Myth busters: Perspective of a yoga practitioner
There are many misconceptions and myths about both yoga practice and its teachers. I am a yoga teacher, and people ask me numerous questions that arise out of common myths about us or the yoga practice itself. I am back here with my blog to put these rumours to rest.
We could start with the most frequent things that yoga professionals hear from people:
"You are a yoga teacher. Are you ever are stressed?"
"You do pranayama and meditation, so you can not be stressed."
That is untrue and more like a stereotype. We are humans, and we get stressed like everyone else.
Even though we practise yoga regularly on and off the mat, we are not in any way less prone to anxiety/stress/sickness than anybody else. Yoga helps cleanse your body and improves your physical and mental capacity. But that in itself may not make you immune to all the stress and anxieties of life.
For me, yoga has been an anchor to hold on to in tough times. It is not just for your body -- or only for your physical fitness -- but also for your mind. It helps you relax and brings clarity to your mind. While it may not make all your problems vanish, it does help you in taking it on with positivity. Here are some of my learnings from yoga, and maybe this will also help clear myths surrounding the practice and its practitioners/teachers.
WHAT DO WE LEARN AS YOGA PRACTITIONERS?
- Get to know yourself a little better.
Getting to know yourself may seem difficult in the beginning, but it only needs your concentration. Easy said than done! As this may not happen overnight, you will require time, consistency, discipline and practice. Start by observing yourself, and place your trust in the overall process.
- Yoga helps you face difficult situations.
Never forget the calm and serenity that comes after you face tough times. It's only when you are willing to deal with with it, you come face to face with your problems.
Yoga brings you to the edge, helps you confront hurdles and then gives you the tools to overcome them.
- Learning never stops.
Even though practising yoga does take effort, there is much to learn and even more to gain. You are always at work/or having fun in the practice.
- It helps you deal with your stress/anxiety.
While yoga may not make you immune to stress/anxiety, it helps you deal with it. You learn to deal with your emotions in a disciplined manner and to control your thoughts and actions. It's the union of body, mind and soul that sets yoga apart from other excerises.
Breaking the myths about yoga practitioners:
- You can feel sick, even if you practice yoga
Yoga is both magic and science, but not a magic wand for you to wish all your ailments away. Yes, you will fall sick even after practising yoga, but one of the benefits is that your body and mind will have a strong response against any sickness. Sickness is a way for the body to reflect if something is wrong and a sign that somthing needs to be corrected.
- Getting anger under your control
Yes, eventhough we are yoga practitioners, there are things that may get on our nerves, but as you get established in your yoga practice, you get better at tackling emotions and anger. Isn't yoga all about how we learn and evolve to become a better version of ourselves?
- We aren't immune to stress and become super calm.
Yes, we, yoga professionals, aspire to be calm, but we all have tough times. We learn to deal with stress as we get better at our practice.
- You become flexible.
Yes, we do become flexible and have no issues regarding flexibility. Yoga practitioners work hard to gain physical and mental flexibility.
Never believe in any myth, and always look beyond what seems like a fact. It was lovely to share my learnings and clear a few misconceptions about yoga practitioners.
Until next time. STAY TUNED.