My Life My Yoga

It has been exactly 3 months since I have seen how the world is beyond my home. No one would have had in their wildest dreams that we would just flip the days of the calendar for such a long period held in a lock down. Had I known before, the one thing I would have ensured buying for my home is a weighing machine. A weighing machine is much more economical than to enlarge the doors of the home to step out at the end of lock down one day, isn’t it? (with great hopes that the day is not too far away). I’m often reminding my husband about mindful eating for which his quick response would be ‘Yeah, don’t you see? I’m doing mind “full” eating. You have to blame me only if something is leftover.” ??

Our lifestyle being predominantly sedentary and given that we have very less opportunities to burn the calories that we consume, above all the stress from an elongated day of work (additional chores at home) leads to depression and all sorts of lifestyle disorders. “Strong mind lies in a strong body”. Now more than ever before, our well being is the need of the hour. Being a nature lover, I don’t buy-in to the concept of setting up fitness equipment at home. Any symbol of luxury needs some conscious thought if it is really essential. Don’t have time to maintain them also. Many a times I have seen those investments not been used for the right purpose after the initial few days of ‘josh’. (some of my friends, relatives use the treadmill to dry clothes). Yoga is a common man’s weapon for a holistic well being.

Since 2013, I have been practicing Yoga for 7 years now. As I rewind the past, I recall the days I was so dejected at the end of the day for reasons elusive to me. I realized doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result is insanity. When I had been to my doctor for a regular check-up (by the way I joined the elite club of diabetes much younger, more than a decade ago, starting with insulin thrice a day), I happened to watch a video of Dr. Hegde at the hospital. The message from him was loud and clear and to simply put it was a slap on my face. He said “Your Health is Your Responsibility”. Any transformation happens at a spur of a moment. I gave the much-needed time to introspect. I decided to lock the “me time” in a day. Joined yoga for an hour 6 days a week. The outlook of life certainly changed thereafter. I could break the vicious cycle of over doze of medicines, obesity because of that and again relying on medicines. Health improved, there were many successes and accolades that I bagged in all walks of life. I had to allocate 5-6 am for yoga otherwise it wouldn’t happen. I risked stepping out of my home in a bicycle at 4:45 am when it was dark, streets were empty and stray dogs barking. Having a firm goal in my mind, I never feared going out alone early in the morning every day to the yoga center which is a few streets away from my home.

Today there are many self-help options available in the internet. Still I chose to be guided by a guru. I am not convinced that technology could replace a guru. Moreover, I prefer to exercise with a group of people for the positive vibe that reverberates through the day. The energy that we gain is exponential. I am greatly indebted to my master for who am I today. Having known my yoga master Dr. Manikandan (a naturopathy) for so long, I used to wonder if he knows any other emotion other than a smile. He is younger than me but matured in his composure. I call him by name (adopting IT culture), though elders in my batch call him ‘Mani Sir’. He treats everyone compassionately and with his simplicity, he never made his profession so commercial. 

Every day we start with eye exercise and warm-up followed by a specific routine for each day through the week.

Monday: Stretching exercises

Tuesday: Surya Namaskar, Lying down series of Asana, Pranayama

Wednesday: Surya Namaskar, Prone series of Asana, Deep relaxation

Thursday: Surya Namaskar, Standing series of Asana, Pranayama

Friday: Surya Namaskar, Sitting series of Asana, Pranayama

Saturday: Kriyas, Bandhas, Meditation

Some of these could be easily practiced as desk exercises (example eye, neck and shoulder exercises) when we are at work. Eye exercise helps to activate brain. Sometimes I wonder how my master isn’t bored of repeating this routine for the different batches through the day counting 1 to 20 multiple times. The secret is his patience and the care for people. 

