Why I choose Yoga

Oh, where to begin?? Let’s start with why I choose to come to my yoga mat, over and over again.  My first experience with vinyasa yoga was through Tony Horton, the creator of P90x, an intense, extreme home workout program. Yes, I realize that this might sound silly. But, included in his program was a 90 minute vinyasa styled yoga DVD, so I did it…and I loved it! Soon thereafter, I went with a friend to a Bikram studio.. I liked it, but something was missing for me. Not long after that I went with another friend to her Power Vinyasa Flow studio in Sacramento. That was it! I fell in love!

At first, I think it was more about the killer workout, or as one of my teachers would call it, the yoga booty. She would say, “If you came to get the yoga booty, you came to the right place. But, keep coming back, and the yoga will sink in.” And she was correct. The yoga sunk in. I proceeded to tell as many family and friends as I could about yoga! “Yoga is awesome! You should come with me sometime,” I would say to them. Many of my friends, including my sister, did go with me, and continue to practice still. I am so grateful that they let me drag them to a class because I am pretty sure that if you asked any one of them, they would tell you that they don’t regret it.

On Left: Me, 24 years old, prior to embarking on my path to lead a healthy lifestyle, both mentally and physically.
On Right: Me, 30 years old, after my first pregnancy, and currently on my path of health & wellness.

The last couple years, my passion for yoga was solidified. I had a pretty solid practice when I got pregnant, so I knew that I would continue to practice throughout my pregnancy, and I consider this among one of the best decisions I had ever made. I practiced up until the day I went into labor (and I mean this literally)! I truly wanted to have a natural birth and a quick recovery, and I wholeheartedly believe that yoga helped me do that. I picked my practice back up about two weeks postpartum, easing back in, of course, but within a couple weeks, I felt like I had never even been pregnant. So, you might see why I am a huge advocate for yoga!

Now, obviously, I am not planning on running out and telling every pregnant woman that she should start doing yoga! But, I think there is something to be said about how your physical body can benefit from yoga. That being said, I want to touch upon how yoga’s teachings helped me during my labor. I believe that our society has brainwashed us to believe that childbirth is a hectic period of time where the woman is yelling and cussing at the father of the baby and nurses are running around everywhere and this is just how it is, thanks to Hollywood. I personally did not want it to be that way. I wanted my husband and I both to have a great experience. So, I channeled some of the key things that yoga has taught me. I used my breath as a tool, probably more than I have ever even used it in any one of my practices. I stayed in the present moment. I focused my energy on what I was doing at that moment. One of my favorite teachings since I have been practicing yoga is that the poses, the asana, the practice, they are just a metaphor for life. When the poses get hard, do you come out because your mind tells you that your body can’t handle it, or do you stay and breathe through the discomfort? When life gets hard and uncomfortable, do you run away or do you dig deep within yourself and stay? Since I couldn't exactly run away from having that little baby, I dug deep, deeper than I have ever had to go, and this was longer than a 75 minute Power Vinyasa Flow class, but I did it!

One month before I had my little one

After I had my daughter, I started going to the Akasha Hot Yoga Studio in Vacaville. I was thrilled that it was so much closer to home! Then I found out they were going to be starting their first teacher training program that summer. This was something I had always wanted to do, but never felt I could commit the time while working a Monday through Friday 8-5 job. But, apparently I could make time while working a Sunday through Saturday 24 hour job as a mom…haha! The joke was on me I guess…no, but really, with the support of my wonderful husband and family, I embarked on this journey in January 2013, and just wrapped up training in March, 9 weeks and 200 plus hours after starting. What an amazing, eye opening experience! My teachers and peers at our Akasha Davis Studio Teacher Training Winter 2013 were wonderful!

Sometimes, I don’t even know where to begin when I am explaining the benefits of yoga to someone. Where do I start? Do I explain the physical health benefits that they might gain, like relieve back pain, or strength building, or increased flexibility, and the list goes on? Or do I explain how yoga has been proven to help reduce anxiety, increase body awareness, decrease insomnia, or help alleviate stress? Or maybe I explain how yoga helps boost your confidence and helps you love yourself and others with less judgment? I could tell them some of these things, or maybe all of them, but more than anything, I know that if I can get them to try yoga for themselves, just once even, that I wouldn't have to tell them any of those things. They would experience it all for themselves.