The word ‘Yoga’ or ‘Yog’ literally translates to ‘union’ in the English language. In the practical sense, Yoga asana practice is the union of our mind and body with our breath. Regular practitioners will instead say that Yoga is the union of our mind and body with our soul, adding an element of spirituality to it.
I started my daily Yoga journey two years ago with an unrealistic goal on Day 1 - I wanted to get in a headstand without wall support. This was absolutely unrealistic because I couldn’t even complete 5 rounds of Surya namaskars. I was not new to Yoga Asanas at the time but I was extremely unfit, lacked stamina and strength and didn’t understand the value of exercising regularly. The only exercise I’d get to do was run from one court room to another and yet I wanted to get into a headstand! After falling very uncomfortably a few times, I started recording and observing my falls. I noticed that I was having trouble holding my hips up - this meant that I was not able to find the center of gravity in my body and needed to work on my core strength. So I started holding my body in plank. I wouldn’t even last 30 seconds in a plank and my entire body would start shaking after the first 20 seconds. I realized that this was also too tough for me. So I found another easier and achievable goal for myself - holding my body in downward facing dog or Adho Mukhasvanasana. This changed everything for me!
I was already able to hold my body in the correct alignment of the downward facing dog so I started by holding it for 5 breaths. Next day, I’d hold the posture for 6 breaths. Day after for 7 breaths and in just a matter of two weeks, downward facing dog became my resting pose on the mat. This is when I realized that for every goal that I set for myself, I need to set smaller and more realistic goals. And from here I moved to plank holds. My body went from a humble hold of only 20 seconds in a plank to 2 minutes in less than two weeks. I’d record my Yoga practice once every three days to observe my mistakes. Learning from my own mistakes was a game-changer. The pace of my progress was blowing my mind!
It was finally on Day 52 when I let go of the wall support just for that one second and I was ecstatic! By this time I was addicted to setting goals, one big and unrealistic goal followed by several small achievable ones. Even though it took me a few more months to comfortably hold a headstand, I saw how my mind went from “this is too tough! I can’t do this!” to “this is too tough. I need to break it down into smaller steps.”
For an absolute beginner, someone who wishes to make Yoga asanas a part of their lifestyle, it’s important to set realistic goals but it is equally important to aim for the stars. Our mind is more powerful than we know and we can always train our body to get stronger. For example, if someone who usually wakes up at 9 am decides to join a Yoga class which starts at 7 am, the chances of this person making it to their class regularly at 7 am are bleak. This is an extreme change in their routine. Instead if this person decides to join a Yoga class that starts at 9 am or at 9:30 am, the chances of them being regular are higher and more realistic.
Being realistic with our dreams and goals can help efficiently achieve them. Being kind to our own body and mind when starting one’s Yoga journey can help build a rock solid foundation.
