Anyone do yoga?

[indysteel]

Indy, I love hearing that!

Well your post as a beginner of 5 months was way more experienced than I am now after only three months! Wonderful that you are still enjoying it so much now over 6 years later, and here you are in the same thread!

I saw where you had written:


So my question is now- after 6 yrs, do you still tend to prefer the fast paced vinyasa/flow classes like you did then? Do you still get a little bored by slower paced classes? Are there other things that have changed in your view, preferences, or attitude about yoga during the 6 years since then? I'd be fascinated to know!

I still prefer faster-paced flow classes. My studio started offering heated classes a few years ago, and I've come to prefer those as well. It's not that I don't appreciate the challenge of slower classes (and they can be challenging in their own way), but I like how focused my mind is in faster-paced flow classes.

A lot has changed for me physically in the years since I started. I've had a number of injuries that I've had to nurse, from some nerve issues in my hands, to hip and groin issues, to a hamstring injury. I was also diagnosed with Graves' Disease last year, and that's affected my strength and energy levels, too. At times, it's been really challenging to practice, and I've had to modify a lot of poses and/or take more rest during class. I've often been very discouraged, but it's taught me to really listen to and honor my body. I have to resist the urge to compare it, on any given day, to what it once was. Right now, thankfully, I'm feeling pretty strong, but I know that it might not last.

I also encountered other challenges to my practice in the years since I started. My first teacher quit teaching in the spring of 2008. She really was the back bone of my practice. It was rough on me, and on the studio as a whole. A lot of the regulars ended up going elsewhere, and I struggled to find a new teacher that I liked even half as well. By the time I did, I had started to suffer from some of the aforementioned physical issues. Then I got married and moved away from the studio. It became harder to pop into a class any old time that I wanted. So, while I continued to attend classes, it was with far less frequency. That's why I was so excited to find a new studio that's closer to my home.

Emotionally, my practice has evolved. When I first started, I was going through a tough time in my life, and yoga resonated very strongly with me in a spiritual sense--and I, an agnostic, use that term with some degree of hesitation. I don't want to bore you with the details of where I was at the time, but suffice to say that yoga helped me bring together some things that I'd been working on/thinking about for a long time, e.g., self love and self empowerment, interpersonal connection, and the cultivation of a sense of gratitude, surrender and openness. I can't explain, exactly, why yoga helped with these things, but it did. Ultimately, I changed in some profound and fundamental ways the first couple of years of my practice and while yoga wasn't the only thing that aided that process, it was certainly key. The intensity of those years has lessened over time, but the spiritual undercurrent is still there for me.

Ultimately, I almost always find peace on my mat. Even if it's just for an hour, my mind quiets. Regular practice usually gives me enough mental and emotional space to work on those things in my life that need attention. And for that reason, I'll keep going to my mat.