7 Life-Changing Expert’s Yoga stories to get yourself really Inspired

Why you started your Yoga Journey? 

Well, if I guess, you have started your Journey because of flexibility, over 69% of practitioners claims that 

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( You might have seen some beautiful Yogini doing splits or some complex Asanas on Instagram, which should have raised the question in your mind that these Yogini’s are Human’s or not? )

This scenario happens to many people!

I also started my Yoga Journey as I was a couch potato some year before 

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And as my family keep on insisting me to lose weight, I tried Yoga and eventually was lost in the magic of its benefit ( burned 5 kg weight, too )

So, we all have different reasons to start this journey, but the PROBLEM IS :

Many Practitioners quit Yoga because they have expected too much from themselves in a short period of time ( like doing splits in 30 days, c’mon it takes months or sometimes years of practice ). 

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So what is the solution?

It is an Inspiration!

When you lose the strength of this word, you quit 

But when you have this word, no matter what comes your way, you keep on fighting until you achieve What You Really Want!

So, let’s gain that Inspiration with these 7 Yoga Stories that will prove you that this workout if practiced consistently, can help you change your life into a beautiful scenery of inner peace.

First comes Sofija Vracar, who will tell you her life-changing Yoga Story –

#1 How did I fall in love with Yoga? by Sofija Vracar

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Sofija Vracar

I am always curious about how people discovered yoga.

What about it made them fall deeply in love? How did the right time, place, and sequence of events present?

In my case, it is me going inward to share with you the story of my yoga journey. I know so many people who started to seriously practice yoga in the wake of some unfortunate, traumatic event, but my story is not much different.

I started practicing yoga over 28 years ago to soothe several anxiety disorders that all existed simultaneously, as well as complement my many years of competitive running and dance training.

I remember my very first yoga class very vividly and felt the benefits of stretching and strengthening my body instantly. It was quietening my busy mind that was the real challenge.

My busy mind was my mask to the outside world to hide the thick brain fog, psychological disassociation, and spiritual bypassing that I was experiencing in my inner world.

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I am naturally in my head or on the other extreme out of my body blissfully free in the timeless and formless aspect of my Being.

Therefore, constantly analyzing, intellectualizing, reflecting, planning, or completely detached from reality and bored easily by idle chit chat and the rhythm of mainstream life.

So being present and stilling the mind was extremely hard, confronting, and a little sad.

Why was I so distracted?

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This is where the ancient teachings of yoga crossed my path. I began the journey of self-actualization to ground my energy, be present to my emotional body, calm my mind, and learn to live with the intention of inner peace within my soul.

At first, I noticed my improved posture, knee, and lower back injuries subsided, I was building strength and increasing flexibility without the negative effects of high impact exercise, and felt fabulous.

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Most profoundly, the over-thinking, control freak that escaped into the vastness of the void to recluse from emotional feedback was turning into a curious observer.

That is the real gift of yoga!

Yoga has become my refuge and regardless of how random and crazy life is – the demands, expectations, triumphs, disappointments, intense loss, and grief are all left behind.

On the mat, we are given the indulgent gift of time and are invited to give our undivided attention to our precious selves.

We deepen our awareness and we know the practice on the mat is symbolic of the patterns we indulge in the matrix of life.

So, with deliberate intention, courage, and kindness, yoga shows me from time-to-time, again, how to stay connected to all dimensions of my Being, and how to gracefully navigate my way through day-to-day interactions and cultivate the most significant relationship of all – the one I have with the Divine within me.

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The breath along with the healing movements of yoga is an invitation to feel and connect with our incredible bodies, to discover all its nuances and magic.

Every day, every practice, is completely different from the next, as we come to the mat with unique experiences (internal and external), emotions, and thoughts.

The invitation is to be curious about ‘now’, right now!

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Yoga invites us to be present and attend to everything that is occurring at this moment. We start with the most tangible, the physical body, as we move through the asanas (postures).

Then we delve into the more subtle layers of ourselves, our internal dialogue, feelings, and our reality.

When we focus on this moment, we appreciate how much is going on and we realize the abundance of choices every moment offers us.

Every moment is essentially a choice point and this is mindfulness. Yoga then becomes a time to ‘sharpen the saw’ to make mindfulness a habit, so that we can expand this curious attention to our everyday lives.

We then begin to witness and observe our thoughts, decisions, behaviors, and relationships.

We become empowered with presence, enabling us to respond mindfully, rather than react or avoid life. This is where the magic of mindfulness leads you to a deeper stillness within and for me, this manifested as a daily meditation practice.

