Wellness Archives - Pragya Bhatt (yogawithpragya)

My Journey to Aging Gracefully

March 8, 2025

Proudly showing off Kalindi to my yoga gang, my first meeting with them postpartum.

I turned 43 this year. 43 looks different today than it did, say 10 years ago. At 43 women are now starting families, changing career paths, finding love….question and challenging their world views. I certainly found myself re-evaluating long held beliefs, thought and behavioral patterns. Including my approach to my yoga practice.

I’ve written extensively about my conception and pregnancy journey and the role yoga played in it. In retrospect I feel it’s important to point out that it was only the allopathic medical fraternity (“Western medicine” as many would say) that used the words “geriatric” or “old”. Alternative health practitioners, including my yoga teachers, never once saw the idea that I was too old to become pregnant as credible. To them, my body’s potential mattered more than my age. The irony is that many people think that this means according to yoga age doesn’t matter – but it’s quite the opposite.

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Wellness

My Resolutions for 2025…and Why Yoga Isn’t on the List

January 16, 2025

Attending Sunday Soul Sante in December.

December 2024 went by in a whirlwind. The days were short and nights long and cold. All I felt like doing was reading late into the night with a hot drink and practicing some cozy yoga. But I ensconced myself in some warm clothes through the wintry days, made sure Kalindi stayed warm and healthy, chalked out some quality time with Animesh and even did some goal-setting for 2025.

TBH my initial list had about 10 resolutions that didn’t inspire me even a teeny tiny bit. I crossed off all but these two, which genuinely excite, and even motivate me.

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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?

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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.

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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.

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Follow me (Pragya Bhatt) here.

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Deep Tissue Massage – Treat Your Inner Masochist

February 27, 2020

My yogi-care arsenal includes regular massages. In going through some old blogs I discovered that I have written about Abhyangams in detail in this one. I still continue to do a hot oil massage once a week, but sometimes (often- times) I like to mix things up. So the other day I went to the JW Marriot spa for a deep tissue massage.

A few weeks ago the Asia Spa magazine gave me a voucher to try any massage of my choice. I’m not one for massages that promise to ‘soothe’ and ‘relax’, ‘soft’ and ‘gentle’ just doesn’t do it for me. I usually look for something stronger and more intense for muscles that have been contorted to all kinds of angles. I’m a masochist – and most body-work enthusiasts are!

One lazy afternoon I found myself suddenly free. I promptly drove myself to the Marriot. They have a mind-boggling list of massages, each more exotic than the other. I chose the ‘Intense Muscle Release Massage’.

What is a Deep Tissue Massage?

A deep tissue massage is a massage technique favored by dancers and athletes for it’s therapeutic benefits on tired muscles and injuries. It consists of sustained pressure being applied using strong, slow strokes that target the innermost muscles and connective tissue. This reduces the tension in the muscles and promotes faster healing by increasing blood flow and reducing inflammation.

Most people assume that daily yoga has us floating around on a higher plane of long, lithe and relaxed muscles. All I can say to that is you haven’t attended an Iyengar class focusing on the Virbhadrasana alignment. As an asana practitioner, I’m so used to sore muscles that when something isn’t aching I feel I’m not pushing myself enough! I have a tiny collection of massage oils that I use often to ease sore and stiff muscles. I’ve written about my weekly abhyangam practice. I’ve been doing it for years, and couldn’t recommend it more.

The Massage and the Aftermath

The massage was great. The therapist knew her strokes. She started with gentle strokes, to warm up my muscles. Then she progressed to stronger and more powerful strokes. She used her fingers, palms and elbows. She worked out the kinks from my upper back (which is always tight) and kneaded the stubborn knots out of my thighs. It wasn’t one of those massages where you’re half asleep with a blissful smile on your face. This massage consisted of much grimacing and torment. After an hour of this torture, the therapist finally stopped.

I sighed with relief. The aftermath of being pummeled unrelentingly is pure bliss. Later I stewed in the cozy warmth of the sauna and steam room…

The Verdict

I’m already planning my next visit.

Thank you Asia Spa Magazine for making this experience possible!

Happy after an hour long torture session.

Relaxing with a good book and some tea afterwards.

My kind of munchies.

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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…

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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.

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Wellness

Ayurveda for the Winters

January 12, 2014

Yesterday I took a break to track down the local Ramdev shop here in Jorhat. I stocked up on my usual goods such as aloe vera and amla juice along with honey. A new product I found was Patanjali’s Tejus Tailam. I’ve been meaning to start my daily Abhiyanga routine for this season, but hadn’t really gotten around to it. Abhiyanga or abhiyangam is an Ayurvedic routine to keep your body healthy during the winters. This is something that is widely practiced here. It basically involves massaging your body from head to toe using an Ayurvedic or organic oil and letting the skin absorb this oil for about 10-15 minutes. It’s great to let a masseuse work on you every once in a while, but a home practice of abhiyanga is something that you can easily incorporate into your daily routine and really reap the benefits.

How To:

Make sure the oil is warm. You can heat it or just immerse the bottle in some hot water. Here too, like everywhere else, use your instinct. Get the oil warm enough to get your skin feeling good.
Next, take some oil in the palm of your hand and work the oil into your soles using your finger tips or your knuckles. You want to get the circulation going, so be firm instead of gentle.
Work your way up your legs using long straight strokes on limbs and circular strokes on the joints such as knees, elbows etc. For your stomach, work up from the right side, across, then down the left.
Use circular movements on your face.
You can incorporate a head massage in your daily abhiyanga as well, although for people with long hair, this can be somewhat cumbersome.
Make sure to use lots of oil, your body should get really greasy and slippery.
Let your body soak the oil in for about 15 minutes and then bathe/shower.

Why do this daily? Benefits?

Great to flush out the toxins that tend to accumulate during the winter season.
Keeps your joints healthy.
Keeps your skin healthy and supple.
By massaging your muscles every day, you decrease the risk of injury during the winter season. Also, if you have sore muscles due to a workout or injury, abhiyanga massage speeds up the process of recovery.
Because it is so relaxing, it promotes deeper and more restful sleep. You wake up refreshed and rejuvenated.

Along with this Ayurveda also recommends sleeping at least 8 hours during the winters. Attune your body to the sun, sleep as soon as you can post sunset and wake up with the sun.

Drink a lot of warm fluids throughout the day, even warming up your water.

For the winter months, avoid raw foods and veggies. Steam your salads.

A somewhat dark picture, but the oil is amazing.

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