Personal experience: why you need to do yoga
Everyone comes to yoga classes at their own time. Some are in search of peace, others – for eternal youth, and others – for the flexibility and beauty of the body.
– I got acquainted with yoga at the institute and from the first lesson I realized that this is love from the first asana, – says 35-year-old Nadezhda, an office worker with experience and a mother of two children. – Yoga for me is not just a hobby, pastime, sports or life philosophy, it is a big and significant part of my life.
Every morning I start with yoga and meditation, because only it helps me to tune in to the acceptance of all the events of the future day, increases overall tone and efficiency, and in the evening, before going to bed, it returns calmness, peace of mind, relieves the fatigue accumulated during the day. Thanks to yoga, I have learned to harmonize my inner space, and it is almost impossible to take me by surprise and piss me off.
How do you react to a comment in a child’s diary? Scream? Discontent? Offensive claims to your child? But not me. Because I know that before you say anything, you need to take a break. To withstand such a pause, alternating breathing of one or the other nostrils for a couple of minutes helps me. Soothes one or two, and then you can go to a constructive agreement with the child.
I succeed because I have learned to accept myself any, any and all people around the same, without condemning them for their words, actions, various manifestations of character and temperament. Yes, yoga teaches acceptance on top of everything else.
And the first thing that you must accept and observe when deciding to do yoga is three simple rules: a clean mind, bare feet and an empty stomach.
When performing any asana, you must first of all focus on your sensations, on the processes that are taking place in your body. But you shouldn’t think about problems at work and family concerns at all. And this part is usually the hardest for beginners.
Why do quarrels and misunderstandings happen between people? Because we are most often focused on ourselves, and not on the interlocutor and partner, we are often distracted during meetings, conversations and miss the most significant. Yoga teaches you to mobilize all your attention on the object, to be collected and concentrated when you need it. Such knowledge begins with the ability to look inward and disconnect from extraneous noises. Try to choose a quiet place for 5 minutes, sit comfortably, close your eyes and breathe slowly and deeply, discarding all the thoughts and sounds that will come.
In yoga, you cannot learn everything at once. Cognition here stretches over the years. The technique of execution is honed from lesson to lesson. Someone gives preference to a proven set of asanas, someone is discovering new horizons every day. And there is nothing surprising here, because there are thousands of exercises in yoga – strength, stretching, twisting, meditative, squeezing, combined.
It is, of course, possible to study yoga from books and video tutorials, but at the beginning of your journey it is better to work in tandem with an instructor, at least until you are sure that all breathing exercises and static postures have been mastered by you correctly. Because only with their correct implementation, you gain lightness, calmness and a cheerful mood, but the deterioration of well-being and pain symptoms during and after classes speak of your mistakes.
I often hear that like attracts like. So, if you live easily, cheerfully, relaxed, then people on your life path will meet the same. And the problems will be solved by themselves, and projects will be done, and money will come. The main thing is not to get hung up on what is happening, but simply to live with an even spine. A straight spine is the backbone of all foundations. The simplest exercise is to learn how to hold it correctly: stand to a straight surface, touching the back of your head, shoulders, shoulder blades, heels, and try to squat without lifting these points from the wall.
You can exercise comfortably not only in a specially equipped training room, but also at home. For example, I prefer to be alone with yoga. The main thing is that the room is clean and well ventilated. You can place a rug or blanket on the floor. Clothes also play an important role here. It should not hinder your movements and distract. Loose T-shirts and shorts are not the best solution. Get Aladdins pants made from light, natural, breathable fabric and a skinny cotton top.
I recommend yoga to everyone because it does not recognize age and gender restrictions. It can be practiced from birth.
If you do not have an hour and a half for a full-fledged lesson in your daily routine, then you can choose the poses that you especially like and are comfortable with and do only them.
I prefer these:
POSTURE OF THE ROYAL PIGEON stretches the shoulders and spine, stretches the thigh muscles and opens the pelvis. Develops flexibility.
FIREFIGHTING POSITION strengthens the wrists and hands, lengthens the back of the body and stimulates the abdominal organs. Increases mental concentration and builds self-confidence.
EAGLE POSITION strengthens the ankles and relieves tension in the shoulders. It is indispensable during times of stress, as it regains composure.
Scorpio Pose transforms the vital energy of the body and stops the aging process. Increases the mobility of the spine and stabilizes all body systems.
And in the end, do not forget the relaxation exercise – the pose of a child or a “corpse”.