Can Yoga Change Your Life?
By, Ascellia Arenas
Can Yoga Change Your Life?
By, Ascellia Arenas
It was January 1, 2005 and my sister took me to The Yoga Connection in Davie, Fl for a “hot yoga class”. She said she wanted to try a class she had been hearing about. She wanted me to go with her because I was gaining a lot of weight and I was stressed out of my mind. Being as I had taken dance for a number of years, I enjoyed movement and dance classes, I even coached award winning cheerleading teams, and I was naturally very flexible, she thought I’d be good at it.
The class consists of 26 poses in a heated or humid room. When the instructor saw my bow pose ( Dhanurasana), she thought I had taken yoga for years. I was a mere novice. Needless to say, I physically enjoyed the challenge and my natural flexibility found acceptance in a new and honorable way. The benefits of that hot yoga class were amazing! It provided me with a potent detoxifying experience, full body strengthening and elongation, and an overwhelmingly intense feeling of relaxation.
Now, some ten years later, I still practice yoga and I have even considered becoming a certified instructor. Maybe I will one day, I don’t feel any pressure to do so. Yoga teaches you to let go. If it is to be a part of my journey, then it will be.
As for now, I enjoy practicing in my little sacred space built into my new bedroom. With no gym at my disposal, I put the weights down and lift my body weight instead. Yoga helps me to feel relaxed and focused on what really matters in life. The years following my first yoga experience were a challenge. For seven years, 2007-2014, I was under such an intense amount of stress and anxiety : it is amazing that I’m still here. Had I been more deliberate with practicing maybe the events of my life would have been different. I am more aware now, and practicing at least three days a week.
Consider yoga as a way to learn about yourself, to improve your mind/body connection, and to soften the way in which you interact with others and yourself.
Some added benefits of practicing yoga are as follows:
1. Improved focus
2. Decreased stress
3. Increased adaptation to change
I still dance, run, and watch what I eat. Waking up to do some sun salutations really helps me focus for the day ahead and gives me the energy I need to maintain a healthy balance, as well.
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