We’re almost done with the #10daysofgratitude challenge. Today lets be thankful for the interests that make us unique. These interests give us something to pursue, they make life colorful and make sure that we’re constantly stimulated.
We hear of people denied fundamental human rights in different parts of the world, honor killings, girls being kidnapped to make some kind of convoluted point etc. It’s horrifying, unsettling, unfair, illogical…and it’s happening! So today lets join our hands together and be thankful to the freedom that we usually take for granted and send courage and hope to people stuck in situations beyond their control, for no fault of theirs. Namaste.
Now, everyone has those days when they feel blah. You don’t feel like getting up, your life and what you seems pointless, you don’t feel good about the decisions you’ve made, you feel insecure, uncertain….basically ‘blah’! So you may pick up the phone and call a friend, or listen to some soothing music, or read some inspirational words…something that allows you to reach into your reserves and tell you ‘this too shall pass’. Today let’s join our hands together and be thankful for what gives us strength, because some days you don’t need anything else!
@Malaka Spice
It’s been close to 10 days here and my routine here is as challenging as ever. I realize that if it’s your first time here, then it does take a while to adjust and adapt. The first time I had a 4 hour practice I was incredulous … and didn’t know how to deal with it. Rather, I didn’t know how to make the most of it. When I practice at home it’s only for an hour and a half, and by the end of it I’m drained out. So the first few days here, I was always exhausted. So much so that I felt I couldn’t give the best in the asanas and always felt sloppy and ungainly throughout the practice. Mondays and Tuesdays specially, since practice on those days is almost 4 hours long, and by the time I’m done with practice its an ordeal just to walk home. My fantasies these days centre around buying an apartment next to the institute so that I can crawl home in no time and surface again only for the next class.
However, now I’ve started to get used to the routine. I’m actually able to make the most of the extended practice sessions. In fact, 2 hours is just about enough time for a satisfying practice…how I’m going to sustain this when I’m back in Bangalore is the stuff other blog posts are made of.
Yesterday I had my class in the evening (where I’m referred to as ‘Bangalore’, and another
Milk tea just this once 🙂
girl is called ‘USA’, oh and then there’s ‘Madam China’ in the 6 am session). It was an amazingly intense session. The class was fast paced with a focus on stretching the lower body (Janu Sirsasana, Paschimottansana, Baddhakonasana etc). Finally we did the Upavista Konasana, which is a challenging pose for me. I slowly made my way down and eased my torso onto the floor. I remember the days when I started practicing yoga and this pose was a big challenge. I wouldn’t be able to extend my back and my hip joint was stiff. As the years went by, I was still pretty reluctant to practice this pose because it didn’t come naturally at all and it was frustrating. Even now, sometimes I’m able to execute this pose well, and sometimes I feel like lead.
Yesterday I was able to ease myself down and placed my forehead on the floor. I stayed there kind of happy and satisfied with myself. There’s always an element of pleasant surprise also, because some days your body can extend and some days it just doesn’t. This reverie lasted until I heard, “BANGALORE! You’re sleeping! Extend more! Walk forward with your hands!!! That’s it, that’s good. Trance mein chali gayi thi phir se.”
And I realized that for the most part, this is how I practice. I arrange myself into a pose and then my mind says, “This is it, you’ve done well. You’re done.” And then my pose goes dead, and progress stops. Or, as the teacher said, I fall asleep. So when I was told to extend more, I had to push through the limitations of my mind (kind of still the internal dialogue) and discover if I could, in fact, go further. I realized that I could, and for that little bit of time I experienced new life. And received a bit of enlightenment.
The Halasana is a pose that we do daily in class. We use props to ensure that the spine and neck are straight. The picture is of me doing the Halasana many years ago. When my internal dialogue was loud and overpowering. I’m sure it’s improved over the years. And after this class, I know how to work in this (and in all other asanas).
Halasana (Plough Pose)
How To
- Lie down straight on your back making sure your head lies on the floor.
