How I fell in Love with Life, and Yoga
During my late teens and early twenties I dabbled in yoga as a form of exercise, but nothing truly ever clicked for me; then at twenty-six I found myself (I suppose
I can put a period there, because it is true).
An engagement, the purchase of a new (to me, abandoned by someone else) home, remodeling of that home, and a break up of that engagement all left me feeling very unsure about the direction my life would take. I worked in an office that was fun, but I did not love; I lived in a house, which was cool, but after the end of the relationship, I sort of felt as if it was a burden.
There had to be something that I could love, that was purely mine. So I started running.
A little back story: I was never athletic. (Good story, I know!)
I started running in January of 2010, it was not a new years resolution, it just so happened that is when the urge hit me, and I would not run far. I would run through my living room, kitchen, dining room... in circles, until I got tired, then I stopped. After a while I started setting timers, and I would run till the timer was out, then stop, and every week I would increase my time.
I ran inside because I thought if I ran outside people would judge me, think I was too slow, or ran funny, or maybe I would not be able to run as far as I had planned... if only I knew then what I know now.
After a couple months I was brave enough to run outside... and guess what? No one judged me.
The entire time I was running I would add various body weight exercises, squats, lunges, push ups, core work, etc. to my regimen, changing things up as often as possible to create muscle confusion. It did not take me long at all to become hooked, and I fell in love with a lifestyle.
Within a few months I had completely changed my way of life, became very regimented in my exercise routine, and conscious of the foods with which I was fueling my body.
In May of 2010 I bought my first weight set, and a little after that my dad loaned me his copy of P90x. I had been devouring every piece of information I could regarding body building and clean eating. I went through the program, but tired of working out on my own. In October of that year my brother told me I should go check out
his gym on a guest pass. I walked in sure that I would just be 'testing it out' not buying into any sales pitch, and I walked out a member.
October is my three year iron anniversary, it has been an amazing journey, and I love it!
This is about yoga though, and yoga did not truly come into the picture until March of 2011.
Anything, even healthy things, can become an obsession, and for a woman who uses weights, instead of coffee to wake up in the morning, burn out can come on quickly... rest days are no joke!
I began to take yoga on Sunday's as an active rest day. I was not expecting anything, except to stretch, and feel good because technically I was still doing some kind of activity for my body. The first thing I noticed was how much better my weigh lifting form became; perfect stance, breathing on cue with movement; yoga had
made me better at something I loved.
Next came the awareness. First it was just in the classroom, mostly due to the energy of the particular instructor (who was my inspiration to become one myself), and partially due to fact that yoga made me feel something that I had never felt before: free.
In the dark room, with the low music it did not matter what anyone else looked like, or what they were doing; all that mattered was that I saw myself in a whole new light. Perfection is part of the fitness World, and yoga helped me to release a lot of the anxiety about fitting into a particular image.
Since that point, yoga has always been a very spiritual practice for me, in that it helps me to find peace. Our minds can be very chaotic places if we allow them to be, through yoga it is possible to learn how to observe our thoughts, and once you notice your thoughts are carrying you away, you can slow them down, or stop
them if you like.
My love of movement, along with the peace I found through the awareness that yoga taught me, lead me to seek certification, so that I could enable people to take a step forward in leading a healthy lifestyle: body, mind, and spirit.
During my late teens and early twenties I dabbled in yoga as a form of exercise, but nothing truly ever clicked for me; then at twenty-six I found myself (I suppose
I can put a period there, because it is true).
An engagement, the purchase of a new (to me, abandoned by someone else) home, remodeling of that home, and a break up of that engagement all left me feeling very unsure about the direction my life would take. I worked in an office that was fun, but I did not love; I lived in a house, which was cool, but after the end of the relationship, I sort of felt as if it was a burden.
There had to be something that I could love, that was purely mine. So I started running.
A little back story: I was never athletic. (Good story, I know!)
