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How A Sceptic Became A Believer

blog Dec 20, 2021
yoga sceptic became a believer

My name is Miguel and I work for BEAM ACADEMY as a Content and Copywriting assistant.

As a person I had always been a bit sceptical when it came to all the many claimed benefits around alternative medicine and specifically yoga.

It wasn’t until I injured myself and tore a meniscus whilst playing football and was advised to try amongst other things yoga to strengthen by knee, that I decided to give it a go and see if I actually benefitted as much as everyone was telling me I would. 

And Yes,  Yoga did the trick.

Each session felt different, some poses were hard, some I deemed impossible, some were simple and soothing, but the experience alone of just stretching my body felt amazing. And, in some ways, I realised, I was beginning to understand and explore my body in ways I’d never done before.  

What became particularly interesting to me, however, wasn’t just the flexibility side of things; some yoga poses require months if not years of practice to execute properly and safely.  What caught my attention was the emphasis on breathing. Holding a pose demands a special kind of focus on your breath. And it was this, that captivated me more than anything.

‘In practice, yoga involves actively paying attention to the present moment. It involves acceptance of the current reality with the recognition that situations ebb and flow. This practice is also inherently non-judgmental: no sensation is either good or bad, but just is.’[1]

The breathing was making me focus precisely on the breath, and nothing else. My loud mind had suddenly quietened and sharpened for the sake of focussing on my inhale and my exhale.  Creating space around me and within me.

This practice alone, develops a sense of discipline in your life which will result in positive benefits.

Taking time off in your day to focus on yourself, on your body, on your breathing, that alone, will be like holding the reins to your chariot, the steering wheel to your boat, the—you know what I mean.

Even something simple like trying to avoid sugar can be harder than it seems at first glance.

But, if you’re able to be consistent with the practice of one thing, like yoga and breathing, then you can begin to apply this consistency in other areas of your life. And to me, that’s what makes yoga truly beautiful. Suddenly, avoiding sugar isn’t as hard anymore.

It’s as simple as it sounds, yet the practice of trying to achieve these things, for the betterment of your own self, can often times be a struggle, so it’s important to steer away from anything that could be an obstacle towards achieving your goal.

What could you do this time to achieve whatever it is that you wish to achieve?

If we want to wake up early in the morning, it’s probably not a great idea to go to bed late the day before. If we want to stop eating sugar it’s probably not a great idea to go to a candy shop.

Push yourself every day, realising that every day is a new day. There is no tomorrow, but there is a today. Because at the end of the day, you may or may not believe in yoga and other things in your life, but what truly matters is that you believe in yourself.

And by the way my knee is absolutely fine and I am playing football again but this time complimenting my sport with yoga!

 

[1] “Nine Essential Qualities of Mindfulness”, Psychology Today, 2012.

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