yoga with pragya Archives - Page 13 of 32 - Pragya Bhatt

Yoga

Spine Is a Metaphor for Life

December 6, 2017

In the Ashtanga system of yoga as propounded by Shri K. Pattabhi Jois, you practice backbending daily. In the closing series, you practice the Urdhva Dhanurasana followed by the Sarvangasana and Halasana.

If you’ve been following me on Instagram and Facebook, you know that I’m focusing on my backbends a lot these days. Backbends have always been challenging for me, and for this reason I favor forward bends in my practice. It’s easier to do the stuff that comes naturally to you. But doing that which you know you’re not good at, now that requires real discipline.

I have forever intended to work on my backbends in my personal practice, but I never got around to it. But in Pune we devote an entire week of the month to backbends. So you see advanced practitioners doing the Urdhva Dhanurasana 108 times etc. There was one particular class that I feel changed my practice forever. My spine became accessible and I became open to the idea that I CAN do backbends in this lifetime. I resolved to continue the practice and I practice a back bending routine on most days. You can see a snapshot of a typical backbending practice in this video.

I often see students lamenting their inability to bend backwards (I’ve been there myself). Over the years I’ve learned that when it comes to bending back, more doesn’t always mean better.

The flexibility of your spine can give you a clue about how you approach life. Do you have a tendency to bend over backwards to accommodate people and situations ? Bending like you don’t have a spine can also be described as being ‘spineless’. Conversely, are you unable to bend back at all? Not able to be open to an uncomfortable situation or a different point of view?

In terms of yogasanas, a certain amount of resistance is necessary to execute the full expression of the asana. A body which can fold easily at every single joint has to work hard to provide the counterforce to hold an asana steady. So we see the inability to gauge the centre in Sirsasana and Natrajasana. We see an inability to hold Parsvakonasana.

Being too flexible is not always a good thing. Too flexible with your time, with your emotions, with your boundaries, with yourself…

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Yoga

Healthy Body, but Healthy Mind?

November 30, 2017

With the ongoing focus on mental health have you gauged the state of your mental health?

The only way yoga works for you on a physical level is by changing you at a mental level. Daily practice actually changes neural pathways in your brain which rewires you to think differently. Not only are you making a conscious connection between your body and mind, but you are also ensuring that vital hormones (which are responsible for your moods and feelings) are also secreted to your system in optimum amounts. Too little or too much leads to conditions such as Thyroidism, PCOS/D, PMS, anxiety, depression etc.

Exercising and eating a wholesome diet are key to overall good health. But there are a few easy guidelines you can follow to ensure your thoughts aren’t sabotaging your health.

Audit your quality time. Who are the 5 people you spend most of your time with? Do they make you feel good about yourself? Do they lift you up or ensure you’re always down? When those around us respect and love us, we feel stronger and more confident. This is because when you hang out with good friends chemicals called serotonin and oxytocin which cause feelings of well being, are released in your body. So think about the 5 people you’re spending most of your time with and consider making some changes for the better, if required
Journaling. I’ve been a compulsive journal writer since I was in second grade. You’ll still find stacks of my journals in my parents’ home. I was journaling all the way to the time I started working for Infosys. But as time went on and work got hectic, it took a back seat. Until my birthday earlier this year when one of my students gave me The Five Minute Journal. Sitting down to do this every day has actually had a positive impact on me. Use journaling as a means to think through things, vent, gain clarity. Write about whatever comes to your mind, even if its just a re-cap of your day. It feels great to be able to express yourself in a forum where you won’t be judged, where there is no right or wrong. Sometimes seeing your thoughts and feelings physically in front of you is just what you need to feel better.
Affirmations. I would actually club this under the umbrella of meditative practices. Write a few statements (on your phone works just fine) and go back to them often throughout the day. Statements should be positive such as ‘Everything happens for the best.’ Reading such statements often to yourself can change destructive deep seated thought patterns that you may be unconsciously holding on to. Repeating positive affirmations to yourself is a simple way to re-boot your mind set.

These are a few of my go-to tools to stay centred when everything around me is off balance. Like yoga, these tools will take some time and effort to work their magic. But once they do, you’ll have a healthy mind in a healthy body.

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Food

Those Sneaky Sniffles

November 24, 2017

In the pink of health thanks to my home remedies.

