Importance of asanas and pranayama in gaining emotional balance

My personal experience.

When practicing yoga, the matt becomes a mirror. Reflecting yourself as who you are in that moment. Showing how every day is different, every time you step on the mat your body and mind is in a different state constantly changes with all the influences of what is fed into the body and mind continuously, moment to moment, day by day.
Intensively practising at Atmavikasa, and it seems that there is no where to hide, no distractions or ways to avoid seeing yourself everyday. The days are structured, the diet is clean, mind fed with yoga philosophy and the practise under the strict attention of Acharya Venkatesh.

Yoga has helped me in discovering my strengths and weakenesses both physically and mentally. Most of the time its the discomforting parts of myself that pinches the ego and makes me recoil. But learning to move through various pains on the mat, has helped me a lot in moving through the uncomfortable situations in life.

When Archarya talks about the practise..

"Leave everything outside. Friends, family, food, or even people suffering at home. Just one hour for yourself. Learn to do that, and your practise would be fantastic."

I then practised watching my thoughts in the asana class, trying to stay focused entirely on the practise as well as Acharya being sharp to catch me when I'm not.. and then I would leave the shala picking up the baggage I left outside, to carry for the rest of the day. Eventually this baggage was getting smaller and lighter as focus was building. My example is sitting 30minutes for Pranayama in Ardha Padmasana, (my greatest teacher in pain, body and mind). When time was up, I used to collapse my spine, stretch my legs out immediately and thinking, "well thank the lorrrd that's over". But now more recently, I am loving that state of mind I'm in that when time is up, slowly and carefully coming out the asana, not wanting to disturb the peace I created inside. What was once something I most dreaded and resisted, is now the most present part of my day.

It's learning how to control the mind in working upon detachement, to be by yourself and to see how all the thoughts come from inside, not outside. And how the mind just loves to cling on to thoughts, especially the ones that cause suffering.
Life is a very bumpy road to be emotionally controlled by external things. I can see that more clearly now.
Just watching whatever arises and staying with the breath could be one of the most valuable lessons to take forward into life.

Being emotionally balanced comes more with focus. And the more I focus, the more balanced I feel.
Whatever I experience in an asana is what I adopt in life also. So if I can find even a moment of peace within an asana, I tend to feel it through the rest of the day.


Masters Teacher Training at Atmavikasa Center of Yogic Sciences, Mysore http://atmavikasayoga.in #yogainmysore #atmavikasa