I Would Rather be Strange

I am totally mesmerized by these phrases. Absolutely divine.
I thank the author, Cristen Rodgers for sharing such wonderful thoughts.
Do check her page at https://cristenrodgers.net/ ….trust me you will fall in love with words 🙂

Thank you,
Love,
Hira

Journeys in Spirit

To those who would call me strange, I say that I would rather be your kind of strange than mine because, to me, strange is denying the truth of our nature.

To me, strange is ignoring the pull of the moon’s tides in our veins simply because we can’t yet measure its influence.

Strange is pretending that our bones aren’t made of the same dust that’s beneath our feet, or that our bodies aren’t filled with the same water that crashes in waves on the shores.

To me, strange would be to deny kinship with the animals, even though we’re born of the same union between the earth and the sky.

What I consider strange is clinging to one identity, like a summer that refuses to concede to the coming autumn.  And stranger still is to reject our responsibility to one another, like a maple tree denying the birds and…

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Simply fall into Uttanasana

Uttanasana or Folding forward bend is one of my favourite rescue-remedy-yoga-pose. When I am tired of all day sitting at work or my body is exhausted, need to calm myself down. All I do is getup, take a deep breathe and exhale myself into forward fold.

When I first started yoga, I couldn’t even touch my feet due to tight muscles at the back, but now I can simply relax and I can not just touch my feet, I can touch the ground now as well. It is all about practice.

Now the basic misconception is that if you are overweight you can’t bring flexibility in your body. So let me remind who ever is reading this blog that YOGA IS FOR EVERY DAMN PERSON, regardless of their weight and size, lifestyle, physical disabilities etc. IT IS FOR EVERY ONE, I REPEAT.

Here, I am sharing couple of links which will help you understand better the pose and also will help you in practice. Those of you who are new to this and having difficulty due to tight muscles can read about its modification.

http://www.yogajournal.com/pose/standing-forward-bend/

http://www.gaia.com/pose/standing-forward-bend-uttanasana

https://yogainternational.com/article/view/standing-forward-bend

Here are some of its benefits:

• Calms the brain and helps relieve stress and mild depression
• Stimulates the liver and kidneys
• Stretches the hamstrings, calves, and hips
• Strengthens the thighs and knees
• Improves digestion
• Helps relieve the symptoms of menopause
• Reduces fatigue and anxiety
• Relieves headache and insomnia
• Therapeutic for asthma, high blood pressure, infertility, osteoporosis, and sinusitis

P.S Just remember one more thing, it is completely OKAY if you can not do the pose completely at first. In yoga, even an inch of a progress matters, even if you can just fold forward till where ever you are comfortable and keep on breathing, it is enough.

Just try to listen to your body. If it says stop, you stop right there. But never ever forget to breathe. Just inhale and exhale in whatever position you are.

Happy practice everybody 🙂

Namaste!

 

 

The Science behind Yoga

When I first walked in the class, I was afraid, nervous. Nervous because I didn’t knew what I am looking for and what I will find. I knew the physical aspects of yoga, its benefits and all but never took it that seriously to be honest.

As I read somewhere that “Your energy introduces you before you even speaks”.

My energy before that first class was like a trapped soul looking to free itself. And I can still remember every single eye in that class was like a question for me. But as of today, after 7 months, I can already feel my energy flowing freely and I don’t get those questioning looks in the class any more :).  In fact, I receive a lot of smiles from happy souls.

When people around me, who are less aware or not at all aware about yoga, ask me questions like, Do you practice yoga to lose weight? or What difference do you feel after taking yoga class? or For how long are you going to practice it? Is it worth it?

I always find myself smiling on such questions ’cause I cant really answer them with words or with exact words I should say. It’s about feeling it. You can’t put the benefits of yoga or its importance in a single sentence or even in a single book. You can not judge it by the pose you see on the magazine cover. To better understand it you need to get on the mat and breathe and relax and let go. Even before that very first class I was unaware of its actual meaning and its significance in our daily life.

