One lesson I learned when I tried yoga ...

When I did yoga for the first time, I didn't like it. 

I had a terrible experience and I felt so miserable afterwards, so weak and shaky that I decided that yoga wasn't for me. I didn't try it anymore for twelve years. 

Then, twelve years later, I decide to give it another chance, I went to a yoga studio near my house, and I booked a class to see how it would go.

This was a hot yoga class and I was already thinking that I was going to faint and feel horrible. My mind was putting together all kind of terrible and apocalyptic scenarios…but I went anyway. 

It was 75 minutes of Hot Hatha and I felt in love… I bought a few more classes after that and then a yearly membership, and then another and now I cannot imagine not going to yoga. 

I realized that this story is very similar to other situations that we encounter in our lives. Sometimes we think we want to try something new and we do, but we don't have the right knowledge to do it right, or the right support, or the right teacher… and then our first experience is horrible, we feel defeated and we quit.  

That’s exactly what I did, I tried to do yoga on my own, I failed and I gave up.  

I quit yoga for twelve years without trying hard enough, without looking for a good teacher or a studio. Twelve years ago, I had a different focus and I wasn't interested in self-care as much as I am now.

So, I dismissed yoga and I just assumed that I couldn’t do it. Now, I practice yoga twice a week and I have done poses that I’ve never dream I could do. All because I found the right teachers and support group around me. 

When you surround yourself with the right group of people, magic happens.

You start doing things that you thought you were not capable of. 

At first, you don't see a lot of improvements, I thought I was not advancing much in my poses, but I loved the environment and the relaxation and peace I had at each class so I kept going.

And then, one day, when the teacher shows you an incredibly difficult looking pose and you try it just for fun, and see that you are able to do it… oh… that feels so good! 

The feeling of accomplishment is amazing and you start recognizing how far you’ve come by keeping at it. 

When you are in the middle of your journey, sometimes you don't appreciate how far you’ve come, you are busy doing and doing, but if you stop and look back and compare where you were and where you are now, you’ll be amazed at how much you’ve grown. 

The magic happens when you don’t give up, when you try again, when you find the support around you and when you trust in your ability to learn.

Don't be discouraged the first time you try something and fail, think of the reasons why you failed, and then, change something and try again!

Now, what are some things that you’ve tried in the past and decided to give up because you didn’t have a good experience? Have you tried them again with the right support?

Share your experiences below, I’d love to hear from you!

xoxo,

Sofia