So you have decided to learn מורת יוגה and meditation to improve your life. You have made one of the best decisions of your life. Yoga is an amazing philosophy that teaches you how to unite your body and mind with your soul. Yoga philosophy is originally given by an Indian sage called Patanjali who wrote Yoga Sutras. People start learning yoga with a lot of enthusiasm but somehow lose hope in the middle. Sometimes they make many mistakes, which hinder their progress in the spiritual path. Any yoga aspirant must be aware of certain basic things that are important for success in the spiritual path.
- Becoming too ambitious – It is quite common and natural to become overly ambitious and expect a lot of success right away. But this is actually a recipe for disaster. By becoming too zealous and ambitious, you tend to make huge expectations for yourself. By setting unrealistic expectations, you tend to become disappointed when you are unable to achieve them. Hence, any yoga aspirant must learn to stay realistic and avoid becoming too anxious while starting to learn Yoga.
- Setting Unrealistic Expectations – We naturally tend to set unrealistic expectations for ourselves, especially in the beginning. We tend to overestimate our progress and start expecting too much too early. This is only a recipe for disaster. When you are unable to meet expectations, you lose hope and become disappointed. Hence, you must always set realistic expectations for yourself in order to get success in your yogic path.
- Learn Only From Books – This is one of the most common mistakes that people make. Many people forget the importance of a true Guru and try to learn everything on their own. Although there isn’t any problem in self-learning, learning only by self, and not from a guru can backfire. As you practice Yoga Asanas, you need expert help to get the postures right. Any wrong move can cause serious physical damage. Hence, in addition to self-study, you must always learn from an experienced Yoga teacher.
- Only Focus on Basic Asanas – Generally, people get stuck with the basic Asanas and not try to learn the more advanced Asanas. You must always learn Yoga in entirety, and not just get satisfied with the Asanas and postures. Yoga is a system that teaches a person to attain self-realization. Yoga is not only about learning body postures or asanas. Although Asanas is just one of the eight parts of Yoga, Yoga, essentially, is about achieving self-realization. By steady and detailed practice, one can gradually move up the spiritual ladder and attain enlightenment.
- Not Be Sincere in Your Practice – Many people learn yoga to start a business or other selfish reasons. Although the demand for yoga has increased substantially in the recent years, people must not lose the essence of Yoga. Yoga is not only about learning asanas and improving physical fitness. Actually, Yoga is about achieving self-realization.
Learning Yoga can be an exciting journey for you. Although learning yoga is not easy, it is totally worth its time and effort. However, a person must stay patient and honest during his practice and avoid becoming too complacent. Although you can learn through self-study or a Guru is really helpful in realizing the true benefits of Yoga.
