February of last year, just after turning 40 I started a daily yoga practice. This wasn't my first time on the mat, I had been to many classes over the past 15 years, but this particular studio, and this particular yoga teacher connected with me on another level which I had never felt before. Even though she's about half may age, I was inspired, excited, motivated, refreshed, and content in this space. Every morning I looked forward to that 9:30 am class. I felt a difference in my day when my jobs, life made it impossible to attend. If I could I would go to the evening class instead, but sometimes I couldn't even do that. My frustration tolerance was very low without yoga. I would do yoga at home too, but it's not the same. Not doing yoga sometimes feels like not brushing your teeth. You can live with it, but it doesn't feel good, and you want to avoid other people.
Something else happened. I decided I wanted, no, NEEDED to breathe like a normal person. I am worth the oxygen. :) I was never able to fully breathe thorough my nose, for as long as I could remember. My biggest fear as a kid growing up (no lie) was being kidnapped and my my mouth duct taped shut! I would certainly die! I must have watched too may horrible movies where that happened. Because yoga asks you to breathe, to infuse your body with prana, or life force, it was no longer okay to be a mouth breather and get by. I felt like I was cheating by not breathing through my nose, even though I was physically unable to do so. I won't even get into my attempts at pranayama. Previous visits to Ear, Nose and Throat doctors offered prescription drugs, and allergy shots. One doctor said I had a deviated septum that could be fixed with surgery. Oddly enough, no one actually looked inside my nose. Never thought to get a second opinion. Then, a teenager, none of this was enticing so I decided to live with my inability. No way was I going to get rid of my pets either. Certain times I did resort to medication, usually when I couldn't stop sneezing, but they didn't do anything for my nose. Fast forward to this year, on my mat in a forward fold trying to inhale through my nose to no avail. I started to feel inadequate, and began the negative self talk that we all sometimes fall prey to. "This sucks!" "Why can't I be normal?" "I hate my nose!" But yoga did something else, it made me want to change, it made me take responsibility for my health, it made go to the doctor's again, it made me hope that just maybe, something could be done. So it goes, the doctor took one look inside my nose, and said that I was full of polyps. So much so that they were ready to grow out my nose! I think he may have been kidding, but you get the idea. He put me on Prednisone for 3 weeks, but it didn't really do much. All those years that I left my allergies untreated, apparently caused the polyps to form over time.....so he says. Fast forward, I had surgery to remove these ghastly polyps that prevented sweet air from flowing through my nasal passages, and today I am a new yogi! I can inhale through my nose, even when I am in a forward fold, or a handstand! It's absolutely glorious. The down side, of course because there always is one, is cleaning the litter box sucks more, and he wants me to take a daily nasal spray for prevention.....we'll see.
All this to say, at the age of 41, I will be taking a Yoga Teacher Training this Summer, and will be teaching at my favorite yoga studio. I can only be grateful, and humbly appreciate my teacher believing in me, and guiding me on this journey. I am ready to know myself, I accept the challenge. The studio is Live Yoga in Danielson, CT. My teacher is Jessi Marino, you can find her on Facebook and Instagram.
My goal is to eventually teach prenatal yoga, as there is a great need in my area. And since a girl can dream, open a studio with my awesome sister in law. She will graduate from her Yoga Teacher Training next month. Yay!!! When yoga finds you, you just want to spread the LOVE!
Something else happened. I decided I wanted, no, NEEDED to breathe like a normal person. I am worth the oxygen. :) I was never able to fully breathe thorough my nose, for as long as I could remember. My biggest fear as a kid growing up (no lie) was being kidnapped and my my mouth duct taped shut! I would certainly die! I must have watched too may horrible movies where that happened. Because yoga asks you to breathe, to infuse your body with prana, or life force, it was no longer okay to be a mouth breather and get by. I felt like I was cheating by not breathing through my nose, even though I was physically unable to do so. I won't even get into my attempts at pranayama. Previous visits to Ear, Nose and Throat doctors offered prescription drugs, and allergy shots. One doctor said I had a deviated septum that could be fixed with surgery. Oddly enough, no one actually looked inside my nose. Never thought to get a second opinion. Then, a teenager, none of this was enticing so I decided to live with my inability. No way was I going to get rid of my pets either. Certain times I did resort to medication, usually when I couldn't stop sneezing, but they didn't do anything for my nose. Fast forward to this year, on my mat in a forward fold trying to inhale through my nose to no avail. I started to feel inadequate, and began the negative self talk that we all sometimes fall prey to. "This sucks!" "Why can't I be normal?" "I hate my nose!" But yoga did something else, it made me want to change, it made me take responsibility for my health, it made go to the doctor's again, it made me hope that just maybe, something could be done. So it goes, the doctor took one look inside my nose, and said that I was full of polyps. So much so that they were ready to grow out my nose! I think he may have been kidding, but you get the idea. He put me on Prednisone for 3 weeks, but it didn't really do much. All those years that I left my allergies untreated, apparently caused the polyps to form over time.....so he says. Fast forward, I had surgery to remove these ghastly polyps that prevented sweet air from flowing through my nasal passages, and today I am a new yogi! I can inhale through my nose, even when I am in a forward fold, or a handstand! It's absolutely glorious. The down side, of course because there always is one, is cleaning the litter box sucks more, and he wants me to take a daily nasal spray for prevention.....we'll see.
All this to say, at the age of 41, I will be taking a Yoga Teacher Training this Summer, and will be teaching at my favorite yoga studio. I can only be grateful, and humbly appreciate my teacher believing in me, and guiding me on this journey. I am ready to know myself, I accept the challenge. The studio is Live Yoga in Danielson, CT. My teacher is Jessi Marino, you can find her on Facebook and Instagram.
My goal is to eventually teach prenatal yoga, as there is a great need in my area. And since a girl can dream, open a studio with my awesome sister in law. She will graduate from her Yoga Teacher Training next month. Yay!!! When yoga finds you, you just want to spread the LOVE!
Image courtesy of Stuart Miles at FreeDigitalPhotos.net
