Do You Yoga?

It was the fall of 2014 and I had just finished a nice upper body workout. My brother and his friend came into the gym and asked me to take yoga. Huh? Yoga?


I had heard of Yoga before and knew about it, but me, Vandie Barnard, taking a Yoga class? Unheard of. Don’t get me wrong, I had nothing against Yoga. I respected those that did it and the teachers that instructed it.  I just didn’t need Yoga. I already made sure to stretch after each of my workouts, so I was good. 


I declined my brother and his friend’s frequent attempts and went about my day….


Fast-forward a couple weeks later, and once again after finishing a workout, my brother and his friend had just finished their workout as well, they said they were going to take Yoga. Once again they asked me to take the class with them. This time they insisted even more that I do it. They told me I’d thank them after class. This time around I decided to give it a try, I had some spare time.


I was ready for the stereotypes, preparing in my mind that we were going to be surrounded by a bunch of women. 


We enter the room and grab some mats. The majority of class were females, however there were a few more men in the class than I expected, besides us. A couple minutes later, another gentleman walks in with his mat to the front of the room and began setting up. I whispered and asked my bro, “Is that the teacher?” He nodded his head, yes. 


I was surprised! A male teaching Yoga!? I had never heard of that!


After class my brother and his friend asked me how it was. I looked at them and responded: “I enjoyed every second of it!”. Not only was I stretched out and feeling loose, I felt relaxed. I felt calmed. I felt invigorated.


From that moment on, I fell in love with yoga. My stereotypes were rendered as trash since I saw a male instructing Yoga. I took it upon myself to become a certified Yoga instructor. 


3 years later, and I continue to spread the benefits of Yoga and teach others. Every class I teach is a joy for me, and whenever someone new becomes a regular to my class, it fuels me that much more. I recommend everyone to take a Yoga class, if you have not already. There are many different styles of Yoga, doesn’t matter which you take. We’ll break down some of the different types in another post, but my favorite to teach is power Yoga. Releasing the tension in your muscles while also strengthening your body is a feeling like none other. Not to mentioned how relaxed and calm you feel afterwards. 


If you haven’t taken a class, or haven’t take one in a while, I implore you to do Yoga. Give it a try. Don’t be like I was and knock it before trying it. I guarantee it’ll be a great experience that you won’t regret. 


Be Greater!