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Travels Yoga

A Yogi in Pune – Day 3

September 3, 2016

I had a 7 am class this morning and boy was it jam packed! I think the practice hall can accommodate about 25 people comfortably but we crammed in about 50 people. We were told to keep our mats right next to each other. To adjust and to understand. In life and on the mat.

My self practice was in the evening today and it was simply AMAAAAAAAZING!!!! I had been avoiding practicing back bends for a while. I’ve analysed why in my head several times, however will take reams and reams of blog posts to get into why. Anyways, what I really like about the self practice sessions here is that the students come and practice with unwavering dedication, even though there are no teachers to help out or to guide. I come across so many people who say that they need to join a class else they slack off. Until now I understood this as a lack of inspiration to work out, to dance, to practice yoga etc. However, when I look around at the self practice room and see people practicing intensely, I have a new found respect for those who maintain a regular fitness regime. For myself, yoga isn’t a fitness regime. I’ll risk sounding clichéd, but it’s like brushing my teeth. It sets the pace of my days, it makes me feel balanced, it helps me focus and express myself. Yoga simply defines my days.

Soup of the Day: Tomato and Carrot

Today also marks the momentous occasion of me buying my very first Iyengar yoga shorts. There is a local man here (a Mr. Vasanth), who along with his wife makes yoga shorts and tees and props too. I’m going to upload his contact details here so that all who are interested can contact him. They customize the shorts as well, so I’ve asked for plain black. Until then I will make do with the blue tie and dyed ones I chose from amongst the ones he had.

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And finally my first weekend in Pune has arrived! Anuja and I are going out for a meal so that we can let our hair down and set the tone for the weekend. I have two complete days to work this exhaustion out of my system (maybe going out tonight isn’t in line with that goal…). Anyways, girls who work hard need to play hard too.

Also, we watched ‘Hush’ last night. Completely forgettable.

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Travels Yoga

A Yogi in Pune – Day 1

September 1, 2016

The first day is always a day of exploration and learning.

My first class was on the second floor and we went through the standing asanas. However, because it was the Intermediate class we were expected to know how to do the Sirsasana, Halasana and Sarvangasana. In my class in Bangalore we did the Sarvangasana and Halasana with the help of chairs, however, here the only props we used were thick mats under our shoulders.

Post the class we had a break of 30 minutes after which the hall on the first floor was free for self practice. During this time we are allowed the use of the hall and all the props to further our practice. Since I wasn’t sure of what to expect, I decided to repeat what we had done in the led class and take my time with the asanas. Since I’m working on my Hanumanasana, I built up to that as well. Unfortunately, by this time (after almost 4 hours of practice) I was completely depleted of energy and didn’t give the practice my 100%. However, tomorrow my self practice and led class have a gap, so I think I’ll be able to use my time much more judiciously tomorrow.

Once I got home I searched for a good spot for wifi reception. The flora and fauna and the monsoons ensure the wifi signal is weak. However, good karma came to my rescue and my sister’s friend (who lives in the house next door)n offered me her wifi and the use of this space:

She happens to be a designer with a flair for interiors and this is her office. So for the entire month, this is what my workstation looks like. My desk is right next to hers, so I’ve got good company too. And hot homemade soup in the evenings (today it’s pumpkin soup). I I will be designing plans and blogging from here.

As for my pratice schedule, here it is for your reference:

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Travels

Asanas for the Week – Part 1

August 29, 2016

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Today was the last day for our Yoga In the Park group. We’ve been a strong group and have stuck together for 3 years. All of us keep on taking breaks to travel or to be with family, 20160731_115722[1] qbut at the end of the day we return to the group, enriched by all our adventures. From a small group of 3, we’ve grown to a vibrant group of 10. A year ago, when I went to visit my parents for 2 months, I had created a program that I wanted the girls to follow while I was away. It was a very general outline, and to my delight, one of the girls still had it saved on her phone. She sent the entire routine to me and I decided to make a few modifications to it to suit the practitioners after an added year of practice. Here it is:

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Squats (remember to do these slowly, engaging all your muscles)
Stretch your quads after this. Hold for 2 minutes on each side.
Trikonasana
Virbhadrasana 1
Virbhadrasana 2
Parsvakonasana
Janu Sirsasana
Paschimottansana

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Day 2 (Arms Intensive)

Chaturanga -ups (try your best)
2 min plank
Adhomukhasvanasana (Downward Dog)
Gomukhasana
Paschimnamaskarasana
Garudasana

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Remember to start all your workouts with a few stretches and Surya Namaskars. As the weather gets colder, you can increase the number of Surya Namaskars.

