I started my yoga journey several years ago.  A group of friends invited me to their Friday morning yoga session.  It took a lot of convincing to get me there!  At that time, I didn’t see yoga as exercise.  I had limited child free time and I preferred to dedicate MY time to a “good workout.”

Once I finally joined the class it didn’t take me long to find out that yoga could be a “good workout.”  The instructor lead a vinyasa class.  (Vinyasa classes flow through a sequence of moves or poses.)  By the end of the class my muscles were shaking and begging me to stop.  Yoga made me use my muscles differently than I did running or weight lifting.  The next day I felt it!

I stuck with that once a week class for a year or so.  Over the course of that year I was diagnosed with Lyme disease.  I thank God that yoga had already become part of my life at that point because it really carried me through some difficult times!  When I could no longer run, due to sore joints I turned to my mat.

Since that time yoga has become part of my life!  It is the perfect way to build muscle, help with my posture, and reduce stress and anxiety.  It is my break and my release.

Now hear this great news….You can try yoga for free, in your own house, anytime you want!  YouTube is loaded with thousands of free yoga videos.  You can search for anything you want; yoga for beginners, yoga for stress, yoga for strength, yoga for lower back pain…  The list is endless!  All you need is a device connected to the internet and a yoga mat.

Doing yoga via YouTube has become my new yoga standard.  I don’t have the time to make it to a gym or studio but I can almost always find 3o minutes to roll out my mat at home.  Give it a try and see for yourself.  If you dedicate at least 30 minutes a day twice a week I think you will notice changes in your body and life.

Two of my favorite YouTube instructors are Lesley Fightmaster and Yoga with Adriene.  Adriene is a little quirky and she used to drive me kind of crazy.  If you stick with her though I think you will grow to love her like I have.

Now as Adrienne says, “slip into something comfy and find your mat.”