Why I Hated Yoga.

Me at twenty two years old playing Margot in The Merry Widow at The Houston Grand Opera.

What a waste of time I told myself as I lay on the floor at the end of my very first yoga class. I was reeling because I had come to the gym to workout, to sweat, to burn calories and I had made the stupid mistake of switching my usual “Body Pump” class to try out yoga. What was I thinking?

I was twenty two at the time and a professional dancer. I was used to sayings like “no pain, no gain”, “the faster the better” not lying on the floor for ten minutes at the end of class relaxing. Relaxing?!? What on earth was I going to gain from that? It would be another eleven years before I would return to yoga and every day I thank my lucky stars I did.

But what made twenty two year old me hate yoga? Why did I feel itchy in my own skin while sitting with my legs crossed, having to turn my attention to my breath? Why did I want to get up and leave when she asked us to lie in silence for ten minutes?

This is a very important question I have to ask myself now that I’m a yoga teacher. I’m sure I will have students who will attend my class for the first time and be looking for the nearest exit when asked to notice how they are feeling, and that’s okay. I truly believe you find yoga when you are ready for it. When it’s time for you to slow down and look inward, yoga will be there for you.

Now, don’t get me wrong. Yoga is physically challenging, it can be tough, sweaty and calorie burning but the beauty of yoga is it’s not just a workout for your body but a workout for your soul and twenty two year old Laura was just not quite ready for that.

I wasn’t ready to find peace, contentment, and self-awareness. I had stuff to do!

But for the past seven years yoga has felt like a giant hug that has wrapped its arms around my life whispering “Don’t worry I’m here to help now.” And that’s exactly what it does - it helps. It helps with the little things and the big things. It helps with the every day running of life, the every day ups and downs. It helps with the massive life questions and the massive life altering decisions.

So yoga is more than a keep fit class. Yes, it gives you flexibility, strength and balance but it gives you these three benefits not just physically but mentally and spiritually too. It’s a workout for your life.

I wanted to share this with you in case you have tried yoga before and felt the way I did in my first class, itchy and annoyed! But you never know, maybe it is time for you to try again. Maybe try a different teacher or a different class and find the right practice for you. There may be a time in your life where you will need to be strong physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually, and how nice would it be to have that giant hug wrapped around you whispering “Don’t worry I’m here to help now.”

If you live near Alne and want to find out more about my live class visit my website (link in the comments below). Or if you fancy some online yoga then sign up on my website and I will keep you posted of my future plans. I have something exciting in the pipeline that I can’t wait to tell you about.

Namaste,

Laura x