It's only been two months now and I'm obsessed. I so wish I had the time and the energy to go more than I do. Scheduling time to go with Rivers has been a challenge. The only morning classes they offer are at 5:30 a.m. and with a baby who doesn't sleep I'm not about to get up and go to a 5:30 a.m. class. So I only go at night which is precious family time so that only happens twice a week and one class on Saturday mornings.

I love how yoga is getting me back into shape but more importantly I love how it is healing me mentally. The first class I went to was three months after Rivers was born and it was the first time I had really been away away from the house and the baby to do something 100% for myself. Just that small time to myself made such a difference.  Up until that point all of my energy had been on being a Mom I felt like I didn't know who I was anymore, I was feeling a little gloomy and yoga has helped me escape.

I love Rivers and my family more than the whole world but I need that time to myself. To feel like Courtney to breath and just be.

The thing I love about Yoga is that you are so free on your mat, there is no right or wrong way to do yoga it's all about what your body needs. In class they are constantly teaching to focus on your body and to listen to what it is telling you.

It's all about the breath, linking the breath to the movement. It's so relaxing even though I'm working so hard and sweating like crazy (especially hot yoga) When I explain hot yoga to other people, I say it's like taking a shower in your own sweat. I am literally dripping everywhere in my own sweat it's crazy.

The best part of Yoga though is the very end, when we take the last pose called Shavasana or corpse pose. You lay down on your back and get as relaxed as possible, you don't focus on the breath or any movement. You just are. It's so incredibly relaxing, I love it!! For 10 or 15 minutes I am the most relaxed I have been all day or even all week depending on how good the class was, and I am able to re group my body and mind. I don't have to do anything but just be and it really has made such a difference in my life.

I could go on and on about yoga and this probably won't be the last post I write, but I mainly wrote this post to talk about the picture above. Like I said three months I could barely lift a toe off the ground. Then a couple weeks ago while trying this pose in class I was able to lift both my feet. Just when you think you aren't progressing all the sudden your body surprising you and boom your holding your body up on your arms. While I am no where close to what the actual pose is suppose to look like, I have made progress and that feels good. 

It will be interesting to see how I feel about yoga three months from now, I feel like every time I get on my mat I gain a greater understanding of what Yoga is to me and how it is helping me. Every class I learn something new not only about the practice of yoga but also about myself.

The End.