People often have reservations about Yoga – as to what Yoga and/or asana practice is ! We often hear things like, “I am not flexible, so I cannot do asana practice, OR I am too old OR I am large etc.
How can we clear these misconceptions and reach out to a wider audience? How can we build awareness about the amazing benefits of Yoga? The best way would be to let the people who practice Yoga – not the teachers, but the students – speak about how Yoga has touched their lives.
So, over the next few weeks, we will be publishing a series : “Have your Say about the Journey of Yoga and You” ! The write ups are contributed by students and people who are on various stages of their Yogic journey.
This week, Ankitha, a cheerful young lady from India and a core member of our Yoga group writes about how Yoga has benefited her. She works as a Marketing Manager in Dubai. Ankitha loves to travel, is curious about the world in general and is a self confessed health enthusiast.
Q:How long have you been doing yoga?
Since January 2018
Q: What attracted you to yoga?
It was not about achieving the perfect headstand. My mind is constantly racing. I like to plan, control every aspect of my life. With yoga, I hope to be present in the moment and have a sense of acceptance of things that I cannot control.
Q: What do you like about yoga the most?
I love all the asanas (of course, given who I am as a person, I enjoy the newand challenging asanas more than the routine ones). What I love the most is meditation. I am generally focused and quite determined, but I have always struggled with patience (especially with things that I cannot control). During meditation, I get to invoke my inner Zen (at least for a brief time) and be at peace with the world around me.
Q: Any difference in your life since you started practicing Yoga?
I have learned to modulate my breathing (helps tremendously to clear my head, control (to some extent) my frustration and reduce stress. I have always been able to focus on a task, but because of yoga, I am able to let go of the little things that don’t matter as much in the long run.
After I have worked my body and felt connected with my mind, there is a sense of joy and freedom I experience. Even though it may be a fleeting sense of achievement and calmness, I get a glimpse of what is possible if I persist with a goal in mind.
Contributed by:
Ankitha, Yoga Enthusiast
Thank you Ankitha for the write up and your ongoing commitment towards Yoga.
If any of you would like to contribute to this series of articles, please email me on yoga@flamingo.ae.
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