xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xmlns:og="http://ogp.me/ns#" Goes the Distance: Rise and Shine

Thursday, February 25, 2010

Rise and Shine

Proud to say I have Coorgi blood flowing in my veins.
We are an annoyingly stubborn,proud,

coffee loving community that the English could never conquer,
through battle or by any other means...
I guess that explains why it has produced some of India's finest military generals.....
......and it also explains my blown up ego and dangerous coffee addiction !

Consuming gallons of coffee on virtually any occasion....
had gotten me staying awake way too long.....
It sent my body clock on a similar schedule as my OU exams.
An hour of sleep here........36 hours of work there.
My head buzzing.....hands shaking....Songs playing in my head.
Stubborn as I am,I just kept going on and on......

before I realized I was getting way too addicted to work.
I knew I needed help and this time....Miles Davis' music was'nt going to do it.

Enter Mommy....
Ma's been an AOL volunteer for years 
and has always wanted me to be a little more spiritually inclined :-)
Not that that I disregarded spirituality......or any of our Yogic and Spiritual Gurus.
Just that I've always felt that if I was going to go in that direction,
 it should be wholeheartedly and not cause I had to be pushed towards it.
Anyways......watching me do the crazy robot .....pushed my Mom's panic button.
I am pretty sure she said to herself in a most Matrix like fashion......"It is time."....

Give your son a blasting of his life,

tell him he is a total moron.....
and tell him he totally takes after his Dad ! :-)
Then cool down....and explain to him that he needs to get a life..
.......one that he is in control of...
And then do the unthinkable.......enroll him into a Yoga class !

Mommy Dearest...
All my life,you have embarrassed me more than a few times ...
but this is more than I can take....or so I thought to myself.
Watching yoga on TV is fun (sometimes) but I never thought
I would actually be the one stretching my insides 
and taking on the most awkward of poses.

To top it all up...I had to rise early.
'Early'.....ah ! .......I now remember that word.....

So I began on a Monday....
Woke up at 5 and got to the hall by 6.
I was the youngest person there.
Told myself,"Keep your eyes closed and you'll be fine".

Began with some light breathing exercises, chanted the 'OM'.
and we started off with some stretches I had never imagined possible.
 
It had only been an hour.......
and I had already become a cat,a monkey,a baby,a dog.
I had ridden an imaginary bicycle,rowed an imaginary boat,
pushed against walls,churned butter and played SuperMan.
( if you could visualize what that Asana might be like.....you could feel my pain. )
God....How much longer ? .....How much more pain?
Talk yourself through it.....All in your head !.....All in your Head !

It was then that I felt the transformation......an overwhelming force
and yet a comfortable feeling that my system was beginning to heal itself.
I lost hold of all the thoughts that were going through my head.
My mind went blank and I just did'nt care about what I could or could'nt do.

I did'nt 'think' of doing,
I did'nt 'try' to do,
.........I just 'did'..........
There was no thought...just action.

There was neither my work...nor my concerns.....nor my ego......nor me.
Just the voice and the feel.....
A flow that was new to me and yet....not a stranger .

Yoga is derived from the ancient word 'Yuj'.
Means "Union with the Divine".
The approach of Yoga is to balance the flow of energy through the mind and body...
By unblocking our energy channels,
it unlocks any clogs in our system
and regulates the flow of "Prana"-meaning the life force.

I left the hall with something I came without.
A new found awareness, an energy unlocked.
At the end of each hour I find myself........relaxed and refreshed.

To be introduced to something that someone in my place would generally consider uncool,
and to experience first hand....something that empowers and yet grounds....is a first for me.
Would I recommend it to my peers ?..yes I would...
Would I expect them to take to it.......No I would'nt.
At our age,we are way too exposed and conditioned by the Tube and the Puppet Masters,
to understand and regard the value of this ancient yet timeless knowledge.

By some unusual twist of  circumstances,
I find myself lucky to have experienced what I did.
Feeling
silly and yet a lot wiser .

Like they say......Mom knows best.

Mom...I guess you do.....
And the next time you plan to embarrass your Silly Son !
....There'll be a 'Thank You' card waiting :-)

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