Within or without!

So, there I was, after seriously considering it to be slow and for older variety of humankind, inside the studio of a local yoga class, wonders never cease. I had just ventured in to enquire, what I ended up doing was taking a membership and joining the studio.

The studio is very inviting, warm spaces with big windows looking out onto the tops of trees and the houses. Wooden flooring with peaceful music all around and exciting props to reinvent myself in various curves and shapes.  The instructors very smiling, helpful and super flexible. Among some other folk, who looked so super fit, sat I wondering in my head will I make the cut or end up collapsing on my weak back! Now, that would be a memory of a lifetime for me. Either-ways it would be fun concluded my self-doubting self.

So , there started my journey of attending various styles of yoga, yang and yin to name a few, in various levels of difficulty, slow-flow (ideal for the very rigid me), yoga flow (for the adventurous me) and yin yoga (for the incredibly lazy me). Time flew by as i twisted and turned and flopped upside down. I met super positive people, improved a little and generally relaxed a lot. The husband wondered whether at all i did any or simply went there to lie down on my yoga mat, poor soul he hardly knows breathing is the key, inhale and exhale.

What however attracted me to the studio was this incredible feeling of being at home. I am an Indian, all brown skin and black hair, but never while growing up in India touched yoga with a pole! Instead choosing to gyrate and do aerobics and such stuff. Here I was million miles away from India, feeling all cushy and at home in a studio filled with very un-Indian, extremely talented instructors finally accepting my cultural gift! They chanted Sanskrit mantras, said ‘Namaste’ and told tales of our Gods and Goddesses explaining the celebration of Diwali, Holi and such festivals. They described the gods and goddesses and what they represent and to top it all, took frequent trips to India to connect and rejuvenate. Phew! I felt faintly confused, what am I doing in this country? What followed was a series of question and answer session with the husband who gently pacified me that we are not hypocrites, and well everyone had different goals in life! Basically I should not make hasty decision and run to India immediately spending money on airfare and taking yoga lessons in our home town! We would plan our trip, five months in advance.

Getting right back to yoga, the studio has finally showed me that how much India has to offer to the world and to its own people, instead of politicians wasting time to choose new names for old cities. If only, we embrace it right there instead of having to travel several miles away to realize its worth!

Upside Down

Oooh! It’s almost December where is the snow?

I miss those chilly nights, the smell of snow and the blinking lights all aglow.

I miss the glow in the dark Christmas trees.

I miss the grand event of lighting them all up at a count of three.

I miss eating hot chocolate with marshmallows in the snowy mornings during the school holidays.

I miss the Christmas Jumpers and the onesies to roll around in all day!

I miss visiting the Christmas Markets in the dark all bundled up in warm, furry things.

I miss drinking apple cider at 5, to keep myself from shivering.

I miss making snow-angels and snow-mans!

Actually I miss Christmas in winter all said and done.

Snow in my mind is associated with December and Christmas, imagining Santa Claus all bundled up in his reds delivering our presents, while sitting in a sledge pulled by reindeer’s.

Open your eyes……..its sunny and warm and well you are down under, looking towards a yellow Christmas, Santa in T-shirts and shorts having an ice-cream.

My mind is elsewhere but I’m not there…..its all upside down.

Lemon Squash for Ladies

It is hard to be something that you have never been imbibed with. Growing up it has always been that:

You are not there yet, if you haven’t got into the right career, by which it means a job that pays you pots of money.

It is important to be married to someone successful, by whose definition that is a mystery!

As a woman if you are just raising a child then you are in the 18th century mate!

If you are holding a very high profile job which invariably means leaving your offspring in the care of babysitters and nannies, then you are doomed! Most of the times we feel guilty, or a sense of failure or loss.

Basically what I’m trying to say that our upbringing has been a lot of goalposts and checklists that need to be ticked off, which can be a burden.

What the reality is saying? That life is always throwing curve balls and getting past that in a good frame of mind is the key to survival. Lot of these curve balls have not been faced by our parents so it is an uncharted territory at most.

So there are a few takes from snapshot of my life and its curve balls.

It’s very crucial that if you have a child that you be a parent first, that is the most important job. By being a parent it means to be a conscious parent, doing it with awareness and adapting to this present world. Easily said than done.

It is okay to have no job, if that is you,  but it is essential to have a passion. A space where only you exist and not your designation as a mother, wife, daughter etc. In this capacity volunteer, donate and do something which does not tie you down to a price-tag.

It is okay to have a high-profile job but take that time out to be fully present with your child sometime in the week. Fully present, means that literally, body, mind and soul!

It is important to celebrate the small things in life, maybe after you knit your first sweater, or perfectly bake that cake. Life is not only about that big house, big car and even that huge bank balance, these help though!

What matters however are the connections we make along the journey, some lasts for a while, some goes on a while longer, they all say something about you, they all are reflection of you!

Most importantly the universe only responds if you give something back, something that is a reflection of you and you alone. So step into the light ladies and shine away, what matters is now and how we shape it!