Yogic Identity: How Practice Changes the Way You See Yourself

Namaste, friend. Get a tea, sit down, and we will talk.

You might have noticed something odd in the event that you have been stepping onto your mat long enough now. It tends to be small at first; maybe you are just not as reactive when someone cuts you off in traffic, or you suddenly decide to eat a salad instead of a burger because it sounds better, not because you are on a diet.

Soon enough, you learn that more is changed. You are not a yoga practitioner any longer. It seems that you are beginning to perceive the world, and yourself, in a new light. And this is what we refer to as the change in yogic identity. At Maa Shakti Yog Bali, we often see how consistent practice gradually reshapes not just the body, but the way people relate to themselves.

In this article we will explore in-depth the ripple effect of a regular yoga practice that extends way beyond the four quadrants of your mat to reform your inner dialogue.

Why “Who Am I?” is the Ultimate Yoga Pose

We live in a modern world where we are more likely to describe ourselves by what we are doing. I am a lawyer. I am a mother. I am a marathon runner. These roles are significant, but yoga is also challenging us to consider the being behind the doing.

At the beginning of your yoga practice, you tend to have a yoga identity mainly in terms of physical performance. You could say I am the one who is not able to touch toes or I am the one who is not able to do Tree Pose. And as the weeks turn into years, those labels on the body begin to slide off. You know that as long as you can be patient with your tight hamstrings, you can be patient with your colleagues.

It is the birth of the yogic identity: a form of yourself that is down-to-earth, perceptive, and strong.

1. Body as Object to Body as Home.

We are raised to perceive our bodies as things that can and should be fixed or things that can and should be looked at. We would like them to look skinnier, bigger, and younger.

Yoga flips this narrative. When you do Pranayama (breathwork) and Asana (postures), you cease to perceive your body externally and begin to experience it internally.

• The Shift: You no longer say “My legs are too heavy” but begin to think that your legs are so incredibly strong to help you in this Warrior II.
• The Consequence: You become a “critic” no longer, a “caretaker,” instead.

2. The might of the Witness-Consciousness.

The coming of Sakshi, or the witness consciousness, is one of the most dramatic alterations in the identity of a yogi.

In your old personhood, when you felt angry, you were angry. The emotion consumed you. Meditation and mindful movement teach you to establish a small sliver of distance between the emotion and the response. You start to say, I feel an emotion of anger flowing through my body.

This distinction is massive. It is having your identity not held at ransom by your mood swings or the circumstances around you. You are the rocky sky, and your passions are but clouds as they go.

Rewiring Your Self-Perception in Practice.

Also Read: The Science of Auras and How Yoga Affects Your Energetic Field

You may be asking, “But what does the stretching of my hip flexors change about my personality?” It is not magic; it is biology, philosophy, and mindfulness.

The Mirror of the Mat

How you deal with an uncomfortable pose is normally how you deal with the uncomfortable circumstance in your life. Do you hold your breath and grit your teeth? Give you up as soon as it becomes uncomfortable? Do you feel guilty because you are not as flexible as the one in the front row?

Yoga acts as a mirror. It discloses your default settings. When you discover these patterns in their true form, then you can change them. When you intentionally will yourself to breathe using a pigeon pose that you’ve had since childhood, you are literally training your nervous system to remain relaxed during times of stress. You begin to consider yourself to be a person who can deal with discomfort.

Releasing the ego-self (Ahamkara).

Ahamkara is the ego in Sanskrit. It is the aspect of us that must be right, that must be superior to others, and that panics when it fails.

The veil of ego is meant to be thinned with the practice of yoga. When you lose balance in one of your balancing postures and you just laugh it off rather than be ashamed, then your yogic identity is winning. You are becoming aware of the fact that your value does not depend on your performance. This gives a more real version of yourself and a less defensible one.

Living Your Yoga: Off the Mat and Into the World.

This so-called advanced yoga does not consist of handstands; it is the way you behave towards people when you are feeling fatigued or the way you speak to yourself when you do something wrong. The manifestation of your new identity in everyday life is as follows:

• Compassion as a Default Setting: The more you know about what is happening internally to you on the mat, the more compassionate you will be towards others. You see everybody is trying to work with their tight hamstrings, whether it be physical, emotional, or mental. Your role changes to that of a community member, instead of a competitor.
• Mindfulness in Decision Making: A yogic identity encapsulates a sense of svadhyaya (self-study). You begin to question yourself: Does this food or job or relationship enliven my being, or does it suck me dry? You become more intentional. You are not just making your way in the world; you are making it by a compass.

3 Easy Things to Do To Enrich Your Yogic Identity.

Also Read: Fasting and Yoga: Ancient Practices for Modern Health

You do not have to move into an ashram to alter your self-perception. A bit of consistency will do.

• Daily Meditation (5-10 mins): This develops the Witness in you and helps you become less reactive every day.
• Mindful Breathing: This is a form of practice that brings you immediately to the present and helps the ego to put the braids down and relax.
• Setting an Intention (Sankalpa): This is an act of identifying with a virtue by deciding what you want to concentrate on during your practice (such as I am peace).

Embracing the “New” You

It is frightening to change your identity. You may realize that old habits, or even old friends, do not sit exactly right with you anymore as you go through yoga. That’s okay. This is a component of the shedding process.

Yoga does not provide you with an identity in any new way; it only reveals the true identity. It sweeps away the deposits of stress, social pressure, and self-doubt to show you the person that you have always been underneath: a person who is naturally whole, worthy, and connected to everything around them.

Next time you lay out your mat, then, instead of thinking of it as exercise. Consider it as having a date with your soul. It is not working on your body but creating a superior alternative to being you.

Concluding Remarks on the Road.

Keep in mind, there is no ideal in yoga. There is only “practice.” You are a yogi when you choose to come to yourself kindly, even though you can touch your toes or you are three feet away.

What is one thing that you feel has changed about yourself since you began doing yoga? We would like to know your story; please leave me the comment below!