Woo-Hoo!

I'm proud of myself. I completed my first 10-punch yoga pass. This truly is an accomplishment for me!

I tried yoga when I was in graduate school more than 20 years ago (wait, how the heck did that happen?!?) and quickly learned that I preferred kick-boxing. I'm not very bendy and I had difficulty remembering what I was supposed to do and the order in which I was supposed to do it. I felt like a fish out of water watching the yogis in class bend and flow with what looked to me like ease and coordination. I decided that yoga was not my jam.

Fast forward to middle-aged back pain and befriending a yogi in a non-yoga environment. I started to experiment with some light yoga videos for back pain via YouTube. It was great in the beginning but I started to get bored. I recognized that if I wanted to continue with yoga and seeking pain-relief, something needed to change.

A new yoga studio was opening in town around this time and the owner posted quotes, memes and musings that resonated with me. Then she had an open house, insisting that all were welcome, including all skill levels.

I did some of my best self-coaching gearing up for that class. I knew my motivation and focused on my internal strengths and values that would support me.

I removed some barriers by messaging the owner to ask a few questions and map-quested the location to know exactly where I would be going and how long it would take to get there. I purchased a yoga mat. I made sure I had clean clothes to wear and that my hair was recently washed - and looked relatively presentable. It was scheduled for mid-afternoon so I told myself I could attend the class and indulgently sleep in on the weekend. And, honestly, I had nothing better planned that particular afternoon. (If you work with me you will learn all about barriers, including excuses. Or maybe I'll write about that next.) All that was left was for me to go.

The day of the first class arrived. I'll be honest with you: when it was time to leave my house, I still wasn't convinced I'd go through with it, but I took it one step at a time.

**I got into my car.

**I drove to the studio and parked my car.

**I sat in my car and evaluated the number of other cars that were there and tried to guess how large the class would be.

**I sat in my car longer because I thought it was too early for me to go in because that would mean I'd have to wait awkwardly by myself for the class to start because surely everyone else there would know each other, right? (Breathe) So I waited some more.

**I watched a few women walk in.

**I used self-talk.

**It was time.

The class was absolutely fantastic! I learned that I knew more yoga than I thought (thanks YouTube!), and that while I wasn't great, I was more skilled than I thought. (My yogi friend never lets me say I'm "bad" at yoga because apparently there's no such thing and she is smart so I'm doing my best to embrace that mindset.)

The yoga studio was having a grand-opening sale that weekend so I purchased a 10-class pass. In my mind I filled that pass in a few weeks. In reality, it took over a month.

There were two weeks where I allowed myself to deliberately not go to yoga because I wasn't feeling it and there were a few classes I didn't make due to being human (kids, work, husband, dogs….). But there was also the time I decided at the last minute to take the morning off work on my birthday to go to a yoga class.

At the end of each class the owner insists that we all thank ourselves for showing up and doing the work. She also doesn't really care about how bendy I am, offers modifications to the whole class and encourages us to skip poses, if that's what our body needs.

During that 10th class on my class pass, I got a muscle cramp in my leg that resulted in some non-flowing, non-coordinated, non-yoga dancing in an effort to relieve it. Then I fell out of my tree pose…more than once. But, above all, I also challenged myself to stretch a little deeper, to try that tree pose again (and again) and came home with a calmer, more present, relaxed yet motivated mindset that I could share with my family during the precious hours before bed.

Yoga is still a challenge; however, I’m more skilled and a little bendier than before. My back feels better. My body really seems to like it. I always feel fantastic after yoga and sometimes a little sore.

So, I'm proud of myself and I feel good. In case you were wondering, I purchased a new class pass when I had 3 classes left on my first pass.

Try something new, challenge yourself and reach out if you need support or accountabilit