Fort Collins Yoga Festival in City Park this Weekend [VIDEO, INTERVIEW]

Yoga has made a big difference in my life.

Weeks after I began a regular practice, I noticed a the change. What was that difference?

I just felt younger. Remember when everything seemed to be easier? Loads felt lighter? Stress seemed less prevalent? Things seemed to make more sense? It's like a glimpse of a pink cloud. You can't really explain how good it feels, but you can't deny the amazing feeling, either.

I honestly thought I had recaptured an innocence, vitality and youthful feeling early on in my yoga practice.

Then, ski season arrived. The interesting thing that popped out at me after my first big weekend of alpine skiing was how sore I wasn't. Usually, the Tuesday after my first weekend of skiing is a pretty painful affair. At least, getting out of bed the Monday and Tuesday after, I would be reminded of all the fun I had with a tight back, sore hamstrings, and an audible 'aaarrgh' would be heard each time I arose from my bed, chair, or car.

That time, little or no pain. Not during the ski day, which I noticed I more easily skied from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. with only short breaks. And, not in the days after, when the soreness normally reared its ugly head.

It isn't totally accurate to say that I felt younger, necessarily, because not being sore after skiing was totally new. Even when I was a teenager, my first weekend of skiing would make me sore for days after. Through my 20's and 30's, it was like an annual ritual. Ski really hard that first weekend, and despite any kind of off season training, I would have soreness afterward.

It seemed unavoidable, and I really didn't mind it because it was like a reminder that I was once again engaging in my favorite activity.

But the year I started yoga, that soreness was barely there. I could feel it a little bit, but nothing like the usual pain I was accustomed to. That experience, though I can in no way prove that yoga was the sole reason for the lack of soreness after my first ski weekend of the year, was good enough for me to want to delve deeper into my practice.

In it, I have found refuge, solace, peace, physical strength that leads to mental confidence, and a desire to learn more. It hasn't answered all of life's questions, but it has solved some. Like everything, it's a work in progress, but one I'm glad to continue.

The Breathe Yoga Festival is in City Park Fort Collins this weekend (June 20 and 21, 2015).