I Accidentally Fell Into Yoga And It Changed My Life

I never thought of myself as a yogi. Actually, I used to look at people sitting with their eyes closed, shaking my head in disbelief, thinking, How do you not get bored after five seconds?

I was a gym bunny, a cardio kickboxer, the bootcamp queen. You can probably tell from my personality: I’m that kind of crazy, which is awesome, but also a little wild! Slo-mo was not my thing. At all.

Looking for Chaos Instead of Quiet

The first time I tried yoga was because an ex-boyfriend dragged me to a beginner class. I hated it (and no, this is not why he became my ex, but you have a point!).

I refused to try another class after that because, instead of feeling calm like the teacher promised me, I left more stressed than when I walked in. The sloth paced movements didn’t keep my body entertained enough, so my mind took the driver’s seat and started racing. There was no quiet…only frustration and anxiety.

A few months later, I arrived too late for my beloved kickboxing class. I was devastated. I needed that energy outlet like I needed oxygen. At the time, I had a job that I hated, and that class was my one chance to let it all out: to punch, kick, and metaphorically let my whole being “scream.”

The only other option on the schedule that day? A Level 2/3 yoga class.

I didn’t even know yoga had levels. “Is it like a video game? Do I need to unlock the “touch your toes” level before I can advance? Or is it just two-thirds of a yoga class, like maybe you only stretched two-thirds of your body?”

With these and a thousand other sarcastic thoughts running wild in my head, I rolled my eyes, huffed a sigh, and stepped into the class.

Finding the Mind-Body Connection

And that was it. To my incredible surprise, I got my ass kicked. Hard.

So hard that all my kickboxing years looked like a joke.

That hour was a humbling experience. I held plank for what felt like a lifetime, sweat dripping onto my mat. "How can it be so difficult to just stay still"? My breath was fighting frantically to catch up with my heartbeat. The backs of my legs were screaming and my shoulders shaking as I “rested” in Downward Facing Dog.

But I’m stubborn. And proud. So quitting was not an option (especially considering the 60-year-old woman next to me was flowing through the class like it was a casual Sunday stroll). Meanwhile, my life was flashing before my eyes as I wobbled in Warrior III, thinking, “When did my arms get so heavy?”

Finally, as class was coming to an end, I laid down in savasana.

Well, “laid down” is a gentle word. I collapsed onto my mat, thinking: “What is this savasana anyway?”

And suddenly…I got it.

I understood how those people could sit in silence with their eyes closed without getting bored. For the first time in my life, my mind was quiet. I wasn’t doing anything. I was just being. My breath was the only thing I could hear, and in that moment, I unlocked a peaceful place inside myself that I had no idea existed.

How Yoga Created My New Path

And, well…the rest is history.

After years of practice, I became a yoga teacher. I took the leap, quit the job I hated, and finally started doing something I loved. I found my life’s calling when I created Yogi Flight School.

The craziness and wild energy? It’s still there. That’s who I am. But I no longer feel the need to “scream” at the end of the day.

Saying that my life gets chaotic sometimes is an understatement, but now I know how to find quiet within, even when everything outside is spinning.

What about you? Do you have a yoga story? What brought you to the mat, and how has it changed your life? And if you haven’t tried yoga yet…what’s holding you back?