A special class

We had a very interesting session this Saturday, 13th March 2010, with yoga trainer Gurpreet Singh, (from the Bharat Thakur yoga clan teaching in Moscow at present) seen on the extreme right in the first picture . He was here in Ahmedabad for the weekend and his friend turned out to be my student Meera who was sweet enough to arrange the session with us. The highlight of the session of course was partner stretching (cudnt take those pictures as was busy enjoying the session) towards the end of the class which made everybody relax and unwind.

I am always very keen on inviting other teachers to the centre as it gives all the members a refreshing change from my 5 days a week sessions. Moreover, i strongly believe that there is something to learn from all whether he / she is a beginner or a seasoned instructor. Everyone is a different human being and their classes reflect their experience, training and thoughts which are bound to be different. It gives me a different perspective and opens up my mind.

A few weeks back i had Nipa (a friend and a yoga trainer from New York) take a session here. The highlight of her session was her absolutely articulate instructions and her way of conveying YOGA to the class.

It's a delight to get flavors of YOGA from around the world.

Yoga and sports

Last Saturday, i held my tennis racquet after a gap of almost 10 years. i love the game i picked up in school and continued playing till college, and would definitely like to keep going. The reason why i m writing this and its connection to yoga i chanced upon when i was giving my first session of play (after a long sabbatical) an after thought.

All those who have played tennis or any other sport for that matter must know that it requires a lot of strength, stamina, reflexes, concentration, co-ordination etc. My first day of play was a surprise to me, i m not saying that i was hitting aces and winners, i could barely connect at first but i observed a few interesting things.

- my reflex action was quicker

- my shoulder and arm strength had improved

- my wrists felt stronger

- my racquet was less wobbly while doing strong volleys

- the day after soreness was NOT there

- i was covering the court well and anticipating better

- i was less breathless

All this after 10 years of not playing!!! I attribute this solely to my yoga practice (yoga lifestyle, asanas, pranayamas, concentration). So i firmly believe that whatever you are doing in the world in any field and all sport, yoga can help you get BETTER.

ps: above is a pic of Rafa Nadal one of the best amongst the current players

NOW......!!!

MySpace Codes!
It's been a while since i posted here. What made me come out of this sabbatical was just a quiet observation. Read on:

i was on my way back the other day and there was a marriage procession on the street with a music band playing and a few people dancing in a group while the rest were walking alongside. What caught my eye (and heart) was not this. There were a few hutments alongside the road and i was amazed to see the children of slum dwellers also dancing to the tunes, laughing and enjoying. They lived in shanty homes, could barely manage to fill their stomach (with food they would not have choice of) had old clothes and unkempt hair. Yet they taught me to LIVE IN THIS MOMENT and not worry about the past or future. They taught me that happiness is but a state of mind which you can enter at any time provided you want it. You don't have to depend on your circumstances to be happy. Well can i say that those children are more SPIRITUAL then us. I might not be able to do justice to what i actually felt but in a few words, I WAS HUMBLED.

The one thing that i can learn is to keep this picture in my heart and refer to it whenever i get disappointed, disheartened, saddened or unhappy. For you all, i am sure there are certainly some "pictures" you have come across in life, some worthwhile holding on to.

The Daily Motivator - Owning failure

The Daily Motivator - Owning failure

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i think it holds so true for me. somehow i find it very difficult to own up to my failures. i put my heart and soul in my work and with that comes the expectation of good results. so sometimes it is difficult to change direction and see things like a witness and mark the mistakes. it just suggests that i disown my shortcomings thus limiting the scope for any improvement. but again awareness is the first step to change and gives a lot of food for thought. won't you agree???

To all moms & moms-to-be

i got a greeting card from a neighbor who'd written a beautiful poem which conveys a lot about how we raise our children and it's all the more relevant in today's time where materialism has taken precedence over everything else, sometimes even more than a parent-child relationship. You may say that this is a competitive world and we have to give the best to our children and the likes of such statements but "have you asked them what they want?"

i am glad i got this card early so i can keep going back to it whenever i feel i an drifting......

the poem goes like this............

If I had my child to raise all over again.

I'd build self esteem first and the house later.

i'd finger-point more and point the finger less.

i would do less correcting and more connecting.

i'd take my eyes off my watch and watch with my eyes.

i'd take more hikes and fly more kites.

i'd stop playing serious and seriously play.

i would run thru more fields and gaze at more stars.

i'd do more hugging and less tugging.

- Diane Loomans

Even yoga says that the first duty is towards yourself, then family and then work.

well it's time to start applying, right???

Yoga Dance

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From this month i am adding a new feature to my centre - YOGA DANCE, as a part of my regular classes. i love dance an have trained formally in Kathak. Besides that i love dancing and it is from that, that this idea was conceptualized.

It's a heady concoction of yoga and movements from other dance forms, choreographed to music.

It’s fun when we get a chance to explore yoga postures in a dance form. Of course, both yoga & dance are amongst the few ancient systems of India and so deep down they share similar philosophies.

Here, more than anything else, the aim is to challenge movement, coordination, memory, flexibility, creativity and a chance to explore our own bodies. So put on your dancing shoes and let go to the rhythm!!!

Just Sharing ...

I feel really inspired and encouraged as to having been given coverage by our leading newspaper daily the Times of India. the article - yoga with the ball appeared yesterday.

Special thanks to Aruna (TOI reporter) who felt a story on Yoga Rhythms was worth doing.

Let me not miss a chance to thank all those who have been instrumental in giving shape to the centre. First and foremost my parents who saw to it that every brick was laid perfectly, that things co-ordinated well, my baby is comfortable and rest of the admin in place. They are as much a part of this as I am. My friend Anjali who designed my logo and card, Neha who did the paintings and is still doing one more, architect atul uncle who's a family friend, our interior designer Malav Padia and his team, my baby (6 month old) who's been very co-operative, my hubby who's always encouraging, my dearest friend pramila who's like my partner tho in bombay, my supportive in-laws, all the staff and the rest of the people who make lives easy for you. Last but not the least i would thank my students who put faith in me.

It gives me real pleasure to plan, design and execute each session that i take as all the rest of the things are taken care of by my strong back bone. Without that i'll be completely lame.

So instead of calling it my centre, i would rather call it YOGA RHYTHMS - our yoga centre.