Hi everyone!
I’m new here, and I’m trying to deepen my practice through some research about others’ experiences with Yoga. Specifically, I’m wondering:
How long have you been practicing?
Why did you start?
Why do you continue?
I have been horrible at motivating myself to keep up my practice, and I guess what I’m looking for is some external motivators and stories of how people got interested & started in on the practice. Any insight/advice/stories would be great.
Thanks!
~Danielle
Hi there.
A long time ago, I did Yoga…for 10 years…then, I had a family, got a job, got a social life and quit Yoga (for 20 years)…
I am just getting back into it again and like you, I have a problem with motivation.
For the past few weeks, I have been scouring every ‘op shop’ in my area and I managed to get a few yoga videos and found some books by B.K.S Iyengar…
Now, I set a time and put on a video and do yoga to the vid…it’s easier when you are just starting out to have somebody there in front of you explaining it, than just going ‘I wonder what postures I will do today?’…
Often, not knowing what to do is the greatest de-motivator there is.
Good luck with it.
Hi!
I started yoga in my early 20’s, almost 20 years ago, but also had periods of being into squash and bodybuilding. Then my daily practice faded away in 2003. (Work and getting married and my wife had a kid)
Now I’m back into it daily.
Reason I started was because I read every Zen buddhism book I could get a hold of and started Yoga so I could gain more flexibility to get into the full lotus. In my 20’s I was very lonely and got seperated from my family because of immigration issues. Then later on I was working as a bus driver and it was killing my legs and hips, so I would do yoga every chance I got to ease the pain.
My motivation now is because it makes me feel like a million dollars when I get 10 or 20 minutes into my practice and forget about all the crap in my mind. It also motivates me when I see or meet people into yoga that have a certain radiance about them.
Namaste
Hello Danielle,
I began my formal physical practice in 1998. Of course for me the term “practice” as it relates to Yoga is an all-encompassing term which extends well beyond asana. So I am practicing every day (moment) even when I am not on the mat (as are you, I hope).
I started because some friends invited me and I enjoyed physical activity and knew less than nothing about Yoga. I continued then because the practice felt good in my body and I did not need recuperation time as in other “sports” (LOL).
I continue now because it is my way of navigating my own evolution, growth, transformation, change. It has become part of me, part of my life.
Hi Danielle,
I never did any asanas initially, and have started learning some only now. After my guru initiated me in breathing exercises and pranayama, I am doing Yoga sadhana for the last 15 years. There were gaps, at times, due to work-related travel; but always felt desperate to return to practice.
Quite early in the practice I had spiritual experiences - nothing miraculous, yet good enough for a first-hand proof that the path was right. With guru’s grace, the initial sense of “having arrived” didn’t last long. The unknown was infinitely more than what was known. The sadhana started becoming more important than most things I liked to do habitually. Top priority and commitment followed naturally.
So, one can press oneself into doing Yoga (and for a while one should). But once it gets momentum and becomes joyful, it is the most precious part of life.
I have been practicing for 4 full years. I started because I thought it was an interesting concept. I continue because it has completely transformed my physical and mental mechanics. I feel better every single time I hit the mat. The ability to wash away anything that is hanging over you that given day is truly a gift. The physical response is a close second to the mental response but the two in combination are truly remarkable. If you are not yet getting this from yoga the way to get there is to commit. You need to get into a class 3-5 days a week for starters and find teachers that can help you get there.
Yoga has been a little sporadic in my life. I too am having some strong issues with motivation this time in trying to get started back up.
I first started doing yoga about 20 years ago. I built up to a weekly practice of about 3 1hr sessions per week along with aerobics and weight training, and felt fantastic. I did it for a full year and a half, it erased my low back pain and relaxed my shoulders and neck so much I didn’t even want my sis to massage my shoulders. Didn’t need it!
I let it slip away when I got pregnant with my last child. 11 years later I started up again to help me get active and lose weight, and I noticed a transformation in my attitudes and responses to work and life.
Then I had a minor lumpectomy, which kept me from doing anything involving lifting my arms or putting weight on them until it healed, which was my undoing. Out of the habit I knew it would be so hard. So two years later, in a new job that involves up to 3hrs of commuting each day, I have a hard time setting aside time for yoga, especially 1 hour a day when my time feels so precious.
