Amit Sardal is an Exercise Specialist and Learning & Development professional with over 15 years of experience in coaching, athletic training and fitness education. He has worked extensively with fitness academies including teaching at Master’s programs affiliated with the University of Mumbai, helping aspiring professionals bridge the gap between exercise science, classroom learning and real-world application. For consultations, personalized training and professional learning support, Amit can be reached at sardalamit@gmail.com.
I got into Yoga a little more than an year ago. Initially I got interested in it for its widely advertised cardiovascular benefits. Imagine my surprise and huge disappointment when I found that one world renowned Yoga teacher who I was looking upto, had passed away- from cardiovascular issues of all things!
Thankfully for some reason I continued with it and discovered the Yogasutra, Patanjali’s canonical text on the matter.
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- Yoga is not about cardiovascular health- although there might be incidental benefits for the same.
- It is not for flexibility- while again there might be incidental benefits for the same.
- Not for strength, not for conditioning and certainly not for cutting down your ‘love handles’.
As Patanjali defines it, Yoga is ‘chittavrittinirodaha’. Quietening down the incessant chatter in the mind, the emotional fluctuations that we keep going through. Only then in the silence, can we realize our true self and divorce it from all the past conditioning and the impulses which influence our day to day actions and decisions without us realizing it.
There are other schools of thought too: Hatha, Bhakti and so many more. All focusing on different paths, different methods. The one I have described is Patanjali’s Ashtanga school. Do shop around and look for what you need as an individual before rather than signing up for the 1st thing that you come across.
In fact, in recent times, Yoga is being explored to ensure Mental Health very much in line with Patanjali’s school of thought! No surprise really that modern therapists now weave Yoga, breathwork and mindfulness into various popular therapies. The sages called it liberation; psychology calls it emotional regulation & mindfulness!