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Travels Yoga

The Habitat

July 11, 2016

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“Make sure your doors and windows are securely locked, the petrol full and even if someone tries to stop you for ‘help’ DO NOT STOP. And also, go there during the day, you don’t want to be mauled by wild beasts when night falls.”

This was the directive given to me the first time I headed to what I now simple call The Jungle.

So it was natural that we were a bundle of nerves when we headed towards the Bannerghatta National Park. Slowly and gradually the hustle and bustle and the traffic IMG-20160403-WA0033 and the potholes of the Bannerghatta road faded away and we were on the dusty country roads. Here there were no signboards and everything looked the same. Perhaps the danger of getting lost was very real, which is why our host kept on repeatedly calling us to ensure we were safe. That is, when we got connectivity. The rest of the time we kept on going on a hunch. Driving a rickety old Alto over craggy rocks and stones and on terrain meant for four wheel drive is no mean feat. Every time I saw a mound of formidable rocks, I would set my jaw and press along. My own man vs nature adventure.

I had no idea what to expect that first weekend at the farm. I discovered that the IMG-20160403-WA0050 temperature deep in the jungle is a couple of degrees lower than in the city. And I certainly didn’t expect to sleep out in the open inside a mesh hut. The still remember my first night at the farm. The croaks of the frogs, and right outside the hut, the river illuminated by the light of the moon, the silhouette of the trees framing my view. I snuggled deeper into my warm razai and drifted off into the most peaceful sleep ever.

I’m back from another restful weekend at the ‘Vishnu’s Farm’. Deep in the Bannerghatta jungles, this place has come to symbolize peace, serenity and the Slow Movement (even before it became the latest fitness fad). This time I took my sister (visiting from Hyderabad). I explained to her that most of the farm has no lights, no real means of cooking your own food, and that we might spot an elephant or a bison while walking around the acreage. But nature is constantly evolving and moves on no matter what. So the Farm is always a bit different every time I go. (There is a valuable lesson in this.)

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However, the past couple of times I’ve been to this haven, an idea has been taking shape in my mind. In our frazzled lives, oasis of calm such as Vishnu’s Farm are difficult to come by and this place is just perfect. Devoid of the trappings of modern existence (no cell phone coverage and other such fancy accoutrement), this place hits your reset button. The closer you are to nature, the closer you feel to yourself. This past weekend I decided on a retreat. A retreat focused on peace, quiet and getting back to nature. A simple retreat aimed at appreciating how we can live the best possible life by staying aligned and attuned to nature.

Vishu’s Farm is more appropriately called a habitat. Vishnu has made sure to integrate himself with nature rather than modifying the existing ecosystem to suit his needs. So he’s made sure not to disturb the trees, and continues planting new ones. He’s built lakes in the property so that the water life thrives instead of perishing (you may spot a cat stealthily waiting for it’s next meal). When the elephants repeatedly broke a wall somewhere in the habitat, Vishnu stopped rebuilding it. In his own words – “It’s their land, I’m just an encroacher.” Perhaps this belief fuels his tireless work for conservation in the area.

So when you come on this retreat, you aren’t checking into a fancy resort with exotic scented soaps. You are spending time in someone’s life’s work. A home that Vishnu has painstakingly created against odds such as red tape and litigation, indifference and corruption. And how can we forget the quarry mafia?!

It is no surprise then, that a retreat such as this will always be for a closed group. Comprising people who will be able to appreciate the passion and belief that it takes to live a lifestyle where there are no TVs and limited net connectivity. Where lunch takes time to come from the nearest village. Where there are no dustbins around the property because waste disposal is a challenge and you are encouraged to take your trash back to the city with you.

Where the days are beautiful and the nights peaceful.

