Hike & Flow

My first yoga class was at a 24 hour fitness when I was 16 years old. I was in sports and would frequent the local gym to strength train. My first yoga experience was so enjoyable that I decided to try a couple hot yoga sessions at the yoga studio in town. I remember these hot yoga classes the most vividly because of how life changing they were. I had never experienced such a deep calmness and feeling of clarity before.

This experience was during a time in my life where anxiety was at a high. My high school days were very stressful because I was dealing with a lot of social anxiety and depression. When I found yoga, my life began to change.

Most people associate yoga with an increase in flexibility but really yoga is not about stretching. In fact, in the ancient Indian texts where yoga is first mentioned, there are no physical postures. Yoga is more so about introspection and meditation. Connecting to a place within ourselves that is eternal and found within all of nature.

As we celebrate I reflect on the ways yoga continues to change my life even after 15 years of practice. Some benefits I’ve received from my yoga practice are:

🧘‍♀️Reduction in Anxiety
🧘‍♀️ Stress Relief
🧘‍♀️ Physical Well-being
🧘‍♀️Mental Clarity
🧘‍♀️ Feeling Connected

If you haven’t experienced yoga before or are of the few that might have experienced a bad instructor, I encourage you to give it another shot. Maybe buy a book about yoga and read more about it to start.

Some book recommendations I have are:

📚The Bhagavad Gita by Eknath Easwaran
📚Yoga and the path of the Urban Mystic by Darren Main
📚Wheels of Life by Anodea Judith, PH.D.

Now more than ever we need yoga to strengthen our connection to ourselves and the world around us.🌎

“They live in wisdom who see themselves in all and all in them, who have renounced every selfish desire and sense craving tormenting the heart.” -The Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 2:55

We always have a choice, choose love and acceptance 🌄

My new home 🌄 1,000 miles away from where I’ve been the last 30 years of my life but a new adventure was calling and we went for it.

Sometimes in life we’re presented a fork in the road and it’s easier to just stay on the same trail. It’s familiar and comfortable. But taking the other path has tremendous benefits, it pushes you into new places where you never thought existed. I’m speaking about both inside and outside your mind.

This new discovery made me realize a lot of things that I didn’t see before like what I truly value in life. If you’re unsure about which direction to take, let this be your sign to do what scares you. Overcoming that fear leads to the answer. 🧘‍♀️

A yoga practice that focuses on stabilizing your body is a yoga practice that is sustainable. People often seek out yoga to improve flexibility but this is dangerous for the body and can lead to instability. Stabilizing your body and honoring your natural range of motion is crucial to do while practicing yoga. Naturally and with time, your range of motion will improve.

Move through your yoga flow with stability⚖️ . . . #yogaforeveryone #yogaathome #yoga #fitness