Yoga And The School Of Hard Knocks

Image courtesy of Ambro and FreeDigitalPhotos.net.

When I decided to make my health a priority last year, I went from a sedentary lifestyle to an active one overnight. Bad move.

I severely limited my physical activity in 2012 thanks to pulled leg and back muscles, and knee and Achilles tendon injuries. My doctor recommended I start with yoga to increase my flexibility and mobility.

I got myself a membership at a yoga studio and felt better after my first class. I ended up going 3-4 times a week. I saw improvements in my flexibility and energy level. I became more confident with each class and stayed on track with my food program.

If it was so great, why did I stop?

While I loved doing yoga and could see results, in May I decided not to renew my membership at the yoga studio. It just cost too much money. I know you shouldn’t put a price tag on your health, but when you are a one income household, prioritizing where every penny goes is a reality. Sure I looked at other yoga facilities. But all of them were just too expensive.

Power walking became my sole form of exercise. After all, I don’t need a membership to walk. Now that’s stopped thanks to my knee. But hey, I saved some money. Oh crap!

Yes, I’m still kicking myself because I didn’t keep the yoga going. There are lots of free online yoga videos, why didn’t I try them? Why didn’t I spend the $8 on a yoga DVD? Would I have injured my knee if I still did yoga?

Shoulda coulda woulda. Ugh! I’m tired of second guessing myself. What’s done is done. Time to move forward.

Yoga is back on the workout menu. I dug my yoga mats out of the closet and ordered a beginners DVD from Amazon.

I scheduled an appointment with my doctor to check out my knee. I know that yoga can actually help with the healing process, but until I have the all clear the hero pose is off-limits. Once I get the green light, yoga will once again be a big part of my fitness routine.