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Yoga

Why Things Are Working Out

June 16, 2016

I’ve been mulling over the power of positivity for a while now. It started with a book recommendation by a student. According to this extremely empowered, intelligent, successful and smart woman, just following the tenets of visualization and positive thinking helped her immensely and since then she’s been a Believer. Always one to be wary of cult-ish balderdash, I politely nodded and said I’ll put the book on my TBR list, which of course didn’t happen. Then came the past life regression workshop that a friend of mine dragged me to. I was unable to devote any time to channelizing my present thoughts, so the idea of involving my past life in creating a better future for myself was fanciful. However, I’m glad I went because the one thing that I took away was that your thoughts are indeed powerful and the ability to shape your future lies within you. For months now I’ve been working on visualization in the quest to live a more wholesome life. While I can’t claim that I have successfully manifested my wildest dreams through the power of positive thoughts, I can vouch for the fact that there has been a shift in my days after I started consciously changing the tenor of my thoughts. I also know that a lot of people would like to live more meaningfully but are at a loss as to where to start. After months of practice, I feel I have come up with a method that can help just about anyone inculcate the habit of positive thought

First and foremost is an honest assessment of yourself, warts and all. Have you become complacent with your situation in life? Do you find yourself explaining away selfish or hurtful behaviour? Once, a friend of mine tried to give me advice about how I can curb my ‘natural’ instinct to be selfish. Her heart may have been in the right place, but unfortunately, my heart hurt. I value her advice, but I wish she had focused more on what actions I can take rather than dwelling on a characteristic of mine she didn’t like (and which, to give me the benefit of the doubt, may just be her personal opinion). Conversely, a few reek of self-satisfied smugness. They believe there is no other way and the choices they’ve made are the only ones that can be made. They know beyond a shadow of a doubt that they are living their lives in the best possible way they can. Hey, if you are happy and elated with your life and leap out of bed daily to live another inspired day, then I have a lot to learn from you. But if you believe there is more, then introspect. Remember, if you continue to be the kind of person you are right now, with the same thought patterns, the same reactions and the same behaviour, then your life will continue to be the way it is now. It’s great if you’re happy with the status quo. But there is a whole world out there that you might just enjoy exploring if you decide to improve yourself a little bit.
Start with small. I believe in small. Less stuff, less baggage, small changes, small portions (:)). You may be someone who believes they have a lot of scope for improvement, but self-improvement is something that has to be done patiently and with baby steps. Start with one thing about yourself that you would like to change. Make this something to do with a thought pattern and watch how your life starts to mirror goodness and positivity. One day you’ll wake up grateful for all your good luck and for everything working out for you.
Once you identify what that negative thought pattern or habit is, work on consciously replacing it. Essentially you are eliminating a negative and immediately utilizing that space for a positive. This also ensures that you leave no space for a negative to come back to your life. You’re driving it out and consciously renting that space out to a positive more nurturing thought or action. A few years ago I was watching a ballerina practicing and I thought of how pretty, delicate and feminine she looked…and before I knew it I had told myself that I would ofcourse never be able to practice ballet because I wouldn’t fit into a tutu nor ever look so pretty, delicate and feminine! Now, I may not be ballerina material, but it’s not for me to tell myself that. The thing to do is to give it a go. Or alternatively, replace thoughts of a negative body image with that of a positive image such as appreciating how I can hold a chaturanga forever or how gracefully I do the Natrajasana.
Once you are on the path to change your deeply ingrained involuntary habits, it is important to assess yourself from time to time. Are you trying your best to put in place a system of new habits and thought patterns? Or are you just congratulating yourself about putting in effort? Too frequently people think it’s the thought that counts, but here we’re trying to change the thoughts themselves, so it’s the action that counts. Exercise the utmost honesty with yourself. Are you actually trying your best to coax your subconscious into rephrasing your words? Do you let yourself off the hook easily when you slip up or do you tell yourself sternly that this behaviour is not acceptable and you must not let this become the norm? For instance, every time I catch myself starting a sentence with ‘No, but…’ I stop mid-sentence and instead say ‘Sure, however…’ or ‘Hmmm, however…’. I’ve found that instead of breeding a sense of no, can’t, won’t etc., the other phrases immediately put me into a state of let’s move on and look for a solution or an alternative. It works, try it.

Your thought patterns form a blue print for your days and consequently for your life. So if you work on consciously changing your thoughts you will clear the path to a better existence. I’m a great believer in small actions bringing big rewards and when you replace a negative with a positive, then you will change your world. After all, if you get the inside right, the outside will fall into place.