Strike a pose. Yoga pose.
Growing up it was my Oma (grandma) was who introduced me to the wonderful world of yoga. She taught me some poses and every one of them made my muscles feel wonderfully renewed. We focused on breathing and it seemed to slow my world down to a more manageable pace. I always felt instantly calmer. My problems seemed to melt away.
My mother used to do yoga poses for her back pain on our living room floor. My older brother even joined in on the yoga fun. My brother and I would fold into the lotus pose, it was our favourite. We mastered the lotus pose. In lotus pose, we went onto our keep caps and raced across the living room floor. I would say it was a good twenty feet to victory. My knees hurt now just thinking about that.
In my early twenties, I was in a workplace accident that left me with a low back disc injury. I had excruciating nerve damage pain in my legs. I still have pain but it’s a lot less than it once was. My Oma gave me a yoga book for bad backs that changed my life. Yes, I was born before the times of the internet and having videos available. Typing that makes me feel like a dinosaur. We had to refer to books or take a yoga class.
I think my dedication to yoga over the years has paid off. I do yoga pretty much daily. I don’t always do a full online video or class, sometimes I just wake up and hold a few poses. Focus on my breath before I start my day. Most of my days are busy and I find I jump out of bed and just spring into action. Take a few seconds before you get going and hold a pose and breathe. Don’t rush the day.
I don’t do much of anything before my morning coffee. My son can vouch for this. He now starts the coffee for me if he’s out of bed before me. Bless his soul. He even adds in my two milk along with a shot of maple syrup. Don’t knock the maple syrup until you try it! Nothing is better than the first-morning coffee made with love.
I love tuning into YouTube channels to find yoga videos. Yoga with Adriene and her sweet dog Benji is one of my favourites. She has wonderful variations for all her poses so any level from beginners to advanced can join in. What are some of your favourite yoga videos?
I like to do yoga in my living room. When I am posing one way I have a beautiful view of the lake. Water keeps me grounded and relaxes me. When I pose the other day I have a picture of my Oma, which always makes me smile and reminds me she is right here doing yoga with me.
My son now joins in and does yoga with me for an eight-year-old he is quite impressive. Pull the mat up beside me and his teddy bear often joins in. Kelso the corgi does an absolutely spot-on-down dog and often ends up on our mats. She fills our days with kisses and laughter.
Doing yoga with my son has brought calmness to him. Eight-year-old boys have so much energy. I love watching how slowed down he becomes and how he focuses on his breathing. He also started a “three things you’re grateful for every day” journal. It’s mostly filled with how much he loves his cat. However he slows down and he appreciates the things he has, so that’s a win!
I do yoga for a variety of reasons. I do yoga for my back injury, pelvic floor injury, nerve damage, to correct my posture, increase flexibility, and muscle strength to name a few. I find yoga helps to calm me, elevates my mood, relax me and sometimes help me sleep. It allows me to slow down and focus on one thing when I need it the most. It grounds my thinking and keeps me from overreacting or overthinking.
The relaxation portion of yoga makes you slow down and focus on just your breathing nothing else matters. It’s a great way to release anything you are holding onto. It has made me into a much kinder version of myself. This is why I incorporate it into my day every day for at least a few minutes. I can always find a few minutes or take a few minutes for something that is important. Make the important things in your life a priority.
Slow down, breathe, and strike a yoga pose!