Yoga Positions Reveal Your Challenges in Life |

At the yogathe asanas – which are the positions (or postures) made with the body – not only work the physical body, strengthening and stretching it, but can also alleviate some challenges that you have in life.

This happens because this ancient practice contributes to positively changing the way in which Samskaras (habits) are rooted in our body.

And the Samskaras are precisely everything that we have programmed in our unconscious mind and that determine many of the choices we make in our lives, whether out of fear, security, limitation, attachment or the desire to change or conquer.

It is where your principles, values, notion of morals and ethics are also found. In them, the ways in which you react to everyday situations are programmed. Samskara is the lens that reveals your unique way of seeing the world.

But you must be wondering how, in practice, the relationship between Samskaras and Yoga happens and the possible difficulties it faces. To understand better, I will use as an example a shy student who participated in my classes.

She had a hunched forward posture, leaving a slight hump in her back, and she didn’t usually talk much. She was always the last to leave the room and in group chats she would stay in a separate corner from the others just watching, not participating, even when she was called upon.

I started working with her on the asana (posture, position) for opening the ribcage and strengthening the back. After a while of practice, I noticed that this student’s posture improved and made her taller, making her gaze project forward and not down.

From a person who put herself in “exclusion”, she started to appear and participate more in groups and conversations. She could clearly see that she became more extroverted.

Developing the body means developing the mind.

This is an example of how Yoga poses have an important job that goes beyond the body, as they also reflect on the mind and emotions.

Precisely for this reason, asanas can reveal a physical limitation that we have in our lives, but which is related to unconscious behavior (Samskara).

And as it says in an excerpt from a classic Hatha Yoga text: who controls the body, controls the mind. And who controls the mind, controls the body.

That is, if you start to develop your body, this will inevitably reflect on your life, changing your behavior and, consequently, awakening a potential that you already had, but that you probably didn’t use because of this limitation.

Step by step of 5 positions to work your limitations

I selected 5 positions that will help you to identify some limitations and, consequently, overcome them. The poses are simple, so anyone can do them.

All asanas have an established time for practice, but it is important that you do it very carefully and within your limits so as not to get hurt. As one of my teachers says: “do what you can to get where you want”.

While performing the poses, keep your breathing deep, slow and conscious, using only your nose to inhale and exhale. Finally, it is important to take into account that the asanas address a general aspect, not a specific one.

To do a job focused exclusively on your case, the recommendation is that you consult a professional. Practicing Yoga is a job where you are the scientist and the experiment at the same time.

That said, let’s get to practice!

Belly is related to self-esteem and emotions

One of the regions of the body that is most related to self-esteem is our belly. Regardless of the aesthetic issues associated with it or the beauty standards of each person, toning the abdomen helps to increase self-confidence and strengthen our emotions.

When you go through a crisis situation, such as the loss of a loved one, for example, it is much easier to overcome it if you have this region strengthened.

When you do the Yoga posture (Asana) related to this matter, the physical stimulus will awaken your deep habit (Samskara), which will manifest itself in the form of emotion or feeling. In addition, you will have a physical response in the form of pleasure or discomfort.

It is important that you observe these responses, so that you begin to relate your physical limitation with the difficulty you have in life in the form of a habit (Samskara). As the posture develops, the limitation caused by habits tends to decrease.

Where to start?

Let’s start with a simple posture, so that you can build this body-mind relationship. Try doing the position below and stay in it for 1 minute.

During your stay, try to understand what is going through your head and what emotions you are feeling. You can write it down on paper if you like.

Sit on the floor and bend your legs, placing your feet on the ground. Then raise your legs by bringing your thighs closer to your chest and keeping your feet at knee height. Stay from 30 seconds to 1 minute in this position. If you had thoughts like: “this is too difficult”, “I won’t make it” or “I don’t like it”, believe me, this is natural. But don’t give up!

Now that you know a little about how the position reacts to you, let’s increase your self-esteem. The challenge is to also perform the two postures below, staying at least 1 minute in each.

The following positions will help strengthen your abdomen and, consequently, reflect on your self-esteem – which can also be perceived in the body as an increase in your willpower.

