I took my first yoga class 17 years ago, and I can still recall the words of my yoga teacher in that beginner’s class… “Your yoga practice is like money in the bank. Over time, regular practice will bring great dividends. At first, the earned interest may not seem impressive, but over time, the rewards will be great.” By the time I had taken several weeks of class, I was beginning to get glimpses of what she meant: I had more energy, improved eating and sleeping habits, more effective ways of dealing with stress, and a generally more positive outlook on life. My efforts were already bearing fruit!
I kept attending my weekly beginner’s class, and every so often, my teacher would return to that bank analogy. Sometimes her angle on it was different: “When hardship strikes, you’ll find you can draw on the reserves of your yoga practice to weather the storm.” Sure enough- and this truth came many years later for me- the energy invested in yoga practice has carried me through rough patches in life.
It’s difficult, perhaps impossible, to explain exactly how yoga can be so positive and so powerful. We attend to so many things in yoga class or home practice: stretching, strengthening, balancing, concentrating, relaxing, and breathing. Through practice, we learn to attend to all of those things at once. It is truly a challenging and mysterious art.
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I’ve taught yoga for 12 years now, and I continue to practice and to learn as a student. I continue to make deposits and withdrawals from my yoga bank. Perhaps one of the greatest aspects of yoga is that it can be a life-long practice, and it can be embraced at any stage of life. When pursued with patience and discipline, that practice brings great rewards. And when life brings unexpected challenges, there it is, just like an emergency fund… money in the bank!
Alicia Rowe, Introductory II Certified Iyengar Teacher. Each week one of the teachers at the Yoga Space shares her thoughts and experiences in this blog. The Yoga Space is a studio just east of Dexter serving Saline, Chelsea, Manchester and Ann Arbor. We have been helping people with their flexibility, strength, focus and stress management for over 14 years. New Session begins September 9. We offer a free class the last Friday of each month from 6-7 pm. 180 Little Lake Dr #1 Ann Arbor, MI, 48103. www.yogaspaceannarbor.com 734-622-9600