I am having to ask myself, am I not precious? What more precious to spend my time on, when I’m not spending it with my son and husband? We often do our own thing in the evenings, so why not take an hour for me?
I do get to work 1/2 hour early because the husband and I commute together and he drops me off, and the past two mornings I’ve spent 20 minutes doing sun salutes with a few poses and kriyas thrown in. It feels fantastic, and I’m going to keep doing it! Yes!
Hello YogaBody89. I will never forget hearing a radio interview with a heart surgeon who was well know for performing marathon surgeries (16 hours or more), and then doing it again the following day on only a couple hours sleep. The interviewer asked him how was he able to do it? He replied, when I have a day like that, I don’t sleep. I go back to my office and do yoga.
At that point I started to think that there must be something to this yoga thing. So I started to look into it. I don’t remember exactly when that was, but it had to be ten years ago or more. I started doing some very basic asanas, but then gravitated to more traditional western forms of exercise for a few years. But for the past five years or so yoga has been my thing.
I try to practice as often as possible, but some days I just don’t have the self discipline. I keep doing it because it is what I do for my health these days, both physical and mental.
[QUOTE=YogaBody89;44316]
How long have you been practicing?
[/QUOTE]
About 17 years off and on
[QUOTE=YogaBody89;44316]
Why did you start?
[/QUOTE]
I was divorced, alone and feeling tired, beat up, stiff and worn out.
[QUOTE=YogaBody89;44316]
Why do you continue?
[/QUOTE]
Since my practice was not contiguous I may not be the best to answer this but I think I discovered the reason I kept coming back and why I continue now… I need to
I started in 1997, when I was 17. My best friend was doing a beginner’s yoga course at the local community centre, and she loved it. It sounded interesting so I signed up too. I think I had a yoga book already by that point.
I continue because it’s something I always go back to, no matter what’s happening in my life. There’s so much more to learn and discover, and aspects of yoga are applicable to all parts of life.
Yoga has been with me through Uni, relationshipbreakups, travel, pregnancy, birth and motherhood. My practice changes with the seasons and the days. If I can’t get time to myself, I do asana with my daughter, which is fun and always funny. Now she’s the one wanting to do yoga! That sort of thing really gives me a boost!
How long?
I’ve been doing this stuff off and on for more than 500 years. Different bodies now mind you. Tough to say exactly how long. I’m sure there’s someone, perhaps many, who know precisely.
Why?
No TV or Sega.
Why do you continue?
I’m forced into it.
sorta . . …
I started doing Yoga in 1997, there was some Hatha Yoga instruction, a short set of asanas along with sun salutes, that I was taught during a meditation weekend course. It’s a great way to stay limber.
I was born with some congenital hip defects so postures like padmasana are pretty much impossible for me, however I could do mayurasana on the first class. So I keep my strengths up and try to slowly chisel away at my weaknesses. I have to admit though that my asana practice is much more of a supplement to my meditation practice than anything else. I just do it because I’ve always done it, once I get into a habit it’s pretty hard to break.
[QUOTE=Joanna63;46208]
I am having to ask myself, am I not precious? What more precious to spend my time on, when I’m not spending it with my son and husband? We often do our own thing in the evenings, so why not take an hour for me?
[/QUOTE]
You are precious! As if you needed to hear that from me! heck, I would even take two hours if it feels right…If your practice is anything like mine, I can lose myself in it.
Namaste
How long: 10-15 years
Why started: Being from broken/single family I had to work hard and study. So to do both I needed to keep my spirits up. It helped me a lot during studies. Later on I found out inverted poses gives a good aura around me that was charming to others
bottom line is…i found yoga very helpful when dealing with extra sensitive people especially Americans…seriously…they cannot take any negative emotions 
now i do not do daily…reason is my gym and soccer games along with yoga is too much handle …
I started yoga when I was 15 in in 1998. I have to say that I started because it was the trendy thing to do. My practice was pretty sporadic until I bought a book on how to make yoga a part of my daily life. No matter where I was or what I was doing there was a place for yoga. I continued because I love the way I feel after being on the mat. In 2004 I began meditating I cannot begin to describe what that has done for me. I have come to realize that if I cannot get on the mat sometime in the day there is always the opportunity to lay day down in bed, close my eyes, and meditate till I fall asleep.
