Traveling to explore AYURVEDA

Reminiscing and sharing my Ayurvedic experiences with you, as week 2 in South India comes to an end! 
The week started with a super relaxing and detoxing 10 day treatment, which is a combination of Sirodhara and Pizhichil. 
Sirodhara is an easy way to achieve instant calm and rejuvenation. It derives from two Sanskrit words: shiro and dhara. Shiro means head and dhara means to flow. It involves the consistent flow of aromatic oils on the forehead, specifically on the 'third eye'. As the oil strokes this chakra between the eyebrows, it has a balancing effect on the deepest recesses of the brain, stimulating the endocrine system, the pituitary and pineal glands. The oil is allowed to flow over the scalp and through the hair creating a blissful sensation. 
Sirodhara is an effective therapy for mental relaxation and cures insomnia, stress, depression, and decreased mental agility. The procedure is also said to synchronize alpha brain waves, enhance blood circulation to the brain, improve mental clarity and generally relexation.

Pizhichil is a king among the traditional therapies with exemplary benefits. The whole body is bathed in streams of lukewarm medicated oil with simultaneous soft massage for one hour. Six therapists attend to the client, and squeeze more than three liters of relaxing, medicated oil, from a cloth which is dipped in oil. Especially when they pour oil over the feet, hmmmmmm.... no words for that...! This is one of the most relaxing things I’ve ever experienced!!!

It’s my seventh day today, and after 10 days are over, all the toxins will be purged out of the body by some more Ayurvedic treatments.

And yes, the food experience here is making me feel very clean and light! The staff here has been serving fresh organic food which is made and served with so much love. The food is wholesome and easy to digest. It’s South Indian food comprising of sambar (lentil soup), dosa ( rice and lentil pancake) and green vegetables served with fresh coconut chutney. My digestion has already improved and I feel lighter and brighter!

The solitude is working as a catalyst in my journey inwards! After the treatments, most of my day is spent doing meditation, pranayama, reflection and reading. Just loving it all !!

One day at a time... leading to absolute relaxation and rejuvenation of body, mind and soul 🙏🏽

AYURVEDA: Nature's Remedy

Life is slowly but surely becoming a series of SERENDIPITY !!

The opportunity to go to South India for 5 weeks, to undergo PANCHAKARMA at an Ayurvedic Institute, was another example of serendipity, and how small steps lead to effortless journeys!!!

Since last one week, I’m in Coimbatore and I had never thought I’ll come here, till a friend asked me to join her on this trip. Leaving comfort of home, family and work for 5 weeks was a challenge, but I walked through the door which was opening with FAITH and absolute SURRENDER.

My friend and I, are in a small village in Coimbatore called Pathanjali, where the VIBRATIONS of the great yogis and sages abound since centuries. One can feel the energy here instantly!! Tucked away in a jungle, with hills in the backdrop,sounds and sights of birds and peacocks are so soothing to the soul. All I can say is after a long flight and an arduous car ride to this remote area, it’s all worthwhile!

I’m here for my, not so perfect digestion since last few years, and lingering back pain. As week 1 is coming to an end, I am finishing with a treatment called ABHYANGAM. It’s a full body massage with medicated oils, done by two therapists in a synchronized manner. 
Let’s see what’s next!! 

For next few days, I’ll keep sharing my good and not so good experiences with you!! 
Stay tuned💛🙏🏽

Don't limit yoga to just increasing flexibility!

The above blog title comes from a person, me, who started yoga with the idea of increasing flexibility and then found way more!!! Please don't limit the benefits of something so wholistic and so profound like yoga. The structural aspect of yoga, like asanas, flexiblity, and the ability to do pretzel poses, is like scratching the surface of something which is so deep. What you get from yoga is way more. That is if yoga is practiced with discipline, diligence and devotion. 

In my experience of practicing and teaching yoga, I have seen people who can do all those asanas with immense flexibility and strength, but are breath holders! Their energy may be somewhat balanced but their mind is a total mess!! A center focussed yoga practice improves you slowly, in a wholistic way. It improves your posture, the way you breathe, balances your energy , tunes your mind (decreases stress,depression, anger, increases calmness and sleep quality) and ultimately connects you with your true inner self. 

