When I first began my yoga practice, I entered it with an expectation that it would make me feel better in my body and in my mind - with intense low-back pain and high anxiety being my greatest motivators to begin, I was seeking relief, which did come after some time, but it wasn't at the forefront of my experience. I quickly realized that if I wanted to feel the results I was desiring, I would have to show up consistently, which felt daunting in and of itself. Building a consistent practice requires a willingness to show up and creating time and space for it in the day, which at the time felt impossible with an already busy schedule. Once I broke through the uncomfortability of devoting myself to something new, I quickly began noticing all the other elements of a yoga practice - the mind-body-spirit connection and all that arises when you begin to truly tune in.

As I became more consciously aware of my body, I began discovering new places that were tense or sore, and suddenly, I felt like my whole body was ignited with physical pain and issues that I had no idea needed my attention before. As I began to connect more intimately with my mind and inner world, I came face-to-face with parts of myself I had shut away to never look at again. It felt overwhelming, difficult, and, quite frankly, a little bit scary.

I don't share this to scare you off; I share to normalize the experience of how daunting these practices can feel when we begin to commit and deepen within them and to remind you that yoga doesn't always feel good, and that's part of the process.

Can a yoga practice help you feel better physically, mentally, and spiritually? YES! ABSOLUTELY! If it never felt good, we wouldn't do it. And it's important to acknowledge all aspects of what arises in a yoga practice, both internally and externally, which doesn't always feel great. Our Asana practice will sometimes highlight places in the body that aren't working the way we want them to, our meditation practice will often surface difficult parts of ourselves to be worked with, and sometimes all of it just feels downright frustrating. But the beautiful thing is, if you're coming up against this frustration, you're doing something right. Keep going.

Yoga is here to teach us, to help us see where our blockages are so we can live more aligned lives - but we have to be willing to meet those blocks if we ever want to remove them. Yoga is a practice of meeting ourselves where we are so we may grow, ascend, and connect with that which is greater. If we expect the practice to feel good all the time, we're going to be sorely disappointed and discouraged every time it doesn't. Keep an open heart and an open mind as you embark on your own unique journey with yoga, and remember that the difficult parts bring just as much value as the enjoyable ones.