I was one of those who always thought yoga was slow and
boring. I preferred spending more time at the gym than going for a yoga class.
I was wrong. No form of exercise has benefited me as much as yoga.
During my tenure at Shaimak Davar’s Institute of Performing
Arts, the SDIPA classes, we were taught surya namaskar (sun salutations) as a
part of the workout routine. This was probably the only asana (exercise) I knew
of yoga. I had to quit SDIPA as I was leaving to the United Kingdom for further
studies. After having quit the dance company, I started working out at the gym.
A few weeks before leaving to England, I decided to give yoga a shot. The only reason being I was so used to group
fitness classes like dance, aerobics that the gym turned out to be boring as I had
no company.
The First day of yoga, was disappointing. I could not do a
single asana and found the class extremely slow. It felt like I had not
burnt a single calorie. However, this did not stop me from going to class. I
told myself things would get better. Guess what, they did. It got better each
day. After a few weeks, I noticed I was much better than day one. That was when
I realized one has to give oneself time and put in extra effort in order to get
there.
I had just begun liking yoga but, had to stop taking the
class as I had to move to England. After having spent a few weeks in England, I
started missing the gym and surprisingly, yoga! So, I decided to sign up for
the gym in the University. Luckily for me, the gym offered group fitness
classes like Zumba, Body Combat, Yoga and many more. The yoga class was two
days a week (Tuesday and Sunday). Initially, I attended only the Tuesday’s
class. After a month and a half, my liking for yoga had turned into love. If I
missed a class I felt like I've missed an entire week of workout. Hence, I
started attending the class on Sunday as well. I was so in love with yoga and
did not want to miss a single hour of practice. The yoga instructor was extremely
inspiring and one of the reasons for me to start enjoying yoga. Her name is
Olga. She came up with something new and interesting, every week. During every
class, she explained the importance of yoga and how our body benefited from it.
Honestly, it took me a few months to notice the benefits.
Partner Yoga with my instructor, Olga
Sirsasana - Head Stand
The benefits of yoga are both physical and mental. It
physically helps in improving your flexibility, muscle strength and perfects
your posture. It also prevents break down of joints and protects your spine. There are a plenty of
asanas that help in strengthening your spine. Regular yoga practice improves
coordination, reaction time, memory and concentration. Yoga is vast; we do not
practice asanas alone, we are also taught the technique of breathing (pranayama,
kapalabhati) which helps in removing the toxins from within the body. Another
important aspect of yoga is the bandhas (body locks). The bandhas are Uddiana
Bandha, Valandhara Bandha and Mula Bandha. These three bandhas together are
known as Maha Bandha. After the body has been prepared by thorough practice in
the different asanas and clarified by the breathing exercises, the Yogi (person
who practices yoga) is ready for the Bandhas. These may not be attained
immediately, since they depend on a full state of body and mental relaxation
for successful attainment. Yoga has a million benefits and the ones I have
mentioned are just a few.
Padmasana - Lotus Pose
It has been years of practicing yoga and I am only falling
more in love with it. I have had wonderful instructors, namely Olga, Claire,
Dhanshree, Deelu Lama and Prachi. They have been extremely supportive and one
of the reasons for me having developed a flair for yoga. Each instructor has
their own method of teaching and I have learnt so much from every session I have
been to. I also wanted to take up yoga
as a profession. Due to various reasons, that has remained a dream.
I got married a few months ago and had to move to the
States. My husband is an IT consultant and travels on work, every week. Being
new to this country, I had to travel with him. This made it very hard for me to
enroll for a yoga class here. I had stopped practicing yoga for a few weeks. It
felt as if I was missing something. I realized I was missing yoga and the peace of
mind I achieved after an hour’s practice. Now, I practice yoga at home thrice a
week. It keeps me calm and surprisingly, I need no company. I enjoy practicing
yoga alone as much as I do in a group.
Hanumanasana - Monkey Pose
Eka pada Raja Kapotasana - Mermaid Pose
A lot of them still think yoga is slow and does not help in
losing weight. I have to say, I've tried various physical exercises and none of
them have benefited me more than yoga has. It definitely takes time to show results but,
once it does you’ll love it and never want to stop. I was skeptical about
starting yoga but now, I love it so much that it has become a part of my daily
schedule. For me, it is not only about losing weight it is also about having fun
while I work out. Yoga is full of benefits and a lot of fun. You have so much
to learn. From the simplest to the most complicated asanas, it’s a new
challenge every day! It has been a little more than three years since I’m
practicing yoga and I have only seen myself grow and get better. It has become a
hobby now. Remember, you are your own
competition. Never give up in the beginning and blame yourself for being bad at
it. Practice is what makes man perfect. :)
Who took all the photos?
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