Yogis can lose minds too

A week prior to International Yoga Day (June 21), I received this shocking news of suicide of brilliant yoga coach whom I knew personally. The reason behind this self-destructing act remains unknown. It goes without saying that a person would take such a drastic step only when they go through some kind of unbearable turmoil–it can be financial, emotional, mental or physical in nature. We all know that death is an inescapable truth for every living being in this universe but still we are scared of death and we take all possible actions to delay it. If someone chooses “death” over “life” means he/she must be going through a prolonged phase of hopelessness.?

May my friend’s soul rest in peace! This incident brought back the memories of the my depressive phase and at the same time those yogis, whom I know closely and have been going through some rough? patches of their life.? I? wish and pray? that? they all sail through these high tides and emerge as life sailors.?

Cool Yogis

Yoga has been promoted as the tool to alleviate stress and anxiety in the modern era and considered as one of the effective means to attain inner peace. ( In ancient times, yoga was the tool to discover your higher self. Yoga was perceived as a journey of? the self, through the self, to the self. And yoga holds the same meaning for a few modern day yogis too).

In general, the world looks at yogis? as “cool” human species. Aha! I don’t have any doubt about it, being one of them. Does that make? worldly yogis immune to stress, anxiety and depression?

The answer is clear “No”.

Teaching & practicing yoga for years doesn’t give access to a magical? control over the outer situations and other individuals. Anyway, yoga doesn’t advocate the idea of “control” on others but self. It has been observed that the unpleasant circumstances, events and unexpected behavior of people work as the major factors inducing stress and anxiety.

Practicing yoga (on as well as off the mat ) helps a person develop a balanced state for the body and mind.? This, in turn, equips him to respond to unexpected traumas/stress/anxiety/emergencies in an appropriate way.? The physical yoga practice and the understanding of yogic philosophy has helped me to respond to testing situations in my life in a better manner. It doesn’t mean I never go out of balance in the course of life. For example, if I was losing my temper 10 times in a month earlier, it would be reduced to 3 times now.

No replacement for close bonds with fellow human beings

There can be moments where all strength earned through yoga practice may fall short too as we are beings with emotions.? Fostering some good and deep bonds with some fellow human beings is essential for the coaches /teachers too just like others. It’s kind of an emotional luxury when you can share the dark corners along with brighter ones with somebody without getting perturbed. And if you don’t have anybody around you that can fall in this category, please let’s not hesitate to approach the counselor.

Yogis just like others need to develop a close bond with the self and with a few others so that if we feel weak at any moment, we should be able to share that moment with others so that the the destructive thought will get destroyed in its infancy.? A strong person becomes strong only by facing weak moments courageously.?

Please don't try to fit life into philosophy

Yogis prefer diving deep into philosophy to understand life & yoga better. A yoga student/teacher takes the help from their gurus and scriptures for it. This is really required and rightly appreciated, too, in the yoga community. However, life shatters when a worldly yogi tries to fit all he has learned through yoga scriptures in his everyday life without understanding whether it is required or not in the given scenario.

How we respond to problems, issues and situations that decide how well we have understood the meaning of any philosophy. I understand that a few yogis who dive deep into philosophy ( I am also one of them) and fail to keep up the balance with the sansarik world, have to struggle a lot. Looking at everything through the glasses of perfection can be frustrating as reality doesn't mirror? the ideal philosophy learned at ashrams/institutes? or through the scriptures. But that’s what life is; misery & mystery at the same time. And? a yogi tries to resolve this mystery by being miserable.

Accepting things that don’t sound ideal

Remaining in tune with the? yogic concept of “acceptance” can help us in difficult times, specifically when we witness events against values learned throughout life.? We need to accept the way we are & the world as it is.? When we apply each theory as it is without profoundly understanding it in the context of real life, we are bound to have those terrible moments. I also had my share of the “madness' ' in the initial stage of being a yoga teacher when I began learning, decoding and applying the yoga philosophy literally in my life. But I consider myself fortunate enough that I could get through it and see philosophy beyond literary sense.?

Prioritize Self Dharma

We need to understand that we are Grihasthashram yogis, not sanyasis and we have needs, desires just like any other human being (We shouldn’t be apologetic about it). You can lead a life by principles but we cannot force others to follow the suit. And if they don’t, we shouldn’t be allowing our blood pressure to cross through the roof. We should always keep in mind that our first and foremost dharma (duty) is towards self wellbeing and then to others.?We can only help others if we can help ourselves!