In the past, I have had a strange relationship with yoga, and exercise in general. In high school, I played basketball and softball for quite a long time, both in and out of school. I've been a horseback rider for 18 years of my life, and still ride when I can. Other than that, I will become an occasional running addict, especially in the summer, but don't consider myself a runner since I give it up the second it goes below 40 degrees. I try to stay active all year round, but find it hard in the winter.
My first real encounter with yoga wasn't until college, when I took a course in Vinyasa Flow Yoga for credit. It was pretty basic, but a good place to start and extremely informative. Although I really did enjoy waking up to an 8:30 yoga class rather than history, I didn't take the initiative to continue practicing after I graduated. Now and then, I'd pull out my old mat to see what I could do, but without a structured class I lacked the motivation to practice regularly.
Enter graduate school... and with it, lots of coursework, late nights, unpaid internships, and TONS of stress. By the end of my first year, I had wound myself up pretty tight. My perspective of using every waking minute of the day until sleep for homework, internship hours, and side jobs did not bode well for my anxiety. By the first semester of my second year (last fall), I had reached a breaking point. I took a leap of faith - quit my second and third jobs, and signed up for yoga.
My first real encounter with yoga wasn't until college, when I took a course in Vinyasa Flow Yoga for credit. It was pretty basic, but a good place to start and extremely informative. Although I really did enjoy waking up to an 8:30 yoga class rather than history, I didn't take the initiative to continue practicing after I graduated. Now and then, I'd pull out my old mat to see what I could do, but without a structured class I lacked the motivation to practice regularly.
Enter graduate school... and with it, lots of coursework, late nights, unpaid internships, and TONS of stress. By the end of my first year, I had wound myself up pretty tight. My perspective of using every waking minute of the day until sleep for homework, internship hours, and side jobs did not bode well for my anxiety. By the first semester of my second year (last fall), I had reached a breaking point. I took a leap of faith - quit my second and third jobs, and signed up for yoga.
I had a few months of experience with yoga quite a few years ago, but definitely far from considering myself a "yogi." That's when I found Yoga District, a community-run yoga studio with locations throughout D.C. To be completely honest, I picked Yoga District because of its incredibly low monthly fee, and not based on anything I knew about the kind of yoga that was taught. Turns out this was the perfect place for me. I couldn't be happier with the variety of levels, range in different practices, and overall welcoming atmosphere that Yoga District provides.
I look forward to yoga every week more and more. I see myself improve quite quickly, and it gives me something to strive toward outside my job or graduate degree. I feel myself getting stronger and more flexible everyday, and have already succeeded in holding three new poses I never thought I could do (Birds of Paradise, Crow Pose, and Peacock Pose) in just my first two months of renewed practice.
This rediscovery has done wonders for my sleep, energy, health, and mood. I have lost some income without my other jobs in lieu of yoga, but I couldn't begin to explain how much better my life has been with that switch. It has helped me realize that not only is money not the most important thing, but scheduling time for myself is just as important (if not more so) to help me succeed in my career and graduate program... and a happy life!
This rediscovery has done wonders for my sleep, energy, health, and mood. I have lost some income without my other jobs in lieu of yoga, but I couldn't begin to explain how much better my life has been with that switch. It has helped me realize that not only is money not the most important thing, but scheduling time for myself is just as important (if not more so) to help me succeed in my career and graduate program... and a happy life!