It turns out, I might not be able to blame that giant hamburger for all of my stomach problems this past weekend. When my symptoms persisted long after that meal had left my body, I decided it was time to contact a doctor here in Hyderabad. She started me on three drug regimen, which I dutifully followed, despite my skepticism in her over-the-phone diagnosis and hasty prescription. To my (and my mom's) relief, my symptoms turned around in 24 hours! I still don't really know what these magic medicines are, but I am feeling totally like myself again-- thank goodness!
But, this week was not only healing for my digestive track! My mind and soul were also rejuvenated at a five-day beginners workshop in Sri Sri Yoga. Uncle had previously participated in a workshop with the same foundation, called Art of Living. He highly recommended the course, but Suzanne, Kyla, and I weren't so sure about the idea. Firstly, it required getting up at 5:00 am all week, a week that happened to end in my most stressful final exam. Plus, the flyer made it kind of sound like a bunch of bologna, guaranteeing five yoga classes would bring definite weight loss, strengthened bones, better functioning of endocrine gland, and decreased reliance on drugs.
At the same time, I have been complaining all semester about wanting to do more yoga while I am living in the philosophy's birth land. The class at the campus yoga center conflicts exactly with my hindi class, and I have been too busy to commit to a course off campus. With a little trepidation, I decided that this workshop could be the perfect opportunity to fit yoga into my India experience. Plus, what better timing for "more pleasant and peaceful mind" and "decreased tension and stress" than my first week of finals. I was hoping the deep breathing might somehow help regulate my digestive track, too, since the advertisements made this practice sound like a cure-all.
I was still pretty sick on Monday morning, when my alarm went off at 5:15 am. But, now that the week is complete, I could not be happier with my decision to attend this workshop. First of all, I was surprised how much I really loved waking up before the sun. My days this week felt so long, in the most productive and fulfilling way. I hit the bed every night around 10:00 pm feeling absolutely accomplished, before I instantly fell asleep. In this city of constants sights, smells, and sounds, the morning time is refreshingly peaceful. The air is cool and crisp and the sunrise is a beautiful faded peach color, behind the now-familiar sky line. I got back home each morning around 8:30, to have breakfast at my usual time and head to campus feeling so alive and energized. Uncle continually told me this week that he could "see my halo glowing", which I thinks means yoga worked its magic.
I was one of about three hundred Hyderabdis to attend this workshop, in a beautiful outdoor venue ten minutes from my house. The yoga class itself was two hours longs, but most days it flew by. We practiced breathing techniques, sun salutations, all sorts of asanas (yoga positions), a little cardio, and of course, meditation. We also did this really interesting exercise where you basically force yourself to laugh. It was awkward at first, but I really think that it improved my mood! Of course, there is that psychological principle that if you act as though you feel a certain way, you will actually take on that emotion. I also think that feigning laughter really required letting our guards down and just looking silly in a way that was totally refreshing.
The yoga instructor was this extremely charismatic woman named Kamlesh Barwal, who has been living in an ashram for the last thirteen years. She had a great sense of humor that kept us smiling throughout the class, because apparently, "Theres no such thing as a yogi with a frown." She was full of wise words, giving sermon-like speeches on the benefits of different types of breathing or how to eat well to maintain your body's energy and wellness. Like in my Ayurveda class, I did not listen to her speeches and think, "Oh, so thats how it works," but more "Isn't it interesting that she thinks this way." On the first day, she made the crowd take an oath to have a sort of healthy detox week-- no meat, no eggs, no fried food, no coffee, no chai, no alcohol, no smoking, and lots of water. I mostly complied, besides 1.5 cups of chai. But thats my usual daily intake, so I definitely made an effort!
On Thursday, an Ayurvedic doctor guest-starred at our workshop. She gave a little speech and it felt pretty cool to already know everything she was talking about. At the end of the yoga class, she offered to do pulse diagnoses-- a controversial practice where certain ayurvedic doctors claim to perceive the body's constitution (according to the three humors), the present imbalances, and any required natural medicines, all just by feeling your pulse. Suzanne and I eagerly pushed to the front of the line. She instantly said that I was the exact same composition that was determined at the beginning of the semester by an extensive questionnaire-- COOL! However, her guesses at my current health problems were pretty off until I gave her a few big clues. I am SO EXCITED to show the write-up to my Ayurveda teacher on Monday and discuss the whole experience.
What a week it has been! Besides my rejuvenating mornings, I had pretty stressful days packed with reading hundreds of pages and memorizing dozens of sanskrit words for final exam today in Anthropology of Indian Society. In general, I think that the peaceful effects of the workshop did help mitigate the chaos of my studies. But it wasn't a miracle cure for my perpetually anxious ways-- I am ashamed to admit that I took out my handy notebook and wrote a to-do list today mid-meditation. With all of that crammed information swimming around, I just couldn't clear my mind. But hey, my week of yoga taught me a lot, and I am inspired to keep practicing and keep learning!