Every day in mediation I am allowed to ground, transcend time and form, remember (Divine’s) love, receive love, be love.

I allow an ocean of calm to heal me as I trust the intuitive guidance that comes through from my team of angels, archangels, orbs, and ancestors.

I make choices that are for my highest and best good, and from this place encourage others to trust their intuitive wisdom, stay true to their soul’s purpose and to practice gratitude for the life they have been given.

Ultimately, we become the ‘captain of our ship’.

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Hail you Captain

It was a natural transition for me to listen to my inner GPS and study to become a Yoga Teacher over 20 years ago. Rather than questioning how I would make a living and survive in this profession, I accepted this was the costume the Divine had chosen for me to do the inner and outer work.


I look forward to sharing the gift of yoga with you all. I am committed to being the mirror of the light beyond your shadow, to encourage you to embrace your vulnerability, and master the art of healing the inner dimensions of your Being – mentally, emotionally, physically, and spiritually.

Life is not happening to you, rather life is responding to you, to your vibrational frequency.

We each have the potential to heal completely when we accept responsibility for our lives and to go inward and learn to love all aspects of our Being unconditionally.

Yoga is the power within you to transcend and transform into Love.

Much Love,
Namaste

About Sofija Vracar: Certified Yoga Teacher

Sofija-Vracar

Sofija is fully qualified and registered Metabolic Precision Nutritionist/Transformation Specialist, a Weight Loss Consultant with full professional membership to the Global Weight Management Federation, a Registered Exercise Professional, Level 3, with Fitness Australia, and an internationally qualified Yoga Teacher, Pilates Instructor, Life Coach, Meditation Teacher, and Akashic Records Healer.

She also performs podcasts on Buzzsprout, you can also connect with her through Instagram and on her blog.

Read her previous articles on Yoga for Gut Health and for Stress Relief on Current News-Times.

My Yoga Journey- Transformation inside out by Shweta Mishra

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Shweta Certified Yoga Teacher

The year was 2011 and I was on a Sabbatical. Enjoying my break time, which I took almost 7 years after my IT job and was volunteering with some NGOs, giving some quality time to my family, and simultaneously we were planning our family as well.

In that phase, we were going through a lot of books and online research articles, and we as a couple were amazed to know that yoga practice and garb-sanskar are very good and beneficial for the family-planning couples.

I started practicing yogic breathing and took it up as a personal health care practice at that time and definitely, it turned out to be the best decision for all of us, indeed.

At a young age, I was a person who was not active in sports ( which effected my health badly), thus, I started my yoga journey with zero flexibility, a bad back, and was suffering from overweight – so it was a more challenging path for me.

I fell many times while practicing, got hurt, borne a lot of pains, but still ” never giving up ” is my attitude.

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This long and fruitful journey helped me overcome my physical ailments, mental inhibitions, and emotional problems.

Now being a certified yoga teacher, I started guiding others to become physically and mentally fit by following the path of yoga, and by practicing yoga, I believe that I am a transformed, super-active, super-confident, happy, and independent lady with self- satisfaction achieved at par.

Yoga is an art of living that helps us to live our lives in a better, happier, and healthier way.

It helps us to believe in WE rather than I.

I practice yogic breathing, asanas, and shatkarmas regularly and yoga practice is now a part of my daily routine just like other activities.

I share my yogic knowledge with people of all age groups, and the progress of my students keeps me motivated to achieve my goals throughout my work.

The Bhagwad Geeta says “Yogah Karmasu Kaushalam” and I strongly believe in its teachings which means “Yoga is excellence in action”

I wish I keep inspiring people around me to adopt this beautiful art of living and reinvent themselves into positive, transformed human beings and this will be my service to humanity.

About Shweta Mishra

She started her Professional Yoga Journey with a Diploma in Yoga Vidya from Bhartiya Vidya Bhawan, New Delhi, and has completed her Masters in Yoga.

She is UGC- NET qualified in yoga and a government certified trained assessor under the Pradhan Mantri Kushal Vikas Yojna.

A dance enthusiast, a social worker, and a passionate yogini following her dream to encourage people towards the spiritual path of Yoga.

How Yoga gave back My Life? by Virendra Ardies

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To begin my yoga story I have to go back a couple of years before my first class in 2012. When I was 18 I enrolled in college and I studied social work to follow my dream to become a counselor.

Unfortunately, in my first year of college, I developed an anxiety disorder and it was the worst time of my life as I was afraid of going into large groups. And well… in a city, you’re always mingling among the crowds.

