The first thing you should do when you want to start practicing yoga is to prepare yourself mentally.
Sri Aurobindo stated, "Having a calm mind is important because it's not possible to make a foundation in Yoga if the mind is restless" (1). Having a calm mind doesn't mean having a vacant or empty mind, it means being able to acknowledge the thoughts that come in and out, but not letting them "take you away". This way of separating yourself from your thoughts can be challenging, to begin with, but practicing stillness and learning how to calm your mind through meditation is the only way to master this.
"Practice is nothing but effort towards steadiness or perfection," K. Raghavan (4).
Do you feel like you're holding the whole world on your shoulders or no matter what you do you are always stressed out, and tensed up? Do you suffer from anxiety, depression, or post-traumatic stress disorder? Can you never remember anything, or can never focus on one thing for very long? Slowing your breathing and putting your body into a resting state through meditation could be exactly what you are missing in your life. When you have a still mind, you are less susceptible to negative thoughts. When you are vulnerable to these negative thoughts, and start allowing them to control your mind, it's only a matter of time before it consumes your entire life. This is when people start developing mental problems, or overall becoming a dark person. A great outlet for all this built up mental stress, is practicing Yoga meditation. Once you can achieve this better state of mind, the physical aspect of Yoga helps gain a much deeper connection within one's self. It changes the positions and movements from simple exercise into an enlighting experience for the mind, body, and spirit.
If you are interested in reading research studies conducted on these topics see more HERE .
Works Cited:
Aurobindo, Sri. "Bases of Yoga." Sri Aurobindo Ashram, Pondicherry. 1971.
Raghavan, K. "Yoga: Facts and Fancies." Firma KLM Private Limited. 1982.
"The Five Mental and Physical Benefits of Yoga".http://examinedexistence.com. October 4, 2016. http://examinedexistence.com/the-five-mental-and-psychological-benefits-of-yoga/.
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