Saving all of my free electives for my senior year of college was one of my best ideas and I highly recommend it! However, when I had to choose my free elective for the current semester I was lost. None of them really caught my eye — until I came across Yoga. "How perfect! A fun class to help me stay in shape," I thought.
My fall semester is now coming to an end and my view on Yoga has changed drastically. I not only look at it like a fun activity to keep in shape, but I love it for what I have learned it truly to be.
Yoga has taught me far more than just a cool pretzel-looking pose. It has taught me how to keep a positive outlook on life, maintain a healthy lifestyle, and most importantly to always strive to be a better person. When I go to Yoga class, I put everything that's going on in my life on hold and leave it outside of the gym. I'm typically focusing on the future and worrying about what is to come, but being in class I am able to embrace the present and focus on clearing my mind.
Every class, my professor tells us to close our eyes and choose a word or action we wish to see in the world. For example, I wish people would smile more often or be more kind. She then tells us to incorporate the change we wish to see into our day by filling in the rest of her sentence: Today I will (smile more) or (be more kind). For me it serves as a daily reminder to find a way to be a better version of myself.
We finish class by making eye contact with a classmate and sharing a "Namaste" with them. "Namaste" is a bow of the head which allows individuals to come together energetically to a place of connection and timelessness, free from the bonds of ego-connection. I find myself leaving every class with much more energy and a kinder or more positive spirit.
As my professor would say, I signed up for Yoga for egotistical reasons mainly, such as keeping slim and getting in another workout. However, now that I am almost done with my semester I am most definitely leaving the class with a whole new outlook on Yoga.
For me it really did become a mind-body-spirit type of practice, and I will absolutely be taking more Yoga classes in the future. Although Yoga may not be for everyone, if you ever get a chance to take a class, I would. You never know how it could change you for the better! Until next time, Jets fans.
—Namaste,
Katie
