7 Reasons to Start Doing Yoga Now, From Someone Who Took Her First Yoga Class This Morning

I woke up this morning for a yoga class that started at 6:45AM. I could no longer stand the sight of my brand new yoga mat chilling in my apartment still rolled up in its original plastic wrapping. This yoga mat was long overdue for some serious sweat stains.

My first session only had two other students, and was a mixed level class. I realize more than ever today that I am about as elastic as a rock when it comes to stretching my limbs.

While the other students gracefully unfolded themselves into different yoga poses like human origami, I found my relaxed face contorting into a frustrated grimace as I awkwardly and painfully stretched muscles I never realized before existed. My instructor came by often to push, pull and knead my hip bones, arms, legs, elbows, hands and feet to the correct position.

And I loved every second of it. While I felt awkward and uncertain and somewhat embarrassed by my lack of physical coordination 95% of the time, the other 5% contained uncanny moments of synchronicity when my breathing truly lead the gentle energy flow for the rest of my body movements to follow. Those few magical moments are enough for me to understand why yoga truly has the power to change your life.

Something profound happens when we teach ourselves to twist and shape our bodies into so many strange and unfamiliar positions. By configuring our bodies into different ways from what we are used to, perhaps then we can also open our minds to new and enlightened perspectives we have never before dreamed possible.

So from the perspective of someone who is looking forward to starting yoga for the rest of her life starting today, here are my seven reasons for why you should start doing yoga now.

1. You learn to swallow your pride. After this yoga class, I realize it’s been a while since I’ve struggled with a new skill. It also makes me realize how much more I need to be flexible, physically stronger and more coordinated. It gives me the determination to learn more and get better at it.

2. You want to treat your body better. I feel like if I am making the time and money investment to take yoga classes, I should make the investment in other ways to stay healthy. Such as biking more, eating healthier and giving myself a full body massage when I really need it.

3. You want to be more patient with other people when your instructor is patient with you. I have so much gratitude for my yoga instructor who had to juggle leading a class with two experienced yoga students and one completely clueless never-done-yoga-ever-in-her-life student. This makes me want to show more patience for others if I ever want to teach them a new skill.

4. It makes your weekdays more fun and eventful. My Tuesdays and Thursdays are now a whole lot less boring with the new addition of a yoga class.

5. You learn a whole new culture and language. I cannot wait until I can rattle off the different yoga terms with ease and actually know what they mean.

6. You may consciously or subconsciously inspire someone else to do yoga, too! A curious family member, friend or co-worker may just start, and creating a chain reaction of heightened interest in physical health, mental health and spiritual health in this world is always a good thing. My boyfriend already is excited to attend a class with me for free since he is curious about the yoga practice I just started. It also helps that at this particular studio, bringing a friend to class means that my next class can be taken for free!

7. This goes without saying… you feel GREAT afterwards. Now I understand why yoga people are so nuts about it. You truly get a yoga high when you are done.

Want to learn more about yoga? Excited to start at your local studio but now sure where to begin? Check out our Intent 101: Start a Yoga Practice for recommendations on books, online resources, Intent Voices and other practical tips that will get your body moving and your mind expanding.

 PHOTO (cc): Flickr / mikecpeck