Moving from CrossFit athlete to Zen yogi, here’s my personal experience of how I started yoga at home and stuck with it…
My yoga journey began a year ago when I decided to start syncing my exercises with my menstrual cycle. I’ll be honest with you, as someone who has always loved intense, sweaty, fast-paced workouts, yoga was my idea of exercise hell. But as I was on a mission to take better care of my body and balance my hormones, I knew I had to find the yin to my yang.
I first discovered the benefits of yoga in 2020 after attending a yoga class with my friend Holly. It was a 1.5 hour yoga flow (you can only imagine the fear I felt before) and it was, to this day, probably one of the best flows I’ve experienced . I came away nourished – both in my mind and my body – and almost as if I had been cared for, while moving my body in a strange and wonderful way that I had never moved before.
So when I decided to finally start yoga at home, I already knew how good yoga could make me feel. I just had to get out there and commit to it! Unlike the gym, my problem was that I had trouble showing up on my yoga mat when I intended to. It wasn’t because I was lazy or didn’t like the idea of doing it at home, I struggled to find a pace that I enjoyed, whilst also struggling with little structure. So how did I do it? Well, let’s go, shall we?
I have no expectations
First, let go of any expectations you may have. The worst thing you can do when you start yoga is get into the mentality that on such and such a date you should feel like this and look like that. Well, let’s forget that. Instead, allow yourself to completely let go and accept how yoga will make you feel over the next few weeks.
Have an understanding of yoga
Having a basic understanding of yoga as a practice will not only help you with the above, but will also help you understand how to breathe, think, and act during your flows. Having a basic understanding of poses will also help you get started with your first flow so you can piece together each pose for your first flow. My advice though is not to worry too much about how you look in each pose, but rather how you feel. Following a basic YouTube video is a great place to start!
Create a relationship with your breathing
I remember when I first started yoga and Holly told me that she didn’t really connect with her flow until she understood the connection her breathing had with her poses. Of course, at the time I had no idea what she was saying, but when I finally got around to it, that’s when I really developed a love for yoga.
Understanding the importance of your breathing in yoga is crucial to reaping its benefits. Being aware of how you breathe during your flow will allow you to connect to the subtle energy within. Additionally, breathing also has a powerful effect on our mental, physical and emotional state, which yoga can absolutely harness.
Join a free program on YouTube
Having a gym membership and paying for additional yoga classes wasn’t an option for me, so I decided to commit to a free yoga program on YouTube to free in the comfort of my own home. I honestly believe that because I joined a free 30 day yoga program (I love yoga with Adriene) it gave me the motivation to keep going because everything was planned out for me. Of course, you need to find the right instructor for you before committing to the challenge, but once you do, it’s a great way for you to get started.
Find a yoga teacher you vibe with
As I just mentioned, finding a yoga teacher that you love and enjoy is very important when it comes to yoga and being able to stick with it. I would totally recommend identifying the type of yoga flow you enjoy and the benefits you would like to see from your daily yoga sessions. Once you do this, you will have a better understanding of what you want to get from each instructor.
For example, when I first started yoga, I didn’t like slow classes and instructors who focused heavily on mindfulness. However, now I love it. So, instructors that I didn’t have a vibe with initially are now go-to instructors because my mindset and goals have totally changed over the last year.
Typing your keywords (e.g. goals and flow style) into YouTube with “yoga” can help you find the right instructor for you! And when in doubt, Google the best YouTube yoga instructors!
Have you ever tried yoga? I would like to know if you prefer studio streams or home streams. Let me know in the comments below!
Ps, you can buy my outfit at adidas. [ad/pr products]
Disclaimer: This article sponsored by adidas.
