Why I chose Yoga over Gym!
The year was 2019. It was a hot summer evening. I had returned home from office only to find that the elevator was not functional. I took the stairs to my flat on the 6th floor. For a man who thought stairs climb is a cakewalk, as he has always been an athlete; it didn’t actually turn out so. I was already palpitating by the 3rd floor. All my track and field sports achievements during my school and college looked worthless in just a matter of seconds. I just could not understand that how was it all of a sudden such a tough experience for me on the stairs; as a few years back I had been running on the field dribbling a ball and jumping across the net to smash the volleyball.
Of course when you are also not smoking or drinking, the worry gets bigger. I wasn’t even fat to blame the extra kg’s. I weighed around 90 kgs at that time; being 6 ft. 1 inch tall. My weight could be explained by my longer and broader skeleton structure. Ya, though I had started observing a small bulge appearing on my tummy over a period of time which I thought could be a result of my sedentary lifestyle and lack of physical activity due to a demanding software engineering job clocking almost 12 hours a day.
When I listened to my friends and peers, they suggested Gym. I had been visiting Gym once in a while. I never really had any plans to go bulky and commando if you know what I mean. From how I had heard from some trained athletes; too much of muscular gain did not really go well in the old age. The heart rate becomes quite irregular too. And what I was actually looking for was a revamp of my core inner strength. I always knew Yoga was the path to it. Though, my generation is a real gym-frenzy and they just kept their constant stand for gym. Of course, I got tempted.
I joined the GYM.
2 months later, I only found myself more lazy with that extra muscle gain.
I gained a good 10 kgs rather. My weight went from 82 kgs to 92 kgs. Of course, the GYM is not to be blamed here because the ones who are regular and disciplined around their diet and correct exercises maintain their ideal weight. I think what I knew was that I couldn’t be that regular to the gym because of my professional life.
I realized that it is definitely not the GYM that’s my solution. My solution is something which is more time friendly and can be easily accommodated with my daily professional schedule.
I turned towards YOGA. I just listened to my heart.
I want to share seven aasans (poses) with you all that helped me gain my MOJO back. They, of course paved my way back to 82 kgs from 92 kgs and believe it or not — my running speed from 6'27'’ / km tp 4'50'’/km and certainly did wonders too to my physical and mental well-being.
92 kgs — --> 82 kgs
6' 27'’ / km — →4' 50'’ / km
Important!
I don’t claim to have mastered any of these postures. The postures I have shared below are just for visual references. You should consult a proper Yoga instructor before practicing any of these postures to avoid any possible spinal or other injury.
- Virabhadrasana (Warrior Pose) - I
2) Virabhadrasana (Warrior Pose)- II
3) Navasana (Boat Pose)
4) Ardha Chandrasana (Half Moon Pose)
5) Uttanasana (Forward Fold Pose)
6) Padmasana (Lotus Pose)
7) Pashchima Namaskarasana (Reverse Prayer Pose)
