Yoga, yog and the missing a…

So International Yoga Day is upon us once again.

And it’s that time of the year, when we all receive mails from studios, big and small, for a 1-2 hour free session, mostly to bait you for the monthly or quarterly sessions.

Some plain vanilla, some exotic. Some offering speed yoga, others mindful yoga, and some others a crash course in postures and a few even promising to make you a yoga instructor in two hundred hours.

And just like the aerobics of the 80s, the gym sessions of the 90s, and the Zumbas and pilates of late…yoga becomes just another entry in your packed ‘health’ schedule.

So is this what International Yoga Day is about? Like Earth Day, a token of appreciation, a reminder and a superficial celebration?

And so here is a mini-series of three articles to get you started with yog. Not yoga.

The missing ‘a’ is what makes all the difference. One is an ode to merchandising and the other is a token of simplicity.

One is a combination of postures and the other is a melting of mind and body.

One is a part of a crowded and mixed fitness schedule, and the other is a way of life.

No guess on which is which:)

Here is the first of the series – mindful eating.

Mindfulness. 

A new mantra in the West, but a concept ingrained in all Eastern traditions, mindfulness is the new yoga. There are books been written on mindfulness, seminars and convocations conducted, and larger corporates are warming up to the fact that mindfulness does make a difference to employee happiness and more importantly(in their eyes), productivity. 

So what is mindfulness? 

Here is a small exercise that you can try out. For today, observe yourself while you go about your day – from when you are in the shower, to when you eat, to even when you read this blog. Observe what you are thinking about as you perform these tasks. if you drive, then be conscious of what you are thinking when you drive, when you see a program on TV – observe again…

Most of us live on auto-mode. We wake up, check our phones, freshen up, have breakfast, work, eat, phone, exercise (hopefully), and sleep. But did you notice how you go about it? When in the shower – we end up thinking about some task at work that needs to be completed, when having breakfast, our eyes are on our phone – checking the news, twitter (and these days, the death count) and social media. When we drive to work, our minds are on that important meeting that is going to happen in a few hours. Oddly enough, if that meeting goes on for long, your mind has already reached home and made plans for the evening..and at that movie – its back to the phone checking news and email, and WhatsApp. 

Why are we living in fast forward??

Keep reading at https://www.rohitghai.com/21-day-sadhana-challenge-day-11/

to be continued…