There will a lot of people registering at the beginning of the year and slowly the crowd disappears. People who resort to quick results won’t continue. Yoga is for long term sustained results. As a grand daughter of an ex-serviceman and also raised by my grandparents, discipline is in my DNA (unfortunately have a strong mind on a fragile body). I’m perfectly tuned to follow through a routine meticulously without expecting its results. Though latest studies debunk Malcolm Gladwell's Famous '10,000 Hour Rule' to master a skill, I am not sure if that applies to Yoga because flexibility of body is built over time. You get the rhythm over regular practice. Rome isn’t built in a day! According to me, Yoga is not for weight loss, rather to stay fit, stay composed and contented in all walks of life (including diet). I could feel the tranquility from within. 

Chennai Floods in Dec 2015 did cause some havoc to routine life for quite some time. I had to break my routine for a few months during the last quarter of 2016 when I suffered with sciatica (the unbearable pain that radiates from hip to toe on my left side). I was advised to take a break from exercises, lifting weight, climbing stairs, etc. Tried all possible ways to revive – acupuncture, physiotherapy, psychological counselling, etc. But nothing could mitigate the suffering. I remember standing on one leg and cooking, feared climbing stairs, sitting for long meetings etc. Finally, I went back again to my yoga master. With his support I slowly restarted my routine with some mild warm-up and stretching. Beyond a point I wanted to get rid of my guilt of not doing exercise. I pushed myself to do all the exercises along with others. Knowing me well, he used to smile and advice me to try it gently without straining much. Over a period, sciatica had subsided though not completely enough even today. In fact, I had erased my inabilities from my mind. Mind stretches before the body could. 

Fitness is fun. In my last job, the cubicles on the floor were like a maze. A team member had to detour a few cubicles to reach my desk. But a couple of interns in my team would easily sneak through the small gap between the partition to take a short cut which others could hardly do by tucking their tummies in or at the risk of breaking the partition. I do remember that we laughed out loud, made fun of each other but at the end had set some fitness goals for ourselves. On our white board, we had BMI, ABSI targets also. This is not to bully or body shame but it’s the tough love we had on each other for their well being. Even today when I call one of my guys, he would tell me he is meticulously following one asana everyday (and that’s - only savasana). Last year, when I met my classmates after a couple of decades in alumni meet, only a few like me could sit down with folded legs and stand up quickly without hand support. I could also demonstrate sarvangasana and padahastasana effortlessly. Every asana I had redefined the meaning and purpose to my own self.

You are what you eat, Isn’t it? Yoga led me to change my diet as well. I am on semi-fast twice a week with one meal and fruits. Anyway I cook every day for the family because my husband says “With only fruits, I can’t walk to the kitchen at mid night to finish my remaining course of dinner” ??

Like Sundar Pichai’s ‘Dear Class of 2020’, twice a day I’m giving the pep talk to my daughter to have faith and patience. As a parent I could understand the stress these students are going during this tough time. Earlier we as a family spend weekends on volunteering initiatives. Given the lock down situation, other than her online classes, she is left with a few choices to keep her engaged. She resorts to her shruthi box (she is a carnatic vocalist) or a painting canvas or yoga mat. In that way, I’m happy that I’m positively influencing next generation to follow suit.  A blessing in disguise due to covid-19 is that my wallet is saved otherwise my daughter would be merrily shopping with her friends over the weekends. Leave alone wasting money, even during normal days I hated crowded places and waiting near the trial rooms.

Life has its crests and troughs. I start and end the day with gratitude and positive self-affirmations. There will be some one or something to provoke you, intimidate you or put you down. I’m grateful to all such incidences for having challenged me. Michele Obama rightly expressed in her book “Becoming”. Like her, my mind too resolves “I’ll show you”. Yoga helps me to build the resilience to rise above my potential. I love to sit down quietly to calm down the roaring mind. Every time I think I won’t be able to sustain; I’m reminded of the saying “When the WHY is BIG ENOUGH the HOW will FOLLOW”. Think of your ikigai then you would nana karobi ya oki !

My objective is not to master yoga but to master my own self. Yoga for me is not an exercise, not a hobby or a passion. It is a way of life! Inhale “Positivity” Exhale “Negativity”

On this International Yoga Day, I cherish our heritage and culture. Wishing you all good health and happiness! 

Jaihind !!