Happy Wellness Wednesday to my beautiful friends! I am so excited for today’s blog because it is something that is important to me and I also have a very awesome lady that I am interviewing today. I feel like it is important to find some form of exercise that you enjoy. Whether it is something slower paced or a high intense work out class, find something that gets you up and moving. I started to get into yoga a while back and then took a break. It was not until I ended up being hospitalized for inflammatory bowel issues that I stared looking into natural ways to heal my body and help it. After some research, I found how great yoga is for many reasons. I started talking to my beautiful friend Katie about yoga and she helped guide me into some different avenues to start practicing yoga at home.
Katie is going to give us some amazing advice about the practice of yoga and what it has done for her. Just to give a little back story on Katie and I’s relationship, we met through my cousin and she is one of the most kind, loving, helpful souls that I have met. She has been such an amazing addition to our family and my son loves her! I am so thankful for my friendship with her and that she was willing to open up about her yoga journey. She is an amazing lady to have your corner and I think you will enjoy reading about her story and journey.
I wanted Katie to start out by introducing herself and tell us about she got started on her yoga journey:
I recently moved to Ohio from Florida. Although Ohio is beautiful and has a lot to offer, it’s not home yet. Dealing with winters was certainly a challenge for me, amongst many others. Despite the drastic change in scenery, I was struggling with several other emotions. It felt like a new challenge was waiting for me around every corner. After only a few months of yoga I am starting to realize that many of these difficulties can be conquered! When I first started yoga, I was feeling down about myself, my career, and the way I looked. I used to run every day and work several jobs. I had many friends and a giant support system that I’m so grateful for! But here, it felt like I needed to find some sort of peace for myself. I needed to learn to deal with being alone in a new place while dealing with family struggles that were 1100 miles away. It was hard for me to find the motivation to even go for a walk or even start running again. I truly felt helpless and alone. One day I decided to try yoga for the third attempt in my life. This time I decided to take my time and ease into it. My goal was to be more flexible and give myself time to let go of my daily stress. The more I stuck with my 30 day challenge the more I began to feel results. By day 15, I felt like yoga was finally something that I could stick with. I started to feel better about myself, my body and coping with any challenges thrown at me that day. Instead of breaking down I began to tell myself it’s okay. I was learning that you can’t always control what happens to you, but you can control how you react to it. I’ve also come to learn that my fierce self-worth was something that people used to admire about me. For a while I did not see that in myself anymore. I once was and still am, a very strong and confident person who is always capable of handling situations with ease and continuing to push forward. But even the strong break down from time to time. I started yoga because every day I was slowly breaking down. I continued to do yoga because it was the one thing that made me feel better both physically and emotionally, and all it cost me was 20-30 minutes a day. I may still be struggling with a lot and I certainly still have room to grow. But today is better than yesterday and I am grateful for yoga for helping me to see this.
As I mentioned earlier, I think that it is very important not only for our physical, but mental health as well to find a form of exercise that we enjoy doing. I asked Katie what makes yoga a great form of exercise to incorporate into your routine:
Yoga is an incredible form of exercise! It allows you to go at your own pace, encourages you to push yourself only as much as you see fit in that moment, teaches you to be patient with your success and it guarantees you results both physically and mentally. Since I began doing yoga, I can now control a push-up all the way through at a very slow pace and my neck and back issues have almost completely gone away. My legs, arms, and core as so much stronger in just 4 months! For weeks I stood on the scale and saw no change, but I continued yoga because I felt better overall. Finally, I decided to measure my body rather than pay attention to the number on the scale. I was incredibly surprised by the results! I lost 2” in my bust, waist, and hips in a short amount of time. I wasn’t losing pounds because I was gaining muscle! Yoga has taught me that even though I am not a flexible person, I can slowly work on getting better at it. Seeing results in my body, strength, flexibility, and mentality are all reasons why I look forward to this 30-minute session every day that I have committed to as my stress reliever.
Next Katie explains to us what you can gain from yoga besides strength and flexibility:
By practicing yoga as a beginner, you can expect to gain confidence in yourself and your capabilities. You can also expect to find peace. This may not come with one or two sessions of yoga but if you stick with it you will certainly come to find it on your own. With practice you will notice that you’re breathing better. If you often have headaches that come from muscle tension you will notice that they now come more sparingly than they once did. There are also a few things you won’t notice. For example, I have high blood pressure and I have been battling to maintain it for years. Running did not help it, diets did not help it, and medication only helped a little bit. Yoga has lowered my blood pressure down to normal levels which I have never seen before, nor did I ever expect. Besides the physical changes you will see in your body there will be many others that will go unnoticed. You’ll stand up a little taller, your core will feel tighter, and you’ll probably begin to tell everyone you know about the benefits of yoga without realizing you’ve bombarded them for five minutes. Lol But seriously, if you’re like me and you’re searching for the smallest glimpse of inner peace, then yoga is a great outlet for getting started in the right direction.
