Anger

This is the first of the three part series on ANGER. I am trying to address an issue which is very pertinent for all of us (no exceptions). i would be covering what, why, & how of anger and its management. i hope some of us derive value from it.

It is your first day at work. You get up early complete your morning routines & are ready to go to work wearing your new shirt. Just then your servant accidentally spills tea on you. What do you do? You are a housewife, a mother. You are going to pick up your child in school when a big procession blocks your way & you are stuck for half an hour. How do you react?
Under these circumstances, a normal person would react in frustration and anger not knowing that it will only harm and worsen the situation. As lifestyles become increasingly hectic, more & more people are short-tempered and small incidents can irritate, enrage & provoke. Anger is a defense mechanism we use when we sense that someone is encroaching upon us.

Why do we get angry?
Habit – by watching & imitating the behaviour of our care-givers or our parents.
To gain control
To get what we want
To protect ourselves against real feelings or bad memories

To hide our feelings
To get others to help us
To avoid responsibility
To protect ourselves against real or imagined threats

The first step is to become aware that yes, you are vulnerable and you DO get angry off & on. Yoga also stresses a lot on self-awareness. Without it you just can't move ahead. So this week, just try and be aware (if possible note down) when you got angry, the reason for your anger and how you felt later.

Someone's rightly said that even the longest of journeys begin with the smallest of steps.

Headstand variation

Since i have recently blogged about the traditional headstand i thought it would be good to continue with it. i am not intent in taking names of each variation as they might exist in some schools (of yoga) might not in others; and will definitely have different names for a similar variation.

This is not at all a difficult variation if you are relatively comfortable with sirshasana. The only thing you have to be careful about is bringing back the legs together keeping them straight; as it might be a little challenging. Moreover it also stretches the inner thighs & pelvic muscles. Explore and discover............!!!

A moment we'll cherish for years......

No musings, no lessons, no learning......... just celebration!!!! i am failing to get the right words to express my emotions about our scintillating victory in the T20 World Cup Finals against our arch rivals Pakistan. i am sure most of you (who have been rooting for India) would share the same feeling.

What came out through our performance in the whole tournament as we marched ahead beating the giants like Australia, South Africa and England were: excellent team effort, leadership (controlled aggression of MSD), fearlessness, self-confidence, interdependence. It is heartening to see the team members from all regions, religions and communities; coming together, playing & frolicking in the victory. It's high time we brought it home!! Cheers to India and the Indian Cricket team.

Note: pics are from cricinfo.com

"Sweet Nothings"

• Sugar is bleached with phosphate of lime to give its sparkling white colour.
• Saccharin is a coal tar product.
• It takes an hour to chew 2 feet of cane from which we get one large lump of sugar.
• Acidic - resulting in ulcers, psychological disorders and hyperactivity. Best eg is children who become hyperactive after coming back from a birthday party!!
• Sugar is the best friend of food processing industry. Read the labels the next time you go grocery shopping. You'll be shocked to read sugar as an ingredient in most products - sauces, cereals, baby food, biscuits, breads etc.
• Forms plaque on arterial wall and may plug valves to the heart and fill the veins, causing high blood pressure.
• To replace refined sugar, use foods that are rich in natural enzymes, dried fruits (dates, figs, raisins, apricots etc), unrefined jaggery.

Adapted from sources at The Health Awareness Centre

Are you shunning the sun??

Sunlight is one of the most important aspects of nutrition. It gives LIFE. Make sure you expose yourself to the vital rays of the sun at least 20-30 minutes in a day. Early morning and evening when the sun is not too bright is the best time to sunbathe and sungaze as the harmful rays of the sun are practically non-existent. It helps in improving your health, skin, health of the joints and so on. People suffering from arthritis, osteoporosis or any other joint problem must do sunbathing for half an hour daily. If the sun is too bright do not look at it directly, as the retina of the eye can easily be damaged. Sunlight is also the only source of active vitamin D which is essential for the absorption of calcium in our body. Also I am quite reluctant to use sunblock creams. Its better to cover the exposed part rather then applying chemical rich cream to our skin when going out in scorching sun. Whatever it is, please don't shun the SUN!!

