Exhibit A

The number one comment I hear when I tell people I am working towards my yoga teacher certification is something like,

"Oh that's awesome! ..."

{wait for it}

"... I could never do yoga because I'm not flexible!"

{and most times followed by}

"..I can't even touch my toes!"

Time and time again this happens. Why toe-touching is the golden standard for flexibility, I'm not really sure. As if it is the final benchmark to tell you that you've made it to being flexible. For me, yoga isn't really about flexibility but I guess it has helped me a lot. Certain poses do require a certain amount of bendy-ness, but it is so much more! It's listening to your body, connecting through movement, increasing range of motion through breath,etc. etc. I can't help but think how much some people miss out because they see that as a barrier!

BUT. I have a little something to say on the matter.

My husband Justin has been so awesome at supporting me in becoming a yoga instructor. He has been excited as I've told him what I've learned, asks me to lead him in some poses after a run, he bought me Om earrings for my birthday, and has really been my first student. With all the running we did all summer, it has been one of the simplest ways to incorporate yoga into our week! Justin started out as many people do, "not being able to touch his toes." He's tall with long arms and legs so I don't really blame him--that's a lot to work with! He's athletic, having played lacrosse in high school and now enjoying long distance running. We joke that flexibility is the one thing I've got on him!

Well. Last month we were enjoying a soak in the hot tub, chatting about how a friend had made this exact comment earlier in the day, when Justin proceeded to hop out of the hot tub and show me that he could absolutely touch his toes and then some.

My jaw literally dropped. This was AMAZING! I have known Justin for eight years and have been married to him for more than 18 months now, so the fact that he had improved his flexibility enough since March to be able to touch his toes was incredibly encouraging! THAT is something to be said to all those who say they can't reach their toes! I'm so proud of him, and extremely thankful that he's willing to be my student and in turn teach me about progress.

Just because you are temporarily incapable of doing something in life does not mean you never will. Consistent, focused efforts go a long way. This applies to way more than your fingers and toes being able to hang out on the ground together, although that is pretty cool, too!

In fact, let's just give it a stamp of approval while we're here. Yoga can help you become flexible enough to touch your toes!

Now if only I had been paying attention to who I heard that from so I could track them down and get them going with some yoga...

 

www.gobodhiyoga.com

Yoga at the Y

My husband is a pre-med student and I don't know why I didn't know this until now, but his university offers free yoga classes to students and their spouses. Wow! I decided to see what it was like, and even though I've been to many classes, it still amazed me how jittery I felt walking to a new class in a new location with a teacher I don't know. Even with my training as an instructor I was a little nervous walking in! How many other people would be there? Was I supposed to bring my own mat? What room was it in on the fifth floor? Were they doing a series of classes that I would be barging in on? Of course as soon as I got there and rolled a mat out (which they did provide!) I was immediately comfortable and so glad I went! It was a great reminder of that 'new student' feeling that it is important to be sensitive of as a teacher. A perfect lesson in compassion.

The morning sun was pleasantly shining through the east windows and we did a sun salutation that was just as welcoming. I love trying new classes and getting to experience another teacher's style!

www.gobodhiyoga.com

Stamp of Approval: Running

Along this yoga journey of mine, I have been a bit overwhelmed by all the yoga information out in the world. Yoga is EVERYWHERE! There is a huge amount of merchandise, ideas, styles, equipment, studios, health claims, etc. etc. etc. and it can be crazy trying to sort through all of it.

I had the greatest idea during my marathon last Saturday: instead of working through all the information out there about what yoga can or can't do for you, I can put it to the test in certain areas myself. I love and sincerely appreciate what other sources have to say about certain benefits, but the best advice or wisdom I can give will come through my own experiences.

I have had the most rewarding experience training for a marathon with the use yoga to relax and restore. I touched on this in a previous post, but I wanted to give the update! I was blessed to run 26.2 miles last weekend and only have typical muscle soreness afterwards. I saw people whose bodies were so tired they were forced sit down and rest, hobble across the finish line, and I believe a few were even rushed away in ambulances! Of course our training was the number 1 thing that helped us get to the finish line, but my husband and I are confident that yoga was a big contributing factor. I am happy to say that I can confidently (and strongly!) recommend yoga for anyone who runs! The marathon is sort of the race to do for most runners, having maybe done shorter runs but really looking for a challenge. And let's be honest, I was a little excited to finish it just for the bucket list's sake. It was the most physically, mentally, and emotionally tough thing I have ever done in my life. It took everything I had to complete that race. It was crazy and exhausting but to have trained and raced injury free? Totally worth it, and definitely an attainable goal for anyone who just knows that a 26.2 mile race waits for them in the future. You need to pair the training with yoga, though! I don't know when my next marathon will be, but I know there will be another and there will be plenty of yoga to go along with it.

So there's my first stamp of approval. Yoga is great for marathon training. But one thing marathon training has distracted from is my strength training. I love lifting weights and feeling myself get stronger, and this unfortunately has taken a backseat to the hours of running our training has required. We have literally been training since April! Now I would like to see what yoga can do for strength. This should be exciting!

www.gobodhiyoga.com