De-stressing with Bente (#16)

Learning to relax again: how do you manage to do that? Bente (23) is a freelance journalist and works as an online editor at Flow. Having experienced a near-burn-out, she’s finding her way to a life with less stress. And every Friday, she takes us with her on her journey to get there.

Since starting my journey to a less stressful life last August, I’ve had an overwhelming desire to start yoga. For months I had felt that my head and body were acting separately from each other and that the communication between the two had broken a long time ago. The promise of yoga—coming back into contact with your body—appealed to me enormously.

But when the desire first hit me, I wasn’t ready to follow it through. I couldn’t even stop for ten minutes without hyperventilating, let alone listen to my breathing for an hour. But now, ten months and lots of ups-and-downs down the line, I felt ready to take the plunge. So, on a Sunday afternoon, I found myself at the local yoga studio for an introductory lesson.

It’s only a 400-meters walk from my home. Yet, with every step I took, I felt my breath accelerate. My panic levels increased as soon as I stepped across the threshold of the studio. While the rest of the group sipped on pre-prepared tea, I thought of ways to flee. But I stayed. It hit me that I will always feel tense when trying new things, and that running away is not necessarily the best option. And with that in mind, I walked straight into the hall and sat down.