Yoga and I were poles apart. But a turning point came, and we are happily together. Hey readers! It is not a boring love story but instead an inspiring one.
Yoga hit me hard when I was fat-shammed and already a person with diabetes. Soon I realized my love for yoga, and we grew together. Yoga completely changed my life for the better, and here I promise not to leave yoga forever. So here is how yoga changed me as a person.
How Yoga Transforms lives
Here is what yoga taught me:
1. Your Life Is All About Intentions
Energy flows where intention goes!
In my yoga teacher training, we were always asked to set an intention for a day. The intention can be a word, a phrase, or a feeling you would love to spend your entire day with.
The process of setting intentions helped us to keep grounded and make our days worth living. It helps to control your emotions which may overpower your behavior. After my yoga teacher training, I continued the practice of setting intentions. It helped me stay contented and add a greater sense of purpose.
2. Controlling Your Breath
Take a deep breath, inhale peace and exhale happiness!
Generally, we do not notice our breathing in our day-to-day life, but breathing plays a vital role in yoga learning. In YTT, I learned how controlling your breath can be helpful.
When consciously we tune our breaths, we activate our parasympathetic nervous system for rest and digestion. Also, controlling my breath helped me in decreasing stress and anxiety. So, take at least one minute of your day and breathe.
3. Be Present Always
Realize deeply that the present moment is all you ever have!
It is human nature that we are physically present, but mentally we are somewhere else. In my case, too, I used to be absent-minded, but as soon as we began with yoga, I learned how essential it is to be present. Thus my journey of being in the present started.
When I practice yoga, I always choose to be present in every pose. I must say, I am not perfect, but with each day, I try to be present no matter how mundane it seems.
4. Stop Running For Perfection
You don’t have to be perfect; show up and enjoy the imperfect and messy beautiful journey of life!
I always used to run after perfection, but after my yoga teacher training, I learned it is not essential to be perfect. In my yoga teacher training, I used to think about how I long to try different poses, but my instructor told me it is not important how you look in every posture; what matters is how you feel in those poses.
You do not need to run to make every pose or moment of your life perfect. Showing up for yourself every day is enough for the world.
5. Be Connected To Self
The more you connect with the self, the easier it gets to connect with the world!
Your feelings also need space and time to better process. Since my teenage, I used to overreact and over-analyze my emotions. Yoga helped me to control my emotions in a better way.
Yoga helps me to release those emotions. Practicing yoga will give you a proper space for your feelings and help them cope with traumatic situations. After a few continuous yoga practices, I became more connected to myself.
6. Perfect Balance Is A Myth
Balance is all about highs and lows, good and bad!
There is no such thing as a perfect balance, and you can never have an excellent balance all the time. Yoga has helped me accept that nothing can remain perfect all the time and focus on the energy that matters the most.
With continuous yoga practice, I have strengthened my core and mind which help me manage areas of my life off the mat. I am stronger than ever and know that balance is an elusive concept.
7. Being Mindful
It is not what you look matters; what you see matters!
Yoga makes you mindful. Trying challenging poses makes you flexible and boosts confidence. When learning yoga, I felt underconfident and scared to try new poses. But gradually, I did a headstand; my faith knew no boundaries. I was happy and contented.
Trusting yourself and believing that you can make a change is always important. Do not let your thoughts hold you back. I have recovered from many challenges with yoga and will continue to do so.
8. Better Body Understanding
Fall in love with taking care of yourself. Mind. Body. Soul.
I was the one who was constantly bullied and fat-shamed; I used to feel bad, but junk food was love. Soon I became diabetic at a minor age, which was a turning point in my life. Thus I decided to change for the better.
Yoga helped me to understand my body. It helped me gain physical strength and mental relaxation. My muscle became stronger, and I was more flexible and felt connected to my body. I lost almost 20 kgs, and I am no more diabetic. I feel so blessed to be associated with yoga.
9. Stop Comparing
True happiness is found when you stop comparing!
The worst we do to ourselves is we compare. In my early days of yoga, I, too, had a habit of comparing poses with others and getting envious. But soon, I realize that everyone’s yoga practice is different, and everyone is different; there is no point in comparing.
Eventually, I learned to focus on myself and my needs on and off the mat. We must believe that our journey may look different from others, but the path is correct. Have faith that you can do it and focus on it only rather than being envious. Be grateful for everything you have.
10. Make The Discomfort, Comfortable
The more you seek uncomfortably, the more comfortable you will become
Learning yoga is a blissful experience. Every day of yoga practice gives you a whole new experience. Sometimes you may find an asana tough and challenging, while it became easy the other day.
It happens some poses bring challenges and create discomfort, but the idea of yoga is to find comfort in those times of distress. Thus those uncomfortable moments of our lives helo us to grow and groom. I soon learned to get on par with my discomforts. It helped to expand my yoga practice, making it more substantial.
Takeaways
Yoga has the power to reconstruct the person completely.
After performing yoga for years, I feel a shift in my mental clarity, flexibility, and physical strength. Days were complex and challenging, but showing up on the mat was essential for me. I never lost hope, was motivated, and kept my determination up, and here I am, happy and healthy.
I would highly recommend you make yoga a part of your lifestyle. You will see beautiful changes not physically but mentally too. You will feel more relaxed and contented than ever. A yoga teacher training will help you expand your yoga practice and will make your yoga practice constant. Join a Yoga Teacher Training and get ready for a transformation journey.
Happy Yoga Learning!
