i never, ever thought i would ever enjoy yoga enough to try to do it every waking day of my life. in fact, i’ve spent pretty much every yoga class i’ve ever been to feeling inadequate and like i just wanted to get outta there. i’ve listed my top 10 things about hating yoga in this post, and then i talk about how i found an app that has solved these problems for me. as a part of my #takecare resolution for 2013, i’m trying to do yoga every day for at least 15 minutes. the yoga studio app, which you can get here, is saving the day!

1. clothes rolling off

being fat / overweight when you try to do physical activity is sometimes tough because either your clothes don’t fit right, they’re too loose, or they roll when you do certain moves. i hate doing a downward dog and trying to clear my mind in a yoga studio while simultaneously worrying whether or not someone’s looking at my pants rolling down / almost off or my shirt rolling up. both of which happen frequently when doing yoga. at least when i’m in dance class … this doesn’t seem to be so much of an issue.

doing yoga in my own living room and in my bedroom means it’s okay if a fat roll is hanging out. oops. i’ll pull it down when i’m done.

2. it makes me feel inadequate

you want me to do what? with which part of my body? it’s taken me doing yoga every day for the last 3-4 weeks to get to the point that i can even pretend to be going from runner’s lunge to low lunge or warrior without almost falling over. i hate to brag, but i’ve been a natural at pretty much everything athletic or physical that i’ve done my entire life (except for a brief stint where i attempted pole dancing classes …). so not being able to move smoothly from one move to another makes me feel like a giant lah-hooooser.

yoga studio lets me work on it at my own pace and not let my insecurities interrupt my flow / chi / or whatever they call that calm stuff you’re supposed to be focusing on. yes, i’m still cursing not being able to do anything in the tree family without a little wobble, but i’m not also worrying about whether or not all the “experts” around me in class are giggling at me.

lesson: being self-conscious is not a part of being good at yoga.

3. it makes me feel fat

this is closely related to feeling inadequate and being insecure / self-conscious, but it’s super hard to do some yoga moves when your freaking stomach is in the way. when i’m at home, i don’t feel so guilty about doing a modified version. and yoga studio actually lets me make up my own class, if i want to, in addition to having pre-planned classes. so if i want, i can take out the moves that i just can’t do right now without choking or falling out because i can’t breathe. it’s also great if you’ve got a large bust … because most yoga moves might also free prohibitive if you have your lovely lusciousness up in your face.

4. keeping my shoulders down

i’m one of those people that constantly has their shoulders up around the top of their head. yoga requires you to put your shoulders DOWN to be doing it effectively. and i’ve heard at least one yoga teacher or two scold others and me for not keeping their shoulders down. the yoga “voice” inside of yoga studio is super sweet with her reminder about it. for some reason, when a yoga teacher tells me to put my shoulders down i take it personally enough to obsess / think about it for the rest of the class. if this sounds a little bit overboard, again, it has historically been in my nature to be good at physical activities, even while being fat. and any criticism in that area is currently leaving me wounded because i’m hella mad that i’m not that great at them anymore.

5. did i really work out?

my ideal fitness “class” has always revolved around the desire to feel completely dead afterwards. that’s been the only way i’ve felt like i really worked out … when i feel like i might not make it home because i’m now so tired.

yoga doesn’t give me that feeling. i usually feel wide open, relaxed, and ready to take on the day after a 15-minute morning session of yoga. and i typically feel the burn the next day instead of immediately after my workout.

yoga studio also has different types of classes that you can complete – strength, relaxation, or a mix of the two. i really appreciate that they offer that.

6. are these people looking at me

i mentioned above that yoga makes me a little paranoid. again, no one’s looking at me in my living room or bedroom, but when i travel and am looking for a workout, i’m not really into going into a gym class where not only am i feeling a little insecure to begin with, but i’m unfamiliar with everyone in the class and i don’t know the teacher.

yoga studio can be used in your hotel room, and it’s consistent. if you want to change it up, you can make your own classes, but you don’t have to worry about anyone looking at you except for yourself. i like to do the classes in front of the big mirrors in our bedroom so i can correct my form and talk good junk to myself. yes … i have said, “you go girl” on more than one occasion after completing a 30-minute session.

7. i’m confused about what we’re supposed to be doing

because i’m pretty new to yoga / abandon ship nearly twice as fast as i do with other exercise regimens and classes, i don’t know what most of the moves are called. in fact, i had to google “warrior,” “tree,” and “low lunge” to even remember what the moves are that i’ve been doing for the last month or so. it’s nice to not have to scramble to find out what the move is that i’m supposed to do next, and i can always look it up later and see the video again if i really need to check how much better the chick is on the video than i am.

side note: i totally know what corpse pose is. i think … i mean, are your legs supposed to roll to the side like mine do?

if you get confused with this app. you can always rewind the video. or just look forward to trying it again tomorrow!

8. why is everyone else better at this than me?

this is closely related to insecurity and pride. i’ve always really enjoyed being super good at something and letting compliments rain down on me. no one is complementing anything i do when it comes to yoga. the only person i have to compare myself to is the girl in the app, and because she’s not a real person (but she’s an expert) i actually pay attention to her more closely as a guide rather than comparing myself to her. there’s no one beside me to compare myself to, so technically … i’m the best one at this in the class other than the teacher. and she’s the teacher … so i’m cool with that.

9. am i relaxing? am i relaxed?

making your own inner voice be quiet and being within the moment is the biggest challenge of yoga, but it’s a part of my #takecare resolution for 2013. so even if i am asking myself “am i relaxing? am i relaxed?” it’s closer to being in the moment than letting my brain spin through the 500 other things i’m anxious about or worried need to get done. with no outside stimuli and because i’m alone, i’m much more relaxed by the time i get to the end with this app than i ever would be in a class. no one to compare myself to = less of a chance that my inner voice will be beating me up about what a terrible person i am because i can’t turn myself into a pretzel at the drop of a dime.

10. it makes me feel so good after i’m done that i want to do it constantly

this is a bit of a cheat on number 10. now that i’ve discovered that i actually LOVE the way that yoga makes me feel … i’m starting to get addicted to it. i even tried to get the man rabbit to do it with me once for just 15 minutes. it’s the cure-all. neck hurts? do 15 mins with the yoga studio app. angry? it’s just 15 minutes. feel like you could tear it out the frame today? try the 30 minute class. or do the strength class.

there are also 60 minute classes, too, but … we’re taking baby steps so as to not ruin this love affair.

yoga: love it or hate it?

Disclaimer: I earn a commission if you choose to download by clicking the link to the Yoga Studio app in this post. There are other yoga apps out there in the iTunes store, but this is my recommendation based off of trying several other apps. My experience with this app is that they really listen to users’ feedback and update it consistently with fixes and upgrades. If you do purchase the app through my affiliate link, thank you so much for your support!