honor

Everyone's practice begins somewhere different. 

The first time I did yoga was in high school when my aerobics teacher decided that every Friday we would go into the smelly wrestling room to do sun salutation and meditate. For most kids, this was a free pass to sleep. For me, it was a struggle. At the time I was a sprinter on the track team and I felt I had too much energy to lie on the floor for 30 minutes. After I graduated, I dropped yoga and never looked back. 

Flash forward a few years later, I decided to make an appointment with my doctor. I had been feeling anxious, annoyed, sad, and alone. I sat in tears as he told me that anxiety and depression were a chemical imbalance and that I shouldn't feel guilty for this. He recommended a few different things; therapy, medication and  surprisingly, yoga. He promised me that the benefits could possibly rid me of anxiety and depression. I laughed at the idea--yoga had done nothing for me in the past. However, I was desperate and decided to give it a try. 

My sister was nice enough to go to my first class with me--a hot yoga class. I won't romanticize my experience. I struggled, I sweat, and I almost cried. But when we went into the final savasana, something the yoga instructor told us would become my mantra for the next few months. She whispered, "You can do hard things. You have proven that to yourself today. You are stronger than you ever imagined. Honor yourself." I left class that day sweaty, tired and rejuvenated. From that day on, I promised myself that I would honor my heart, my soul, and my body. 

When it comes down to it, we all deserve happiness. We deserve love and we deserve peace. Practicing yoga will heal your mentality if you allow it, and it will tell you what it told me: you deserve to be honored. 

"Yoga teaches us to cure what need not be endured and endure what cannot be cured." --BKS Iyengar