At 7:35 a.m. on a cold January morning, I sat on the floor of my high school’s workout room for my first class of the day, yoga. Bundled up and sleepy eyed I wished that I could be back home in my bed, but instead I sat surrounded by white brick walls and gossiping girls. It was the first day of the second semester of my third year in high school, and I wanted with all of my being to be anywhere but school. The previous semester had been so dark and downhearted, I had been hit hard with an intense case of the winter blues spending most of my time alone and brooding, so I held tight to the hope that the next few months would be better. Little did I know as I sat on that gym floor, my 7:35 a.m. yoga class would change my life for the better, forever.
Being a dancer for most of my life, I already had experience with extensive strength and flexibility exercises, so I assumed yoga would be nothing new or challenging. I quickly realized that yoga was far from easy and over the course of that semester I became more and more invested in perfecting each pose, and pushing myself to stretch farther, hold longer and try harder. I took my interest in yoga one step further by doing my own research and committing to daily practices at home, challenging myself to try different and more difficult poses. My body benefitted from this greatly. After doing a yoga practice, short or long, I felt strong and confident as well as relaxed and at peace with myself.
After a while I began to dive deeper into the mental and spiritual aspects of yoga, and this is where my love for meditation began. I began to learn the importance of connecting the breath and the body movements, taking time to set my intentions, clear my head, and rid myself of negative energy. Yoga and Meditation deeply affected my life, it brought me out of a dark place and filled me up with an immense sense of peace and love I’m sure I would’ve never experienced without that early morning high school yoga class.
Stereotypes and poor advertising lead many people to hold the assumption that yoga and meditation is strictly for Buddhist monks, hippies adorned with beads and dreads or the incredibly fit and flexible. While yoga does have religious, cultural and physical elements, it is so much more than any one of those things. Yoga is beneficial for anyone no matter how old, what religion or level of fitness. Yoga and meditation work to connect the breath and the body, clearing the mind while stretching and strengthening from the core to every limb, overall intertwining the mind and body. Once the mind and body are connected, the soul will begin to be affected as it receives calmness of the mind, energy from the body and an overall sense of positivity.
The exact science of just how yoga and meditation affect the mind, body and soul so profoundly is still a mystery, but nevertheless there are vast studies, research and personal accounts that it is amazingly impactful. I know from personal experience just how much practicing yoga and meditation have positively influenced my physical and mental well being as well as my spirit. Yoga and meditation is not something that people should shy away from if they feel they are not fitting into the typical yoga stereotype. Yoga is for everyone, anywhere at anytime. With the captivating elements of philosophy and psychology as well as the obvious physical benefits, yoga has the magnificent power to change the lives of individuals from the inside out. With the incredible ability to beautifully entangle the mind body and soul, what is stopping people from trying this seemingly magical practice? With nothing but positive benefits recorded why wouldn’t anyone give themselves the gift of energy and peace and so much more? Every individual should allow themselves to experience the life changing wonders of yoga and meditation.
