Sonal

Yoga can make you more aware of yourself & your environment. It increases sensitivity & the power of observation. Doesn't observation help you understand anything better? -whether it is your own subject/field of work, your own child/parent or your own self. & When you understand, you are more compassionate & you make better, holistic & clear decisions every moment - Decisions at work, decisions in relationships, decisions even on the mat or at the gym regarding your body, decisions even on the road in a traffic jam. Awareness clears your system of confusion & removes internal conflicts & stress. This makes you & your interactions more harmonious, no matter what the challenge. You are at the center of all life experiences. If you are in tune & have found inner peace (which is not dependent on anything), then the outer circumstance doesn't matter. Slowly & Steadily, we need to work with ourselves with patience & compassion improving our tuning with ourselves & the world. A tuned instrument has harmony.

Yoga helps the movement of blocked energies providing vitality to the body. It oils the rusty parts. It makes you stronger, more flexibile, and balanced. The breathing pattern also calms you. It improves sleep. & Makes you feel light. All this helps you become more harmonious & have a clear mind, making you overall more peaceful.

Most important benefit of yoga for athletes is Integration. An athlete may work on certain areas of the body. They may train as per their goals, focussed on specific functional aspects. However, such training doesn't account for the fundamental fact that ALL of your body is a participant in the activity -as a whole, not just specific parts. It's a whole integrated system working together. Unless all parts are relaxed, strong, flexible & above all integrated together, the final results will be affected. All parts includes the body, but also the mind and the energetic system. Yoga only means doing whatever you do with awareness. It doesn't mean specific postures or techniques. It's about the 'how', not the 'what'. Awareness leads to holistic integrated consciousness. It leads to better & clear decision making every moment- physical, mental, emotional, energetic or social. Till the last ball, Dhoni remains aware of the WHOLE, not just a part. That comes with a balanced & clear holistic system inside him.