Yoga - What's Your Story?

Your yoga practice can begin regardless of age or condition. Your yoga can begin in stillness or in motion, with your body or with your brain. It can even begin by observing the result of your own actions in the world around you.

And regardless of your age or condition, the practice will improve your performance in any endeavor. Why? Because the whole Yoga practice brings together your attention, your breath, and your body, awakening your whole being. And here, exists the true forces of inspiration, personal strength, and right action.

As you can read below, yoga practice can work in daily life for any type of person.

What's your yoga story?

I can't help but laugh about my first yoga class. I didn't want to do forward bends, sun salutations, downward facing dogs, or anything that required, you know, effort. This was not the yoga I was expecting. I was looking for the inner peace, not the sweats and body aches I received. Yet, I found myself returning week after week for more and looking forward to it. I realized I was hooked when I began to venture out of my comfort zone, driving miles for classes at locations I'd never been, only knowing that this felt right.

I learned that my practice had to grow from the inside out, and that yoga is not simply what one does, it's also what one becomes. After a while, forward bends and downward facing dogs were resting points for me. My comfort zones were changed and now continue to move consistently. And that inner peace I was seeking became evident in every area of my life.

But one of the biggest areas that yoga has helped me has been my health. You see, when I began my practice I was heavily overweight and needing help. This was a dragon that could only spiral out of control. I didn't want to diet because diets are usually temporary. I knew I had to change my lifestyle.

Through my practice and association, I began to have the courage to make changes in my life, changes that I had wanted to make, but I was afraid to make them. Gradually, the pounds began to shed, and so far, I've lost more than 75 pounds. Sometimes I can hardly recognize myself. I begin to see contours of bones under my skin. I see my face emerge. It's a glimpse of the true me yet to come. -Tasha Derrick, age 27

While teaching health education and coaching at the high school level for 36 years, my very physically active lifestyle was part of the job. Retirement and prostate cancer seemed to slow me down a bit, however, so I was looking for something to help me stay active. At age 66 I accepted the fact that my body was aging, but I was determined not to allow a sedentary, infirm person into this body.

Yoga has been a perfect fit for me. While my asana forms are often not very pretty, I find that my strength and flexibility have improved considerably in just under a year of yoga practice. More noticeable has been the mental and spiritual growth yoga has provided. I've found that my outside-world factors haven't changed, but through the breathing and meditation training in yoga, I deal with these outside factors with more patience and a more peaceful perspective. -Orvil Jones, age 66

Four years ago I stumbled into yoga almost by accident after seeing a "Yoga" sign on the window. Knowing absolutely nothing about yoga I took a class. It was exactly what I needed. I attended daily, sometimes twice a day for over three months.

It's funny but soon after starting yoga I realized I was carrying a lot of emotional baggage, you know, the things that keep our minds running and running all day long. Years of bad habits in eating, drinking, and attitude weren't making things any easier.

One day I was informed that I had some serious digestive issues and that if I continued down that road I was going to have some major problems in my later years. That's all it took. Now I am relieved and happy to report that a good strong, healthy dose of yoga has eradicated most of these issues. As an added bonus, I am in the best shape I have ever been in in my entire life, physically and mentally.

I realize that yoga is not just a workout. It is a lifestyle that has taught me how to take care of my body through diet and exercise, how to clear my mind of all the "noise," and how to approach myself and others with patience and respect. I can say without any doubt or hesitation and with a smile on my face - I am a completely different person today than I was that day I saw the "Yoga" sign on the window. -Carlos Mendez, age 32

My life has been one of privilege - a great family, many friends, a comfortable life. When I began practicing yoga in 1994, I was very satisfied with my world. It never occurred to me that yoga could play an integral part in my life.