Here is the video which will give you a better insight on yoga, and how it changes your whole life and above all, why it is so important for us.

The Science Behind Yoga

Live, laugh, LOVE!

Namaste!

Hira

 

My journey through my mat!

Hello…. yes you!

Yes, yes I am talking to you…

Why are you looking so shocked… can’t I talk one on one with that amazing person who took some precious seconds or minutes out of his/her time and right now reading my blog with some curiosity 😉 🙂

Well, How are you? hope the summer is shining on your doorstep well this season 🙂 or if you are in South side of the world…winter is treating you nicely I hope 🙂

And that you are in good health ….:)

Okay so after a good, one-sided hi hellos ….here is the thing….its been 6 months on the mat! yayy! Yes…Well exactly its been 7 months but I had to take a leave from the mat for 1 month due to some medical condition, so its been 6 months in total. Well I’m an inconsistent fellow when it comes to do something religiously. I can lose interest very quickly…But not this time to my surprise! To tell the truth, I was so afraid that that one month break will make me lose my interest and will break my momentum. But in that one month I craved nothing more than getting back on my mat. I use to count days before I can set my feet on my mat again and go in savasana.

Some of the people who are new in the class ask me that if yoga has helped me in any miraculous way or did it helped me in losing weight or cured my low back pain etc. And I always tell them that yoga is like life… it gives you your very own experience but to know more about that everyone has to step on the mat. You have to live in order to experience life.

For me, it has been a life changing experience so far… I met myself after ages when I first stepped on that mat in January 2016. It is one of the best things I did for myself.

When you do something for your own self,  your body, your soul responds to that with joy, and there is nothing more pleasurable other than that feeling.

I attended a talk session about self-awareness some 3 years back and I still remember what that person who was leading the session said about miracle. She said if you ever wants to see the best miracle of God, then look at yourself in the mirror. Your body is THE best miracle in itself. The whole mechanism, the way it functions is a total miracle. And it does respond to your every call.

So treat it well… get to know it so that you can connect with your real self.

 

“Stop acting so small. You are the universe in ecstatic motion.”
― Rumi

Yoga; a myth or a miracle?

There are so many different opinions of what Yoga is? I asked few people around me that what do they think “Yoga” actually is? And their reply made me amused yet disappointed at the fact that how less aware we are of things which are so beneficial for us.

Some of us thinks that its just sitting in an erect position and counting your breathes and some stretching to follow. Well, I think the society that I live in is basically so traditional and sorry to say hypocrite that it refuses to follow or even get to know something which is  not according to their religious or social beliefs. We are trained to follow our gender based duties till death; men will spend their lives earning and women will spend their lives cooking and looking after home and kids. When it comes to health, we are so highly ignorant that until we are admitted to hospitals we literally don’t care. In fact, some of us don’t even bother to care after their hospital visits.

One morning, I was reading an article about some yoga asana(pose) and one my colleague came into my cubicle and asked so how your classes are going and what its all about. I said well I cant just give you a short meaning full answer on what its all about, as you already know yoga is about mind, body and soul. But why don’t you come and join us for a trial class and finds out by yourself. And he replied with  a shocking expression. “But yoga is for girls, you know. It’s not a very “manly” workout”.

*Sigh*

Well, who ever you are who is reading this, if you are in shock, then its ok, so was I. 🙂

It’s hilarious isn’t it. A 2000-years-old philosophy which was suddenly categorized on the basis of gender and not on benefits. It’s because we are so less aware of it.

When I started this class, even I was not aware of it much. All I knew was that it is an ancient philosophy towards life and that it is THE only way to sync your body, mind and soul together.

Well here’s my take on its myths:

– Yoga is a form of workout: It’s not just a workout. It is more likely to work within and then work-out.

