The word yoga is used and misused in many contexts; people use it for spirituality or use it as a health regime, or it is used in advertisements to showcase the benefits of using a particular item. The advertisement says to buy this item because old yogis used it in their retreats in the foothills of the Himalayas. Sounds very alluring, doesn’t it? So you see the misuse of Yoga goes on unabated and it becomes necessary to highlight the true essence of Yoga.
Yoga is a part of the tradition that is nearly 5,000 years old and it contains many spiritual and philosophical truths. Physical Yoga or performance of Asanas is only a part of the essence of Yoga and like any other practice, newcomers need to learn to be patient, practice under a certified Yoga teacher and take one step at a time. If you have just started learning Yoga, your body will not get immediately into a lotus position, it takes time to train your body to be fluid and flexible enough to sit in the lotus position and enjoy its benefits.
Responsibility of the Student
Though it is the job of the Yoga teacher to select the Asanas that do not cause any injury to your body, it is also your responsibility to keep in mind your ability to perform a Yogic pose and only perform the pose till you reach your limit, do not go beyond your limit, you are likely to injure your body. As a newcomer, you need to be aware of the limitations of your body. Till you become an expert practitioner, it is better to be aware of some risks that are involved and follow some “Tips To Avoid Injuries While Learning Yoga”. These tips are general in nature and can be followed by anyone easily, a Westerner or an Asian.
Avoid expectations which are not realistic:
With your yoga course you have just started learning Yoga, no doubt you are full of enthusiasm, have bought a new outfit and a fancy Yoga mat; you want to prove to yourself and your friends that you have strength, flexibility and you can perform any Asana, even the advanced ones because you have determination. Banish this thought from your mind, you can only do advanced Asanas after a lot of practice.
Find a trained Yoga Teacher:
Only a trained Yoga teacher who is qualified after years of study and training can teach correct Yoga poses. Exercising under a teacher who is not genuine may cause serious injuries to your body because he may not know how far you can go to put stress on your body and stops you immediately from harming your body. Avoid learning from a person who says come on you can do it because he really does not know whether you can do it or not. Our teachers at 7 Chakras Yoga School are well trained and have many years of experience in teaching yoga teacher training in the Rishikesh course.
Yoga does not mean competition:
The yoga teacher training course is not a competitive game, you are not competing with others who are better and can easily perform Asanas in your group. It is not like a football match where teams compete with each other the better team wins. The very essence of Yoga means getting peace and letting go of toxic feelings of competition in your life.
You do not have to compete with your neighbour who has a better car, you do not have to compete with your colleague who had caught the eye of your boss, you do not even have to compete with yourself. If you start competing with other students who are better, you are likely to cause serious harm to your body, which can be avoided easily.