by Shahrean Merican
I love any form of activity. If you ask me to go for a run with you, play squash, try out a tai chi class or climb a mountain, I will not think twice! In fact, I am also guilty of going to the gym a couple of times a week (yes, I said it!) and much to my mother’s (Maya Yoga Samudraa Principal) disappointment, I enjoy it. Her question to me every time is, “How can you go to the gym when I am helping our students whose back and joints have been damaged from the very same thing you are doing?” Life is ironic indeed!
The aim of Yoga is to conserve your energy/life force (the Sanskrit term is Prana) in the body; keeping you physically and mentally healthy. According to Yogic view, when this life force is lacking, we are more susceptible to diseases and ailments. Most fitness or sport activity dissipates this vital energy as you fatigue your muscles and joints from physical exertion. This is in complete contradiction of the ‘classical’ teachings of Yoga. I would like to emphasize the term ‘classical’ because commercial Yoga today seems to be leaning toward the similar concept of ‘No Pain, No Gain’. It is a trend to sweat and wear yourself out and if you don’t feel this in a Yoga class, it just doesn’t feel right. Conventionally, Yoga should be practiced with minimal force through slow and steady movements.
So, how does a Yoga instructor born into a lineage of traditional Yoga, also end up becoming a qualified personal trainer? To be entirely honest, it just happened. I enjoy anything that keeps me active and I decided a course in fitness would give me a greater understanding of most exercises. This has been of much advantage when I work with students who incorporate Yoga into their fitness routine. In saying this, Yoga is still and will always be my passion. The happiness and joy I get after an hour of practicing Yoga far outweighs any other exercise. But did you also know that it is the most amazing feeling to have a good workout and practice an hour of Yoga after to stretch and release all the tension from your body. You can literally feel all the stress and fatigue fading away!
That is the beauty of Yoga. It is an excellent compliment to any active lifestyle as it restores equilibrium to your body, mind and spirit. If all athletes, gym junkies or sporting enthusiasts, practiced an hour of Yoga a few times a week, I guarantee that their performance will improve. In fact, Yoga is now incorporated in most training regimes for athletes, runners, professional dancers and even golfers. This is because Yoga increases flexibility and allows for a greater range of motion. Chances of injury will also reduce significantly and as you conserve more energy, you will have more of it to draw on. In time, feel your strength, breath, concentration, balance and coordination improve tremendously.
Most importantly, in an attempt to have an active lifestyle, we sometimes don’t realize when we have overworked our body and mind as we try to push past our limits. While this can be a good thing, we need to also know when its time to slow down. From time to time, I feel worn out from exercising and through the intuitive wisdom that I have developed through Yoga; I know when its time to take it easy. Most of us tend to ignore these warning signs and that’s when we get injured or fall ill. Maybe the next time you feel exhausted with tight muscles, why not let Yoga energize your body, rejuvenate your mind and lift your spirit!
