The Bhagavad Gita describes yoga very aptly, as the journey of the self, through the self, to the self. This is something that the students of my yoga class in Bandra as well as I often feel is true. While most yoga class descriptions will typically tell you about the physical journey a yogi undertakes, the journey is so much more. It is about a seeking of the self, about looking inward and about finding one’s own truth as much as toning the body and enhancing physical health.
Some people may join a yoga class for weight loss and actually end up gaining so much more that a fit, lean body! As an instructor and a ‘sadhak’ who continues her quest to become a better yogi, I find that yoga offers a holistic solution for living life and can show the way in times of adversity as well.
“Yoga is not about touching your toes, it’s about what you learn on the way down”
As you learn to do new things with your body and discover what it is capable of, you gain new perspective about your own abilities. For instance, if you are a yoga class beginner, you may feel that you would never be able to do the Sirshasan (the head stand); may think that it is too difficult to do. But with practice and proper guidance you can master this. Along with this you gain new confidence in your own abilities; which may encourage you to take on something new in your professional or personal sphere as well!
“In the practice of tolerance, one’s enemy is one’s best teacher”
Yoga teaches us about acceptance of the self and of others. It teaches us patience and offers fresh perspective about our own nature as well as that of others. As we learn patience and forbearance, we are able to see the reality of our own faults which we can then work towards correcting to become better human beings. At the same time, we learn to view other people in a more tolerant light as we gain greater insight into human behavior. Traits and habits of others that we found irritating may seem less so; more understandable as we learn patience, tolerance and maturity.
“When you own your breath nobody can steal your peace”
I find meditation to be such an effective tool for calming myself that I recommend everyone to try and reap its many benefits. When times are difficult and everything seems to be going wrong, the discipline of yoga and the calming influence of meditation can tide you over those difficult times. When you look within, you find inner reserves of strength that you may not have known yourself to posses. You will find even in the face of adversity there is so much that you have to be grateful about; so many people who are there for you.
The renewed belief in your own abilities will help you deal effectively with the problems that come your way. You realize that while you have love and positive energy in you, no one can steal your peace or make you unhappy. It is all about knowing that your power rests within yourself!