A Yoga Convert

Just like dating, it all comes down to time and place. You can date the biggest a$$hole for months on end because you have nothing better to do, and you can let a gem go by because it just wasn’t the right time.

That’s how it’s been with yoga and I. We’ve dated on and off for years and, quite frankly, I was probably the a$$hole during our early attempts to get to know one another.

A self confessed adrenaline junkie, I would have rather hurtled down a mountain on my bike or a wooden plank than sit in contemplative silence pretzeling myself into un-natural shapes. Yoga didn’t offer any blood-pumping, lung-stretching, adrenaline-inducing effects so I dismissed it as a useless waste of time.

Fast forward to this year. We’re at a crossroads. I’m anxious a lot of the time. It’s not crippling; more like a low lying  bass vibration that’s with me all the time. It bubbles to the surface occasionally but mostly it’s just there. 

And then yoga calls. Just at the right time.

“Let’s give it another go. I think you’ll like it this time.”

And thank goodness that, for once, I listened.

For me, it’s the whole ritual that I love. Riding my bike through the streets to get to there. Sitting quietly waiting for class to start. The hippy-dippy incense burning, singing bowl ringing, and ommmmming. The meditation that comes through the repeated movements of my body through sun salutations, chaturangas, and downward-facing-dogs. The quiet reflection of savasana.

It brings sweet relief; a quietening, a focus, a sense of calm.

I’m as surprised as anyone, believe me, but I’ll take it.

When a chance for a yoga retreat came up I didn’t hesitate. A whole week of quiet, focus, and calm? Yes, please.

With El Coco Loco Resort as the backdrop and an amazing, eclectic group of women gathered together, it was sure to be a great week.

MJ of Dynamic Retreats is one of the most positive, uplifting, and endearing women I have ever met. She definitely set the tone for the week; offering an open, supportive, and relaxed environment not only for yoga and meditation, but also for each of us to share our stories, help each other, and, of course, have fun.

I relished getting up before the sun rose to sneak down to the beach for a few minutes. Early morning meditation was new to me but I enjoyed both the struggle of it and the quietness that it led to. The yoga was challenging, meditative, and restorative; held on a platform overlooking the jungle toward the ocean, it was easy to succumb and let it all go.

I had a lot to think about during the week. A new business venture on the horizon, our continuing struggle to fund our travels, and the underlying question of what-on-earth-are-we-doing?

I’m so glad I took the time. Things are so much clearer now. I’m ready to take on the future.

Have you ever done a yoga retreat? I have often thought of doing a silent yoga/meditation retreat…I feel like this was the lead up to actually doing it one day.