For years I would have massive panic attacks and even before I arrived at one of my lectures, I was already exhausted.

During such a panic attack, my heart would beat rapidly fast, I would feel imprisoned in my skin, kind of having the feeling I would die basically.

And that happens almost every single day, sometimes even twice.

A couple of years later I was sick of it and I wanted to live a normal college life and I wanted to enjoy it as well. My anxiety had taken over my entire social life and my activities.

I was already meditating since the age of 15, but even meditation wasn’t doing the trick during an episode.

And then, it came to me

I had read an article about how sports can help you lower your anxiety levels. I’m not sure which article it was anymore though, but I felt that I had to give it a shot.

Although, it was going to be tough to decide which sport. I wasn’t such a big jock and with my past of meditation, I wasn’t competitive anymore.

I started looking into an alternative spiritual circuit and I found Vinyasa yoga.

I opted for the latter as I felt that Hatha wouldn’t be challenging enough for me as it wasn’t vigorous enough. Vinyasa would be somewhere in between sports and mindfulness and it was the ideal combination for me at that time.

In the first year of my yoga practice, I started feeling more alive again. 

Not only were my anxiety attacks slowly getting less and less, but I was also feeling that I could appreciate the things in life even more.

Not only did I connect with my body again, but I also connected more to my soul and heart again.

And a bonus point as well, that I was now also could manage my stress levels before going to an exam.

Especially in these times, we are at now, I think it’s more necessary than ever to stay close to yourself, meaning your body and soul. It’s not that hard to go into the stress and anxiety of other people.

We see things in the news, sometimes even horrible things and it’s hard not to form an opinion or feel emotions with these kinds of things.

We are more inside than ever before, as there are more jobs in offices, and when we come home from work we lie down on the sofa and watch television.

Now more than ever are we being disconnected to our body and our heart. This is why I have the dream that people should find more and more a way to mindfulness.

About Virendra Ardies : Yoga Teacher

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Virendra started his yoga journey 8 years ago and became a yoga teacher 2 Years later. In the beginning, he started out his first vinyasa class and It was his starting of a whole new journey!

Since then he progressed a lot, done some courses, and after three years he became a yoga teacher.

He taught classes in several studios in Antwerp, Sint-Niklaas, and in his hometown Beveren and also shares his knowledge on his blog The Yogi Life for Me.

You can also see his previous contribution in this mega article on Yoga for Weight Loss

There is a will there’s a way by Priyanka Singh

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Priyanka Singh

When you are in sports your life is not just limited to the performance on the field but it also teaches you discipline and a healthy lifestyle, just like army life.

Such a routine is difficult to maintain in one’s normal life.

But by playing sports I was able to develop this routine and I followed it, strictly.

However, when the time came to choose between sports and career, I was forced to leave the first.

And after leaving sports my life changed completely. I was no longer able to follow my strict routine and eventually, I started gaining weight, and to add salt to the injury I was diagnosed with the thyroid.

This was shocking to me because I used to believe if you eat nutritious food in your childhood it will keep you fit in your adult life too.

I found this to be completely untrue.

I was so busy with my job at that time that I was unable to keep up a healthy routine.

Since childhood, we were taught that ” health is wealth “, it is your most valuable asset.

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One fine day I decided that it is better to try and save this asset and think of everything else as secondary.

That day I promised myself that I will prioritize my health over work and I will utilize my free time to fulfill my passion which is fitness.

It was difficult to get back in sports so I only focused on my health and for that I chose Yoga.

Along with yoga I also started learning Kathak and Martial arts and yes it was difficult in the beginning to do all the three together but looking back I feel it wasn’t as much, because  “where there is a will there’s away “

About Priyanka Singh

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She has completed her diploma from Bhartiya Vidya Bhawan, New Delhi and she is also a Martial Art Practitioner, Travel Blogger, Kathak Dancer, and Fashion Blogger.

Yoga found me by Harjas Kaur

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Harjas Kaur
I started practicing yoga almost 9 years back and it was as if Yoga found me.
 
It was my anchor at that point without which I would certainly have lost ground.
 
I was going through a very low phase mentally & emotionally. Long working hours, never-ending work, tough & unappreciative work environment. Thus, it was killing me mentally and physically.
 
Emotionally I was feeling a void,  going through a broken relationship. All this was going so overboard that I used to feel like a vacuum is pulling air out of my lungs, leaving my heart all sucked up, and they’re used to be such aching pain in my throat like one feels going through deep despair. 
 
Thankfully, there is a technique and a way of life, called “Yoga”.
 
