I finally stepped in… with yoga

I started taking yoga classes.

I love it!

Now, don’t you worry, I haven’t broken up with running. But I needed a fresh start. 2014 was a tough year (too much work, too little me-time). I got sick. I disliked my life.  Actually, I did not dislike my life. I did some amazing things in 2014, but I was stressed. And I could no longer live this way. So I sat down with myself and tried to find a way to decrease the stress I felt.

I realized pretty quickly that my running added to the stress I was feeling. I ran 14 races last year (and I loved running those!), but they felt like they were just a distraction from my stress. Giving me a moment not to think about work. But I wasn’t dealing with the stress or finding ways to improve my life/work situation. I was just distracting myself.

Towards the end of the year I finally said,

“No. This can’t go on this way. I am burned out.”

And the universe answered. I live near a yoga studio that I pass by 3-4 times a week. I finally stepped in. And that very first yoga class was a revelation that I wasn’t expecting. I picked a Yin-Yoga (restorative yoga) class by pure coincidence (the universe may raise an eyebrow here) and I could feel the tension leave my body. One of the emotions that surfaced during this first class was anger. I didn’t know I had anger in me. Just feeling it changed everything. I let the anger leave my body through the yoga mat. I can’t explain this in any other way. Something changed in me. I was able to let go. Let go of the tension I felt. Let go of the anger I felt. Taking a deep breath and starting fresh with a different view on my priorities. Specifically, making taking care of myself a priority.

Here we are about 2 months in to my new yoga practices and I still love it. I am still running and I have a race coming up in 2 weeks (Austin half marathon). Having both running as a physical stress reliever (distractor?) and yoga as an inward-looking stress reliever has helped me get off the stress-wagon and feel more balanced and mindful.

Have you tried yoga? How do you like it?