by Courtney Rohan

For years getting to a yoga class was a trial I could not accomplish. I’d find more often than not, when I was done with cooking, cleaning and making sure my husband and son were content that classes had concluded. It was hard enough to get to my mat, now I had to figure out how to get past the myriad of things that tempted to deplete my energy so much that I could not practice being more of myself.

This is not just my story, I am sure. This is the story of many women, mothers, daughters, sisters, wives that can’t find the time to do for themselves what is necessary for them to be an individual. It wasn’t until years later and many nights of dragging my mat out into the middle of the living room or going to bed without so much as a downward facing dog, that I discovered what I thought the best way to escape to yoga.

All became clear when I found my world turned upside down due to circumstances I could not fix. I discovered then that I had to make my practice as important to my family as it was to me. I needed to practice! It was not a question or a statement. It was a demand. Yoga was and is my path to clarity and the full extent of my life. It discovered its roots as an artery directly to my heart. I found, on days that I did not practice, a person that was so confused, dinner was a challenge.

I make at least one yoga class a week now, without question, and on the days when I do not make a class, I make the time and space. I tell my husband I am working and I make sure my son is in the bed. Like any long awaited activity or trip, one must plan ahead. I had to admit that this practice was not just something I did for entertainment, and plan wisely. It was not a way to distract myself. I had to eventually leave the idea of this trip being an escape, and see more importantly that this path to finding myself was my way to live.

COURTNEY ROHAN found yoga when she relocated her center and felt her belly swell. Prenatal Yoga with Gurmukh Kaur ushered her into and through the beauty of her round body and lengthy labor. She survived to find Dhyana Yoga and Dynamic Flow Yoga with teacher Alex Holmes before obtaining her 200 hour yoga training. She has also obtained Thai Yoga Massage training from Jennifer Yarrow. You can learn more about Courtney at courtneyrohan.blogspot.com »

Related Chi: My Yoga Journey: A Spiny Tale Diversify Your Yoga Practice Yoga For Change: Part 1 Living the Lessons of Yoga The Visual Language of Yoga