I started running in January of 2010, it was not a new years resolution, it just so happened that is when the urge hit me, and I would not run far. I would run through my living room, kitchen, dining room... in circles, until I got tired, then I stopped. After a while I started setting timers, and I would run till the timer was out, then stop, and every week I would increase my time.
I ran inside because I thought if I ran outside people would judge me, think I was too slow, or ran funny, or maybe I would not be able to run as far as I had planned... if only I knew then what I know now.
After a couple months I was brave enough to run outside... and guess what? No one judged me.
The entire time I was running I would add various body weight exercises, squats, lunges, push ups, core work, etc. to my regimen, changing things up as often as possible to create muscle confusion. It did not take me long at all to become hooked, and I fell in love with a lifestyle.
Within a few months I had completely changed my way of life, became very regimented in my exercise routine, and conscious of the foods with which I was fueling my body.
In May of 2010 I bought my first weight set, and a little after that my dad loaned me his copy of P90x. I had been devouring every piece of information I could regarding body building and clean eating. I went through the program, but tired of working out on my own. In October of that year my brother told me I should go check out
his gym on a guest pass. I walked in sure that I would just be 'testing it out' not buying into any sales pitch, and I walked out a member.
October is my three year iron anniversary, it has been an amazing journey, and I love it!
This is about yoga though, and yoga did not truly come into the picture until March of 2011.
Anything, even healthy things, can become an obsession, and for a woman who uses weights, instead of coffee to wake up in the morning, burn out can come on quickly... rest days are no joke!
I began to take yoga on Sunday's as an active rest day. I was not expecting anything, except to stretch, and feel good because technically I was still doing some kind of activity for my body. The first thing I noticed was how much better my weigh lifting form became; perfect stance, breathing on cue with movement; yoga had
made me better at something I loved.
Next came the awareness. First it was just in the classroom, mostly due to the energy of the particular instructor (who was my inspiration to become one myself), and partially due to fact that yoga made me feel something that I had never felt before: free.
In the dark room, with the low music it did not matter what anyone else looked like, or what they were doing; all that mattered was that I saw myself in a whole new light. Perfection is part of the fitness World, and yoga helped me to release a lot of the anxiety about fitting into a particular image.
Since that point, yoga has always been a very spiritual practice for me, in that it helps me to find peace. Our minds can be very chaotic places if we allow them to be, through yoga it is possible to learn how to observe our thoughts, and once you notice your thoughts are carrying you away, you can slow them down, or stop
them if you like.
My love of movement, along with the peace I found through the awareness that yoga taught me, lead me to seek certification, so that I could enable people to take a step forward in leading a healthy lifestyle: body, mind, and spirit.
Dana Stough, RYT 200 of Yoga D, LLC
Dana believes that an increase in motion increases a persons quality of life. After discovering that truth for herself, she set out to raise this awareness in the lives of
others. Believing that yoga was an accessible form of movement for every person, she sought her certification through Yoga for Peace in Southgate, Michigan, and became certified with the yoga alliance.
Combining her backgrounds in education and fitness, Dana seeks to guide people into a more comfortable and relaxed life through the practice of yoga.
Dana has classes at The Yoga and Wellness Collective on Mondays and Wednesdays, and is also available for
private lessons. Please contact her or check out www.facebook.com/yogad.llc for more information
and updates.
Dana believes that an increase in motion increases a persons quality of life. After discovering that truth for herself, she set out to raise this awareness in the lives of
others. Believing that yoga was an accessible form of movement for every person, she sought her certification through Yoga for Peace in Southgate, Michigan, and became certified with the yoga alliance.
Combining her backgrounds in education and fitness, Dana seeks to guide people into a more comfortable and relaxed life through the practice of yoga.
Dana has classes at The Yoga and Wellness Collective on Mondays and Wednesdays, and is also available for
private lessons. Please contact her or check out www.facebook.com/yogad.llc for more information
and updates.