Towards the end of the year Bangalore is deliciously foggy and cold(ish). Suddenly the filter coffee tastes better, and the post yoga breakfasts are to die for. Everyone is motivated to fit into a little black dress and the energy is at an all time high. But this is also the time when many miss classes because of the common cold, sore throat or fever.

It finally happened to me too. The other night I got my yearly cold. My eyes watered, my nostrils got sensitive to the smallest speck of dust and I started sneezing up a storm. Regardless of how much I try and keep my immunity up, towards the end of the year those Sneaky Sniffles manage to get to me.

What to Do About Those Sneaky Sniffles

Ginger. I drink ginger infused water in earnest. Water infused with herbs is a great, easy and cheap way to detox your system. During the winters I stick to warm water with ginger. I find all the other spices too ‘cold’ for my constitution. If I’m out of ginger, I just stick to warm water.
My special tea.
My special tea. When my immunity is compromised I turn to my trusted organic black tea, although I’m actually a filter coffee person. I brew all the spices I have with a vengeance. Some of these spices are: cinnamon, black pepper, ginger and ajwain (curcumin seeds). I found a forgotten jar in the back of my cabinet. Although honey is high in calories, it feels great on a throat that feels like it’s lined with asphalt. I throw in a few tea leaves as well. Currently I use the Korakundah Black Tea (100% Organic, single estate).
Brandy with hot water. Most people don’t believe it when I tell them my parents gave us a tiny dose of brandy and it worked like magic. We slept well and woke up healthy. This is a staple up in the hills, chilly evenings are better with a soothing glass of hot brandy between your hands. Sometimes I spoon some honey into my glass. The other night I found a bottle of Old Monk, but no brandy. Good enough, I thought. And it worked the magic of my childhood.
Commonly used Indian spices have their unique health benefits. Here’s a blog I did about turmeric.
Spicy food! This is the time to have that really spicy curry/dal/sambhar. I add lots of ginger, garlic, turmeric, chilli, hing (asafoetida) to whatever is cooking and viola! you have an awesome cure for the common cold. Let food be thy medicine.
Jal Neti. Because when the sniffles come, nothing flushes away the irritants better than warm water with rock salt. If you’re not doing Jal Neti, you don’t know what you’re missing. Do yourself a favour and drain those sinuses. You’ll end up preventing wrinkles too in the process.
Sleep. I broke into my liquor cabinet, brewed the different decoctions, imbibed everything … all by 8 pm. I didn’t have the mind space to read or watch something. All I wanted to do was snuggle under my warm blanket and wake up to a clear tomorrow.

…. and wake up to a clear tomorrow I did. The hour was deliciously early, even the birds weren’t stirring yet. I brewed another cup of tea, and rolled out my mat. And all was well with the world again.

If this post helps your encounter with Those Sneaky Sniffles, let me know!

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Travels

Why Do We Run/Practice Yoga?

November 7, 2017

Over the weekends while everyone is asleep in their cosy beds, a few of us stumble out of bed at 5 am. To meet and run. Why do we run?

Before my fitness journey running wasn’t even in the charts for me. Walking really fast would have me out of breath. I started with running for 15 minutes on the treadmill and increased my time to 30 minutes. Eventually I started working on distance. After a while I quit the gym and took to the streets.

I’m not a great runner. I don’t have special gear. In fact, I frequently run in my yoga pants.

When I did a 5km in Srirangapatnam and felt proud of it, my sister did the 21 km in Hyderabad. Why does my sister run?

I think I run for the same reason I practice yoga. To do more and to be better. When I run or practice yoga I know I won’t be better the next minute. Or even the next day or the day after next. But I know that soon I will be able to bend just that bit more and run just that bit faster.

We run, or practice yoga or lift weights because we have faith in our ability to be more than what we are now. We have faith in our ability to do more than what we do now. There is no upper limit for our endeavours. We run because we believe in our infinite potential as human beings.

“The obsession for running is really an obsession with the potential for more and more life.”

Below are a few images from yesterday. This was our third run with the Go Heritage Run initiative.

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Travels

Dengue Fever – My Story

October 15, 2017

Baddhakonasana.

I was supposed to come to Delhi on the 18th of this month and leave on the 21st. Since I took two months off from teaching to study in Pune, I felt I should get back as soon as possible. With this in mind I messaged my students that classes would start on the 2nd of Oct.

