What's your therapy?

We all know I need therapy for all kinds of reasons, but my favorite therapies are running and yoga. Yesterday, I got to spend time with one of my favorite yogis. It's not often I do because of kids' games and activities.  But its always the best therapy session. 

Sometimes we just need a little restorative therapy. When you move from walking to running, you'll need a little something extra to help you, especially if you're running outside. The pavement is a bit unforgiving. Yoga can be restorative therapy for your body - whatever your sport/activity is.

Have you ever caught yourself holding your breath while you're working out? Found yourself needing a little "detox" from the night before? Needing to take a couple of minutes to think? Yoga can help with all that. There's a reason it's been around for 2000 years.

Three years ago, I pulled my hip flexor which awful and ridiculous. After I hobbled around for months, a sports med guy told me to try yoga. I rolled my eyes and told him "I dont think that's for me". My past experiences with yoga were really lame. But, I was 3 months into hobbling around and wasn't getting better, so what did I have to lose. I tried a new instructor, and have been hooked ever since. A month after starting yoga, I was running again. I had to do some other things too, but yoga was a key peice in not hobbling around.

Beginning yoga, like anything else, can be a little intimidating. If you want to start at home, there's tons of DVDs out there. If you're an Apple freak like me, there's also lots of apps. I use a couple of them when I travel. One is iYogaBody and the other is Authentic Yoga with Deepak Chopra. If you have a gym membership, try their class. Having an instructor talk you through the practice is really helpful. Who cares what method you use to start.... As long as you start.

Now, if you've tried yoga and don't like it.... Well, then my money is on the instructor. Over the years I've tried lots of instructors before I found my faves in hot vinyasa and hatha yoga. The other instructors either put me to sleep or somehow managed to irritate me; I was not seeing the point. Once I found the right instructors, I enjoyed it. I think yoga is like a lot of things; school, cross fit, kickboxing.... find an instructor you enjoy, and you'll do great and want to keep doing it.

Starting anything new is always hard. But hard, challenging, and uncomfortable are usually the staring point for great things.

Yoga can keep you healthy and fit if you practice.