How My Muscle Spams And Anxiety Lead Me To Yoga
Growing up in a Christian Kenyan household i was made to believe that Yoga was demonic. I guess it stemmed from the fear that this activity would invite unwanted evil spirits. But this wasn’t uncommon in any African household. The art of superstition and its effect was a tale told to children like me. This made the myth even more believable, that it became part of my belief system.
Gradually as i grew older i got to understand the benefits of Yoga. I saw beyond the superstition that my Kenyan family had made me believe in. But, instead i decided to take a personal invitation into the practice. My invitation thou, came through an act of fate. After a bad fall i started to experience muscle spams and anxiousness. My physiotherapist at the time had advise me to incorporate Yoga into my physical activity. He believe that the positions in Yoga would relax my muscles and calm my nerves. He saw that the tension caused by the pain i was experiencing made me very restless. He wanted me to learn Yoga and make it apart of my daily routine so i can ease my muscle pain.
So, i took the challenge and decided to defy the odds with my childhood myth. I was sacred at first. The belief that yoga was demonic made me even more anxious than before. So to protect my sanity from the mumbles about how bad Yoga was i decided to keep it a secret from my family. This way i wouldn’t have to deal with the guilt of the superstition. So January 2017 i began the quest to experience the mythical art. I went on to Pinterest and found simple positions for my back. I gradually began the downward facing dog, the cat crawl and then other positions. After completing my sessions i would find a sense of relief and peace. This feeling came with the breathing techniques i would do during my sessions. They were so refreshing to the mind and relaxing to the body. This refreshing feeling lead me to join my friend in a professional yoga class. The positions were quite hard but i felt my body stretched and become flexible.
Thou the class was beneficial, i was a woman in my 20’s who was on a tight budget. So i found a cheaper teacher on Youtube that only asked for likes and subscribe. Now, that sounded like a deal i could afford. So thereafter Youtube was my class. My Youtube teacher would guide me through the yoga techniques. With due time i found Yoga becoming my secret weapon. The superstitious became my anti-anxiety and my new hobbie. My experience was very beneficial in my outlook in life and how myths are myths and sometimes the art was a helper. I would advice that my fellow humans in the African community to partake in the art of Yoga. This flexibility activity actually relaxes the body muscles and clams your nerves. It’s a fitness activity that can help with back pains and anxiety. It’s a breath of fresh air for everyone.