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I heard about  Sivananda center, Dwarka. Sivananda center is not just another yoga studio teaching asanas.
 
 
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It has a very positive and satvik environment because this place imbibes the whole ashram culture and with their daily satsangs, yoga philosophy, meditation, and chanting, it changed me fully and now I am far better than before.

Thank You, Yoga!

About Harjas Kaur

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Harjas Kaur is a 500 hrs Certified Hatha Yoga Teacher.  She is practicing & teaching from the past 8 years and in her quest for more knowledge & to understand various techniques, she traveled to various schools of Yoga for learning different styles.

She teaches Various Styles,  Hatha, Flow, Ashtanga, Vinyasa, Sivananda, Yin, Pre & Post Natal, Chair yoga – keeping in mind the requirement of the students.

The Teachings have an influence on various schools with combining techniques & principles of alignment, flexibility, stability, strength, breath control, concentration & relaxation.

She includes various elements of Yoga like  Asana, Pranayama, bandhas, Dharna (Concentration) & Dhayana (Meditation) in her practice & teachings with understanding it as a whole and holistic practice.

Incorporating Yoga as a complete lifestyle, she hopes she contributes towards helping people connect to their inner self & feel the peace and happiness, which is our true nature!

My Yoga My Life by Deepika Yogakannya

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We asked Deepika these 4 Questions about her Yoga Journey –

1) What lead you to start your Yoga Journey?

I discovered yoga in 2009 at the age of 19. That was a time in my life when I was quite confused regarding my studies, career, diet, and health.

I knew I had to improve my health but I was not fond of working out at gyms and chugging protein shakes so I decided to give yoga a try and I fell in love with the practice and thus I realized what is life exactly.

2) What do you achieve after going through this long Yoga Journey?

My valuable achievement is that yoga inspired me to live each moment more mindfully throughout my whole Journey.

3) Can you give some reasons on why someone should start his / her Yoga Journey?

One should start his/her Yoga Journey because you can earn money and stay fit at the same time and thus you can gain both health and wealth with happiness.

4) How do you achieve complex asanas? What keep you inspired to achieve some or other yoga asanas? 

By practicing Yoga with consistency and by remaining dedicated towards it as it inspires me every time I step on my mat.

About Deepika Yogkannaya

She is working as a yoga teacher at a graceful yoga studio in China. My bachelor’s degree in Yoga Teacher Training is from Sampurnanand Sanskrit Vishwavidyalaya, and I have completed my 200 hrs yoga teacher training from the Stairs Yoga Academy in Rishikesh.

Currently, it’s been 4 years I am teaching in China:)

My Yoga Journey by Sandeep Mishra

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1) What lead you to start your Yoga Journey?

My father was the first yoga teacher for me, he taught me Surya Namaskara at the age of 5, and at that time I was doing 45 Surya namaskara at once, this is how my yoga journey started.

At the age of 12 or maybe 15, people started asking me the health benefits of yoga and I started to teach them some yoga asanas which eventually got them positive results and this really inspired and motivated me.

So, at the age of 25, I took yoga as a profession to spread the word of Yoga far and wide.

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2) What do you achieve after going through this long Yoga Journey?  

For me, my student’s happiness, good health, positive mindset is my real achievement in this long Yoga Journey. 
 

3) Can you give some reasons on why someone should start his / her Yoga Journey?

If someone wants improvement in relationship, love, compassion, smart work, good behavior, good health, positive mindset, unity, togetherness, etc then they should start their yoga journey.

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4) How do you achieve complex asanas? What keeps you inspired to achieve some or other yoga asanas?

Asanas are a part of ashtanga yoga and my favorite Aasan is mayurasana.
 
At the age of 12, I did this asana after 6 months of regular practice as my uncle told me the benefits of mayurasana.
 
My Uncle is my guru and he inspired me to do this asana!

About Sandeep Mishra

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He has 8 years of experience as a personal yoga teacher, and his journey in yoga just started at the age of 5!

My Yoga diploma is from K J Somaiya center of Buddhist Studies, Mumbai and I have also done an M.Sc in Yoga therapy from Tamil Naidu PS and Sports University, Chennai.

Conclusion

By reading the above stories you may now know how Yoga can transform one’s life?

From being anxious, stressed, overworked, you can be peaceful, relaxed, and mindful with the help of Yoga.

I really hope that you are now more inspired and motivated towards yoga with the help of these life-changing Stories.

So, spread the word of Yoga by taking some seconds to share it with your friends to make their life more happy and peaceful 🙂