Downward facing dog with your dog, anyone?

Sure, yoga is all the rage right now.  Studios are popping up everywhere.  There are more and more specialized classes [downward facing dog with your dog, anyone?].  Even the clothes have become trendy for yogis and non-yogis alike.  So what’s all the rage?  What keeps pulling people back to their mat?

I remember my first class — badhha konasana and chata-what?  I was intrigued and greatly confused by this new language.  And I was likely the least flexible person in the class but no one seemed to care that I could barely touch my toes.  The instructor was calm and welcomed me with warmth.

I was hooked. I didn’t know exactly why [it felt weird to exercise without sweating profusely like I did on the soccer field], but I knew that I wanted to go back to my mat.

And back I went.  I quickly reaped many physical benefits.  My flexibility increased, my posture and digestion improved, I got stronger and my body finally got some much needed rest after years of running and soccer.  So I kept grabbing my mat and going back to class.

Gradually I became in tune with my body.  I hadn’t realized how disconnected I was.  But the reconnection was a beautiful gift.  I began to listen to my body — to know when to speed up and challenge myself and when to slow down and take rest [something previously very difficult for me].  I started paying more attention to the sensations in my body and could better discern when I was hungry and when I had enough to eat, when I needed more sleep or when I could keep going.

Clearly something was working well.  And the benefits kept coming.

I noticed that I had more mental clarity and focus on the days I practiced yoga.  My stress seemed more manageable after carving time out of my day to breathe and move and stretch on my mat.  It became easier to just “be” rather than to “go” or “do”.  I began to feel more at home in my body and my body, mind, and spirit started to sync.  And it was good, really good.

Now if I go a few days without practicing yoga, I feel it all over; my shoulders and hips get tight, my mood is not quite as pleasant, my mind is not as sharp and my soul is crying out for a little stillness.

So I go back to my mat.  I go back to my mat to step away from the busyness of this big, loud world and to connect – to connect my movement with my breath, my body with my mind and my spirit with my creator.

And to my great surprise and delight, I now have the pleasure of guiding others as they come to their mat.  You can find my class schedule and information at www.nepheshwellness.org.