My Experience with Yoga
I started taking Hatha yoga was all by coincidence back in the early 2000. At the time, my wife was promoted to a position that she was not ready for which created tremendous stress in our lives. I have to find some outlets to reduce the stress so we tried ballroom dancing and gym yoga at the same time. In the beginning everything was moving along until she kept stepping on my toes and falling off from the rhythm in dancing classes so we stayed with yoga and it kept us both healthy.
From gym yoga we were introduced to some form of Iyengar yoga in a local yoga studio. After a few years of practice in the studio, there was an opening for 250 hours Hatha yoga teacher training so I signed up just to find out more what is involved without knowing there will be hard work ahead. After a year of real hard work, I did managed to become a certified Hatha Yoga Teacher with Yoga Alliance and my health has gotten much better – I lost almost 30 lbs.
Since the introduction of Iyengar yoga in the local studio, I have always wanted one day to pursue further when opportunity arise. So couple of year later, I signed up with a Toronto senior Iyengar teacher, Mahyar Raz to start. In Iyengar yoga, one learns about discipline and listen attentively to the teacher and tried to duplicate the steps in arriving at the final pose. Instead of venture out on one’s pathway and hurting oneself, one achieve equanimity with the teacher and the fellow yogis.
Overall, one become a better person learning to focus the mind more and at ease – eventually becoming calm, cool and collected. I found myself becoming more reflective than reactive. Also, my hump at the back has disappeared when my brother came from out of town and noticed that. His jaw dropped to the floor when he saw me for the first time. I also have toned down my high blood pressure after working diligently over one summer following Mr. Iyengar’s book on “The Path to Holistic Health”.
Looking back all these years, I would have to say yoga has definitely given me a sound mind and a healthy body and I am very sure anyone can do the same. It all depends on how much one wants to put in!