Yoga: Food for the Mind and Soul

I started yoga at a fairly young age to help me lose weight. I started out at a place called Dahn Yoga, which was run by Koreans. Yoga originally derived from Indians, so Dahn Yoga gave me a different experience, as it was done using Korean methods of the exercise. When I first began taking classes, the only thing I had on my mind was trying to lose weight and lose it fast. At the time, I was under medication to cope with stress and the particular drug I was taking had a horrible side effect of increasing my appetite level and making me eat like a pig, causing me to fear putting on a few pounds.

I took yoga classes about 3-4 times a week, and after about a month, I was scheduled for another doctor's appointment. I stepped on the scale and expected to be lectured about how much weight I had gained. On the contrary, my doctor presented me with surprising results-I had actually lost 5 pounds! She explained that every patient she had that taking the same medication was putting on weight, while I was actually shedding it. I told her that I was taking yoga classes, to which she replied, "Ah, well, that explains it."

I found yoga to be amazing at keeping me fit, toned, and energized. I never felt better! I began to find myself singing in the shower, something I hadn't done in ages. My whole disposition changed and I had a more positive outlook on everything. It took me a while to connect the dots-yoga was helping me not only to cope with my figure, but my mind too! It completely changed my mood and temper. While I once blew everything out of proportion, I now became the calm and bubbly person that everyone looked to for positivity. I could not believe that with a little stretching and moving around, I was molded into a new person!

Meditation has always been the key to finding peace within one's self, at least, that's the idea my instructors were always promoting. I never put much thought into "searching my soul" or "finding peace within me" but I decided to give it a shot, because I had finally invested myself in the power of yoga.

I started out with a meditation class that lasted an hour and a half. What a bore that was. The class was set up in the form of a group circle. Everyone sat in a chair with their legs crossed, which I found odd because I always did yoga on the floor. Basically, all the class time was spent chanting and thinking. The instructor told us to think about a happy time in our lives, then a sad one, then mumbo jumbo about a waterfall. I couldn't concentrate as he was telling us these things. I was never forced to search my mind for anything in my other classes. To me, yoga was always about wielding my body and stretching my limbs. I sat in that chair with a jumbled mind and left the class confused. Meditation was supposed to bring me peace, but it hadn't done that at all for me.

I didn't want to give up so quickly, so I tried again. This time, I went to a three-hour class. When I stepped into the room, I immediately felt at peace. The lights were dimmed and candles were placed in the corners. I sat down in a pretzel and waited for a voice to begin to tell us what to do. Nothing. I opened my eyes to see the instructor, along with the other students, sitting with their legs crossed, eyes closed and hands moving around in a sphere motion around as if they each had an invisible ball in between their palms. I decided to try that. I reached to put my hands out in front of my abdomen. I started moving them closer, about 5 inches apart, then farther apart. I imagined a ball of energy in my hands, expanding, then shrinking, as I moved my palms apart, then together. After a few minutes of doing this and keeping my mind and thoughts empty, I began to feel an amazing sensation of heat and magnetism. My hands were burning up and each time I moved them further apart, I felt magnet-like waves trying to bring them closer. I smiled to myself as I did this, and after another half an hour, I felt all the stress of the day and every conflict in my life melt away. It was all gone, and I had never felt more free. That class was a liberating experience. I finally understood the term of being reborn that my instructor always used, because that's exactly what I felt that night. Yoga was my rebirth.