This is why you never say the words “I would NEVER…”. For most of my fitness career I have loathed yoga!
I was bored, felt it was mundane and a waste of a good hour of my time … until I found “the one”.
I was introduced to yoga when I was 19, it was a class at the gym where I worked called “yoga stretch”. It was basically 1 hour of static stretching and then 15 minutes at the end of “sleeping” and in my opinion “a waste of time”.
Needless to say from that point forward I avoided any yoga class like the black plague!
Chris on the other hand has always thought very highly of yoga and would practice at home with DVD’s, and if the opportunity to take a yoga class arose he would jump on it immediately.
He wasn’t a yogi, he just saw the importance and benefits that stretching had on his athletic ability. He would try to get me to do it with him, but half way through I would either walk out of the class or find something more eventful (in my opinion) to do at home.
Then I met a good friend last year who taught yoga for many years and had just begun her CrossFit journey. I saw her flexibility, her ability to get low in a squat, chest hitting the ground on pushups, and her ability to perform movements that most of our beginning athletes could not perform (i.e front squats, overhead squats, thrusters, etc..).
I had a nagging hamstring and shoulder injury that would not go away, so she started to tell me about the importance of yoga. I quickly told her I had no interest in doing any type of yoga, “it just wasn’t for me.”
She mentioned that I would really like this yoga studio called “Yoga Hop”. It is geared towards athletes, and the instructors were very friendly and helpful. But then she said the words that made me say yes … “They blast hip hop music,” that was all I needed to become intrigued!
The next day Groupon was offering a deal for yoga hop and I knew this was where my “new” yoga journey needed to begin.
The next Saturday I went by myself and was introduced to my instructor Matthew Reyes. I immediately hit it off with him and had a completely different feeling then I had in previous yoga classes.
I loved the class, and the benefits were tremendous for my body and my mind! I would come out of the class feeling like I had just gotten a CrossFit workout, but feeling all of the amazing benefits of the yoga.
It was a match made in heaven. Then in March I came across a flyer for an instructor training intensive for a month with Matthew. It was exactly what I was looking for. I wanted to incorporate yoga with my clients in Crossfit and personal clients as well.
I know the importance of yoga and if I can make it fun, energetic, and beneficial it will help my athletes with injury prevention, rehab, and become better athletes in their sport.
So today May 6th, 2012 I am officially a yoga instructor!
I am so excited to inspire many more people to love yoga and all the benefits that comes along with it!
3…2…1… Stretch!
Fit Chic