A lot of people love the meditation and spiritual aspect of yoga. Katie explains to us whether she enjoys this or not:
I am the type of person who is constantly moving and thinking. I usually match the energy of a ten-year-old. It’s rare that I sit down and relax because it’s in my nature to just keep moving. Meditation was not something I could ever see myself participating in. Yoga has shown me how to meditate without even realizing I was doing it. I have come to learn how important meditation is for our mental health. No matter who we are or at what pace we’re most productive, we all need time to slow down and catch our breath. The meditation aspect of yoga is like hitting a refresh button on your day no matter what time of day it is that you do your practice. At first, the moments of mediation were very difficult for me to sit still and I began to get antsy with sitting still for longer than ten seconds. Now, not only am I more capable of sitting still for longer but I also enjoy those moments of peace that allow me to be happy alone. As for the spiritual aspect of it, I now understand how you can connect to your body on a higher level. I’m better at listening to what my body is telling me, and I incorporate that into my daily practice. For me, there is a spiritual connection between my brain and my body that flows together more harmoniously with each time I practice.
Yoga can be a scary form of exercise to start. I know because I have been there before. It is hard to know where to start and it can be overwhelming at times. Katie shares some tips for people who may be wanting to start their yoga journey:
My #1 tip for any beginner is to do whatever you want but stick with it. If you are feeling lazy, then do lazy yoga. If you’re feeling ambitious, then go out there and kill today’s practice! Do what feels best for you in that moment. At the beginning, it can feel discouraging to see others do yoga with such ease. But everyone started somewhere. Most yogis started with zero flexibility and a bummer mindset. It was with practice that the knowledge and power came together. I began with a 30-day challenge by Yoga with Adriene on YouTube. I attempted the 30-day challenge 3 times, and it wasn’t until the 3rd time that the practice began sticking with me. Adriene often says to do what feels best for you in that moment. Over time, there have been a collection of moments where I have heard this in a video and each time was different. There were days where I was lazy and was not motivated. I wouldn’t push myself, but I still showed up. In the moment I didn’t feel the desire to do anything, but I still sort of tried. There were other times where I felt my progress whether it was in flexibility, strength, or both and in those moments, I pushed myself a little further. In the beginning it’s a combination of these two types of moments. But if you just show up every day then you’ve already accomplished so much. Everything else will come in time.
I wanted to let Katie have an opportunity to share some general knowledge about the practice of yoga:
Yoga at home and yoga in a class are very different. It is up to you to choose whether one suites you better or if you enjoy both. I tried yoga in a studio on several occasions and each time I left feeling like I was less capable than when I walked in. If you’re like me and you’re a competitive person with zero flexibility, then I don’t suggest you start in an on-site class. Like me, you may only go and compare yourself to others and you will not truly get to receive all the benefits that yoga has to offer. Instead, try getting the hang of yoga at home. There, you’ll only be able to compare yourself to your own progress rather than the progress of those around you. You also don’t need to practice for an hour when you are first starting out. You certainly can if that’s what you’d like to do. But as little as 20 minutes in your own home can start you on your own journey of progress. One thing I would suggest is getting a yoga mat that is of high quality. This doesn’t mean you have to spend a ton of money on a mat. Amazon offers several affordable options that work great. In my opinion, for a beginner, grip in a mat is very important. It will allow you to practice with ease and will aid in your progress more than you’d expect.
Yoga is an incredible practice for anyone who is looking to gain strength, flexibility, confidence, self-worth, or inner peace. There are many reasons why someone would try yoga and everyone has their own reason. With yoga, not only are your gaining all of this in yourself but you are also gaining a community of individuals who felt the way you feel today and understand what you’re going through. Whether your goal is to challenge your body or to challenge your mind, there are several people in the community who started in the same place and have come so far from the practice. Know that you aren’t alone and when you need guidance there is always someone to turn to. By practicing yoga, you will become more in tune with your body and will gain the knowledge you need for a healthier diet and lifestyle.
For those interested in a great starter practice here is the link to Yoga with Adriene on YouTube. The second link is the 30-day challenge that I began my practice with.
https://www.youtube.com/user/yogawithadriene
I hope you all enjoyed reading about Katie’s yoga journey. She shared so much valuable information and I am so happy that she was my first interview for Wellness Wednesday. I think the beauty of this world is that we can all gain knowledge and support from others. I have mentioned before that health and wellness has become a top priority to me this year for many reasons and I love sharing information with others so that we can all grow. I personally think that everyone should give yoga a chance. It has become an amazing part of my life and my husband has even tried it with me a few times!
Katie, thank you so much for sharing your yoga journey with us! Your knowledge and information will help people all over who may be interested in starting their yoga journey.
Xoxo, Bri
“Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well” (3 John 1:2).
Brianna Santoro 