Yoga is just a fad...

Oh my gosh, if I hear this one more time, I'm going to pull my hair out. I know, I know, the "yogi" response should be to breathe deep inhales and exhales repeating "Namaste" in my head, but lets be real. Yoga has been around for thousands of years. That sure is quite a fad. It is, in fact, a practice that transforms your life on the mat and is reflected in your every day life off of it. From relationships, work environments, financial decisions, diet choices, and how you treat yourself in general are all upgraded with a consistent yoga practice.

We all have our "stuff", whether heavy or petty, that we deal with on a daily basis.  Wouldn't it be nice to channel that energy into good, rather than hurtful to ourselves or others?

For me, a silly struggle is looking in the mirror and only seeing "man-arms" and "linebacker" thighs. I  see something so far from femininity that I avoid mirrors altogether when I can in studios. It's something petty that I've dealt with the majority of my life, and with the help of yoga, I now see strong arms and legs that are simply and wonderfully a part of who I am. I could choose to look in the mirror, pick myself apart and gain nothing from it. Or, I could choose to not let my insecurities define me. It's all about perspective, and finding a healthy one at that. Being beautifully strong is my new vision.  I am choosing to see the way that I was created as perfectly imperfect. What do you let your brain tell you about yourself that doesn't serve you? Why should we beat ourselves up?  The world does that enough already. We should be on our own side for crying out loud! Another bonus of truly loving ourselves is that once we do that, we can truly love other people, which will help them love and accept their true self. It really is a win, win!

Now, this didn't just happen for me the first time I rolled out my mat.  I've been practicing yoga for almost 6 years, and I'm still learning new things about myself all the time.  It has been a fruitful journey learning bits and pieces of the real Kristen.  It is even more exciting to know that more breakthroughs are coming. The wonderful thing about yoga, is that it's a never-ending process.  There is always a deeper expression of a pose, and another part of your life to enhance.

Yoga was introduced to me in a time of my life that had no direction. It was as if I was in a constant downward spiral that I couldn't escape.  I was making terrible relationship decisions, not focusing on school, neglecting my family, definitely NOT taking care of my temple...basically wasting my life on temporary satisfactions that continually brought disappointment. One day, the light bulb turned on, and BAM, my life changed forever.  I was literally on my knees, begging God to take over my life (because obviously, I was terrible at making personal decisions for myself).  Just like that, things started to change for the better.  One day I was flipping through T.V. channels and came across this show called Namaste Yoga, by Kate Potter on FIT TV. I decided, why not?  There, in my parent's living room, over 5 years ago, I was instantly hooked on this "fad" called Yoga.

After a few months of getting the hang of postures and breath work, I decided to face my fear and get my hiney into a studio.  It was the happiest I'd been in months.  I finally found direction and discipline that I needed, along with a community of wonderful people that were on journeys of their own as well.  It turns out that the discipline I developed on the mat followed me into my life.  I knew, then and there, that someday, I would teach this practice to other people and share what it was doing for me. 

Take a moment and ask yourself if the decisions you are making on a daily basis are serving you or hurting you. Let today be the day you stop being your worst critic, and become your biggest fan! As the fabulous Brett Dennen says, "Blessed is this life, and I'm going to celebrate being alive!"  It's never too late to start something new!

This girl is fearfully and wonderfully made by a God who doesn't make mistakes. You are too.

Namaste & God bless!
Kristen