Navasana, Boat Pose

Sit on the floor and bend your legs, placing your feet on the floor. But now she extends her knees, raising her feet to the ceiling. Stay in the position between 30 seconds to 1 minute. If it gets too intense, do the variation with your knees bent.

Chaturanga Dandasana, all fours pose

Variation 1 – Stay on the 4 supports, keeping your knees extended and your abdomen contracted, to protect your back. Think of yourself as constantly pushing the floor with your hands.
Variation 2 – If you think you can increase the challenge, lean your right knee on your right elbow, staying that way for half the time. On the other half, do the same position for the other side. Stay between 30 seconds up to 1 minute in this posture.

For a lasting effect, do this position 2 to 3 times a week, for a minimum of 1 minute.

Lack of stretching and flexibility is related to fear of change

The human being is an animal that builds habits (Samskaras). They help us to perform tasks that we used to do with difficulty, in an increasingly easy way.

Which often also brings us limitations, because if you need to change, there is new work to be done and new habits to be conquered.

That’s why, even if you have the capacity, you often choose to remain in the same situation, whether personal, affective or professional, because it is much easier to deal with what is certain and known, than with the uncertain and unknown.

This ability to adapt to situations is what we call flexibility. And a person flexible in behavior is also flexible, most of the time, in body.

I’m an example. Before becoming a Yoga teacher, my whole body “locked up” and I couldn’t reach my feet with my hands. I also got irritated for no reason by any change in my schedule.

When I started practicing Yoga, I became more flexible and elongated, which made me more relaxed and, consequently, made me adapt better to changes, as tensions did not reach me easily.

Where to start?

As in the previous sequence, let’s start with this simple posture so that you can develop the relationship between body and mind.

Perform the simple pose below to see if you can reach your feet. Even if you can’t, stay for 1 minute as far as your body is able to go and try to realize what you’re thinking and feeling.

If necessary, write down what goes through your mind as you go through the exercise somewhere. I confess that one of the feelings I had when taking this position and not succeeding was that of incapacity.

Sit on the floor with your legs extended and feet together. Bend your body forward, placing your hands where you can reach them. If you can, you can hold your feet.

Physical and mental flexibility

But now let’s move on to developing your physical and mental flexibility. Also perform these two poses below as described.

Stay 1 minute in each one. These positions will help to stretch the posterior muscles of the back and legs, releasing tension and preventing injuries.

A recent study released on the BBC website shows that stretching exercises also help maintain the flexibility of coronary arteries, combating the natural stiffness that occurs with ageing.

Paschimottanasana, Pincer Pose

Standing with your feet together, place your hands on your hips and bend your body forward, keeping your spine straight as you descend. You will feel your legs first. This prevents the column from being overloaded. Then drop your torso towards the ground without pushing, just letting gravity pull you. If the position is too intense, just rest your hands on your legs to decrease the intensity. Stay at least 1 minute in the pose.

Maha Trikonasana, Triangle Pose

Place your feet no more than 5 feet apart. Place your hands on your hips and bend your body forward, keeping your back straight, as in the previous exercise. Then drop your torso forward, letting gravity pull you down. If the position is too intense, rest your hands on your legs to regulate the intensity. Stay for at least 1 minute in this posture.

With a more flexible and elongated body, you are more relaxed and more willing to deal with the challenges of everyday life. Do these exercises 2 to 3 times a week for at least 1 minute.

Stooped posture signals embarrassment or shyness

One of the most recognizable postures in the body is that of shyness, shame, or emotional closure. Although it can be manifested in several ways, usually the person demonstrates these characteristics by curving the back – either to reduce its size and thus stand out less in public, or as protection and defense.

On the contrary, walking with an open heart leaves us emotionally vulnerable, as we have to face it head on, showing our face, whatever the size of the obstacle.

This is precisely why when we stimulate an opening of the ribcage, through Yoga postures, we are also stimulating an increase in our self-esteem, extroversion and ability to face problems and people head on.

Where to start?

Again, let’s start with this simple posture so you can develop your mind-body relationship. Try this simple pose below for 30 seconds to see what feelings and thoughts come up. You can write it down in a notebook if you like.

Attention: if you feel dizzy, immediately stop performing the exercise until the feeling passes. After,…