Learning Yoga - My Resolution in 2020

I belong to the category of species who will do something only when I am convinced. I hated Gym since the idea of lifting those heavy stones watching nonsense songs on-screen never enticed me. I did 7 nights 8 days solo trip to Bhutan in December 2019 were I enjoyed trekking in those beautiful mountains. I wrote my Bhutan blog which was more on my travel experiences and the introspection which I did during my travel. 

https://rediscoveringmyselfinbhutan.blogspot.com/2019/12/my-solo-backpacking-in-bhutan.html

Over the years I have developed a habit of observing people. I found people in Bhutan to be extremely fit & flexible. They were equally content with what they have in their life. I belong to the species who are called Couch Potatoes. I love reading & watching old Bollywood classics, foreign language films in my past time. I believe that one hobby can generate the willpower to install a new habit. I would like to thank my friend Amit Baliarsingh who recommended me the book Autobiography of a yogi which I loved reading. I had read the monk who sold his Ferrari earlier & was impressed by Robin Sharma. My Bhutan Trip along with these 2 books had a profound influence on me and were the real triggers for trying Yoga.

My wife Purva introduced me to Viraj Yoga which is owned by Mr. Dayanand Raje & Mrs. Gayatri Dayanand Raje. They are certified, Yoga teachers & practitioners. I got myself registered on 6th Jan 2020 and started learning Yoga from them. Every change is extremely difficult in the beginning. An individual has his emotional architecture which he calls routine. Once, you try to install a new habit, you are trying to destroy that old architecture. Statistically, it takes 66 days to install a habit. After 66 days you reach a point which you called atomicity. I am sailing in that messy phase at the moment where my body still resists me when I try to wake up at 5.30 am. But, I believe that Change is difficult at the start, messy in middle and beautiful in the end.

I started liking Ashtanga Yoga which is taught by Dayanand sir from day 1. The slow pace, breathing control, stretching are something I love during the early hours. Most of the time it is the journey that is beautiful rather than the destination. We start with morning prayer followed by Suryanamaskar as a warmup. It follows some stretching since the body is rigid during the morning hours. I have always enjoyed new things in parts, probably thinking which I developed after analyzing screenplays in movies. I love the point where we try the balancing yoga – Navasan or the boat pose. I am not able to do it properly. It looks simple on its face value. Dayanand sir keeps on saying that my boat is off-balance which brings a smile 😊. Metaphorically, I always think of the song “Chingari Koi Bhadke” from Amar Prem when I do Navasan. “Chingari Koi Bhadke” is a boat song based on Raag Bharavi which is a combination of all raagas and hence the word “balance” here is important. Suspending the disbelief is crucial when trying Yoga. Shirsasana (Headstand) is something where I need support but I enjoy doing it. There are still much seating and standing poses, twists, challenging poses, and bandha techniques which I am trying.

As far as benefits are concerned, I feel fresh for the most part of the day. The psychological effect is much better. Some habits have the power to start a chain reaction and change other habits. These are keystone habits, and they can influence how one works, eats, plays, lives, spends, and communicates. Keystone habits start a process that transforms everything. Lastly, Mr & Mrs Dayanand Raje are down to earth people, good teachers who believe that modesty is the best policy.