By Yogi Himanshu
There are moments of highs and lows, days of celebratory mood and then bouts of dejections. These events are, however, quite normal in one’s life. What is worrying are perennial thoughts of feeling low.
Such thoughts are invariably intense and overshadow the other positive aspects of life. One finds himself or herself in a bottomless pit and the struggle to get out of it is draining and leaves one with low energy.
This happens mostly in case of those who suffer from low self-esteem or confidence. The low self-esteem could be on account of physical appearance, skill and ability to perform certain tasks. Such people are vulnerable when it comes to other’s opinion about them. Often negative remarks about their personality can make these people easily depressed.
For instance, on just being told that he or she needs to improve on interpersonal skills, the person starts avoiding social gatherings or attending office meetings. On occasions, they could remain in a state of anxiety for days together. The repetitive thoughts of worthlessness and not doing enough make such person extremely uncomfortable in their skin.
This seriously affects growth in their personal and professional life.
Moreover, some people go to the extremes of harming themselves. More often than not, there are new reports of young boys and girls committing suicide for being scolded by parents for poor score in examinations. Some also inflict physical injury upon themselves in order to punish themselves. In colleges, some become victims of bullying because of their low self-esteem which could have roots in childhood for various reasons.
While some of them could be victims of child abuse, neglect, bad company, parental tension, or the combination of all these, it is not impossible to break the vicious circle. With consistent effort and inner engineering, one can move in a more positive space.
A combination of yoga postures and meditation could completely eliminate these negative emotions and give wings for flying high in life. There are various yogasanas that meditation practices that could lead to required changes in the mindset.
Yoga postures like Virbhadrasana (warrior pose) and Balasana (child pose) have positive effect on mind and solve problems related to low self-esteem or self-worth.
Regular practice of various asanas and pranayams enhances focus. Adding meditation to daily routine promotes complete well-being. This brings one closer to his or her inner self thus helping the person reach to the core of the problem. In many cases, the affected person realizes the insignificance of the thought which kept him shackled.
This cultivates mindfulness in the person. As a result, the person has more control over his/her thoughts and hence actions. This also helps one differentiate between meaningless and meaningful thoughts.
Once the core reason or trigger behind the complexes is unraveled, the surrounding problems that have a common root would disappear and a new outlook would be visible. When the toxic traits are shed, the space for numerous positive additions or habits could be created and give a completely new life to a person.
(Author is a well-known yoga teacher and Founder of Himalayan Yoga Association, Rishikesh)