Shift the Lens; Shift Your Perspective of Life

People often ask me, "Guruji, can Yoga remove all my stress?"

My answer is always accompanied by a smile: "Are you still breathing?" If the answer is yes, stress will continue to be a part of your life.

Many imagine that becoming a yogi means escaping to a Himalayan cave where nothing ever disturbs the mind.

But Yoga was never meant to help us run away from life; it was designed to help us live life so completely that its challenges no longer shake our inner balance.

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As Maharishi Patanjali reminds us, "Yogah Chitta Vritti Nirodhah"—Yoga is the mastery of the modifications of the manifest mind. The world will continue to change, but we can learn to change our response.

One of the greatest misconceptions is that all stress is harmful. In reality, stress is an essential part of growth.

Every student preparing for an examination, every surgeon entering the operating theatre, every parent raising a child, and every teacher standing before a classroom experiences stress.

Even a Yoga teacher conducting a session hopes that everyone keeps their eyes closed during Yoga Nidraa!

Stress is simply life asking us to rise to the occasion.

There is, however, a profound difference between eustress and distress. Eustress is the healthy challenge that awakens our hidden potential. It sharpens awareness, inspires preparation, and enables us to perform at our best.

Without examinations, would thousands of students voluntarily spend hours studying? Probably not.

A certain amount of challenge is necessary for growth.

Distress appears when those challenges become overwhelming or when our attitude transforms an opportunity into a burden. The external event may remain exactly the same, but our perception changes completely.

As I often tell my students, "The problem is rarely the problem; our relationship with the problem is usually the problem." When perspective changes, mountains become molehills and obstacles become stepping stones.

Another fascinating observation comes from my years of clinical practice. Patients often introduce themselves by saying, "Guruji, I am a diabetic," or "I have my hypertension." Listen carefully to the language. They are not merely describing a condition; they are identifying with it.

The simple word MY creates ownership and attachment.

When we repeatedly speak of "my stress," "my anxiety," or "my depression," we unknowingly make these experiences part of our identity. Yoga encourages us to create a little distance. Instead of saying, "My stress is killing me," we can simply acknowledge, "There is stress present today."

The moment we become the witness instead of the owner, transformation becomes possible. As the Bhagavad Gita beautifully declares, "Samatvam Yoga Uchyate"—Yoga is the state of equanimity.

This perspective naturally leads us to the Salutogenic approach of Yoga. Modern medicine has made extraordinary contributions to humanity, but much of it focuses on pathogenesis—the study of disease and its origins.

Yoga, on the other hand, asks a different question. Instead of constantly searching for what is wrong, it encourages us to discover and strengthen what is right.

Salutogenesis is the science of creating health, resilience, and well-being.

I often compare life's challenges to resistance training in a gymnasium. Young people lift weights to strengthen their skeletal muscles. Similarly, the difficulties we encounter every day strengthen our emotional, mental, and spiritual muscles. If we avoid every challenge, we remain weak; if we meet them consciously, we become resilient.

This resilience is built upon what Aaron Antonovsky called a Sense of Coherence, consisting of three essential qualities: understanding what is happening, believing that we have the resources to manage it, and knowing that our life has meaning and purpose.

When these qualities are cultivated, stress naturally becomes a catalyst for growth instead of a source of suffering.

Much of our suffering also arises because the mind is rarely where life is actually happening. It constantly travels into the past or rushes into the future. In the past it repeats stories of regret—"If only that had not happened"—while in the future it manufactures anxiety through endless "what if" scenarios.

The present moment is the safest place for the human mind because it is the only place where life truly exists.

This is why Yoga practices are so powerful. You cannot breathe yesterday, and you cannot perform an asana tomorrow. Every conscious breath and every mindful movement gently anchor us in the living reality of the present, allowing the mind to step away from both depression and anxiety.

Sometimes all that is needed is a change of viewpoint. When we press our nose against a painting, all we see is confusion. Taking a few steps back reveals the masterpiece. Life is no different.

Yoga offers many practical techniques to help us shift our perspective, one of which is the beautiful practice of Brahma Mudra.

Sitting comfortably with the spine erect, we coordinate slow movements of the head with conscious breathing and a gentle humming sound, turning to the right, then the left, lifting the chin upward, and finally bringing it toward the chest.

Each movement reminds us that our present viewpoint is only one possibility and that there are always other ways of seeing reality.

Ultimately, Yoga is not about creating a life without challenges. It is about cultivating the strength, wisdom, and humour to meet every challenge with steadiness and compassion.

"Don't pray for a lighter load; pray for a stronger back, a calmer mind, and a more compassionate heart." 

When we stop resisting life and begin participating in it consciously, stress becomes our teacher rather than our tormentor. The world may continue to fluctuate around us, but the yogi discovers the priceless ability to remain centred, balanced, and joyfully alive in the midst of it all.