It takes as much time, commitment, energy, and discipline to become competent at yoga as it does anything else, but the benefits of yoga offer a far greater return than some other choices. The intention of this article is to share some of the great and less great things a yoga practice brings.

Patience
The beauty of a yoga practice lies in the attitude to life that practitioners develop when confronted with asanas (postures) they cannot do: bursting in to tears, or disappearing to the washroom during a class will not help to master a pose. On the contrary trying the pose, and if it is not possible, smiling, will magically benefit the yoga practitioner’s life outside the studio. The attitude we bring to our mat and our practice seems to be reflected in our experience in the rest of our lives. Learning to be patient knowing our bodies will open up sooner or later, and recognising our minds want to ‘do it all’ by yesterday, is a great step forwards.

Self Knowledge
Our ability to look inward increases. A fellow teacher explained her daily practice of self-scrutiny as an observer, was far harder than anything she had experienced in 10 years in the corporate world. Yoga is a means by which we can know ourselves: to confront what we don’t like; what we should do work on; what we should foster and cherish, and to recognise ourselves in other people. This is the greatest gift of a yoga practice.

Poise and Posture
This is the area in which we first notice benefits, especially when we begin to practice. Yoga students develop a flat stomach, a bubble butt, toned arms, calves and thighs; body fat is reduced; and they become more flexible and stronger. They stand straighter, and breathe more evenly and easily – for some of us it is like learning to breathe for the first time! As the hamstring muscle at the back of the thigh lengthens, students find it easier to sit up straight - which has the effect of making them look instantly slimmer!

Health Improves
For women stress incontinence disappears; others become pregnant after years spent trying to conceive; and for all: circulation improves, improving skin tone and texture, and making all less susceptible to cold extremities, especially hands and feet.

Flexible Toes
Even the way yoga students walk changes. Feet seem to be more in contact with the ground: students walk without turning their feet outwards, toes become more individually flexible – for example, it becomes possible to cross the big toe over the second one (this must be useful for something!).

No Stilettos
Sadly, one’s tolerance for high heels decreases as the calf muscle lengthens: the 3” heels which seemed positively stable to walk around in the past become wobbly. Completely flat shoes and sandals which previously seemed uncomfortable, now seem very attractive as we reach our heels down to the mat in Downward facing dog.

New Wardrobe
Another advantage/disadvantage for women is the yoga clothing wardrobe they acquire - an ever changing wardrobe of Lycra tops and matching pants (more on this another time). Men get-by with a simple selection of cotton vests, T-shirts, and shorts. Somehow, we collect a selection of different yoga mats; cotton Mysore mats and bags for all those mats.

Easy Diet
Some practitioners find when they commence a daily practice (or rather a 6-day per week practice), they move effortlessly towards a vegetarian diet. At first this may mean not eating beef or pork, but later it may be extend to chicken and fish, and dairy products, eventually becoming vegan. I no longer wanted to drink tea or coffee when I began a daily practice. Many practitioners give up drinking alcohol. For those who practice Ashtanga, giving up onions and garlic is a courtesy to other practitioners around them as the body sweats out onion and garlic during practice – not appealing odours at 6.30am!

Perfume Stinks
A few practitioners find that they become intolerant of perfume, even deodorant, although scented oil’s remain okay as their sense of smell becomes sharper.  A teaching friend commented: ‘I just don’t understand why people want to put chemicals on their body!’

Food and social life
Most yoga practitioners have experienced the discomfort of eating and practicing yoga too quickly afterwards, at least once. For Mysore practitioners, who practice early in the morning, not eating after about 7pm because they prefer to practice with an empty stomach early the following morning, and going to bed by 10 pm can cause social problems.

Break Ups
Nancy Gilgoff, the first Western woman to learn Ashtanga at Mysore, tells a story of when she and David Williams ran a studio together in Hawaii. Concerned that after a while yoga students split up with their partners who did not practice Mysore, and worried that the karma this created would reflect on him, David would do his best to persuade both partners to commence practice. He would insist they both sat through a morning practice before accepting one as a student, during which time he would try to persuade both to join. An early morning practice puts a strain on a relationship when one partner doesn’t want to party, or drink, and wants to go to bed early. If he failed David would still accept the student, but over time he noticed on average ten months after the couple split up, the second partner would also commence an Ashtanga Mysore practice.

New Friends
We find ourselves changing our friends and those we hangout with until we find ourselves living continuously in a yogic world; learning meditation and pranayama (breathing) techniques; and when we are ready, being open to the teachings of a guru (a spiritual teacher).

New Life
Lastly, this all takes time: a Mysore practice takes about two hours 6-days a week (even if the studio is close by), and the magic opportunity to teach adds more hours, until a yoga practice takes the hours of part-time job – on top of our full-time occupations: in total, a completely life-changing process.

It’s All Good
Strangely, I found all my yogic friends who I questioned on disadvantages of a yoga practice mentioned all of the above, but without exception, all explained somehow, ‘It wasn’t really a disadvantage…!’

Valerie practices Mysore style, teaches at mYoga, and follows the Siddha Meditation path.