The Accidental Yogi

Over the last decade or so, Yoga studios have sprouted up far and wide. Until recently, my experience with this ancient practice has been limited at best.

From a distance, Yoga looked like another fad, and I’m not one to blindly buy into anything, “don’t believe the hype” (Public Enemy). So it was quite a surprise when I stumbled into practicing Yoga a few months ago, but let me rewind it back.

The Back Road to Planking
Back in the day, I sustained a back injury in a rear-end car accident and learned of some preexisting issues, the details of which need not be discussed here. Since then, I’ve experienced a few back spasms and general aches from time to time.

Anyway, several months ago, I added planks to my workout routine to strengthen my back and core muscles at the recommendation of a dear old friend who has her own personal training business.

Then I started Googling about planks to learn more when I came across an article about Yoga. It piqued my curiosity and I started reading as much as possible, with my only point of reference being a few women friends who practice different forms of Yoga.

What the heck is a Yogi?
The information download was quite fascinating but for the fact that these articles kept referring to practitioners as "Yogis,” which seemed like another marketing hustle.

And we already have of enough of those, like “millennials,” “conservatives,” “progressives,” and other empty tags too numerous to mention -- never understood why society forces us into boxes or cages -- don't believe the hype, indeed.

Besides, the only Yogis known to me have been mythical figures like Yogi Berra and Yogi the Bear – hey Boo-Boo!

Nonetheless, the research indicated that practicing Yoga could heal all manner of ills, physical, emotional, and spiritual. And having suffered on all those dimensions in my life, as many have, I figured why not?

Rolling with the Flow
My online hunt took me to YouTube where I found an animated video about 15 Yoga poses or “asanas” that you should do. The Sanskrit translation for asana is “seat,” which originally meant a comfortable seat taken for long periods of meditation, and holding an asana is the root of Hatha Yoga….but I digress.

One Saturday night back in March, I gave it a go and held each asana, some of which I’ve yet to master, for the suggested amount of time. It went well enough, until I woke up the next morning sore as hell – and I had been working out pretty consistently for a while. It was a positively stunning revelation.

Digging deeper, I found a series of Vinyasa videos by an excellent Yoga instructor in Laguna Beach. Mind you it still seemed like new age, granola-laden stuff, but I digested a bunch of those and tried a number of other asanas.

Then I dipped my toe into Vinyasa flow, with Sun Salutations proving to be quite vexing. Watch that Chaturanga Dandasana, you might hurt your back!

Just the same, I started practicing a mix of Hatha and Vinyasa consistently, either as a standalone workout or to stretch out after my normal regimen. By May, the benefits proved to be enormous, even though my alignments were off, and I really had no idea what the hell I was doing (still don’t).

Nonetheless, the physical and emotional release these sessions provided was astonishing. I remained unconvinced about this Yogi business, however, and the limitations of my body, that creaky back and pancake flat feet, were stumbling blocks….as opposed to Yoga blocks.

To clear this hurdle, I started looking into some Yoga studios….Bikram was out of the question. Posing in a 105 degree-heated room with a bunch of profusely sweating “Yogis” was not for me. I can work up quite a sweat just chillin in the sun as it is.

Beginner’s Mind Zen Mind
Early in June, I stopped into a nearby studio that seemed low key enough, so I took a beginner class, not knowing what to expect. It was beneficial beyond my imagination. Some adjustments and modifications to my postures kicked my practice up a notch. So I signed up for a bunch more and have been slowly flowing into Vinyasa.

These sessions have been quite challenging, even took a tumble after losing my footing while trying an inversion one morning, but rolled right out of it and a good laugh was had by all. Keeping pace with the flow has been difficult, but guided instruction is the way to go.

Here’s the best part: during a recent session, some emotional refuse that I thought had been long resolved came creeping up and, as we lay there on our mats in Savasana, went floating on out of me…..as if on a balloon, perhaps an epiphany?

Love and Light
Four months into my practice, I am still a beginner, practicing imperfectly, which seems to be the heart of Yoga: accepting our imperfections and flowing through them with the grace of self-forgiveness.

So it is that a long-ago car accident revealed some imperfections in my body, and a dear friend subsequently turned me onto planking, a happy accident. Then I fell into Yoga which has elevated my body and soul, even though bad days still come, always will. In the meantime, I have become the accidental Yogi.