Sunday, 24 March 2019

The Bed & the Guilt




In any negative circumstances, we suffer most when we are alone with ourselves. Guilt is no different. Among any time in a day, the bedtime is worst for most of us. The bed is the place where our fears, guilt, shame etc. wreak havoc. We spend sleepless nights dealing with these emotions. The poem below beautifully captures our experience with guilt during the bedtime.   

The bed is the place where guilt grows.
Darkness falls,
Stories rise.
Body feels exhausted,
Mind seems activated
Events are revisited,
New narratives are created.
The bed is the place where mental fiction grows.


Such is the mind's role play,
All the parties to the case are present.
Hon'ble Judge is here,
Both, the prosecutor & the defense is here,
The annoying tick-tocking gavel is here, 
Unexpectedly, the witness is also here.
The bed is the court where arguments take place,

Mind unleashes new allegations,
Defense cripples with its versions,
The self remains a meek witness.
With no support from outside
We suffer in the silence of night
The bed is the place where the dispute grows

We twist & turn,
From this side to the other side,
As the stories are heard.
In these moments of loneliness,
Despite all the comforts,
We remain deprived.
The bed is the place where the endurance grows

As the tick-tock quiets,
A fresh breeze surrounds.
The self or the witness whispers,
Guides us to adjourn the court.
With a note "to be resumed tomorrow"
We let it go for the day.
The bed is also the place to let it go



Tuesday, 5 March 2019

Rejuvenating through Yoga




How many of us feel we are very busy with any kind of fitness activities?..almost every one of us. Our life in the modern world is fast paced. Every day is like a marathon starting from the point we get up to the point we get back to bed. We are in hurry everywhere be it driving, doing office work or any personal work. What else we are doing in between? We are busy on our gadgets browsing, chatting, shopping, networking etc.. According to a survey we spend nearly 3 hours on our mobiles. It is easier to spend time & of-course money through our mobiles but it is very hard for us to find time for ourselves.
What else has an impact on us? I am referring our environment here- the weather, air, food, water. The seasons now have extreme temperatures. Food is anything but natural. It is plucked days before it is served on our plates. It is genetically modified, have fertilizers, have pesticides & artificially ripened. You can imagine why you don’t get whole nutrition even after eating balanced food regularly. Similarly, our air is polluted with vehicular or industrial emissions and dust.
No wonder why diseases like high BP, stress, insomnia, anxiety, heart problems, chronic headache, asthma, gastric disorders etc. are on rising. The effect of toxins is such that some of us don’t even feel fresh after proper sleep. In such a given environment, we need daily rejuvenation. We need something to flush out the toxins every day.
Given our busy life & our environment Yoga is one of the best available options to lead a healthy life. It is a complete mind & body exercise. Actually, it is beyond mind & body. It needs about 30 mins a day which is even less than the time you will commute & get ready for a gym..no playground or no teacher..you don’t need a companion or friend. There are enough good quality resources available on the internet which you can refer to. You can do it all on your own..all you need is a blanket or mat, a well-ventilated room & an empty stomach.
Benefits of Yoga include flexibility, balance, better digestion, healthy aging, stress reduction, better sleep, concentration, resistance against diseases etc. The asanas help to activate our dormant glands and thus flush out toxins from the body. The benefits of yoga go beyond the body. We all know neuro-plasticity. Yoga can rewire the brain. It can upgrade our mind by making or breaking neuron connections for a healthy mind. It can help you overcome inner resistances & habits. The qualities like self-acceptance, empathy, stillness, and kindness would find a place in your heart automatically.
It is important here to mention that it is your journey to find your true self on your own. By this, I mean Yoga is not fixed to a set of asanas, pranayama & meditation. It is exploratory in nature & you have to take this journey through the eight limbs-Yama, Niyam, Asana, Pranayam, Pratyahara, Dharana, Dhyan and finally Samadhi. Even Patanjali didn’t mention how to take journey onwards from Dharana to Samadhi. It is you who have to take this forward.

Do it yourself & explore yoga in union with the supreme soul.