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Travels

My Overnight Yoga Retreat

November 19, 2018

When I plan a yoga retreat location is the first thing I home in on. To find a place that resonates with you and the experience you want to create is challenging. So I’m always on the lookout for interesting places to conduct retreats.

A few weeks ago I drove a little out of Bangalore to a farm called Hollas Halla. You can check out their Instagram profile here. I’d already spoken to Manali Holla and we had decided to meet to see the property and see what kind of experience we could create there.

10 years ago Suresh Holla, chanced upon some acreage of absolutely barren land and a lake. An MTech from IISc, no one really expected him to buy 5 acres with the dream of bringing this land to life. Everyone dismissed it as madness. There were no proper roads, no electricity, nothing.

When I went there a couple of weeks ago I saw the fruits of Suresh Holla’s labor. The lake is still there, but now there is a lush jungle around it. The Holla family conducts camps, retreats and treks at Holla’s Halla.

Initially I planned the usual yoga retreat with a morning yoga session followed by lunch etc. But as we looked at the lake I thought it would be a dream to practice yoga next to it. I spoke to Swetha, my co-teacher, and we decided to modify the plan so that we can practice yoga as the sun sets and rises. An experience that few yoga retreats can offer.

The itinerary for this exciting is below:

Day 1 (Sat 8th Dec):

3-4 pm: Arrive at the farm. Receive the grand tour. Check-in to your tents.

4-6 pm: Tea/Coffee/Relax

6-7 pm: Sunset yoga session.

7-8.30 pm: Dinner

9 pm onwards: Bonfire

Day 2 (Sun 9th Dec):

5 am: Wake up

6-7 am: Sunrise yoga session.

7.30-8.30 am: breakfast

9 am: Trek to the nearby hills/enjoy the lake/get a water massage!

12 noon: Lunch

This retreat is priced at Rs. 5000/- all inclusive.

Call 9686233003 or 9886062268 to register.

You can check out Hollas Halla’s facebook page here.

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Food

How to Remain Healthy During the Holidays: Top 5 Tips

November 4, 2018

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The key to vibrant health is consistency. The more you practice making healthy choices, the easier it becomes to make them and the easier it becomes to stay healthy. The holidays, though, are a challenge for everyone. The holidays shouldn’t be about deprivation, however, they shouldn’t be about treating yourself like a dustbin either. Here are my top 5 tips to remain healthy during the holidays.

I’ve been gluten and dairy free for a month, and I’ve really started to see the difference. I’m going to continue to avoid gluten through the holidays and there are a few other tips that I follow to stay on track with my fitness during Diwali/end of year festivities. I did an Instagram and Facebook live session on these yesterday, and you can watch it on my YouTube channel.

To begin with it’s important to understand that you must start eating healthy and being regular with your workouts a few weeks before the holiday season hits. That way, even if you end up missing a workout or two, and having one too many drinks – you’re still in the safe zone. I’m usually consistent with my workouts, but eliminating gluten and portion control really worked for me before the holidays.

Without further ado, the top 5 tips that help me stay healthy during the holidays are:

Choose your indulgence wisely. I love chocolate so I stay away from the jalebis.
Portion control! Face it, besides your usual meals, you’re going to be snacking quite a bit. Endless cups of coffee/tea with neighbors and relatives and all the bits and bites that go along with them. So eat whatever you want, but cut back on the portions for every single thing that goes into your mouth.
Do a little workout daily. I’ve told my students to do a combination of Suryanamaskars, squats and push-ups daily. And nothing like a little bit of breathing to feel calm and centred during the holiday frenzy.
Up your water intake. I’m going to be eating a little more chocolate than usual, and expect that you will also have more than your usual sweets. Water helps to reduce food cravings (particularly of the sweet variety) and also ensures that you don’t overeat. Also, it’s easy to overlook drinking water when you’re busy all day. So make it a point of carrying water with you so that you remember to tank up.
Don’t cause pollution. So I’m not going to burn crackers. I’m not going to use plastic bags. I admit we can’t do anything about the plastic that the mithai boxes are wrapped in, but why not avoid using them whenever you can? The pollution in Delhi isn’t a myth, and pretty soon that’s how it’s going to be all over the country unless we do something about it.

These are tips that actually work for me. They are simple and easy and maybe that’s why they are the most effective. Try and let me know if they work for you.

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Yoga

Crack Open to Heal – Day 9

August 9, 2018

Yoga helps. It heals. It gets rid of emotional blockages and psychological pain. It brings peace. It brings clarity. We’ve all heard this at one point or another. And I’m sure we all wonder – how?

Yoga helps by teaching us how to create space. Our demons reside in our joints. Achy, stiff joints are permanent residences for the demons of our past. To get rid of these demons we must lengthen our joints. Create space so that the joints can breathe and release the demons holding them tightly together. Once these demons are gone your joints will be free to move easily and pain free.

