How Yoga Has Benefited Me & How It Can Benefit You Too

These are few of the innumerable benefits of incorporating yoga as a part of your lifestyle:

Strength & Stamina: This is the first big change that came to my notice within 2 weeks of being introduced to yoga. My trainer had already told me that initially I would feel drained and fatigued within minutes of holding some postures (which I did) but later my muscles would develop and strengthen slowly. I felt a boost in my stamina especially during my college hours because earlier, climbing 3 flights of staircases once in a day was enough to make me pant for air. But this changed and I could climb them 5-6 times along with additional physical work and I wouldn’t break a sweat! This really boosted my confidence and made me think why I never took yoga seriously before.

Mindfulness: Whenever we discuss yoga, the first thing that comes to our mind is twisted postures and bending the body. But let me tell you that it is so much more than just physical work. For me it was at such a sub conscious level that I didn't even realise how it was taming my mind everyday. I started feeling more aware of my surroundings and living more in the present with literally zero thoughts of worry/doubt/frustration. I think it was my "monk phase" because nothing triggered a knee jerk reaction or make me lose control over my emotions. Now, I have never been that much of a "reactor" or something but sometimes with work and lack of sleep and proper food you tend to lose you shit at some point. But yoga to the rescue! My ability to handle situations and remain calm in seemingly impossible situations was multiplied by 2x.

Physical Appearance: Asanas (Postures) like Parvatasana (mountain pose), Shirshasana (head stand), Salamba Sarvangasana (shoulder stand), etc and surya namaskar (sun salutation consisting of 12 poses) are known for their ability to boost blood circulation in the entire body which helps you get that glowing skin. It improves your posture, balance, keeps you relaxed and stress free making you look more confident as well. It helped me to stick to a schedule with balance diet and good quality of sleep. After just a few weeks of yoga, I heard it from almost every one of my friend and acquaintances about how radiating my skin looked. Since I got to see my family only twice in a year they had shocked but pleasant looks on their faces when I visited them!

Focus: Often we enter into the world of our thoughts and sometimes it doesn’t prove to be pleasant. It can be a serious problem when it converts into overthinking. Yoga helps release all the unnecessary input of the mind and body. It improves concentration and takes you away from the bustles of life so that it can be only and only about connection to your core. For example: Every weekend, I was scheduled for a power yoga which comprised of running, sun salutation and Pranayama.

Our trainer made us do 100-200 reps (each rep comprising of 12 poses) even though we begged him to make it stop. Instead, there would be 10 "bonus" reps for the complainers! But it was all for the good because it gives a sense of power of the mind when you pull through. It uses up so much of your energy and requires you to maintain complete focus in what you do because if you don't, you can't do half the postures! And slowly, the mind gets trained in a way which doesn’t allow distractions which you then start using in your daily life :)