This summer I’m interning in Denver, the Mile High City known for its beautiful endless hiking trails and good work-life balance. This is my first time living in Denver, and I’m living by myself, in a separate apartment building from the other interns, which means I have to cook for myself and become best friends with solitude. This is the first time I feel like I’m really on my own. You could argue I’m learning more life abilities including cooking, grocery shopping (I’m the worst when it comes to making decisions), and taking public transportation than internship related skills. I’ve also used this as an excuse to treat myself. That mochi ice cream my parents would never buy? Just another $5 on my receipt. That chocolate almond granola cereal? I’m addicted. The veggies? Just get the already-chopped-up-and-in-a-bag-ones because I don’t want to deal with them otherwise. 

But I also wanted to treat myself exercise-wise and health-wise. When I was starting to feel lonely, I googled remedies, and one of the solutions was to join a group fitness class. So I decided to try yoga. Not just a once in a while thing, but regularly. I googled yoga places near me and chose the new student deal at Samadhi Yoga, which appealed to me because they emphasize traditional yoga and unlike other places, they don’t do hot yoga (I am not a fan of hot yoga—I don’t understand how it’s supposed to be relaxing if your hands keep sliding off the mat, off the sweat falling down your slick forehead!). They also offer a wide range of classes and it wasn’t too far from me. The deal was $30 for unlimited yoga for a month. 

I started going 2-3 times a week, after work. The first one I went to, Jivamukti Yoga, creeped me out a little because it started and ended with chanting, but I enjoyed the vinyasa flow classes because they were challenging (try doing an L-shaped handstand for just 10 seconds) and I would feel so relaxed and rejuvenated afterward. Yoga isn’t magic; I think there’s something about being upside down with the blood rushing to your head that invigorates you and feels good. But it works. The vinyasa flow I did last week was probably my hardest (and favorite) session. The instructor challenged us and brought new poses. I was sweating pretty soon and my legs were almost shaking afterward. I  appreciated how she came by and fixed my downward dog pose (put my feet closer to my hands, palms should be flat on the floor with no gap between the palm and the mat) and Warrior 2 pose (knee in line with the second big toe). 

Yoga teaches dedication, determination, and resolve, she emphasized. It’s no coincidence that much of yoga is repetitive. It’s all about challenging yourself to get to the next level—resisting the mind when it fights back and says it’s too painful because the mind gives up before the body more times than not—but at the same time, listening to your body. In the middle of this session it started raining—and hailing. The ice hit against the windowpanes so loudly that I couldn’t hear the instructor anymore. I should’ve just went home, I thought to myself. Thankfully it had stopped by the time the yoga session was over. The passing of the rain was like seeing the other side of the mountain, in this case the yoga session that pushed my limits. 

Yoga teaches you how to breathe, how to relax and let go, how to return to the present. It shows you how to be aware of your surroundings and appreciate yourself—body, mind, soul. Each time I come in stiff and tight and by the end (after some joint cracking and body heat generation) feel much more loose and at peace. That’s one thing I’m hoping to get out of yoga—the awareness of where I’m tight, so I can loosen and relax those areas. 

My goals of doing yoga are to learn how to empty your mind, to relax and let go, and to become more loose and flexible. Having been here for almost a month, I think that realistically it will take me a year before I can do some of these yoga poses like balancing on one leg and handstands. But it’s all about resolve—steady resolve. If I keep working at it, I’ll get it eventually.