Dating with the yoga mat

Yoga. I tried it. And again. And again. And finally went on a retreat. I stretched and I flexed, breathed the right way and in terms of flexibility, there’s nothing wrong with me. And yet I didn’t feel it after every new attempt. Until last week, when I plopped down on the mat at Luvi Yoga in the heart of Amsterdam. I hadn’t even been inside for five minutes and I was already ’grounded’ as they beautifully call it in yoga land. A little ginger tea to start and a small introduction made me feel at home right away and I forgot all the emails, messages, and busyness from that same morning. And the class hadn’t even started yet. Fifty minutes long from downward dog to handstand with a meditative (including singing bowls) ending.

At Luvi, they specialize in offering Vinyasa flow at different levels. Vinyasa literally means ’connection of movement and breathing’. And that is exactly what this form of yoga is about. It emphasizes the breath, allowing you to learn to relax better. And if you, like me, tend to be quite a busybody (and I’m not talking about the amount of energy that flows through my body day in and day out, but especially about the chaos that takes place in my head), then this form of yoga is a very good idea. In the first lessons, it might still be difficult to fully relax and forget everything happening around you. But practice makes perfect, and after a few lessons, you’ll notice that thoughts like ’what am I going to cook tonight’ and ’oh no, I need to call my mom’ will naturally pass you by. Completely zen, with a mountain of energy and a smile from ear to ear, I hopped on my bike. That day, nothing was too much for me, I happily wore my favorite Lululemon pants all day and slept like a baby. Finally, I felt it and I was in a relationship with the yoga mat. I’m in love, guys. I’m in love.