It is a common misconception that Yoga doesn’t give you the kind of results you want to see. I’m here to tell you why that’s wrong.
In my last post, I discussed the Weight Gain/Weight Loss issue and mentioned that the beauty of Yoga is the fact that you will automatically fall into the right weight range if you practice Yoga regularly. This is because Yoga offers Balance.
There are many forms or Limbs of Yoga; Vinyasa, Ashtanga, Raja Yoga and Hatha Yoga, to name a few of the traditional Asana-oriented types of Yoga. In recent times, these forms of Yoga have been termed differently, purely for marketing reasons, in my opinion. You will have heard of Power Yoga, Acro-Yoga, Water Yoga and some others too.
Why do more people lean towards Power or Acro Yoga? Purely because of how they are termed. Power Yoga is world-renowned for its quick weight loss results, Acro Yoga is also known well for its famous handstands.
These are all practices that have been developed from the traditional forms of Yoga I mentioned above. So, doesn’t that mean that these ancient forms are also good for results?
In my opinion, these modern forms of Yoga are hardly sustainable. Ask yourself,
'Do I want to be doing handstands at the risk of potentially injuring my wrists at the age of 65? Or doing 108 Suryanamaskars in less than an hour at the age of 60?'
Isn’t the goal of any form of workout, to lead a healthy life, especially as we grow older? If all you aim for is that Summer Bod, then I’m sorry to say, you will never find happiness in working out, in eating healthy and staying fit.
Sure, some movements of Yoga are slow, are meditative, and that might lead you to think Yoga is not capable of taking those inches off your waist. I assure you, any practice you can do slowly, you can do Fast-paced also. If you can do 54 Suryanamaskars slowly, in no time you will be doing 108 Suryanamskars fast as well. If you can do 25 slow push-ups, you can do 50 pushups faster too.
Slower practices ensure Muscle Memory. Just like in school, we were taught that a negative integer multiplied by a positive integer is always negative. Well, have you ever forgotten that while practising math sums in college? No, because it has been ingrained in your subconscious. Similarly, your muscles have a mind of their own, which means they have a subconscious of their own. And any practice done over a while, with more conscious effort will be ingrained as Muscle Memory. This memory is what will carry you forward, to fight ailments, to lead a disease-free life, to lead a Healthy Life.
So I hope this has made you think about what your goals are if they are already aimed at a healthier life as we grow older, then keep going! If you’re only worried about weight and quick results, then I hope you can now think differently about those goals.
Change your goals and it will change your life.
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