A 22 year old yoga athlete, Yogita Rawat started practicing yoga as a sport in the year 2021 under the guidance of her coach Devanshu Ojha. She believes yoga is more than just asanas and breathing techniques. Yogita has achieved success in both academics and sports, participating in district, state, and national level competitions. She recently won a gold medal in the Khelo India Women's League and a silver medal in the Fourth Senior National Competition.
The Initiation
Yogita states that she began performing Surya Namaskar in 2020 with the intention of improving her health. She had experienced terrible cramps and bodily aches in the past, along with issues with her menstrual periods. But she has seen a significant shift in her life since beginning to practice yoga. As a result, she became more interested in yoga.
Gurus & Role Models
Under the tutelage of her coach Devanshu Ojha, she practices yoga and was first exposed by him to Yoga as a sport. He always offers her advice for both athletics and academics. She used to practice for two to three hours every day in addition to managing her schoolwork and went on to earn a master's degree in yoga. Yogita looks up to Swami Vivekananda since it was through his writings that she was introduced to the philosophy of yoga. Vivekananda has written nine volumes on Yoga and she found all the answers in them. She thinks his remarks are really motivating and that they have inspired her to pursue a different career path.
The Talent
According to Yogita, Yoga is something much more than asanas and breathing exercises. She has seen a significant improvement in her life and health as a result of practicing yoga.
Achievements
Yogita Rawat says that she is lucky enough to have had academic and athletic guidance from her coach. She has competed in the district, state, and national levels. She landed a fantastic chance to compete in the Gujarat 2022 National Games, a major competition featuring 36 national teams. She went there, gained up a lot of knowledge, and was motivated to work hard and practice more by the other athletes. She recently took home a gold medal from the Khelo India Women's League in Uttar Pradesh. Additionally, she won a silver medal in the Fourth Senior National Tournament.
A Bit More
Yogita belongs to an army background, and in order to stay healthy during the COVID-19 pandemic, her father encouraged her to take up yoga. She tells a story of how she used to perform surya namaskar and yoga, then advanced her skills by performing Sirsasana, Hanumanasana, and other postures. She posted her photos on social media, where her coach discovered her. Subsequently, her coach persuaded her that there is sports yoga and that she may access yoga through many means, such as studies, teaching, exams, and so forth. After he guided her, she made the decision to enroll in his academy and take up yoga as a sport. She discovered that yoga is more than just breathing exercises and postures. She gets inspiration from the saying, "If you think yourself strong, you will become strong, and if you think yourself weak, you will become weak." Thus, her main thought when she's depressed is that you are the only one who can motivate yourself and live a positive life. She finds great motivation in Swami Vivekananda's statement that "You can change your destiny by doing good work and good actions." She tells youngsters that having an ideal they can rely on and receiving guidance from is crucial if they want to pursue a career in any sport. Venture forward, continue to experiment, and leave your comfort zone. Trust yourself, and read a lot, she suggests.
