With so much information on Yoga available on the internet, you may find conflicting facts or excessively glorified information, which may lead to flawed or unrealistic expectations about what Yoga is, and what it can do for you.A good way to understand what something is, is to first get clear on what it is not.While Yoga definitely has numerous benefits, here are 5 things it cannot do for you:
1. Lose weight quickly
The most important thing to understand about Yoga is that it is not a mere workout. The goal of Yoga is to help you feel better from within, by emphasising the connection between the body, breath and mind.
Once you get into a consistent Yoga practice, you start becoming more mindful of what you eat and you will be more in touch with how you feel.
Weight loss is often a by-product of doing Yoga consistently and following a healthy routine in terms of sleep, diet, and emotional wellbeing. If your primary reason for doing Yoga is to just lose weight, stop over stressing your body with 108 surya namaskars and be mindful about your food and sleep.
2. Breathing exercises& Pranayama can give you abs
If this were true, we would all be spending a lot more time than we do on pranayamas! A frankly ridiculous misconception some people have is that breathing exercises such as kapalbhati pranayama can give you abs. NO!!!
At the core of pranayama lies breath regulation. When we do pranayama, we feel more relaxed, toxins are released from our body, and our cognitive functioning improves. Pranayama techniques are gentle yet powerful, and they should not be done casually or forcefully as it takes time to develop control over your breath.
Yes, some breathing exercises such as kapalbhati focus on abdominal movements to improve digestion and can strengthen your abdomen, but if you’re expecting 6 pack abs, you will be in for a disappointment.
3. Do the funky poses you see in photos and videos
The internet has made us believe that Yoga is all about twisting our body in complicated ways and doing superhuman poses. Know that these poses take years of dedicated practice to achieve, and require an experienced instructor who can guide you. While being able to get into a complex pose might give you a sense of achievement, trying to do these advanced poses hastily and without any guidance just for a photo op may result in serious injury.
Remove the idea from your mind that Yoga is just about doing cool things with your body. Physical movements and poses are just one aspect of Yoga. The purpose of Yoga is to create a peaceful environment within yourself, through the awareness of your breathing and through stillness in asanas.
4. Lead to instant miraculous healings: Yes! Yoga can have transformational effects on health and wellbeing. And Yes! You will find many stories of people who have overcome terminal illnesses or reversed chronic health conditions such as diabetes and high blood pressure by practising Yoga. If you are battling a health ailment, doing Yoga can help alleviate some of your health conditions. However, do not expect miracles to happen immediately when you start practising Yoga. You will not get cured of your ailments overnight. You have to stay consistent in your practice as the benefits of Yoga, like everything else in life, take time to materialise.
5. Solve all your problems: Do not think that your problems will run away just because you do Yoga! Just know that you might be better equipped to deal with your problems because you practise Yoga. When we practise Yoga, we become more mindful and intuitive. We learn to regulate our expectations and reactions. We gain the mental clarity to set our intentions and actions well so that we have the confidence to effectively tackle any obstacles.
If you’re debating whether you should do Yoga or not, first think about why you want to try a Yoga practice. Like the saying goes, there’s no shortcut to any road worth taking, Yoga is not meant to be a short-term practice. You do the work and you WILL get the results.Remember: “Yoga is not a work-out, it is a work-in.” Stay consistent, set realistic expectations and reap the numerous benefits that a strong and consistent Yoga practice offers.