Does anyone else look through social media for hours on end, seeing that one "friend" who is always on some great adventure or doing downward dog on the Swiss Alps? I have that friend too, even though I am not sure as to why we are friends, or who the hell this person even is. But we all have at least one, and they make us feel so boring, inadequate, and just plain old. But you don't need to feel that way.
As I know I have said before, I have been an athlete all my life. Playing tennis in middle and high school until I blew out my shoulder. Trying to get back into shape before and after the birth of my daughter. Getting WAY to into shape after my divorce because I used the gym as my therapy. And then staying in shape when I got re-married and my semi-pro cyclist husband bought me a Peloton. I have run, biked, weight lifted, and hiked, but stretching and yoga were never on my radar.
Now in my more mature years, I am paying for all that time I jumped off the treadmill and hit the ground running, without letting my body recover. I discovered yoga just before my wedding when I had thrown my back out trying to get the perfect wedding dress body, and I couldn't lift weights for weeks. I felt so stupid and lazy trying to contort into these ridiculous positions and not even breaking a sweat. How can this be doing me any good if I'm not sweating. WRONG! In just a few weeks on yoga, I could tell that I was leaner and more stretched out. My back hurt less and my legs had more definition to their muscle than before. Who would have "thunk" in. And then I stepping on that yogi bandwagon ready to hug trees and go bra-less all the way to the top of the Swiss Alps. Okay, not all that, but I have made yoga a routine on my house. I love the way is stretches out my sore and tired muscles, and pulls on muscles I didn't even know existed. My back feels better and I recover faster than I did before. I have also found the magic in slow yoga before bed, to wind myself down and sleep better through the night.
I have even gotten my husband to do a few poses when I know that he is sore or hurting, and that's an accomplishment all in itself. It can be done ladies!
So if you are needed to get back into the swing of things, need to wind down and make you body feel better, or are just willing to try something new, give yoga a try. There are enough videos on the internet and Youtube to get you started. And you may not be on the top of a mountain in Switzerland or on a beach in Bali, But sometimes the quite comfort of your own bedroom is just as good for downward dog.
