I love yoga. I love how it makes me feel physically and mentally, how it improves my wellbeing and gives me time to focus on the present moment.
My first class took place at uni back in 2005. It was a form of Hatha Yoga in a cramped room with a charming teacher. The only thing I remember is that he kept telling me to push my bum in and I couldn’t. I kind of left my desire to practice yoga there and then.
Since then I have attended a few different yoga classes but nothing I connected to that made me stay. Three years ago I started practicing yoga at home by following YouTube videos, so I have a grasp of the basic poses but I’m now at the point where I’m ready to pursue this further.
I recently started a weekly class which I absolutely love – I leave there so happy, energised and full of positive intentions. This is probably a result of a wonderful teacher!
I love the feeling of stretching my core muscles, focusing and challenging myself to grow into new postures and poses. I love the deep breathing and meditation exercises in yoga which have become a huge part of my coping strategy for anxiety and stress. I also love the healthy lifestyle yoga brings, it motivates me to be a better person in all aspects of my life. I follow You Tube videos quite a lot and they’re fantastic for helping me if I am feeling particularly anxious – mostly just before I travel, in which case I’ll do yoga 4-5 times a week at home.