3 things I’ve learned since starting yoga

I’m almost at the 6 month mark of starting my yoga journey! I’m so excited that I finally took the plunge and started practicing yoga. I’ve learned so much along the way and wanted to share a few things that I’ve learned over the past several months.

Balance is key

When I first started my yoga journey, I would practice every day at home. I was so excited to challenge myself with something new. And it seems like the more I practiced, the better I got. In addition to yoga, I do a lot of High Intensity Interval Training and doing two (sometimes equally intense) workouts every day got a bit overwhelming, so I started to cut back to find a healthy balance.

I’m not saying this is for everyone, but doing HIIT training five days per week and yoga at least three.  So, yes there are still at least three days that I do two workouts, but this is what works best for me. Write down your fitness goals and create and stick to a schedule that will maximize your results.

No two days are alike

A couple of weeks ago, I practiced splits and I was killing it! I felt like a little rubber band woman as I bent and stretched my body to new capacities. I definitely exceeded my own expectations. Fast-forward to the next week, and my splits practice was a complete bust. I couldn’t do a split; PERIOD. My hamstrings were screaming “No ma’am! Not today!”

I felt a little defeated at first, but I reminded myself that no two days are alike, and that’s OK. On some days you’ll master postures that you won’t necessarily pull off the next. What’s important is listening to your body to avoid injury and focusing on something else. If you’re unable to do splits,  maybe you didn’t stretch enough or maybe your body just isn’t feeling it! It’s totally fine to move to another area of focus.

Your progress will inspire others

I didn’t start my yoga journey to with the sole goal of inspiring people. It was more of a personal choice to add more flexibility, strength and balance into my life. While I’m still pretty new to practicing yoga, I’ve gotten so many comments on Facebook and Instagram regarding my practice. People ask questions about where to begin (I tell them to just start! That’s what I did!). They also say cool things like I inspired them to start practicing yoga, and I’ve gotta admit –it feels pretty amazing! I find myself being inspired by yogis of all levels and their progress motivates me to keep practicing yoga.

Ciao Bellas,