5 Ways Corepower Yoga Has Changed My Life

Looking for a new yoga studio? Try out Corepower Yoga! Being really into yoga, when I started college at UCLA 2 years ago, I immediately began to search for a new yoga studio. After trying out a couple different classes, I discovered Corepower Yoga. Corepower Yoga has several different locations around the U.S. and they offer many different classes for people of all different levels (Yoga Sculpt, C1, C2, and HPF). Corepower has instilled in me a greater love of my yoga practice and given me a sense of motivation at times when I most need it. Here are 5 ways that Corepower Yoga has changed my life for the better!

1. I feel more confident and stronger in my body

In my first class at Corepower Yoga, I struggled through; I had no idea what I was in for. The room was insanely hot and I honestly felt like I was going to pass out. I didn’t know yoga could be so intense and hard. I looked around the room and everyone it seemed knew what they were doing meanwhile I barely could make it through one Yoga Sculpt flow with weights. Many of the girls were very toned all toting a pair of expensive leggings and a sports bra. Being really insecure about my body, I never wore just a sports bra to workout. As I started to go to Corepower almost every day I noticed changes in the way my body felt and looked. I started wearing a sports bra to class not only just because I sweat way too much with a shirt on, but because I was proud of the way my body was looking. I gained more arm muscle and my legs no longer looked like twigs. My abs even started to show. I was proud of myself for working so hard that I no longer felt ashamed of the way my body looked. Maybe I will never be the skinniest or fittest girl in the room, but I still worked my butt off to get to the place I am. Corepower Yoga gave me the confidence to walk in a studio of strangers and work out as hard as I can without being conscious of the way that I looked.

2. It improves my mental health

I found Corepower Yoga at a time when I needed it the most. I was struggling with severe depression and also loneliness from just beginning college. Yoga had always just been “another workout” to me so I didn’t focus on the mindfulness of the practice. However, when I started Corepower Yoga, I decided to become more mentally in tune during a yoga class. Instead of just rushing through the poses and thinking about all the things I had to do after class, I started to pay more attention to the way I was moving and my breathing. Although Corepower Yoga Sculpt classes are very fast-paced and intense, the teachers always remind you at the beginning of class that it doesn’t matter how quick you are moving or making it through every posture; it is about staying present and making sure your body and your mind are connected to one another. Now when I’m in a yoga class, I tend to forget whatever is happening in my life and am just present on my mat. Also, another thing I love about Corepower Yoga is that you are not allowed to have your phones in the studio. It gives me an hour to not just be staring at a screen like I do for most of the day anyways.

3. I learned the meaning of gratitude

It is sometimes hard to cherish the good things in life when you tend to focus on the negative. When I started Corepower Yoga, I was always frustrated when I could not stop thinking about how horrible my life outside the studio was or how I was just not flexible enough to do some poses. In one Corepower class, the teacher began by asking everyone to think of one person or thing they are grateful for and carry the thought of the person or thing throughout the rest of the class. I remember thinking to myself “My life sucks right now, so what is there to be grateful for? I have nothing.” However, during my time at Corepower Yoga I have learned to have a greater appreciation for the things I do have in my life. For one, I am grateful for my health and my ability to keep practicing yoga, something I love. Even in the darkest days, I realize that I still have this shimmer of hope and positivity knowing that I have so many good things in my life, like Corepower Yoga.

4. I learned to trust and believe in myself

Although I did work out a lot before I joined Corepower Yoga, I mostly just worked out because that’s what everybody told me to do. I looked at myself as a person who just wasn’t athletic and could never be seen as strong. Throughout my journey at Corepower, I have learned that I am capable of more things then I thought I could do. I can make it through a whole Yoga Sculpt class without running out of the room frantically to get water. I can do a crow pose for 1 minute without falling out. You have the power inside of you to do what you set your mind to. Corepower Yoga taught me to believe in myself and that through trusting your mind and your body, you can accomplish anything.

5. I embraced that vulnerability is not a weakness

It is very easy to feel vulnerable in yoga. I mean doing poses around a bunch of random strangers? I don’t even like it when people stare at me on a machine at the gym. I always felt this need to close myself off to others and not show the parts of me I didn’t like. However, Corepower Yoga has taught me to embrace my vulnerability both in the studio and in real life. In the studio, you won’t be comfortable in every pose you do, but that’s okay. Chances are there are other yogis around you who feel just as uncomfortable as you in a pose. No one is going to look at you any differently for not getting a pose right. But most importantly I’ve learned that in life being vulnerable is a strength. People that are open about who they are can be seen as admirable. Don’t be afraid to show others the real you.

I am forever grateful that I found such a supportive and motivational yoga studio. Corepower Yoga has allowed me to grow so much as a person and is now the reason why I am actually training to become a yoga teacher. So if you are looking for a place where you can get stronger both mentally and physically, look no further and find the nearest Corepower studio. Plus, you get 1 week free if you are new!