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’s write-up is contributed by Mr. M from Morocco; another sincere spiritual seeker who attends our sessions regularly. He chose to remain anonymous. I love the genuine and honest way in which he has written about his journey! Thank you for your sincerity and contribution Mr. M. Please read on to see how yoga has influenced his life!
For a long time, I was skeptical about Yoga. I always had a smirk when someone (especially men) said that she or he was doing yoga as a sport. At times, I even had contempt for those people. I found Yoga, or rather the asana practice, not masculine enough. I thought it was an excuse for those who are not willing to do some “serious” exercise.
I was simply ignorant and judgmental. Instead of getting to know and learn more about it and try it for myself before I give such opinion, I was just being arrogant.
The way I came to know yoga was pretty indirect. In the not so distant past, I went through a series of unfortunate events that got me into a deep existential crisis. One of the ways I found to cope was through the practice of mindfulness and meditation. To cut the story short, I started exploring the world of spirituality and the body/mind relationship: this is how I learned that meditation was one of the cornerstones of the practice of yoga (which is not only about the physical practice but a lifestyle), and I decided to give it a shot. I started attending various yoga groups and began to practice Yoga regularly.
Today yoga is a part of my life and I can’t imagine it going forward without this simple and beautiful practice. Similar to my daily practice of mindfulness meditation, yoga acts like an anchor that helps to ground me and bring me back to the good life when I go astray or distracted.
Physically speaking, Yoga asanas perfectly compliment my other sports practices such as running, high intensity and strength focus trainings. It brings that element of flexibility, fluidity and elasticity to my body.
But for me, now, Yoga is much more than just a physical tool: It is a way to reconnect with my body and myself: paying attention to the subtle movements, parts and sensations in our bodies that we often overlook.
It is a way to adapt a better lifestyle with less stress, anxiety and feelings of sluggishness; and more “feel good” hormones flowing in our bodies, more energy to cope with our daily demanding works and tasks, and simply being and listening to what our body tells us.”
Contributed By:
Mr. M from Morocco.
Thank you Mr. M for your sincere writeup and your commitment to your practice.
If any of you would like to contribute to this series of articles, please email me on yoga@flamingo.ae.
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