Why I think I'll never quit doing yoga

Photo by Carl Barcelo on Unsplash

I exercised quite a bit as a kid; like most kids I expect. I had loads of energy and strength, and I was 'the girl who played with the boys'.

In France - where I spent the first 20 years of my life - physical activity is mandatory in schools until university, where it becomes optional. A big mistake in my opinion.

My 16-year-old rebellious self felt way too free when she stepped out of high school. Anything that wasn't 'mandatory' anymore felt like emancipation to me. So of course, I wasn't going to force myself to do something that I was finally free not to do.

In high school, I had mandatory physical education classes twice a week (3 hours in total), plus an extra gym class I took with my best friend once a week (1 hour), plus all the 'natural' exercise I did while living on a farm. That was quite a lot, come to think of it. I remember being very fit, muscular and flexible.

When I entered university though, I went from exercising for 4+ hours a week to not exercising at all (if you don't count the 3 hours of travelling to and from school I did every day). Then my partner and I moved to a flat in London, and the urban life away from nature meant that I moved my body even less.

I wouldn't say I got completely out of shape, but I definitely felt less fit and muscular, especially in my abs. Overall I was less toned, and less energised.

And after a while I grew tired of feeling disconnected from my body, so I decided to seek a physical activity that would keep me healthy, and that I could see myself doing in the long run. Because the thing about me is that I'm very bad at sticking to new habits, like most of you. So for me to successfully integrate a new habit into my life, I need to feel how it impacts me. I need to feel the benefits of it. I need to be able to say 'right, this clearly makes me feel better in some way'.

First, I tried something very standard in the realm of physical exercise, and that is gym workouts, both at the gym and at home. Needless to say, the home option is less costly and better for socially anxious people like meself. But it was painful and extremely exhausting, and it quickly became something I dreaded doing every day, so of course I eventually dropped it.

I was looking for something more 'organic', more natural, nicer to my body. Yoga was trendy, I was hearing a lot about it, so I decided to give it a shot.

Like most people, I found Adriene's youtube channel and I loved it. I believe she's one of the reasons I'm still doing yoga today. Finding the right teacher, the right support material, is crucial when trying out a new activity. You don't want to be doing it wrong, and you don't want a guide who is boring or unclear, because there will come a time when you'll just stop following them.

Adriene's channel is great for beginners and also offers some nice little challenges for more advanced yogis. Her '30-day yoga journeys' make it very likely that you're going to come back every day for more. She encourages daily practice, and I also believe that doing it daily (or as regularly as possible, at least 2 or 3 times a week) makes a big difference.

Photo by Avrielle Suleiman on Unsplash

I've heard people say that yoga is a 'soft' form of exercise, that it's not as effective as, say, a gym workout.

While it's true that yoga won't help if you're looking to become a body-builder, I think it does much more for the body than you would think. I have found that doing yoga on a regular basis (almost every day) for several weeks really toned my abs and made me more muscular overall.

Yoga strengthens muscles in a more natural and subtle way than gym workouts, but not less effectively. Sure, your muscles probably won't be as visible, but trust me, you'll be much stronger than before. In every Adriene yoga practice, you get poses such as planks, and warriors. These kinds of poses are terrific for toning the body, and at first you might find them difficult to do, but if you stick to it I guarantee they will become as easy as breathing after some time. And boom! You'll have incorporated strength exercises into your daily routine. Just like that. See how easy it is? And it doesn't even feel like your doing strength exercises.

Yoga gives me more energy, too. We often say that not doing enough exercise can make us sluggish, and I have felt that. Which is why sometimes I'll do yoga in the morning as a way to start my day, and sometimes I'll use it as an afternoon pick-me-up, when I'm feeling tired.

I know yoga doesn't sound like much, but all this stretching and moving through different poses really does make your blood flow and awaken your muscles.

Needless to say, yoga is also very effective for 'the mind'. It's been proven to make a huge difference in treating PTSD, for example, and I have found that I tend to feel more depressed and/or stressed when I stop doing yoga for extended periods of time.

So why am I still doing it, 2 or 3 years down the road? Well, I can feel that it's good for me on a physical and a mental level. I can tell there's a difference between how I feel before, during, and after a practice.

Stretching feels good. Moving in all sorts of poses when I've been sitting at my computer for hours feels good. Relaxing to the sound of Adriene's soft voice feels good. I'm doing it for all these reasons, and much more.

I'm not someone who sticks to habits. But I have found yoga particularly easy to stick to, and I intend to keep doing it for as long as possible, because it works well with my lifestyle. It's something I can practice anywhere for free, as long as I bring my mat.

So when will you start? :)

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