Wellness Archives - yogawithpragya

Wellness

Assembling a Chair – A Yoga Blog

June 15, 2021

At the outset this blog may look like it has nothing to do with yoga, but just like my Freddy Mercury blog, this one is indeed also a yoga blog.

A Gift is Always Welcome

It’s always great to receive presents. My husband gave me a desk a couple of months ago to put at this beautiful window we have in our bedroom. As I type this out I can hear the birds chirping. At least one of the birds is a nightingale! Outside the window are trees of various kinds.

What I was missing though was a comfortable chair to go along with the desk. For months I’ve been using an Iyengar Chair, so when my friend Medha said she wanted to give me a chair I gladly accepted.

Yoga & Chair Assembly

The chair is an Astrix gaming chair and super comfortable. While my husband assembled the chair I couldn’t help but notice that humans have an unconscious tendency to sit in postures resembling yogasasanas. I was inspired now just like I was with my Freddy Mercury blog and promptly started taking photos.

This is how the chair came to us. We took an inventory of the screws and other bits that

He started with assembling the wheels:

Reminds me a bit of Baddhakonasana.

Carefully reading the manual to make sure we don’t make any mistakes:

Sort of like Janu Sirsasana.

The backrest is comfortable and sturdy.

Marichyasana.

Making sure we don’t miss a screw.

Bhardwajasana.

Putting the armrests together.

Ardhauttanasana.

Ensuring the wheels fit.

Malasana.

Always happy about building things. 🙂

Sukhasana.

What do you think? Do you also find yourself seeing what you love everywhere? Do you think that this blog is a yoga blog?

4 Comments

Wellness

What About Our Healing?

May 20, 2021

I took a class the other day for a student who zooms in from Singapore. Just as we were about to start class she got a WhatsApp message. She (uncharacteristically) excused herself and checked it. Looking up she said, “My mom’s brother just passed away.”

I’m not sure what the ‘right’ reaction to this news is given the circumstances. The night before I heard that two of my husband’s friends have lost their mothers. During dinner my in-laws told us of a family friend, a doctor, who also succumbed. The week before that I got news that a family friend whom we’ve known since our days in Bangladesh, passed away in the hospital. Friends and well-wishers tried to frantically get in touch with her son. But in these times, the tone and timbre of our grieving has also changed. We are all going through collective trauma, ironically in isolation. But what about our healing?

So I asked her if she wanted to take some time, call someone, perhaps even postpone the class. We ended up continuing with the class.

I woke up this morning feeling like I need a week off to clear my head. It’s perhaps a symptom of being under long term stress. We managed the first lock down by going online, catching up with friends over wine on zoom, baking banana bread and having it with dalgona coffee. This second wave has brought with it tragic news on a daily basis. So tragic in fact that we no longer check the news for numbers. So tragic that most of us have actively started to do whatever we can to help – donating, amplifying voices on social media, and even just staying in and balancing our chores with work.

Stress over a sustained period of time starts to change people. What we are living through is not only stress, but also trauma. No wonder many of us have started complaining about fatigue and a sense of disconnect from our surroundings. We feel like we’re on auto-mode, robotically marking the beginning and end of days; the beginning and end of weeks. Half of 2021 will be over next month, and many of us can’t tell the difference between this year and the last.

I’ve bought bed-sheets, new flip flops, changed the arrangement of my yoga room, joined a yoga sutras chanting class, even set up WhatsApp for Business and included that on my Facebook page. Only to realize that these aren’t the changes I need.

Resilience is a way of coping with trauma, and many of us continue to be brave. What about the healing from this trauma? Psychotherapist and counselor Simi Mathew says sometimes just hanging in there and going through the trauma is also a healing process. “But the actual healing,” she says, “which is about letting go and healing the actual scar, that happens when we are aware of it and we actively seek help for it.”

Perhaps even as we trudge through another meeting; as we look wistfully at the beautiful weather in Bangalore these days; as we stay up late doom-scrolling and wake up groggy; even then our healing is happening.

Scenes from our Liguria Yoga Retreat two years ago. Soon we shall all emerge from this time, ready to move, dine and practice together again.

0 Comments

Wellness

Viparita Karani – The Inverted Pose

March 26, 2020

Looks deceptively simple, but isn’t.

There’s a general consensus among modern yogis that Viparita Karani or Legs-Up-The-Wall Pose may have the power to cure whatever ails you. (Yoga Journal)

In Sanskrit Viparita means ‘upside down’ and karani means ‘doing’. It is practiced widely as a restorative posture. When I started practicing yoga, I considered this an easy asana, specially the supported version. The full import of it is just starting to set in.

It helps to:

Regulate blood pressure.
Treat cardiac disorders.
Treat stress-related headaches, including migraines.
Gives relief from swollen feet.
Relieve nausea.

