I Was Nervous to Try Yoga Too

People are often surprised to learn that I was afraid to go to a yoga studio for the first time.

Not just a little nervous. Truly afraid.

I was 30 years old when I began practicing yoga. My husband worked evenings and nights, and I would come home from work completely exhausted. Even so, I still felt out of shape and knew I needed some kind of exercise and stress relief in my life. The last thing I wanted to do, or so I thought at the time, was fight through the insane Atlanta traffic to get home, only to turn around and go back out to some exercise class.

So instead, I bought a yoga video.

I practiced with that video for weeks until I got bored enough with it to buy another one. Then another. Before long, I had a small library of yoga videos and a regular home practice. Some of you may remember the old Rodney Yee videos from Gaiam. Those were the ones.

And honestly? I stayed there for years.

Why?

Because I was intimidated.

I didn’t know what happened inside yoga studios. I worried I wouldn’t fit in. I was an introvert. I felt insecure because I had never practiced with a real teacher before.

I thought everyone else would know what they were doing and that I would somehow be exposed as an outsider.

So I kept practicing alone in my home. For six years!

Eventually, something drastic happened that changed everything.

One evening while riding my motorcycle home from work, I was hit by a car and nearly lost my life. I spent months in physical therapy and away from my normal routines.

During that time, I realized just how important yoga had become in my life.

Without my daily practice, even though it had only been through videos, I became depressed, stiff, disconnected from myself, and deeply longed to get back on my mat. When I finally received permission from my doctor to return to a regular yoga practice, I made a decision: I was finally going to walk into a yoga studio for the very first time.

Apparently it took a near-death experience to get me there. Haha!

But when I finally did attend that first class, something unexpected happened.

After class ended, I sat there and cried.

Not because anything bad happened. Quite the opposite.

For the first time, I experienced the power of practicing in community with a real teacher and other students. The energy in the room, the shared intention, the feeling of belonging, the support: it moved me deeply.

It was life-changing.

I’m not saying yoga will necessarily become as central to your life as it did to mine. But I will say this:

If you are looking for genuine stress relief…If you want to improve the flexibility and health of your body and spine…If you want to leave the stresses of life behind for an hour…If you long for a healthier, calmer, more grounded life…If you want to meet kind, accepting, welcoming people…Yoga can offer all of that.

And one of the most important parts of yoga has always been community.

We are social animals. We need one another. We need support. We need acceptance. Most people are longing for that far more than they realize.

Yoga studios can become spaces where people find exactly that.

So if you’ve been looking at our schedule for weeks…If you’ve been thinking about trying yoga but feel intimidated…If you’re worried you’re not flexible enough, fit enough, spiritual enough, or experienced enough…

Here's a pic of me (second from left) with members of my first yoga community and our teacher, Mike Noury (third from right) back in 2006.

Please know: I understand.

Because I was nervous too.

And if you are lonely, stressed, overwhelmed, disconnected from your body, or simply curious about beginning something healthier for yourself, I hope you’ll give yoga a try.

I would love to welcome you. Email me if you need some suggestions about which classes might be best for you.

Jessica

oxcomyoga@gmail.com