I distinctly remember the first time I tried yoga. I was fourteen and my volleyball club had weekly strength training sessions together at lifetime fitness. One night, a yoga instructor came and taught yoga to us. I was not optimistic about the experience. My mom had raved about yoga and I thought it would just be for older people who needed a bit of extra flexibility. I did not think that any drastic physical benefits could be brought about by this practice called yoga. I even contemplated not going to the strength training session after I found out that yoga would be the main focus of the night. If I never ended up going to that practice, I can only imagine my life would not be the same now. I was completely and utterly astonished and at a loss for words when the class was done. I felt like I had worked hard, but I also felt a new, clean energy inside of me that I had never felt before. My mood was noticeably happier and I knew I had discovered something that was of great importance.
Throughout high school I continued to practice yoga on and off when I could, in between sport seasons. Some of my teams did have yoga practices for cross training. I began to enjoy the yoga more than the actual sport I was playing. Practicing yoga gave me a new, renewed energy that running, or skiing or swimming had ever given me. During difficult times throughout high school, I would go to yoga to bring a sense of calmness and happieness to me. I understood how it helped me physically, but I never understood how it helped me mentally as well.
This past year when I