How Yoga Changed My Life

So... this is totally uncomfortable thing to share online BUT in my efforts to put more things out there that I want to see and to hopefully connect with people that have similar interests/struggles/victories - I am going to share anyway.
        Ahem! Once upon a time on the playground in pre-school I etched an emotional memory in my brain. I remember being upset and telling my dad that I kept getting tagged out first at recess because I couldn’t run as fast as the other kids. Dad said what any good parent would “ it’s ok, why don’t you practice?”. Me, baby Elaina (I was so serious), did just that, and any open space became a race track where I would practice. Fast forward to elementary, MIDDLE SCHOOL, and some high school, sure recess tag wasn’t as big of an issue anymore but I was getting picked last in gym class all the time and I dreaded having to go to P.E.. Quite reluctantly I joined track in high school, and then it clicked - I was finally among the fastest of the kids at school and the greater Middlesex League. But, I wanted more so I practiced, and practiced, and practiced (obsessively) because I was determined to become a DI track athlete. AND I DID IT! From first out in tag and last picked in gym class to DI collegiate athlete. However, I was certainly working harder but not smarter. I was riddled with injuries from overuse and getting stronger and faster more quickly than some of my connective tissues could keep up with. So, what did I do (at this point I still had not learned the work smarter not harder lesson)? I worked EVEN harder. This was a struggle physically sure, but I had grown accustom to the type of physical pain I was enduring but mentally and emotionally, is where the you-know-what really hit the fan.
This mental and emotional pain (along side the physical) became worse when my performances at the end of high school and in college were going down the tubes. Not to mention getting injured all the time and getting a new coach every year for the first three years of collegiate track. I finally couldn’t even walk without significant amounts of pain. The endless injuries had taken their toll no matter how much I tried, how much I adhered to the athletic trainers’ instructions and I had to let my body heal. I made a very emotional decision forced by my physical state, and entered an “early retirement”. This was horrible. Track was my identity and I loved (and still do) the sport SO much. Thankfully, my coach and mentor, and one of the most awesome people I know, asked me if I wanted to utilize my knowledge, kinesiology background and leadership by being a student coach. Although I wanted to compete so badly watching everyone else do what I could not, I am so incredibly grateful for that opportunity.
Fast forward a couple of years and I was still being greeted with pain and the ghosts of old injuries, when I would try to exercise, I could not keep a fitness routine. It did not help that I no longer had anything motivating me like track meets to workout everyday - but this story is for another time. Any-who, I was sick and tired of the same old things always happening in my life and so sick and tired of my body always hurting and limiting my activity. My aunt and uncle were always telling me I should do yoga but I was definitely not into the whole spiritual bit and I was definitely not into “clearing my mind”, that sounded like a great way to think further about all that ailed me. However, I finally decided if I wanted change in my life I had to try something new and alter the way I did things and ultimately the way I thought and viewed the world. So one day, driven by my new goal of trying 3 new things a month, I bit the bullet and went to a vinyasa class with a couple of my co-workers. That was it, I fell in love with yoga. I gave it a chance and let myself go and “just see” what it was all about. This allowed me to change the way I think, change the way I hold myself, change the way I care for myself, and sorry for the cliche but it healed my body and my soul.
Of course this is an on-going journey, one that I work at daily. I have now been practicing yoga for three years this fall and it has been one of the best decisions of my life. I encourage you to try something new, something that feeds your body, mind, and soul. You will be thankful that you did.