How To Deal With Challenges In Your Yoga Practice

Many people learn yoga because they want to overcome the challenges of everyday life. Whether they’re looking for relief from anxiety and stress, wanting to be more in tune with their authentic selves, or for more physical reasons such as flexibility or strength, yoga is often cited as the solution. But what happens when the solution itself presents a challenge? Yoga is an ancient practice that was never intended as a solution to life’s challenges. Rather, it is a philosophy and a guide to life. Instead of eliminating challenges and problems, it teaches yogis how to live with equanimity and serenity amid life’s inevitable challenges.

Change only happens in the present. The past is gone. The future is just energy and intention. McGregor Cinemas

Therefore, the practice of yoga is inherently challenging. Because of these challenges, many practitioners have given up on yoga. However, there are many practical ways to approach the challenges of your yoga practice and use them to learn and grow.

What challenges might you face in yoga?

Yogis can face a variety of challenges, from the physical to the financial to the esoteric. Many beginning yogis can face financial challenges as they have to afford expensive yoga classes, buy mats, buy “yoga clothes” and more. Another challenge a yogi faces in life is calming a raging mind. Even though yoga teaches the tools and techniques to do just that, even the most advanced yogi may climb onto the mat and try to calm his mind. Physical challenges such as strength, flexibility, and injuries may arise. A person’s unique anatomy can even create challenges for entering certain pose expressions. For example, people with shorter limbs may have difficulty transitioning smoothly into an Ashtanga yoga practice. Yoga can also bring about emotional challenges, including suppressed emotions, anger, depression, and more.

Why is it important to face these challenges?

Yoga teaches strength, stamina, and santosha (satisfaction) during difficult times, as well as releasing attachment to goals or outcomes. Thus, yoga provides all the tools to meet the challenge. That doesn’t mean tackling the challenges of yoga will be easy. However, the yogi must face these challenges and not run away from them.

Ways to meet challenges in your yoga practice

There are many ways to approach the challenge of yoga, and these approaches vary according to the specific situation of the person and the challenge itself. Here are some examples of common challenges yogis face and solutions you can try.

stop comparing

Many new yogis find their eyes wandering around the mat. It’s easy to compare your own practice with that of others, even if they’ve been practicing for years.

Comparison is the thief of joy. Theodore Roosevelt

Those who struggle with comparisons on a yoga mat may find this means a greater challenge. They may compare themselves unfairly in other areas of their lives. But where does this comparison come from, and why do people make comparisons?

This comparison stems from the ego. Ego is a person’s self-image. However, this image is not the real self. Instead, the self is based on external circumstances and perceptions. The ego blocks the yogi’s path to aparigraha or detachment because the ego is based on attachment to a false sense of self. This connection often appears compared to those around us. By addressing the ego, yogis can overcome the challenges of comparison in yoga. However, this will be a process that can take a lifetime.

set up a family clinic

What he means is that yoga is nothing without a commitment to get involved. However, setting up a home practice can be challenging for many people. However, before addressing this issue, the yogi needs to find out the reason for his difficulties in his home practice. Some common examples are lack of basic knowledge of yoga asanas, root chakra imbalance or energy imbalance.

Yoga is 99% practice and 1% theory. Sri K. Pattabhi Jois

To meet the challenge of setting up a home practice, yogis can try several approaches. You can study the scriptures and learn a range of asanas such as surya namaskaras (sun salutation). You can create a quiet, peaceful, sacred nook in your home that invites you to practice yoga. They can also struggle to balance their chakras and energetic energies, both of which can lead to apathy or a feeling of unmotivated.

self love and forgiveness

Yoga is a very personal journey to your authentic self. The word yoga itself means “yoke” or “union” and refers to the unity between beings and God. Yoga teaches people that they don’t have to seek God or divinity because divinity already exists within them. However, such teachings can open up deep emotional wounds and repressed feelings. People who previously thought they knew themselves may discover deeper levels of anger, hatred, and suspicion within themselves. Learning to practice self-love and forgiveness can be one of the greatest challenges any yoga practitioner faces.

Learning to love yourself will be a complex challenge. For each individual, the solution will be truly unique. Many yogis find that meditation is especially helpful in bringing hidden emotions into clarity. Adding a mantra or mudra can help deepen the meditation. Also, certain poses like chest openers or hip openers are associated with