Contraindications for Viparita Karani

This is an inversion and as such should be avoided if you have serious eye problems such as glaucoma.

Busting the Myths

Although this is actually a restorative and relaxing asana, the final pose is quite difficult for beginners and those with stiff backs. Read on for some practice pointers.

Practice Pointers for Viparita Karani

You can do this asana with your legs on a chair, or even on your bed!
It’s a little unwieldy to get the buttocks close to the wall to get the legs up, but there is a technique (see video).

Stay tuned for more from our Yoga to Boost Immunity Sequence.

Download the Daily Yoga Practice Checklist.

Follow Amrutha Bindu Yoga here.

Follow Medha Bhaskar here.

Follow me (Pragya Bhatt) here.

0 Comments

Wellness

The Weight You Never Lose

January 23, 2020

My weight loss didn’t happen overnight, nor did it start after some sort of epiphany. I have been overweight my whole life, and at the end of many a hurtful barb. Only those who’ve borne the brunt of carelessly said harsh comments know how deep those wounds run. The battle, of course, wasn’t only with weight, but also with self-acceptance, self-love, body image, and self esteem. Growing up I thought if I was thinner, then life would become better. If only clothes would look on me as they did on thinner girls, I would be happier, people would treat me better. Years later I’ve lost weight, lead a better lifestyle, embody the epitome of fitness for many people, wear anything I want to. I breathe well, life is good. But I’m still weighed down by the weight you never lose…

4 Comments

Wellness

The OM Meditation Technique – Day 2

November 30, 2019

I’m dog-tired as I write this. Here at SVYASA they are very particular about routine. The first session of the day is at 5.30 am.

A chilly wind was blowing when I stepped out to make my way to the Sampurna Hall at 5.15 am. With uncanny foresight, I’ve brought along the warmest stole I have, along with warm sweaters. I reached the hall while it was still dark outside. The hall’s dim lighting made me want to go back to sleep. Surprisingly, not many people attended the session, and I found a space to sit quite easily.

My first session is the OM Meditation session. This is a technique developed by SVYASA after extensive research. It utilizes a combination of breathing practices and visualization to bring about a state of physical and mental relaxation in the participants.

How To: The OM Meditation Technique

The OM Meditation technique consists of 8 steps to be done in a specific order. These are:

1. Opening prayer.
2. Kapalabhati pranayama/kriya. Those with high blood pressure, migraines and severe back pain should not practice this pranayama. Learn a few pranayama techniques in this video I made some time ago.
3. Anulom vilom pranayama. This is also called the Nadi Shuddhi pranayama. This was one of the few techniques whereby you can purify all the nadis in your body. This technique aims to balance the ida and pingala nadis. When you attain that balance, you reach a state of perfect equilibrium. In fact, that is when you activate the sushumna nadi and gain enlightenment.
4. Brahmari. Through this pranayama we were trying to stimulate our heads physically with just the vibrations generated by the N-kara. Once the mind is stimulated, it is easy to relax it in preparation for pranayama.
5. Sadanta. This pranayama serves to cool down the body. Anyone who has a cold shouldn’t practice this, as it will aggravate the condition.
6. OM gazing. A huge OM, illuminated by a green light, stands at the front of the room. The instructor asked us to gaze at the OM and note the details.
7. Dharana. After we focused and observed the OM for a length of time, the instructor asked us to slowly close our eyes and visualize the OM in our mind’s eye. Then the instructor asked us to imagine the OM within us, at the center of the forehead. This practice is the dharana aspect of meditation.
8. Closing prayer. This happens after a relaxing savasana.

Cultivating a Practice

Meditation is something that improves with regular practice. I’ve come across several types of meditation techniques over the years. I’ve found guided meditations very helpful. However, just like with asana practice, a meditation practice also needs to be done independently. Depending on a particular teacher/show/recording leads to attachment, and the practices ceases to be useful. The one meditation technique that has worked for me is free writing meditation.

Do you meditate? Do you have any favorite meditation techniques?

This sits at the front of the classroom.

A apt visual during the OM Meditation Technique, helping those of us who aren’t dozing early in the morning.

Life at SVYASA is certainly interesting. Along with yoga teachers there are other holistic health practitioners such as Ayurvedic therapists and doctors. One afternoon I spoke at length to an Ayurvedic healer and compiled her tips for a healthy life in my blog titled An Ayurvedic Therapist’s Secrets to a Healthy Life.

2 Comments

Travels Wellness

The Vipassana Meditation Retreat

February 11, 2013

The schedule at the Vipassana retreat.

A Tibetan lady I met last year in Vienna said to me, “I go to a beauty parlor for my body, but I go to India for my soul.” So, while a trip to the beauty parlor is essential and relaxing, once in a while it is necessary to look within and ensure that things are OK.

