Three weeks ago, I joined the yoga class that my mom was taking at school and I’ve been going once a week ever since. Because I’ve been continuing with ballet, I was expecting the yoga classes to be ok. As in I didn’t think it would be hard because flexibility is what ballet is all about (well at least half of it is). I was definitely wrong. It was more challenging and felt more like the workouts I do at home once or twice a week. It not only pushed me to my limits in terms of stretching every possible place in my body in every possible direction, but it challenged my ability to balance and my strength (undertake new challenges). I think it will definitely help with ballet because through working out on my own to imitate the poses of the teachers and sustain the position, I have had to learn how to use my body so that I can balance for a really long time in the most difficult positions while still sustaining a good posture (which is an aspect of ballet as well) (develop new skills).
Moreover through the yoga classes, I also learnt about my bad habits (in relation to my posture) and how it is affecting the way my body is developing and growing. I learnt that because I don’t sit with my back straight all the time (something that has continued since I was little), my spine has been shaped in such a way that I can no longer bend my body from my waist. It can only bend from around my stomach, therefore my I try to touch my toes I can never place my palms on the floor or when I sit and reach for my toes I’m in a lot of pain. It’s all to do with the fact that my spine is not naturally curved to only bend at the stomach and not my waist. Therefore when I also do yoga poses where my back is on the ground, my spine often hurts as the middle area (around the level of my stomach) is jutting out (due to the bend) and keeps hitting against the floor. This has made me really worried and I’ve started to become more conscious about my posture because I know that if I continue this way that when I grow older and my muscles become weaker, I will completely lose the ability to stand up straight (hence, we often see old men and women who walk around with their back bent and can’t even stand up straight anymore). I had always been told by my mom to sit up straight because otherwise I’ll turn out like the hunchback of Notre Dame. I didn’t really believe it till I really felt the effects and was told by the yoga teacher. Taking these yoga classes has not just been a physical therapy to relieve the stress, but also has been quite enlightening in terms of understanding how my body works and that I need to take care of it (increased awareness of strengths and areas for growth).
I plan to continue taking the classes until May when the IB exams start. I feel like it will be something that will keep my mind and body balanced; releasing stress and allowing my body to really relax.
“We all take different paths in life, but no matter where we go, we take a little of each other everywhere” 