But on the 28th of September I started feeling a bit tired and my appetite disappeared. I found out from some other students that it was a 24 hour virus that was going around. I managed to drag myself to class on Friday and Saturday, but collapsed in bed post class on both days. My sister was slated to visit me for a day on Saturday and I willed myself to get better. I popped a few Crocins on Thursday and Friday and hoped the fever would sweat out of my body. On Saturday the sis arrived and I was still a little shaky. But I was tired of laying in bed all day, infirm. We set out for the Osho park and I hoped that being out and about would make me feel better. I returned that night as tired as ever.

Kakuli & I in the Osho Gardens.

With Sneha in the Osho Gardens.

The next day was the 1st of Oct. I got to Bangalore and once again collapsed in bed. The virus was supposed to be only a 24 hour virus and I was sure that I would be better in the next couple of hours.

I took classes on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. It was great to see my students again, but I still didn’t feel 100% myself. I didn’t have the energy to do my own practice and I couldn’t figure out why. I felt that if I was able to drive myself to classes then I should be able to practice too. At the same time I started to question the meaning of life and dwell on its futility.

I pinged my sisters that someone had given me the evil eye because what else could be wrong? I had no appetite and I was listless. I asked a friend of mine how to get rid of the evil eye and went out and even went out to buy a packet of red chillies.

Upon my mom’s insistence I went to the doc. I’d never had to go to the doctor and so actually had to ask some people in my building for the closest reliable and trusted doctor. The doc asked me to get a platelet count done and also to check for Typhoid and Dengue. The results showed my platelet count was 80000 (below normal range but not life threatening) and I tested positive for Dengue. The doc and my mom gave me an ultimatum. The doctor hooked me up to an IV and pumped glucose and Paracetamol into my system. My friend booked a ticket for me to Delhi. I went home and threw some stuff into a suitcase. Then I collapsed until another friend arrived to drop me to the airport.

No one in my family has ever had Dengue fever, but because this disease reaches epidemic like proportions every year in Delhi, everyone knew what to do. Since I fell sick I’ve heard of so many other people who’ve fallen sick during or after their time at RIMYI. Usually Dengue fever lasts anywhere between 5-7 days and it takes a person almost 2 weeks to completely recover. Because of my regular yoga practice I feel I was able to fight the infection relatively quickly. I had fever for about 2 days and was able to attend and conduct classes soon after.

This was the first time I fell sick (thanks to the yogi lifestyle) and my recovery was remarkably quick too.

Here are a few things I learned from getting this disease. Hopefully this will help you in combating the disease.

Use your mosquito repellent. I’ve heard Citronella oil, Eucalyptus oil and Neem oil also keep the mosquitos away.
Don’t fight the idea that you might be infected despite taking all sorts precautions. I was almost in denial as I told the doc that I was going about my normal active life and didn’t understand how I could be infected.
Take care of yourself – as yogis we sometimes put self-care on the backburner. Cancel your classes and try and sleep. Allow the fever to do what it will and focus on resting.
Allow someone else to take care of you. You’ll have someone to tell you that life isn’t over. I can’t remember the last time I spent so much time at home, but it made my recovery that much faster and more pleasant.
When I had a fever all I felt like eating was apples and drinking cold water. Looking at even a slice of toast made me want to throw up. Before I found out it was Dengue I felt I should force myself to eat a little bit or I would fall sick. Now I know that loss of appetite is a symptom of Dengue and my body craved hydration.
Monitor your platelets count daily!
Papaya leaf juice works like a charm. Take some papaya leaf juice and water and grind them in your mixer. Strain and drink.
Sleep!
Catch up on your reading. I renewed my Kindle Unlimited subscription and my Goodreads saw a lot of activity too.
Don’t worry about your practice/classes/work. Once your mind and body are well rested, you’ll be back with a bang.

I hope to never ever be sick again. This illness has reinforced my belief in making healthy choices every day without fail or excuses. Sometimes getting an infection can’t be prevented but being in good health ensures you fight the infection like a boss. This illness has also made me grateful for all the wonderful people in my life. People who wake up early to drop you to the airport, people who check up on you in the middle of the night, those who ping you from around the world to make sure you’re OK. I was lucky to be able to fly home at a moment’s notice and my mom was ready. I’m grateful to my mother’s maids who knew where to get papaya and giloy leaves and promptly brought them home. Even my tattoo artist reached out to me!

Any disease takes a toll on you physically, but if you have people around you who love you and care about you, you win the battle sooner. I had loads of people who were there for me, and for that I can never be thankful enough.

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