I have a confession to make. I am a couch potato. Give me some Netflix, a comfy couch, a glass of wine and a bag of chips and I'm in my happy place.

I realize, of course, that I can't just live on the couch. It's just not healthy. Over the course of my adulthood, I have tried over and over again to become a more active person. I've tried various cardiovascular activities ranging from exercise DVD's, going to the gym, spin classes, lifting weights, swimming, and even a few sports (yikes!). I would look at those people that were constantly running around from one activity to another, with nothing but envy. Everything I tried, I genuinely hated it. Hated every minute of it. How could I ever be healthy and happy if I hated exercising? How can I change myself?

Then came the 'what's wrong with me'? I'm just fat and ugly. Ugh. I haven't gone to the gym in a week! What a loser I am!

I realized that this cycle was making me dislike myself. This was really not healthy. Not making me happy either.

Then I found yoga. It was healthy. It was sustainable. It wouldn't kill me. It actually made me feel good about myself. There was no competition. No comparing yourself. Just moving, stretching, breathing. After a class, I would feel 'high'. Then I started to became more flexible & stronger! wow, this is awesome.

Sure, yoga is tough. It is still a struggle to peel myself off my comfy couch and get on my mat, but once I am there, I actually smile. I enjoy myself. I can play. I can fall out of poses and laugh at myself. I can try new things. I can rest when I want. I can just sit in child's pose and breathe.

Now when I don't make it to my mat in a week, I say to myself, I'll try again tomorrow. There's no judgement. There's no guilt. I have learned through yoga to love myself just the way I am.

The best part? It made me realize that I don't want to change who I am. I am a couch potato who occasionally does yoga and that's really okay.