In the modern world, yoga began to be perceived as part of fitness, as a kind of gymnastics that develops flexibility, provides good stretching, etc. After all, everyone knows that yogis are those who easily stick their legs behind their heads, stand on their heads or sit in the lotus position with their eyes closed. But why are they doing all this? And is it really necessary to have all these skills in order to be a "real yogi"?
I often hear from different people: “Oh, no - yoga is not for me. I need something more dynamic”, or“I don’t understand yoga, I’m probably not yet mature enough…”.
What is yoga?
First of all, you need to learn that yoga is not a sport, not fitness or a religion. This is the Way. The path of self-development and purification. It includes the richest arsenal of methods and techniques that allow a person to solve those problems that worry him at a given moment in time. And, at the same time, all these methods are designed to serve one common goal - to free a person from suffering and gain a pure mind. For those who have decided to follow the path of Yoga, this is precisely what becomes the purpose of life.
Many people perceive yoga only as some kind of physical exercise to improve stretching or, even worse, as some kind of religious sect. This perception, as a rule, is due to a lack of knowledge in this area, devaluing its true essence.
In the West and in Russia, yoga really gained its popularity to a greater extent as part of the fitness industry. But this does not implore other merits of this path, which will certainly open up to the seeker. However, now there are such a huge number of directions and schools of yoga that it is very easy for a person who once came to this bazaar to get lost and it is very difficult to understand where to start. And it is no coincidence that some people think that yoga is not suitable for them.
What does this mean - yoga is not for everyone?
Yes and no. In fact, any person can start doing yoga, and for anyone there is a suitable method for self-development, which will undoubtedly bring results. Another thing is that not everyone is ready to start studying yoga, and only a few are capable of accepting it as a life Path, strictly following all the principles. But even if now you are not ready to accept it as the basis of your life, this does not deprive you of the right to use one or another “yogic” method to solve your specific problems. It is important to want to solve them.
As practice shows, a person begins to be interested in yoga when something in life does not suit him, when there is a need for change. It is unlikely that you will meet in a yoga class an absolutely happy, successful and contented person with their own life, full of energy. Such people, as a rule, “take everything from life” outside the hall, without being tormented by inner doubts, and perceive life as a source of pleasure. This means that their time has not come yet. They have other tasks in this life. If such specimens come across in the yoga room, then this is most likely an accident, and they will not stay here for a long time.
But if there is dissatisfaction with something (anything, be it health, excess weight (one of the most popular problems among beginner yoginis), mental trauma, psycho-emotional disorders, etc. - the list is endless), then this is an indicator, that it's time for a change. Yoga is one of the many paths that can help bring about these changes. The trick is that there are methods for solving any human problem in yoga. The main thing is that the intention to change your specific situation is strong enough, and then the result will not be long in coming.
The primary motivation of a person who has come to yoga can be absolutely anything, from the desire to lose weight and become healthy, to the need to find inner harmony as a result of being fired from work or failure in personal relationships. It doesn't matter where your "search for happiness" begins. All that matters is the unyielding intent of personal transformation. And if the adept maintains the regularity of the practice, then gradually he is "saturated" with this environment. Plunging more and more into the study of yoga methods, you make new acquaintances, new teachers, like-minded people. And each such meeting is another small brick on the way to building your own temple of self-knowledge.
There is another important point regarding group yoga practice or yoga in the halls.
Despite the large number of yoga areas, almost everything that is taught in yoga studios and fitness centers is related to hatha yoga. Hatha yoga is a set of techniques in which our physical body is the main instrument of work. It is this tool that is most understandable and accessible to every person, and therefore the very direction of hatha yoga has gained such popularity.
From time to time I hear from people who have visited my classes several times, surprised responses, such as: “I used to think (thought) that yoga is when you just sit cross-legged, relax and do nothing. And here it turns out that you have to put so much effort! Moreover, you can sweat worse than on the simulators … "The fact that yoga classes are something boring, sluggish, it is incomprehensible that it is a fairly common opinion among those people who" know "about yoga by hearsay. I would like to dispel this myth and shed light on the real state of affairs in this matter.
Indeed, we are all familiar with pictures from books and the global network, where ascetic half-naked Indian yogis, smeared with ash, sit motionless in a lotus, plunged into an unknown state of deep meditation. However, this has nothing to do with our modern reality. Of course, it is worth noting here that there is such a thing as Raja Yoga, where the main task is to purify the mind through meditative practices. But this is far from the very first stage on the path of self-knowledge. And the overwhelming mass of modern yoga adherents does not get to this stage in principle. Raja yoga is a very high level of inner work, which is preceded by tens of years (and maybe lives) of hard work and sweating on the mat (hatha yoga).
There is also a misconception about the concept of "meditation"
Very often people think that meditation is just when you sit relaxed and think about the beautiful, and grace descends on you from above, filling you with bliss. No matter how it is. Meditation is a special state of mind acquired as a result of prolonged persistent concentration, but more on that later … Perhaps in another essay. The important thing is that in order to obtain a result, in any case, it is necessary to make efforts, be it physical or mental. And to obtain a sustainable result, these efforts must be regular and correct.
Therefore, at the initial stage, it is the regular practice in the yoga room that can become a good foundation for building personal discipline and further development. And, of course, you have to sweat here.
I'm not going to agitate everyone to rush to yoga classes in the nearest studio. And in my studies it is much more pleasant for me to see people who come consciously when they feel a real need for it.
I only urge that you, before making a judgment about yoga and whether this path suits you or not, think about what is your judgment based on? If it is based on the opinion of other people, then it will not be true, because someone's opinion is always subjective. If your ideas are not the result of your personal experience, then they cannot reflect the whole picture. In order to really understand whether this or that method, this or that direction, this or that teacher / instructor / teacher is right for you, you need to research this topic yourself. You may have to come to the lesson several times, not even one, in order to understand what's what.
Of course, there is some probability that the first time you will not hit "the target": either the instructor did not like it, or the specific direction of yoga does not correspond to the current state of the person. But if the inner intention, aimed at change, does not weaken, then the person continues to search. And, as practice shows, it takes quite a bit of time to make a choice, and then move in a given direction. So don't expect someone else to answer all your questions for you. "Knock and they will open to you …"
