As the lockdown began, I was prone to not be involved in may physical activities. I started to become more lazy and enjoy the online system of work. But I had to stop my procrastination and also do something to improve my concentration in academics and sports. So I decided along with my parents that I’ll begin doing Yoga. After which I first began to do online Yoga sessions. I undertook professional training of Yoga under a national level sportsman and did a course of Aathansh Yog (8 parts – Yoga) which included meditation, yoga, and some core workout. It was affiliated to the Olympic values and I also learnt theory related to Yoga, and didn’t do only physical sessions.
LO1 – Identify own strengths and develop areas for growth
I was able to identify my strengths and weaknesses well. My strengths were: good knowledge (as my mother has also been a Yoga teacher), some basic practice from school’s Physical Health Education classes. Moreover, my weaknesses were that at first I procrastinated a lot and was not able to perform well, after which I started doing Yoga regularly and practiced well so that I would at least reach the benchmark.
After understanding how much strength and flexibility I lacked, I was determined to work hard upon all components of Yoga and my body, like concentration, endurance, strength, flexibility, etc.
It is important that we’re self-aware as it gives us a sense of where we stand, as it helps us evaluate on how, in our own perspective we can reflect upon ourselves and grow.
I have a weakness of not being able to concentrate at things at once for too long, as I have ADHD. I also worked on my patience and concentration by meditating, improving my breathing patterns, my fitness, etc. Also, improving upon this weakness has helped me over-all in my day to day life, like in academics, my control of my temper in any situations, and it gave me a better approach to life.
LO2 – Demonstrate that challenges have been undertaken, developing new skills in the process
Firstly, it was a challenge to learn all the moves, improve flexibility, improve strength and practice it daily. As it was the lock down, everything was out of schedule and I was procrastinating more than ever. Also, I hadn’t done any physical activity for a long time, which made it even more tough, to follow and perform well.
I overcame this challenge by not only practicing in class but also at home, independently. I feel very proud and delighted that I took up this challenge as it motivated me to be a better person overall, as Yoga helped me understand all the aspects to life and how to excel in them.
It’s important for me to undertake new challenges as it helps me evaluate upon myself and learn new things. I am able to reflect where I stood before I took up a challenge and after taking it up, where I stand currently. It’s also necessary to constantly take up challenges as it improves me as a person, as I constantly develop understanding of new things. I was really impatient, short tempered and had a very less concentration span. After doing Yoga for 3 months, I’ve improved a lot in my concentration span, procrastination, patience and on my temper.
All these skills are what construct us as a better person, so if I manage all these problems for now, I’ll be able to manage my social skills very well and not have to work on them at a time of emergency when it’ll be hard to change my habits/behavior. This is the perfect time to adapt to changes! Furthermore, I also developed skills of being more flexible and increase my strength. These skills create a better lifestyle now and in the long run, being healthy is always beneficial. And meditation always helps reduce stress and focus more!!
Having this arsenal of skills is a really makes me confident as I know that I have improved upon various factors of my life and that too it’ll be really helpful in the present and in the future.
It’s always important to learn new skills as we can face numerous foreign situations wherein we might think we’re helpless. But learning new skills frequently might keep us confident and also really knowledgeable and smart to any situations/problems we might face!
LO4 – Show commitment to and perseverance in CAS experiences
Yoga is not as easy as it seems. Moreover I didn’t only focus on the physical aspect, but I also learnt the theory in general and theory related to the Olympics. That’s why it required a lot of focus and determination. It was a tough challenge for me and it made me feel anxious at first, as to whether I’ll be able to manage it or not. But then once I got into practice, I enjoyed it!
I was required to commit my time, my efforts for understanding and learning theory, and practicing all the asanas religiously everyday.
It isn’t easy for me to commit to these things easily as I mentioned before, I had very less concentration and I procrastinated a lot. That changed after I started doing Yoga as I stayed fresh in the day and it made me more active throughout the day, so I started having more fun. Although, it is important to be persistent and work upon your goals as being consistent and committed helps you in general. It helps us meet deadlines, by completing tasks on time, we also do tasks up to our full ability, it also builds a habit in us to give our best in whatever task we do. And that habit builds over a period of time if we practice it every time!
The learner profile attributes I develop in this activity were: Knowledgeable, reflective, balanced and principled. I developed a habit of making my schedule better by being punctual and waking up on time, so it made my parents happy too that I started managing my time well. The highlight of this experience for me is that now I can’t stay without doing any type of work out! I need Yoga almost everyday, as it causes my day to be a lot better. My learning in this activity will help the society as Yoga helps us improve our spiritual health and me being happy and relaxed will help the community (people around me). Also, the knowledge I gained by this course will be something that I can pass onto others as well, which will be very beneficial for their lifestyles.
I was successful in completing the course and it makes me very confident and proud that I took up a challenge and gave my everything to ace it. I didn’t only learn Yoga, I also learn a lot about my day to day life, how and what I could improve and a lot of general knowledge itself about Yoga and life. I will actually apply it for as long as possible as doing Yoga helps one to be optimistic and it also clears our mental state.
Evidence:
First the supervisor form from my mentor:
