In Search of My Inner Yogi by Kate M.

I am not what one might describe as a sporty person. I always hated P.E. at school and dodged being on the team for anything. A year or two ago, though, I started running and unexpectedly found a form of exercise I really enjoyed. It kept me fit and healthy, gave me space to think and meant I could eat more biscuits.

Now that I’m temporarily unable to run (it’s a long story involving a long haul flight and a messed up ear canal), I’ve been looking for something new to try so I can keep up some form of activity. As potentially the least flexible person on the planet and someone who is fairly sceptical about chakras and energy channels, you might be surprised to learn that I plumped for yoga.

I’ve never tried it before in my life, but everyone kept telling me that the fittest, healthiest people they knew practised yoga. It seems it’s the thing to be doing if you want to live to be 100 with everything in good working order. Although I’m not thinking ahead quite that far, I thought it might increase flexibility and strength, and potentially open my mind to a new plane of tranquillity. So, I’m documenting my foray into this strange new world and finding out if it’s possible to transform body and mind by practising yoga for a month. I’ll be following the ‘Yoga with Adriene’ channel on YouTube, which I’ve heard good things about. Let’s do this.

Day one and I’m on the floor of my living room using a sofa throw as a mat. As I learn to my cost, it is worth getting a proper exercise mat, as you need a firm, steady grip for balance. I start off with a ‘yoga for beginners’ video and pull the curtains across so the neighbours don’t see me flailing around like a lunatic. I want to be like Adriene, I think, with her blissed-out smile and her killer workout gear. I feel a bit silly, but copy the moves as best I can.

Day two. Everything aches. It didn’t feel like too much hard work at the time, but apparently I’ve used every muscle in body, especially the ones around my ribs, stomach and shoulders. Typing hurts. I avoid anything which looks too strenuous and do a gentle morning yoga routine which involves some light stretching. Waking up with yoga and ‘greeting the day’ is actually quite an enjoyable ritual and puts me in a great mood, something which is nigh on impossible first thing in the morning.

Week two. The muscle aches have calmed down so I risk a ‘core strength’ routine. I let out an expletive when Adriene makes a side plank, balanced on one hand, look so easy. Is she not aware of the concept of gravity? I particularly enjoy the forwards and backwards rolls while holding on to your feet. It makes me realise that as adults, we don’t get many opportunities to play in daily life. Yoga is so much more fun than a cardio routine, it lets me roll around the floor like a toddler. I fear I may be missing the point...

Week three. I’m now au fait with some of the ‘poses’, and am starting to feel seriously chilled out after every session. During the stretches and cool down, I involuntarily close my eyes and focus on the ‘deep belly breathing’ I’m supposed to be doing. This form of yoga is known as ‘ashtanga’ and synchronises movement with breath, with the aim of making the body feel lighter. At the end of every workout I have that after-a-massage feeling and my shoulders have dropped from their usual tensed-up-to-the-ears position. I hate to say it, but I’m feeling zen.

Week four. I find it fascinating to be practising such an ancient art and begin to research the origins of yoga. Although I occasionally chuckle, nonplussed, when Adriene tells me to ‘set an intention on the mat’, either to focus on breathing or a particular part of the body, I try hard to let go of my cynicism. There’s something about the ‘namaste’ pose, with palms together over the centre of the chest, which is deeply calming. There might be some truth in this connection between mind and body malarkey.

Although I don’t have the dedication required to be a proper yogi, and there are sequences I doubt I’ll ever be able to replicate, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed practising yoga this month. I’ve grown in strength and flexibility, and can now go further in stretches than I could at the beginning. I think it has helped my dreadful posture, reminding my body of the way it should hold itself, and stretched out the tense muscles in my neck and shoulders.

Loath as I am to say it, yoga has also improved my mood. Not drastically- I’m not a monk-like haven of calm- but for an hour or so after practice I feel relaxed and quite sprightly. I haven’t experienced a spiritual awakening but I do feel de-stressed. I ended up enjoying it so much that 20 minutes of yoga became my work-break treat.

I won’t continue every day, but I’ll certainly give it a go if I feel stressed or need an energy boost. Even just a quick cat/cow and child’s pose, or five minutes per day dedicated to being quiet and focusing upon breathing, can help to improve overall wellbeing. Namaste.

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Kate MacCarthy is a freelance writer. You can find her over on her blog The Pen In The Ink or on twitter. Find more posts by Kate here...