Being Grateful

Yesterday, I took the 1.01 local to Churchgate. At Mahim station, a young lady came in and sat opposite me. She was walking with crutches as she had lost a leg. As we reached dadar, she asked me whether the next station would be Lower Parel. "No, it's Elphinstine rd", I said thinking she wanted to get down at Lower Parel. As I got ready to disembark, she also came. I told her it was not her station. She said she wanted to get down at Dadar (the previous station) but she couldn't climb the bridge so she's coming ahead & taking a train back from the same platform!!!! "Oh ok", I managed to say and went my way.

It set me thinking..... We complain for such small things in life whereas she had to make extra effort for everything. Do we have a right to keep complaining???

Try to count your blessings and be grateful for what nature has given you. In the yogic texts, this concept of contentment (santosha) is mentioned as one of the observances (niyamas - 2nd step in the eight-fold path). It gives us mental peace & keeps us and the people around us happy.

Setu Bandha Sarvangasana - A Variation

All back bends are energizing & invigorating, & this is no different. It's a challenging variation of the setu bandha sarvangasana (bridge pose). After getting into the bridge, support your back with your palms, walk the legs further, balance properly, slightly tuck in the abdomen & then lift one leg up. The weight of the body is borne on the palms, wrists, elbows & shoulders. It gives a definite contraction to the lower back muscles and strengthens the core (abs, back). But again, it should be done under someones' guidance unless you have been practicing for a long time; and after a good warm up.

Challenge yourself and attain newer heights in everything you do in life!!

Tai Chi Chuan

I am extracting this paragraph on Tai Chi from an article written by my Tai Chi teacher (Mr. Christopher Fernandes).

"Tai Chi Chuan is a traditional Chinese exercise that seeks to enhance balance, body awareness and overall well being it combines deep diaphragmatic breathing and relaxation with slow, gentle movements. Tai Chi appears to look like a graceful dance, but many practitioners have described it as a form of moving meditation. 'Tai' means highest, 'Chi' means outermost point or peak energy, 'Chuan' means balance, metaphorically action, a word that connotes power & control over one's own actions. Tai Chi Chuan also means Supreme Ultimate Reality."

You might have come across on various TV channels; groups of people practicing slow rhythmic movements in parks or gardens. You might have also heard of Tai Chi. Let me tell you that Tai Chi is one of the fastest growing forms of exercise in the west. I have been learning since the past 6 months under my teacher and i really enjoy it. There are many parallels b/w Yoga & Tai Chi which i would address later. The benefits, my experiences, some specific techniques are all there to write about but for today just the introduction is enough. If you have any questions to ask my teacher, i'll be happy to forward your emails to him.

Till then.............keep practicing whatever that you are learning!!!

Get rid of Constipation

Most of the people suffer from chronic constipation even though they might not be aware of it. Again it's not just the inability to pass motion but also insufficiency, more frequency etc. It is believed that constipation is the root cause of many ailments including cough, cold, skin eruptions, colic, piles etc. The body's inability to efficiently eliminate waste translates into various other conditions.

The acupressure course that i am currently attending asks us to take 1 tsp of herde powder with warm water immediately on getting up in the morning, followed by 2 glasses of warm water. We should then subsequently massage the middle of the chin (chin dimple) with our index finger for 2 minutes. This has to be done for 10 days continuously. This can be tried by almost everyone except those already suffering from illness.

Yoga also has various ways of relieving constipation. Apart from the various asanas, pranayamas, there are also kriyas like kapalbhati, agnisar, vaman dhouti, shankhaprakshalan with help in all digestive troubles. But this should be done under a teacher's guidance only.

Nutrition asks us to do more physical activity, have fibrous foods, water etc.

i also feel that constipation is basically hoarding. So people who have a tendency to hoard things, for whom it is difficult to 'let go' are more likely to suffer from constipation. They cannot practice 'forgive & forget'. They tend to keep past grudges. They find it difficult even to ask for forgiveness. They can't express themselves so well and they even store fat. It's astonishing the way our physical and mental spheres are connected. So try and be more flexible, keep only what you need, give away unused, unwanted things and forgive!!

Get rid of constipation. Everyone has a right to feel, light, energetic and motivated. Don't deny.....

Headstand – The King of Asanas

Sirsasana is not called the king of asanas without any reason. There are a host of physical, physiological, mental & spiritual benefits you derive from practicing headstand. As it’s a pose against gravity, it gives us a lot of confidence of overcoming fear of falling.

Try and cultivate the attitudes of vairagya (detachment) – of letting go of the fears, ego, surrendering ourselves, humility; and aishwarya (self-esteem, self-confidence, sense of achievement) would follow. The benefits of this asana would accrue more at the physical & mental level if practiced with utmost dedication & concentration. For eg when you try to let go of the fear of falling, it translates into your life by giving you the confidence to accept greater challenges. Believe me, it does happen!!! It also gives tremendous satisfaction with your own being.

There is a line of perfect alignment in headstand with which if you stay gives you a feeling of lightness. And that is what you should aim for. I try to do headstands regularly for about 3 minutes followed by child’s pose for a minute. And I don’t know whether its because of that but my hair, skin quality has improved; so has my memory & sharpness of the mind. There are many variations which you can do of this pose & which I’ll blog on subsequently.

Note: Headstand is an intermediate / advance pose (depending on the variations) & to be strictly done under the guidance of an experienced teacher.

For more on this refer to: Asana Pranayama Mudra Bandha (Bihar School), The Sivananda Companion to Yoga, Light on Yoga (BKS Iyengar), Yoga Journal.

Squat - A variation

This is a nice variation of the regular squat and can be added to your practice as an individual asana or part of the suryanamaskar sequence. It not only strengthens the quadriceps (thigh muscles) but also gives a good twist and a squeeze to the spine. Try and twist more using the elbow to push your chest out more. People with knee problems ought to be careful!! In this picture because of lack of awareness one of my knees is slightly out, but maintain both at the same level. Hold it till you are comfortable with your discomfort :-) Add spice to your practice & have fun. Ciao.....

Don't go after the exotic!!!

Kiwis, Australian apples, flax seeds, hazelnuts, pecans, and many other expensive, exotic foods procured from global markets are the 'in' thing of today. But i strongly feel that there is no need to take food to this extent.

Food should be seasonal, fresh and local. That is power food and will supply you with the nutrients your body requires staying in that surroundings that you are. The advantages of eating locally are:

• It is less expensive. (one kg of cauliflower costs Rs 40 as against Rs 120 for a kg of broccoli)


• It caters to the rhythms of our body which changes according to seasons. For eg spinach is fresh, healthy & less worm-infested


• It provides nutrients needed for us in that particular season and also boosts immunity. For eg karelas (bitter gourd) available in monsoon protects us from many monsoon related illnesses


• You leave behind a smaller carbon footprint (think of how many miles your food has travelled the next time you sit to eat. The farther it has the more has been the use of already depleting world resources)


• There is always a question of freshness, aliveness in a food eaten fresh from farm and 'fresh' from cold storage.


• We have an incredible variety to chose from every season!!!

You can also refer to this article about seasonal foods and their benefits.

So eat in season for a reason. Eat local, think global. And be healthy.

Health Tip

Don't throw away the vegetable pulp after making juice. Use it in your rotis. The leftover pulp can also be used with a few drops of lemon and a pinch of haldi to scrub your body. Works better than soap and leaves your skin supple.