Hello I am new to yoga and enjoying it greatly, though struggling quite a bit with the poses due to being very inflexible, Im wondering if it is just me being so out of shape I am quite overweight, but have weight trained a lot in the past and danced a lot when younger so have a lot of muscle on my legs and body which I think is very taught, the reason I came to yoga is because well, both physical and spiritual, I want to quiet my mind as I suffer from anxiety and periods of depression and am approaching my 50th year and want a different next half of my life, I dont want to take tablets, I want to find peace and on a more practical nature I want to energise my body and make it fitter to last me a long time so I can enjoy the next half of my life, I see this as a long journey I have embarked on and I know it is tough for me and quite painful but I know in the long term I will reap the benefits.
Thanks for listening.
J
Hello J,
I can relate to your post because you said that you struggle with flexibility. I have noticed that my flexibility has improved with learning to relax as well as doing yoga on a consistent basis (daily for me). However, I think that relaxing has been the biggest aid in my yoga practice. I almost could not believe it the first time my head touched my knee in Janu Sirsasana because it felt effortless as I had been simply relaxing and focusing on my breath.
I have suffered with anxiety and depression for over 10 years. I currently take an antidepressant because I needed help getting out the “dark place”. After being on numerous cocktails throughout the years, I have learned that a lot of the work has to come from within. However, medication can give you a good base to start at. Without medication I am a -10, with it I am a 0, and with the work I do myself I can hope to someday be at a +10.
Ami