With or Without Yoga
Jan 3rd, 2009 by Naama
As a child of the 80’s, I grew up associating fitness with aerobic dance classes, a trend that much like the rest of that unfortunate decade was incredibly tacky. I was horrified by the hyper instructors who looked like they were on speed, the awful upbeat music, ugly bubble-gum colored outfits and most of all by the need to follow the quick movements or else bump into a herd of angry looking blonds.
It’s easy to see what a joy it was to discover yoga during my high school years. Oh, to take a nap at the end of a workout! What more can you ask for? Well, apparently, quite a bit: Soft music and soft spoken instructors, small classes with a variety of people, each progressing at their own individual pace. Yes, you still see people who feel a need to invest in expensive outfits and accessories, but many just go for comfortable rags.
Yet, I didn’t fully appreciate what Yoga had to offer until I got to India. For the first time in my life I practiced yoga not once a week for an hour, but 6 days a week for 3 hours each day. All of a sudden I saw it in a whole new light. If before yoga was just a relaxing workout, all of a sudden it became a way of life. It’s quite incredible to feel your body transform within a week and to manage things that seemed impossible up to that point.
It’s true that most people can’t find the time to practice for hours every day while juggling daily obligations, but taking even a few minutes to relax, breathe properly and pay some attention to your body can make a real difference.