- Exhale, bend your legs at the knees and bring your knees close to your chest.
- Lift your buttocks off of the floor supporting your back with your hands.
- Make sure to plant your elbows firmly on the floor.
- Bring your body perpendicular to the floor, until your sternum touches your chin.
- Gently extend your legs out behind your head.
- Keep your face and neck relaxed.
- Practice with your arms stretched out behind and fingers interlocked to relive pain and cramps in fingers, hands, wrists, elbows and shoulders.
Benefits
- Relieves fatigue.
- Helps to calm down the mind.
- Relaxes your eyes and brain.
- Controls hyper tension.
- Improves digestion.
- Lengthens the spine and improves alignment.
- Reduces insomnia and anxiety.
- Relieves stress-related headaches and migraines.
Contraindications
- Don’t practice during menstruation and if you have cervical spondylosis.
Ashwasanchalanasana (Horse Pose/Low Lunge)
How To
- In the Padahastasana place your fingers next to your toes so that they are in line with each other.
- Lift your right leg off of the floor, take it back and place it on the floor.
- Look forward.
- Make sure that your left knee is in line with your left ankle. The knee should NEVER go beyond the level of the ankle.
- Look straight ahead.
- Repeat on left side.
Variations
If your legs and thighs are a bit stiff, or if you have weak knees and ankles, then place your back knee on the floor.
Benefits
- Great to strengthen the legs.
- Relieves stress by opening up the groin region and the hips.
- Helps in stretching and strengthening the spine.
- Opens up the chest and enables deeper breathing.
- Provides a massage to the abdominal organs and stimulates digestion.
- Corrects curvature of the back.
- Alleviates symptoms of sciatica.
Contraindications
- Practice with caution if you have a knee injury.
- Be cautious if you’ve had a neck injury. Don’t strain to look forward, look down instead.
- Practice with caution if pregnant. If required place the back knee on the floor.
- Practice with caution if you have a back injury.
- Do not practice if you have stomach ulcers.
- Do not practice if you’ve just undergone abdominal surgery.
Also called the Anjaneya asana, the horse pose and the low lunge.
Explanations for these coming soon! Keep reading!!!
Recently I had the chance of getting to know one of my students over coffee. Despite her hectic schedule this wonderful woman took me to her home and offered me amazingly good filter coffee and healthy mid-morning snacks to go along with it. She was considerate enough to ask me whether I eat once I’m done with the class and what I eat if I do. During the course of our conversation I realized that by virtue of being a wife and a mother, there were so many unavoidable responsibilities that she was loaded with, and that she probably had to juggle her schedule a bit to accomodate our little coffee break. She has two daughters in high school, a family business, older in-laws to take care of, and of course the everyday hassles of running a house. Looking at her I wondered where she got the energy from. She seemed the embodiment of ‘Ces’t la vie’…with a smile.
That day I learned from her that if you accept your lot in life with ease then you make space for peace and you are able to deal with things in a calmer manner. Having no time is the bane of modern existence, but sometimes in the middle of it all you meet some individuals who manage to stay focused and calm. These individuals are busy, have responsibilities, and with that, numerous sources of stress in their lives. Yet, they manage. How?
They create an oasis of calm and peace in which they reside and refuel. According to yogic philosophy, everything is an illusion. An event is just a combination of moments put together. Whether the event is good or bad depends on who it happens to and how that person responds to it. So if you choose to respond with peace and calm, you significantly reduce the damage caused by events over which you sometimes have no control.
The valuable insight I received from our chat over coffee:
1. There are sources of stress, worry, strain and anger in everyone’s life. Waiting for the source of stress in your life to disappear so that you can live peacefully again is in vain because there will always be something to worry about.
2. The best way to deal with life is to create reserves of calm and peace within yourself by recognizing that you need to spend time by yourself. Whether it’s going for your closest yoga class, or doing some deep breathing for 5 minutes before you start your day, or reading the paper with your coffee and watching the world wake up…whatever it is, you need to take time out for your body and mind.