How Yoga Changes Your Perspective
“Yoga does not just change the way we see things, it transforms the person who sees" B.K.S Iyengar
The human being has a tendency to look at what they haven’t done or achieved, rather at looking at what they have actually achieved.
What’s important is the way that you see things. Your perspective creates your worldview and your reality and shifting your perspectives is vital to live a peaceful life.
Yoga encourages you to change perspective. When you practice yoga, especially asana your mind is incredibly focused and there is no room for distraction or negativity, your practice allows you and asks of you to be completely present in the moment.
Yoga invites you to notice your patterns and consider your willingness to see and take action in a new way. It’s amazing how much your life can change when you reframe a situation.
It helps you too:
Expand your mind
See the beauty all around you and in everyone and everything.
Open yourself up to experience pleasure, joy and happiness
See the world from a positive lens
However, you can’t just sit and want these things, action is required for change and that is why yoga is a great way to start to change your perspective and here’s why:
Sit in stillness
When you sit in stillness you focus on the breath and become more aware. As you use your breath as a tool to relax your body and mind you come into a state of calmness and full awareness of yourself. Your mind becomes quiet, allowing yourself space and silence, it is in this space that you are able to witness yourself and your thoughts with no judgment. You let go of getting caught up in the negative self-talk and limiting beliefs and you become the observer. You don’t get obsessed with the past or the future. Doing actual yoga poses bring you into stillness, for quiet moments within a flow or holding for longer periods of time as your focus is solely on the breath.
See clearly
When you practise yoga your mind adjusts to a different state, enabling you to see more clearly, changing your perspective and opening your mind to different ways of being and doing things. Doing asana helps to develop mental clarity and become more focused and present in the moment.
Different perspective about our bodies
The western world is a culture that is more externally focused, where everything is about what you have and what you and your life looks like. Yoga helps you to go inwards and withdraw your senses from the external (otherwise known as Pratyahara). Going inward to feel.
Many yoga poses are unusual for our western bodies and minds, as many of these poses come from a culture that does not use desks or chairs. Our bodies are not used to opening the hips and shoulders in the way some of the poses require. By allowing ourselves to experiment with our own physical bodies with these postures in a loving and kind way, the way we see ourselves change, the way we see our bodies change.
Flow of energy
Yoga gets our energy flowing, physically, mentally and emotionally, especially in practises such as vinyasa due to the continuous flow of postures. The body moves through the postures in sync with the breath creating freedom within the body and the mind resulting in feeling more connected and at peace with oneself.
Yoga creates a positive flow of energy through pranayama (breath) otherwise known as the vital energy that flows through the body in the form of the breath. There are many ways to access prana through different breathing techniques.
Get upside down
Whenever your head comes below your heart it is an inversion in yoga. Asanas like downward facing dog and forward fold are great examples of ways to achieve this, without having to do more advanced poses. Inversions help to improve circulation and lymph flow, as well as calm the nervous system.
The beauty of inversions is that you receive a change in perspective, which brings you boundless joy, increased energy and a stronger belief in yourself.
The practise of yoga guides you to feel into who you are and know and understand your limiting beliefs enabling you to change perspective and lead to a more positive, joyful and energised life.