At the first instance I was totally at odds with yoga, particularly with the postures of the various exercises- my postures never matched with those of my instructors and the ones shown in the voluminous books. I even thought that there were some inherent problems regarding my flexibility and so I was totally at sea. But as time elapsed I was thrilled to discover that I have acheived near perfection in yoga exercises.

The ideal way for the beginners is to go slowly and listen to the body. The body knows what it is capable of. If it says "stop," I’ll have to stop. Pushing serves no purpose. It is not one of those competitive sports played in the olympics. If you push too hard, you will probably end up hurting yourself. Whenever I got a chance I worked with my teacher. I used books, videos and websites as supplements to the classroom instruction. It is only practice which helps you to improve and make you feel better.

Such a sublime knowledge deserves to be shared with others- atleast for the sake of a healthy human race. I must name some of the classic postures which serves to keep our body functions in perfect equilibrium.

The sukhasana or “sit easy position”is a starting position that helps to focus awareness on breathing and the body; to strengthen lower back and open the groin and hips. The “dog and cat” posture increases flexibility of spine. To improve balance and self awareness there is nothing better than the tadasana. Uttanasana or “forward bend” stretches the legs and spine, rests the heart and neck, relaxes mind and body. Trikonasana or “the triangle” stretches the spine, opens the torso, improves balance and concentration. My legs and arms are further strengthened by the virabhadrasana II. It has improved my balance and concentration and raised my self confidence.

These, apart from a number of other exercises, are the very postures which I found quite difficult at the onset , but now I’ve seen my zeal and my patience bearing fruit.