About 12 years ago, my good friend Craig was going though a world of shit.
He was in a long-distance relationship with an ex-girlfriend who was insane. His estranged mother, who lived hundreds of miles away, would call him up while drunk to rip him apart over the phone. He was trying to land a tenured teaching job, but was only getting short term adjunct teaching positions that paid much less and offered no security.
While all this was going on he was remarkably calm and even cheerful. When I asked how he was able to handle all this stress so well, he replied,
“I’m telling you – it’s the yoga.”
I’d been a hardcore exerciser my entire life.
My workouts were centered around weightlifting and long distance cardio. When Craig first told me he was taking yoga a few months earlier, I thought, “Well that’s good for him I guess, but I don’t need it.”
I had seen women doing yoga in the gym before. It looked like slow motion stretching for old ladies. I had been heard that yoga was good for your back. I even had another friend, Rob, who did yoga regularly. Rob would do occasionally do stupid things like sit in lotus position or put his foot behind his head when we were hanging out.
But I had zero interest in trying yoga myself.
However, when Craig said that yoga helped him handle stress, it peaked my curiosity.
I couldn’t care less about becoming more flexible. My wife had nicknamed me “The Tin Man” due to my lack of flexibility so I figured that’s just the way I was built.
But I was under a lot of stress – financial stress, work stress and home stress.
A few weeks later I decided to give yoga a shot.
Craig recommended that I take a class, which I absolutely refused. I was too cheap, too stubborn, and in all honesty too embarrassed. So Craig suggested I buy David Swenson’s Ashtanga Yoga DVDs .
I ordered them and got started.
For the first few weeks, I found no peace by doing Ashtanga Yoga.
It was brutal. I’d shake, I’d ache and I couldn’t get into any of the poses. My “flows” between the poses were awkward and uncoordinated.
But I kept at it every other day. In time, I was able to get through the first few postures without feeling like my head would explode. Then later, I was able to add more postures until I was doing the full primary series (badly and with lots of modifications, but completing it.)
Here’s what happened to me.
- I got taller. I swear I became at least 1/2 inch taller. This must be due to lengthening my spine and hamstrings because I was almost 40 and well past my growing years.
- My weightlifting improved. That was completely unexpected. Yoga impacted how I used my core when lifting.
- I became hyper aware of posture. In the past, I might have strained my back when lifting something or twisted into an awkward position to muscle up a weight. Now, I “felt” this and was able to adjust before getting injured.
But the greatest impact of yoga was in my mind. Like Craig, I became calmer during times of stress.
I first noticed this when I was at work. I received some bad news – a big deal was lost or my boss was pissed or something. For a half second, I was worried and then my body reflexively reacted. My shoulders rolled back and down. I straightened up. My diaphragm sucked in and I took a deep breathe through my nose.
And I was calm.
I’ve now been doing yoga regular for over a decade.
I did eventually go to a few classes, but I prefer to do yoga at home alone. I like the silence except for my breath and the birds. I like the view. I like the price (free!)
There’s no question it has improved me physically. My core is strong. My balance is excellent. I’m no longer “The Tin Man”.
Far more significant is what yoga has done for my mind.
I look forward to stepping on the mat because it clears my head – especially during times of stress. It’s made me kinder and more aware of how I fit into the world.
Even when things are good, if I miss more than a few days of yoga, I start to feel a pressure building inside of me. I notice that I hold my breath more and that I become more tense.
If you’ve never tried it, I highly recommend you give it a shot. You may be surprised at what happens to you.