Yoga Session #1

September 15, 2021

Yoga Session #1

I have been doing various types of yoga intermittently throughout my life since 2009. With that being said, I am far from being an expert because I can barely remember half of the stuff I learned. I have always incorporated yoga poses and stretches into my routine when my stress levels are high and I feel lots of tension in my body. Although I do not always remember the name of the poses that I practice, I find them beneficial even if I am not taking a formal yoga class of some kind. Every time I revisit yoga after not practicing for some time, I get mad at myself because I feel the progress I lost. So then I get back into it for a little while, then stop again, and it is just a vicious cycle. 

I wanted to keep it simple and effortless for my first practice, so I decided to practice various poses and stretches to warm up the body. I like to start my practice by playing nature sounds in the background and lighting up incense. I set up my yoga mat in the living room because I like the amount of natural light the room gets. Although I was not taking a formal class, I trusted my body to remember poses that made me feel good in the past. 

I focused my attention on my breath, allowing gravity to push me further into the stretch or pose I was practicing. I noticed how bad my posture has gotten, and my body is a lot tenser than I have experienced in the past. I felt the tightness throughout every inch of my body. As I relaxed my body deeper into each stretch, I felt and heard my bones snapping, crackling, and popping. When I finished my practice, I realized how much I slacked off this past year and a half with my overall health. I felt disappointed, but I also felt motivated because I am confident yoga will improve my wellbeing.