Many articles have been written about physical benefits of yoga, but there is another aspect to yoga practice that is equally important. Unlike Vegas, what happens on your yoga mat, does not stay on your yoga mat. It gradually begin to spill over into your daily life and it is a good thing.
Every time we practice, we face ourselves, our fears and emotions, we challenge ourselves and we explore our abilities and limits. As a result, we gradually begin to change in most unexpected ways:
We begin believing in ourselves more than we used to. Each time we try a new yoga asana (pose) we challenge our abilities. Sometimes we can get it on the first try, other times it may take weeks or months to master an asana. Once we do succeed, it gives a tremendous boost to our self-confidence and it teaches us a very important lesson: we can do anything when we persevere and keep trying. We can fail many times but, as we soon find out, it’s nothing but a dress rehearsal for success. This teaching can then be applied to anything we do in life.
We face our fears and learn to overcome them. Have you ever been terrified of turning your body upside down, falling down or of countless other things during your yoga practice? With proper guidance, we learn that these are nothing but the tricks the mind plays. Once we know the true nature of fear, we can face it and work our way to overcoming it once and for all. Once you get over your first fear, it become easier to deal with remaining ones, both on and off the yoga mat. As you let go of your fears one by one, life becomes easier and less stressful.
We become more open-minded. As our bodies become more flexible, so do our minds. We may catch ourselves letting go of old beliefs and habits that no longer serve us. We may notice that we actually hear other peoples’ opinions now, instead of merely listening to them while being busy formulating a counter argument in our head. Or we may try new things, read new books, meet new people – something we wouldn’t necessary be open to before.
These are but a few examples of how we transform and grow as individuals through our yoga practice. Once we become aware of this, we will begin to notice many other positive changes. Have you had any transformational experiences since starting your practice? Feel free to share your own story in the comments below.
Namaste.
Artwork by Luna Ahn: @eyoom_art