– It is all about sitting and meditating only: Well, meditation is just a part of yoga. Yoga is about experiencing and witnessing what an aware body and mind can do together.

– Gym classes are more challenging: If you think it is not as challenging as other forms of body workouts like weight lifting and all. Well try Vinyasa power yoga and you will have your answers.

– Yoga is for a young age. Well that is THE best part about it. Yoga has no boundaries. Nor in terms of age neither in terms of body size or structure.

– Yoga practice is related to a certain religion or yoga is a religion: Yoga itself is not a religion nor you need to follow a certain religion to practice yoga. It is a philosophy, a practice which unites mind, body and soul.

Well, I am sure there are many other myths as well but right now these are the ones which I’ve been listening since I started my practice.

Now let’s come to the miracle part. Well I work 9 to 5 and my job is a desk job. So there is not much physical activity present in my day routine. I’ve been experiencing lower back pain and stiff neck issues since a year or two. Before joining yoga, I read a lot about relieving your neck pain or back pain through yoga. I tried some basic yoga stretches at home as well and that does gave me some relief. But when I joined yoga classes, just after few weeks I was getting more aware of my body movements and posture. I started feeling the muscles in my body contracting while I do the asanas(poses). My body stiffness and lower back pain is gone, not because I took yoga as a medication, well that is also one point, but mostly because yoga has made me more aware of my body. Now when ever I have some body pain or muscle pain, I know what body part to stretch mostly or on which muscle to put my attention. Still, I am not fully aware as I am a beginner and a long way to go. But well just in 3 months, I am experiencing miracles.

So if YOU (the reader) is also facing some kind of a mind body issue, try yoga. Focus more on its miracle side rather than myths. Try some basic yoga practice at home first. Try to feel the difference, and I can bet on it, you will end up wanting more of yourself 🙂

Thank you for reading 🙂
Keep smiling and keep breathing 🙂

With Love,

Hira

 

 

 

 

 

 

A beginning with no end!

Like as Rumi have said, ” Respond to every call that excites your spirit”. I have started a new journey more than a month back to reach out to my inner self, to me.

There comes a time when you are standing in the middle of everything, and everything moving away from you. Some how, you feel disconnected with your own self. You don’t know what to do, from where to start, where to go, whom to speak, whom to trust. You even feel distant to your spiritual believes. In short, you are empty and floating in void.

I am 30-years-old and for me, this is that time of my life. May be I have to take a step back from everyone else and step forward to myself. It has never been so hard before to listen to myself as it is now.

January 2016, a beginning of a new year. But somehow, this year has started quite differently for me. A more quieter, loner period of my life.  Solitude is what I cheerish but there is a thin line between feeling left alone and being in solitude. So I decided to reclaim what is mine, that is, my mind, body and soul. And what better way it could be then calling out the 5,000 years old practice of Vedas, Yoga.

A journey to connect your mind with your soul and your body.

One of my colleagues who was already practicing it since 2 years, persuaded me and asked me to come with her for a trial session. I took the decision and moved with it. On the day of trial, I was nervous because I didn’t knew how my body would react and what exactly am I looking for.

But as the trial session ended, I felt something inside of me moved. Tears rolled down my face and on to my yoga mat. It felt as if I was holding myself back for ages and have just met myself face-to-face. But this was not all, this was just a beginning. And there I decided, I will let go of everything else and hold on to myself. I would give my self this one hour where I will be with me and only me. I committed to do what ever it takes to take control of my body and sync it with my mind and soul. Let the energy flows.

AQPY

This is the very place where it all started. It’s been a month now and I already feel a lot better. But as they say, Yoga is not just an exercise, it’s a life’s philosophy.

Through this blog I will share my journey into this ancient practice. My curiosity, my experiences, knowledge that I will gain; all will be posted here.

So this is it. This is the beginning of a new chapter. 🙂

Peace and Love to you all!
Stay calm and keep breathing 🙂