To Yoga:

I have the biggest crush on you.

I have a sneaking suspicion that you know that, but it never hurts to hear, ‘I love you.’

My adoration for you reaches far and wide. Whenever I think I have reached my pinnacle of love, you surprise me again and again.

We have dabbled for seven years now, on and off. At first I flirted with you in order to get that body I was told I had to have. I wanted skinny legs and a flat stomach. I wanted Madonna arms (before they got terrifying); I wanted to be a “Bo Derek” 10.

This was not our brightest moment. You were my one night stand. You were the ex you go back to again and again. I experimented in all different styles. Nothing ever felt right to me.

I wanted to be a Bikram fanatic. But let’s be real—I’m not peppy, I’m not tan and I don’t enjoy wearing booty shorts and little else to yoga. Then you introduced head sets and cheerleader like instructors? You lost me.

Perhaps it was you that sent some divine (and horrible) intervention that caused me to decide to go bowling that fateful night. Little did I know that I wouldn’t be able to walk the next day, or for two weeks after that. My back was not my own. Every step sent deep radiating pain throughout my body and I would stand frozen, cringing until the wave of horror subsided.

It was the worst. It was also was what brought me back to you.

I started small, like furlong glances across the table. The occasional graze of the hand. Once a week I found myself on the mat, taking a gentle hatha class that focused on nothing else but simple, deep stretches. I felt my back broaden, my hips open and my body sigh in relief.

Just like that, we found our groove. No longer just a crush or a one night stand, now you were the real deal. You were the hold-onto-this-keeper situation, and there was nothing that would come between us.

One year later, I feel the same.

We are now the kind of couple that holds hands almost everyday. I get such a sense of joy when I unfold my mat and start my day with an OM. I now notice the difference between when I spend my morning with you and when I don’t.

What can I say? You have me hook, line and sinker.

Love,

Your Boo