But, this week was not only healing for my digestive track! My mind and soul were also rejuvenated at a five-day beginners workshop in Sri Sri Yoga. Uncle had previously participated in a workshop with the same foundation, called Art of Living. He highly recommended the course, but Suzanne, Kyla, and I weren't so sure about the idea. Firstly, it required getting up at 5:00 am all week, a week that happened to end in my most stressful final exam. Plus, the flyer made it kind of sound like a bunch of bologna, guaranteeing five yoga classes would bring definite weight loss, strengthened bones, better functioning of endocrine gland, and decreased reliance on drugs.
At the same time, I have been complaining all semester about wanting to do more yoga while I am living in the philosophy's birth land. The class at the campus yoga center conflicts exactly with my hindi class, and I have been too busy to commit to a course off campus. With a little trepidation, I decided that this workshop could be the perfect opportunity to fit yoga into my India experience. Plus, what better timing for "more pleasant and peaceful mind" and "decreased tension and stress" than my first week of finals. I was hoping the deep breathing might somehow help regulate my digestive track, too, since the advertisements made this practice sound like a cure-all.
I was still pretty sick on Monday morning, when my alarm went off at 5:15 am. But, now that the week is complete, I could not be happier with my decision to attend this workshop. First of all, I was surprised how much I really loved waking up before the sun. My days this week felt so long, in the most productive and fulfilling way. I hit the bed every night around 10:00 pm feeling absolutely accomplished, before I instantly fell asleep. In this city of constants sights, smells, and sounds, the morning time is refreshingly peaceful. The air is cool and crisp and the sunrise is a beautiful faded peach color, behind the now-familiar sky line. I got back home each morning around 8:30, to have breakfast at my usual time and head to campus feeling so alive and energized. Uncle continually told me this week that he could "see my halo glowing", which I thinks means yoga worked its magic.
I was one of about three hundred Hyderabdis to attend this workshop, in a beautiful outdoor venue ten minutes from my house. The yoga class itself was two hours longs, but most days it flew by. We practiced breathing techniques, sun salutations, all sorts of asanas (yoga positions), a little cardio, and of course, meditation. We also did this really interesting exercise where you basically force yourself to laugh. It was awkward at first, but I really think that it improved my mood! Of course, there is that psychological principle that if you act as though you feel a certain way, you will actually take on that emotion. I also think that feigning laughter really required letting our guards down and just looking silly in a way that was totally refreshing.
The yoga instructor was this extremely charismatic woman named Kamlesh Barwal, who has been living in an ashram for the last thirteen years. She had a great sense of humor that kept us smiling throughout the class, because apparently, "Theres no such thing as a yogi with a frown." She was full of wise words, giving sermon-like speeches on the benefits of different types of breathing or how to eat well to maintain your body's energy and wellness. Like in my Ayurveda class, I did not listen to her speeches and think, "Oh, so thats how it works," but more "Isn't it interesting that she thinks this way." On the first day, she made the crowd take an oath to have a sort of healthy detox week-- no meat, no eggs, no fried food, no coffee, no chai, no alcohol, no smoking, and lots of water. I mostly complied, besides 1.5 cups of chai. But thats my usual daily intake, so I definitely made an effort!
On Thursday, an Ayurvedic doctor guest-starred at our workshop. She gave a little speech and it felt pretty cool to already know everything she was talking about. At the end of the yoga class, she offered to do pulse diagnoses-- a controversial practice where certain ayurvedic doctors claim to perceive the body's constitution (according to the three humors), the present imbalances, and any required natural medicines, all just by feeling your pulse. Suzanne and I eagerly pushed to the front of the line. She instantly said that I was the exact same composition that was determined at the beginning of the semester by an extensive questionnaire-- COOL! However, her guesses at my current health problems were pretty off until I gave her a few big clues. I am SO EXCITED to show the write-up to my Ayurveda teacher on Monday and discuss the whole experience.
What a week it has been! Besides my rejuvenating mornings, I had pretty stressful days packed with reading hundreds of pages and memorizing dozens of sanskrit words for final exam today in Anthropology of Indian Society. In general, I think that the peaceful effects of the workshop did help mitigate the chaos of my studies. But it wasn't a miracle cure for my perpetually anxious ways-- I am ashamed to admit that I took out my handy notebook and wrote a to-do list today mid-meditation. With all of that crammed information swimming around, I just couldn't clear my mind. But hey, my week of yoga taught me a lot, and I am inspired to keep practicing and keep learning!
WAIT. I did not realize you were doing Sri Sri Yoga!! I took the art of living my freshman year as my gym class. So cool to know the program you just went through! Yours outside in Indian definitely beats mine inside a Cornell gym. Hope you enjoyed su-humming :)
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ReplyDeleteAh thats so awesome! I didn't even know they had Art of Living in the US.. too cool!
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