Can Yoga Change My Body? 

My relationship with my body has not always been a good one. I have always felt like I needed to “change” something about my physical appearance. I would workout and diet so I could “get skinnier”. It wasn’t until recently that I realized that is the worst way to talk to your body.

With that attitude, I would constantly be at war with my body.

There is never a point when someone thinks “yep, i’ve done enough”.

It all changed when I changed my mindset from trying to “fix” myself to becoming a better version of myself. An upgrade, if you will.

Yoga did that for me.

I am a very competitive person. when I first started going to Black Swan Yoga, I was so impressed by the shear strength that the yogis around me had. They did not only have the physical strength that I longed for, but their mental strength to keep pushing through extremely difficult poses was inspiring.

I had a new goal for myself. One that had nothing to do with how I looked in the mirror. I wanted to have the strength to do my absolute best at every class I attended. I wanted to have gratitude for my body.

These are the things that EVERYONE should remind themselves during yoga (and during life)

think of your yoga practice as a celebration and a gift to your body. It works hard to keep you alive and going, it is a gift to stretch it out and get your heart pumping.

mentality is everything. Even if you feel like you can’t do it, TRY! tell yourself that you can do ANYTHING!! if you don’t get it on the first try or second try, KEEP GOING! if you never try, you’ll never get it. there is so much strength in perseverance

focus on yourself. No one cares about what you’re doing and no one is judging you. When I get too self conscious, I flow through the class with my eyes closed. It helps me stay connected to myself.

focus on your breath. breathing is sooo important (duh) to keep your body feeling good during yoga. have a tendency to hold my breath when my body is strained. keep your mind aware of your breath and you’ll have a much more fulfilled class!

Have fun!! be able to laugh at your mistakes and remember that everything gets better with practice. you are so incredibly strong!!

I would love to hear what everyone thinks about these tips or what your favorite yoga poses are! Let’s connect in the comments section below!

Namaste 🙂