Though I was a child klutz… where captains throw down and the loser gets me- I still loved movement. 15 years of adult martial arts left me mending some broken bones. Aerobics was to much hassle- getting to the gym, sweating, showering, the clothes etc and I gave up, and weight lifting failed me and my strong Christian environment delayed me towards yoga until 2007! By Jan 2010 I was certified for the fun and experiance. I am now Jan 2011 experimenting with maybe teaching. And I just found this web site… belive me I have been looking and am so happy that I found this website. Happy, Happy, Happy!
I started my practice back in the 1970’s with Lilias Folan on TV and stayed with it for a few years. I was, however, not ready to make it a part of my life. Around 20 years later, after 3 children, injury brought me back. I’ve never looked back. What started as wanting to physically feel better quickly blossomed into a need to learn more. I continued my practice every day and read as much as I could. I noticed how much better I was feeling and so did others. I felt different in a good way. I wanted to learn more about the spiritual aspects of yoga because that seemed to be a missing piece for me. I enrolled in teacher training because I wanted to share with others the joy of yoga. I had a wonderful Hindu teacher and completed my 300 + hours of training. I now teacher at 2 very special and spiritual places and also teach a class to the Free store food bank employees on my own time with no pay. Heck, I’d teach all my classes with no pay! What yoga has brought me has been a new way to look at life and what it all means. It has brought about a domino effect with other things too, like becoming a vegetarian, Reiki training, becoming very eco-conscious and actually giving up my passion for politics.
A bit of a secret about me…after many years of telling my girls, "no tattoo’s, I went out and got one right before I tuned 50! It is a beautiful lotus flower with the Om symbol.
I continue because it is now a part of me. (literally!)
I was at a retreat in Mexico with a bunch of other lads. No phones, computers, running water - just grass hut, hammock and sand on the beach. Part of the retreat required we meet at 6 am for yoga. Now, I had always kind of incorporated bits of asanas in my nightly routine - stuff I’d picked up from TV, or wherever. My wife attended a class or two and kept saying I should try it. But, I poked at her with “going to yoghurt classes?” and “macrame!” So, I showed up for our first 6 am class (I’m in pretty good shape at this point, or so I believe), when this fit woman put us through an Ashtanga routine that kicked my ass! I can still remember how I felt afterwards - I still feel that way. Amazing. Plus, after 3 more classes I asked her how old she was (I guessed around 35). She was 56.
When I got back to civilization the first order of business was to look for a studio that offered ashtanga classes, and found one a mere 10 minutes from my house. I hit the ball out of the park because I love the place, and I have attended several yoga classes elsewhere - but nothing comes close to the atmosphere there.
Then something strange started happening. That great feeling I told you about led me to wonder about what this whole yoga thing was about. I had done some sweatlodges and vision quests with the natives at that time, and found a spiritual connection between the two paths. I started reading, studying, practicing, joined this forum, and the rest is history.
Mexico - it’s not just for tequila anymore.
[QUOTE=InnerAthlete;44358]…and I did not need recuperation time as in other “sports”[/QUOTE]
Sometimes I feel the need for recuperation after yoga (asana). I am not obsessed with being able to do the most difficult pose but at times I might push my body a litte to advance my asana practice. At the time it feels fine and does not cause me any pain but then the next day I might be stiff or a bit sore…do you have any isight into why this may be?
Well, I was in a Goa Trance Discotheque, delighted with that spiritual,profound music, and suddenly before me, a big,bald nigger man with sunglasses and a dark coat appeared, rose his both hand palms and said: “If you swallow the blue pill you will continue dancing and your life will be gloomy and finally will incarnate as a chinese dog. But if you take the red one you will learn and practice meditation, Hatha Yoga and Tantra, and finally will get enlightened.”
Needless to say I had the red one!!! I’m not enlightened yet. That happened in 1996 (I was 22), but didn’t start an earnest, intense daily practice until 2004.
It was the cleverest decision i have taken in my life.
See you in Nirvana!