I was never a very fit child. In fact I often fell sick and was quite weak growing up. I hid myself behind my academic success and never really felt the need to address this weakness. I was skilled at Cricket. But given my lack of overall fitness I never really excelled at Cricket or any sport.

Yoga is what changed all this in my mid 30s and now I actually enjoy running long distances.

With so many options and studios to learn yoga, one might think that it is as simple as walking into a yoga studio and enrolling in one of the beginner classes. But I find that although many enrol, hardly a few actually really pursue yoga to any long term benefit outcomes. This is not based on any empirical data I must admit, but on what I normally see around me. Those who actually benefit are ones that were naturally inclined to fitness anyway with genetically well endowed flexibility or those who were already active with other exercise forms.

The way yoga became a part of my life was through introduction to my first proper yoga course called Sri Sri Yoga (SSY) about 9 years ago. I started as a complete novice to Yoga, but I believe there were 3 aspects of Sri Sri Yoga that made it possible to be where I am today in my fitness journey

1. Accessibility

Unlike the feeling of doing yoga in yoga studios where everyone around you is able to flex their limbs into the most exotic postures (have often felt quite inadequate in such classes), SSY is simple, accessible and inclusive. At the same time it is extremely powerful and effective.

Why is each session 2.5 hours – 3 hours long? Yoga is a combination of rest and activity. The mind goes into deep rest while the body is active. Even though each session is long there is an experience of deep rest. The physical postures themselves are preceded by breath work and followed by guided meditation. So the outcome is not exhaustion at the end of 3 hours, rather a feeling of rejuvenation.

This extremely refreshing experience makes it possible to undergo each session with anticipation and joy rather than fear and tiredness which is what we associate with any form of fitness regime after the first session. Even experienced practitioners of Yoga experience a deeper connection to the practice.

2. Empowerment

The objective of the SSY workshop is to empower participants to do yoga on their own in the most convenient environment and appropriate to their schedules. On the contrary most yoga studios want ongoing membership and participation. While coming back for follow ups is always recommended, the ability to do yoga on your own is a key element to ensuring you have the tools and skills to engage in this beneficial form of exercise on your own. At the end of a 5 day workshop, believe it or not, practicing Yoga on your own will not feel like a challenge.

3. Long term change

We often start many physical activities with gusto but give up because the body can’t cope or is injured. As a young boy and even until my early 30s, I struggled to run even half a km and now I can do 15 kms and still be up to a normal day after that. I attribute this to a systematic build up of strength in my body due to my yoga practice . Of course I have attended many follow up sessions and attended other courses but never since my first workshop did I feel a dependance on anyone to continue my practice. Over time Yoga built up my overall resilience mentally and physically. Discipline is needed when you don’t love something. But when you fall in love with something as I did with my first Sri Sri Yoga workshop, following the routine became a joy. And then slowly came the energy, enthusiasm and the physical foundation to go further in my fitness journey with High-Intensity Training, running & cycling.

I am often asked how I can cope with all the various interests I have, not to mention a busy professional schedule. It is all down to the tools we all can use to manage the life force energy within.

bit.ly/ssymay15-25