I heard about Vipassana mediation many years ago through someone who had attended the course. I vaguely remember her repeatedly saying, “It’s really good, really good. If you get a chance you should do it.” A few months later I met an army officer who had done the course. Again, “It’s really good, really good. If you get a chance you should do it.” And then finally one day I got a mail from the meditation center saying my application had been accepted. I drove down to Alur village, near Bangalore. Little did I know that almost 2 years later, I would be back in Alur to undergo the course again.

The Vipassana Meditation Course is a 10-day meditation retreat where you learn the meditation the Buddha practiced. However, it is not a practice limited to Buddhists. It is a practice that works on an individual’s mind and body. It is a process of observation of the sensations in the body and not reacting to any – i.e. practicing equanimity.

The Important Precepts

At the start of the course students have to take 5 precepts:
(1) not to kill
(2) not to steal
(3) not to commit sexual misconduct
(4) not to speak lies
(5) refrain from intoxicants.

In addition to these there are 3 more precepts for the old students:
(6) abstain from eating after midday
(7) abstain from bodily decorations
(8) abstain from using high or luxurious beds.

Furthermore, students are not allowed to indulge in other meditation techniques, rites or rituals, any form of worship and any physical exercise during the course. Also, students are not allowed to wear/use rosaries, religious objects or talismans. And lastly, all students have to take a vow of silence.

My Experience

While not speaking, and for that matter, communicating in any way, for 10 days may sound very difficult, I assure you that not eating after midday for 10 days is more difficult.

The vow of silence is important for any form of meditation to be successful. In most spiritual discourses inner silence is emphasised over the silence of speech. Many wonder how Vipassana can help cultivate inner silence if the focus is only on external silence. By staying silent we reduce our interaction with the external world, which helps us focus on our internal world.

I remember how difficult it became to sit for meditation on the 10th day, which is when our vow of silence ended. The daily routine, otherwise, left very little time to talk. After sitting straight for an hour it is essential that you lie down to give your back some relief. Never have I been more grateful for 5 minutes of free time in which I can just lie down and close my eyes. So tiring is the routine that many people would fall asleep in the 10-minute breaks that we had in between our meditation sessions!

Vipassana for Everyone

The technique of Vipassana requires daily practice. An hour in the morning and one in the evening is the minimum requirement. There are no shortcuts in the technique. With consistent practice it gives amazing results. This is what Kiran Bedi found when she arranged for the Tihar Jail inmates to have a Vipassana Meditation 10-Day Course. I suppose even the powers that be agreed because they awarded the Magasaysay Award to her for her initiative.

Everyone has an issue or other in their lives. Some big, some small. Many of us have gone through emotional trauma that has changed us forever. All around us there are manifestations of inner turmoil (backbiting, cribbing, rudeness, nastiness, jealousy, ill will, foul moods etc.). We aren’t impervious to all the negativity around us, but perhaps we can start by reducing the negativity within us. Vipassana can show us how.

I’d say I’m still a novice at meditation, but here’s a blog about another meditation technique I’ve tried.

1 Comment

Wellness Yoga

Before and After

September 22, 2012

For a while now I’ve been talking to people about my weight loss journey and how I managed to go from a hefty 69 kgs to a healthier 54 kgs. However, most people would just nod politely (even those who asked me about how I lost so much weight) and move on to another topic of conversation (usually something about healthy eating or exercising). Until two days ago, while cleaning out my laptop, I came across and old photo of mine. I decided to do a ‘Before and After‘ picture because, honestly speaking, the journey to losing weight is long, arduous, lonely and fraught with self doubt. The fact that I’ve been through it, and have the pictures to prove it is inspirational not only for me, but I realize now, for a lot of other people as well.

Although it’s great to see how far I’ve come on the journey to shape myself not only physically but emotionally and spiritually as well, I have to say that it wasn’t easy to put up the ‘Before’ picture for the world to see and also (invariably) to judge. I felt the familiar hesitation that comes with the vanity that is only human. At one point, the thought “I was so fat!” overpowered the thought “Wow! I’ve come so far!” However, yoga not only gives us physical strength but also emotional strength and I told myself that that was me and it’s nothing to be hesitant about. I looked at the picture again and told myself that though I was many many kgs heavier, I was smiling and glowing. And many years later, I still am :). So I put up the picture and realized how powerful a visual medium can be. By the evening there were close to 50 people (many who were probably coming to the page for the first time) who had commented/liked the picture. Many said that it was inspiring, others asked for advice still others expressed disbelief. By the end of today, after many hours of thinking about all I’ve been through on the elusive quest for weight loss, I decided that a blog was in order.

3 Comments