Coming Home to My Body

Have you ever stopped to think about what first drew you to yoga?

I was recently asked this question, and it made me pause. My answer today is quite different from what it would have been 20 years ago. What first brought me to my mat isn't necessarily what keeps me coming back today, but every stage of the journey has taught me something valuable.

For me, it began with the physical practice.

I've always enjoyed movement. Growing up, sports were a huge part of my life, especially softball. Athletics taught me discipline, determination, and how to push through challenges. Much of my relationship with movement was built around performance, competition, and achieving results.

Then I found yoga while living overseas in Malaysia.

Yoga challenged me in ways I hadn't experienced before. It asked for strength, balance, flexibility, focus, and patience—all at the same time. Some poses felt impossible. Others came naturally. Every class revealed something new about what my body could do and where it was asking for more attention.

What surprised me most was that there was no competition.

No scoreboard.
No winning.
No comparison.

Just me, my body, and the willingness to show up.

That wasn't always easy.

Like many people, I spent years judging my body based on what it could accomplish. Yoga slowly taught me a different approach. It taught me to listen.

Some days my body feels strong and energized. Other days it asks for more rest, more patience, and more compassion. Instead of forcing my body to perform, yoga taught me to work with it. To respect what I need on any given day.

As the years have passed, I've become even more grateful for the physical practice. Not because I can touch my toes or hold a challenging pose, but because yoga helps me stay connected to my body. It reminds me to move, breathe, and appreciate all that this body does for me every single day.

As I've navigated the changes that come with perimenopause and menopause, that connection has become even more important. My body doesn't always respond the way it did in my 20s or 30s, and honestly, that can be frustrating at times. But yoga has helped me approach those changes with more curiosity and acceptance rather than resistance.

It has reminded me that my body is not something to fight against. It is something to care for, support, and trust.

In a culture that often encourages us to push harder, do more, and ignore the signals our bodies send us, yoga invites us to do something different. It asks us to pay attention. To notice. To honor our limits and celebrate our capabilities.

The physical practice is so much more than exercise.

It's a conversation with ourselves.

It's an opportunity to cultivate understanding, gratitude, and compassion for the incredible body we live in every day.

And every time I step onto my mat, I learn something new.

What about for You?

What first brought you to yoga? Was it flexibility, strength, stress relief, recovery from an injury, curiosity, or something else entirely?

I'd love to hear your story. Feel free to send me an email or share with me before or after class.