The same applies to backbends. Bending backward is so difficult for many of us because it requires (amongst other things) flexible back and shoulder muscles as well as a flexible hip joint. For a long time I wrestled with a stiff upper back. After years of practice I’ve managed to overcome this challenge….only to realize that I’m unable to access and push the hip joint up. And this will take a few more years to overcome. The point is that the only way to let go of years of deep rooted fears and blockages is to spend years creating space between the bones and muscles so that the tightly held demons are let go.

To overcome past samskaras it is important to crack yourself in two. For instance, when doing the Urdhvadhanurasana I’m almost trying to split myself into two, body below the sternum and above the sternum. For the next couple of years it will be focusing on body below the hip joint and above the hip joint. The practice of reaching within yourself to access an area which has been ‘sleeping’ automatically infuses this place with new life…and also enables you to release the ghosts of lives past.

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Yoga

Practice Yoga Like You Practice Life

May 21, 2018

A few weekends ago I attended a friend’s house warming party. In India there is always an element of ritual. So while a housewarming can be a little party for a bunch of close friends, here it becomes an event of larger significance. So a purohit is called. You get the stuff for the puja together, you plan for caterers, you send out invites….

When we celebrate a house warming or a ‘griha pravesh‘ we celebrate new beginnings. We hope that the new abode brings the owners good luck and prosperity. Some incense, a few mantras, a coconut and some ‘lucky’ plants and we actually start to feel better about the house. These are all the accoutrements of the ritual of cleansing a space of any negative vibes so that the new owners can live peacefully.

Big celebrations so dressed to the nines.

A yogi’s abode is the body and mind. Since we get only one body and mind per lifetime, we need to exist within them peacefully and authentically. A yogi is constantly torn between one more drink or slice of pizza and an early morning twists or backbend practice. You control yourself from snapping at a pesky sibling and try to stop fuming at the guy who just cut you off in traffic. But the disturbances in the mind have already been created, and they now impact your being.

How can we maintain equanimity while living in a world designed to trouble us?

The answer lies, as usual, in the practice. Every morning when you step on your mat and start at the beginning, you create a new story. Each day gives you a chance to start at the beginning and go somewhere different. Yesterday’s limitations don’t exist today and today’s won’t exist tomorrow. This impermanence can be a deterrent for many, but for the yogi it means hope. You return to your practice throughout a constantly changing life. You practice life like you practice yoga, with a spirit of exploration and the core belief that this too shall pass.

Practice and detachment are the means to still the movements of consciousness. (PYS 1.12) Picture taken at the Bhoga Nandishwara temple at the foot of Nandi Hills.

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Yoga

It Starts With You

January 22, 2018

A few days ago a friend of mine showed me a video clip that she found inspiring. It was about being interested in your goals vs. being committed to your goals. The video was a montage of footage of a man talking about the pursuit of his goals and a people busy in physical pursuits. As this man speaks about commitment we see a boxer practicing. As he speaks of doing whatever it takes to achieve your goals, we see someone surveying the terrain, presumably to run through it. As he talks about upgrading your knowledge, we see a someone running through the snow.

When the video finished I said that it’s quite interesting that they’ve used fitness to illustrate the main idea of the video. There are many ways to depict smashing and achieving goals. We can show people in a boardroom bagging a successful deal. We can show an actor executing a scene perfectly. We can also show a student getting an acceptance to a prestigious university. So why is fitness the preferred approach to depict motivation and dedication?

Associating fitness with achievements in other aspects of life is not a coincidence. Think about it, when you think of that friend of yours who works out regularly, is on track with the diet and exudes a sense of wellness, don’t you get a sense of awe? If you’re not on the path yourself don’t you feel a tinge of jealousy or pride (depending on your relationship with said friend and the kind of person you are)?

A healthier lifestyle, a fitter body, a cleaner diet, more strength, more stamina, more flexibility, glowing skin, luscious hair, clear eyes – all these are more than skin deep. These don’t translate only to a physically well-proportioned human being. These translate to a human with a confident gait and an easy smile. A person who wears their clothes and skin well. A person who is involved daily in self improvement more than in passing judgment on others.

A person who works out daily depicts the wholesome personality that we all aspire to. A person who is dedicated to making things happen. A person who creates life, rather than one who responds to it. A person who doesn’t sit in a corner crying about a missed opportunity, but someone who moves confidently towards the next challenge. After all, you win some and you lose some. Someone who lives rather than exists.

And taking care of your physical and mental health is the first step to demonstrating that you care. That you can commit to changing yourself before you change an empire. That you can first bring a revolution within yourself, before you revolutionize the world. If you can commit to yourself, then you can commit to anything. If you can change yourself, then you can change anything.

It starts with you.

And below is the video that got me thinking.