So not only was I a vegetarian for 8 years, but I was a dedicated yogini for most of that time, too. There’s something about eating a plant-based diet that makes a lot of people take an interest in yoga…or maybe it’s vice versa? Yoga began in India and so did vegetarianism, so the connection isn’t terribly unusual.
Anyway, soon after I became a vegetarian as a freshman in college, I began practicing yoga too. I bought a cheap yoga mat from Target — I still remember it, it was light blue with a swirly pattern — and some yoga books from my beloved used bookstore on campus, and I’d practice almost every day. I taught myself the names of the poses and would put together simple flows. It kind of reminded me of the choreography I used to do in my dancing days.
I’m naturally an anxious person (fml) so I found that yoga gave me some relief from my daily tension by encouraging me to focus on the rhythm of my breath. Because of that, my favorite style of yoga is vinyasa. It’s smooth, evenly paced, and deeply meditative.
All the mindful breathing, mindful eating, and…ya know, overall mindfulness transformed me into a HUGE HIPPIE. I wore hemp clothing. I listened to jam bands. But as cringe-y as some of these recollections are, I was happy and was able to get through college without any serious mental health issues and I attribute a lot of that to yoga.
After college, I drifted farther and farther away from yoga, and when I started bodybuilding, I also drifted away from my plant-based diet. In retrospect, I think my mental health deteriorated along with my commitment to those two things — and yeah, I know, correlation =/= causation yada yada. But ever since my Big Heavy Depression this winter, I’ve been making a serious effort to reincorporate into my life things that bring me joy, and yoga & a mostly veg diet are two of them.
My gym membership includes fitness classes, so I decided to try out the yoga class that’s offered on Friday mornings. At the beginning of the class, I set my intention: “let go of anxiety”. And that’s exactly what I did. I’ve been going every Friday since then, and I feel amazing.
Right around the same time I went back to yoga, I had the opportunity to try pieces from the prAna spring collection! If you know yoga, you know prAna. I chose the Mika top and the Juniper pant and received them free in exchange for an honest review.
The Mika top is a burnout patterned tank with a built-in bra and criss-cross straps that show off my back. I haven’t worn it to yoga yet, but I did wear it for a recent back workout and loved how light and airy it felt! I wear the XS. Get it here.
The Juniper pants are made from a hemp/cotton/spandex blend and I’ve been wearing them almost every night as pajamas because they’re soooo soft. I’m wearing the XS in these too.
