When I did my first yoga teacher training 10 years ago, I had to answer this question on my mid-term:

“What to you does it mean to do yoga?”

When I first started doing yoga, I was surprised that the biggest benefit was mindfulness.

I love telling people why I do yoga because (well, I have ADHD, I love sharing everything — lol!) But I extra love to share this because I find that a lot of people resist doing yoga because they think it has to be done with a quiet mind or that yoga for really bendy people or that if your mind wanders (or goes crazy!) during a yoga class, then there’s no point continuing. But there are so many amazing, unseen benefits to doing yoga that I hope my sharing may give someone a reason to find how yoga can work for you.

I was always pretty flexible as child and could still do headstands and cartwheels as an adult, but I never was interested in doing yoga.

I started working outat home in the mid ’90’s because I’d just had my 4th baby and it just wasn’t doable for me at that point to take them in the jogging stoller or on a bike ride all together. If we did, it was more for fun than for me to count it as a workout. So I started buying fitness videos and over the years, I loved trying different fitness trends like Step, Spin, Kettlebells, HIIT, and Pilates.

When I first heard about yoga videos, I resisted. But my cousin told me she liked Power Yoga, so I decided to try it. Bryan Kest and Baron Baptiste were my go-to yoga in the mornings for years, still doing my other workouts, but with yoga came greater meaning, a greater impact on the rest of my day.

When I did yoga, it somehow affected me deeply and I longed to share it with others. So for at least 10 years, I started volunteering to teach yoga at the school, church, summer camps, womens groups. I invited friends to come over and do yoga a few times a week. It made me happy to share it and they loved it, too.

Back to my mid-term question though, once I was at the point of deciding to get certified and understand yoga better, this is how I explained to my yoga trainer what yoga meant for me:

“For me, to do yoga is to explore my body and my mind simultaneously. There are many forms of exercise that I love, but none of them resonate with me beyond the class time like yoga does. When I do yoga, I am able to release my mind throughout the asanas (postures or poses) and through the breath. I am able to explore where my mind tends to go and either redirect or or loosen it. This is quite a freeing experience for me and I always enjoy it. It separates me from my usual day and my usual thought patterns.
At the same time, I am able to find yoga poses that challenge me, make me push myself in ways that I don’t always welcome, and discover that I can do more than I realize. I also find much pleasure in the release that happens in a deep lengthening poses, especially in seated hip openers and back bends.

I especially find joy and peace when I allow all that I’d done in my yoga practice to resonate in my body in that blissful final resting pose.

After I’ve finished my yoga practice, yoga extends beyond the mat for me. I learn lessons through each experience on the mat that I carry with me throughout the day.

I learn to let go when I might normally hang onto tension or unfruitful thoughts.

I am able to step away from my thoughts to explore what is happening before I continue to react.

I am able to slow my breathing and enjoy the moments of each day much more.”

If you haven’t clicked with yoga in the past, try a different style of yoga or doing yoga with a different teacher. Yoga is more about recognizing what’s happening inside your body and mind and possibly processing that or maybe even just letting it all go.

When I did my first yoga teacher training 10 years ago, I had to answer this question on my mid-term:

“What to you does it mean to do yoga?”

When I first started doing yoga, I was surprised that the biggest benefit was mindfulness.

I love telling people why I do yoga because (well, I have ADHD, I love sharing everything — lol!) But I extra love to share this because I find that a lot of people resist doing yoga because they think it has to be done with a quiet mind or that yoga for really bendy people or that if your mind wanders (or goes crazy!) during a yoga class, then there’s no point continuing. But there are so many amazing, unseen benefits to doing yoga that I hope my sharing may give someone a reason to find how yoga can work for you.

I was always pretty flexible as child and could still do headstands and cartwheels as an adult, but I never was interested in doing yoga.

I started working outat home in the mid ’90’s because I’d just had my 4th baby and it just wasn’t doable for me at that point to take them in the jogging stoller or on a bike ride all together. If we did, it was more for fun than for me to count it as a workout. So I started buying fitness videos and over the years, I loved trying different fitness trends like Step, Spin, Kettlebells, HIIT, and Pilates.

When I first heard about yoga videos, I resisted. But my cousin told me she liked Power Yoga, so I decided to try it. Bryan Kest and Baron Baptiste were my go-to yoga in the mornings for years, still doing my other workouts, but with yoga came greater meaning, a greater impact on the rest of my day.

When I did yoga, it somehow affected me deeply and I longed to share it with others. So for at least 10 years, I started volunteering to teach yoga at the school, church, summer camps, womens groups. I invited friends to come over and do yoga a few times a week. It made me happy to share it and they loved it, too.

Back to my mid-term question though, once I was at the point of deciding to get certified and understand yoga better, this is how I explained to my yoga trainer what yoga meant for me:

“For me, to do yoga is to explore my body and my mind simultaneously. There are many forms of exercise that I love, but none of them resonate with me beyond the class time like yoga does. When I do yoga, I am able to release my mind throughout the asanas (postures or poses) and through the breath. I am able to explore where my mind tends to go and either redirect or or loosen it. This is quite a freeing experience for me and I always enjoy it. It separates me from my usual day and my usual thought patterns.
At the same time, I am able to find yoga poses that challenge me, make me push myself in ways that I don’t always welcome, and discover that I can do more than I realize. I also find much pleasure in the release that happens in a deep lengthening poses, especially in seated hip openers and back bends.

I especially find joy and peace when I allow all that I’d done in my yoga practice to resonate in my body in that blissful final resting pose.

After I’ve finished my yoga practice, yoga extends beyond the mat for me. I learn lessons through each experience on the mat that I carry with me throughout the day.

I learn to let go when I might normally hang onto tension or unfruitful thoughts.

I am able to step away from my thoughts to explore what is happening before I continue to react.

I am able to slow my breathing and enjoy the moments of each day much more.”

If you haven’t clicked with yoga in the past, try a different style of yoga or doing yoga with a different teacher. Yoga is more about recognizing what’s happening inside your body and mind and possibly processing that or maybe even just letting it all go.