Practicing yoga is like walking in the fog. Unlike when you walk in the rain, you know you will get wet and in fact you do get wet or rather soaked and you see it. But when you walk in the fog, you do not know that you will get wet and you do not see yourself getting wet. But as you keep walking, the fog is slowly seeping in through your clothes, your hair, your skin and it's making you wet without making you realize. That's how the effects of yoga work! You may not see them to begin with. But the magic has started! Gradually, with every class, every asana and with every deep breath, the change is happening. All you have to do is keep walking in the fog till you realize that you are wet. And this wetness, this change, is way more than you had ever anticipated!

You begin to be in tune, not only with your own body but also with your mind. You can feel the energy shifting, the mood changing, the breath getting shallow or faster. And that awareness of each and every cell in your body, is true yoga!!!

-Manisha.

A simple way to sit straighter

You can practice this effective way to straighten the spine while sitting on the floor, in Sukhasana (cross legged) or in Vajrasana (Knees bent and heels under the hips) or even while sitting in a chair.

Close your eyes, bring your attention to your sit bones and move our taibone in and lengthen your spine up to behind your nose. Visualize your spine in your mind's eye. Direct more and more prana into your spine (by deep breathing) until you are fully lengthened and can sense each vertebra coming alive. Focus precisely on moving upwards every vertebrae and disc in your spine. Keep the sitbones anchored down, just like anchoring the feet in Tadasana (Mountain pose).

Now bring your focus to the head and neck. Feel your head balancing on the top of your spine by lengthening the back of your skull and drawing a line from the upper palate to the back of the skull. Now relax your eyebrows and all the muscles in your face. 

Take a few quiet, conscious breaths and feel the vitality of a correct posture!

TRIANGLE POSE (Utthita Trikonasana)

Following up with our series of simple Standing asanas, here are the details of Triangle pose. Before starting, remember to let go of the ego which wants us to get deeper into the pose regardless of the alignment. Form, breath and awareness is of prime importance in any asana practice.

'Utthita' means 'extended'. 'Trikon' means 'triangle'.

GETTING INTO THE POSTURE: Keep your feet 3-4 feet apart. Place a block behind the heel of your right foot . Turn the right foot out at 90 degrees and turn the left toes inwards at about 45 degrees. Make sure the heel of the right foot is in line with the arch of the left foot. For a better alignment, press your right heel down on the mat and lift your toes up. Then tighten the right knee and flatten your foot on the mat again. Distribute the weight evenly between heels and balls of the feet. Rotate the muscles of the inner right thigh outward and you will feel the hips squaring up. Do not lock or hyper extend the knees. Keep the toes relaxed. 

Raise your arms parallel to the floor and in line with each other. Stretch the arms out from the back of the elbows. Inhale and lift your chest and exhale relax the shoulder blades and the back of the neck. Inhale, and as you exhale, drop the pelvis sideways to right. Place the right hand flat on the block or on the floor. Adjust your weight till there is more weight on the right heel and less on the right palm. Now raise your left arm up, palm facing the front. Bring it in line with the right arm so that both shoulders are stacked on each other. Inhale and rotate the entire left side (hip and shoulder) back so that the body is in one plane. Exhale turn the neck to turn the head to look up at the left fingers.

WHILE IN THE POSTURE: Once you are in the posture, relax you throat, jaw and eyes. Keep the outside of your left leg firm. Tuck in our buttocks and tailbone. The more you can feel the connection to the ground through your legs, the more you will be able to lengthen the spine and release the neck. Let the breath relax all the stretched muscles, in the feet, legs, hips, spine, arms, neck and face. Focus on the breath to and be aware of the asana in every muscle and every cell. Become one with the asana!!Hold it for 30 seconds to one minute while breathing evenly.

GETTING OUT OF THE POSTURE: Inhale and lift the right palm from the floor/block. Lift up the torso from the left arm by putting weight on the right foot. Straighten the torso. Exhale, bring the arms down. Repeat the same on the other side.

BENEFITS OF ASANA: Physical- Tones thighs and legs. Strengthens the spine and back. Alleviates backache. Opens up the shoulders and hips. Physiological- Improves digestion. Reduces menstrual discomfort.

CAUTION: Do not turn the neck to look up if you have high blood pressure or dizziness. Just look down. Do not raise the arm up if you have cardiac issues. Keep the hand on the hip.