For many years, I have been a part of the world of health and wellness, working with some of the best-regarded hospitality brands in the world. As the head of a highly trained team, it has been my responsibility to provide my guests with an unforgettable experience of relaxation and rejuvenation. While their glowing, smiling faces always left me as a happy host, I was on a personal quest myself. A quest for wellness that would last beyond a ritual; for the gift of good health that blesses the mind and the body; for true inner happiness that invokes one’s connection to the cosmic power.
Everyone has to make one’s own journey. Answers are most often found when you free your mind, follow your
gut and embrace the truth that faces you at the end of your journey. For me, my search took me to dojos
of martial arts that vested me with a black belt of boldness; to classrooms of various philosophical and
spiritual teachings; and finally to pristine ashrams in India, where ancient wisdom was disseminated by
its guardians who sought their answers before I did.
The great Gurus initiated me into the world of immense powers that manifest in various forms across the
universe – like the power of the third eye and the dimension of knowledge it unlocks. Interestingly,
what they impart isn’t truth itself. Instead, they reveal the tools and techniques that empower the
seeker – because the discovery of truth is a personal journey.
While the quest for truth is sometimes a long or endless journey, the tools and techniques I learnt are
invaluable and powerful in their own right. They have enriched my life with noble thought, bestowed
powers of healing and insight, initiated extraordinary spiritual experiences and enabled a healthier,
happier life.
The most important of these techniques are Yoga, Meditation and the awakening of the energy centres
(chakras). Their influence in daily life can be seen and felt soon enough. It is important that they are
practised in the right manner, and I consider it a divine blessing that I got the opportunity to learn
them first-hand from the masters, whose mere vision millions wish for! The hatha yoga lessons learnt at
the renowned Sivananda Yogashram and the spiritual awakening programmes at the ashram of Swami
Paramahamsa Nityananda have indeed transformed me. With their blessings, I consider it a privilege and
responsibility to teach and train anyone who wishes to learn and benefit from this invaluable knowledge
and practices.
Because, I believe, everyone deserves to be healthy and happy.
I got the rare opportunity to learn first-hand from the masters, whose mere vision millions wish for! With their blessings, I consider it my privilege and responsibility to enrich anyone who wishes to benefit from this invaluable knowledge and practices. This is my passion, and my calling.
Finding your path to a balanced life
Every day brings with it endless possibilities. When we are prepared in body and mind, it helps us make the
right choices and move in the right direction.
Life is everything that we make of it.
Ancient wisdom bestows us with knowledge of these possibilities and equips us with different tools and
techniques that make it possible.
Yoga allows us to add physical strength and flexibility while streamlining the energy within, equipping us for
greater things. Meditation, as a ritual, can be cleansing and empowering at once. Stimulation of the chakras can
bring balance to our energies – it can even lead to the awakening of the Kundalini – alternatively termed as the
ultimate Potential energy within.
With the right guidance, the journey is possible. With authentic initiation and practise, every step takes us
closer to the goal.
‘Balance,’ as the term implies, suggests a harmonious relationship between and among various components in life. The objective is to achieve physical, mental and spiritual wellness. This involves the practice of yoga through the five principles of proper exercise, proper breathing, proper diet, proper relaxation and meditation.
Yoga is a basic necessity for living a blissful life. While it originally refers to a set of spiritual, mental and physical practices, in an everyday sense it stands for a proper regime of exercise that consists of yogic postures or ‘asanas’. It is also associated with practices of proper breathing (pranayama) and meditation.
For many, the word ‘asana’ evokes an image of painfully stretched physical prowess of a person. It is far from the truth. Asanas are postures that allow you to stay in a comfortable stillness, for a reasonably long time.
Prana is the life force that moves through the medium of breath. The voluntary interruption of breathing in and breathing out is pranayama. This interruptive technique makes us conscious of our breathing, which is, in a way, similar to being aware of our being. Learning to wilfully control our breath can bring in more control and balance in life itself. Not surprisingly, different patterns of breathing can even change the state of mind from sad or stressed to happy.
Combined with proper exercise, diet and relaxation, Yoga can improve and enhance immunity. Stress compromises immunity – the power of yoga to deal with stress plays a large role along with food supplements and timely sleep.
Meditation or Dhyana is a practised state of mind, and a powerful tool for inner awakening. It cleanses and
calms us from within, while the brainwaves attain a state that even promotes healing. The process of meditation
fills every cell with more prana (life energy) resulting in a peaceful state of mind, yet brimming with
enthusiasm.
Bringing meditation as a regular feature of life has its proven physical benefits. This include lowering of
blood pressure, stress and anxiety; stress-associated illnesses like headaches, ulcers and sleeplessness;
increased production of serotonin leading to mood elevation; a more effective immune system; better streamlined
energy that is available to make day-to-day life more meaningful and fulfilling.
Much of the pain and illness that we face are residual build up from the stress and challenges of daily life. Often, shoulder pains arise from trying to ‘shoulder’ responsibilities that you see as a burden, or from the ‘weight’ of the decisions we are forced to make on a daily basis. Indigestion and stomach problems often stem from worries and confusion.
As a regimen that brings balance to life, yoga helps to heal these issues and raise the level of wellness. Moreover, with its purposeful exercises and movements, Yoga is known to help people with rheumatism, arthritis and other restrictive illnesses deal with pain and stiffness, while improving their strength and extent of movement. It could be all the activity the elderly need, to stay strong and self-reliant in old age.
Health and well-being largely depend on the presence and balance of energy, which is what makes chakras so
important. Chakras, Sanskrit for wheels, can be thought of as spinning disks of energy located at nodal points
along the spine.
There are seven chakras, or energy centres, that are responsible for seven diverse thought currents within us.
Through these energy centres, we perceive the world and ourselves. The first one, the root chakra (mooladhaara)
is located closer to the root of the spine, two inches above which the swaadhishthaana chakra is placed. The
third one is manipura or navel centre; aligned with the heart is the heart centre or Anahata; with the throat is
the throat centre or Vishuddha and central to the eyebrows is what is called the Ajña chakra and at the very
top, the crown chakra (sahasrara chakra).
They govern the distribution and flow of energy within the body and, understandably, it is important to keep
their path open and aligned. Each chakra corresponds to a bundle of nerves and major organs; so it is not
surprising that their influence can be felt on the physical, emotional and spiritual state we are in.
If we limit ourselves and our energies to the root chakra, what dominates life is existential needs such as food and sleep. Those who move their energies to the level of swadhishthana, are pleasure seekers of the physical world. When the energies dwell in the manipura, then one tends to be a determined achiever. In the Anahata, it marks a creative person or an artist. Energies moving to Vishuddhi can make one a powerhouse of sorts. As it moves up to the Ajña, clarity of vision sets in, making one intellectually realised. Here the person attains stability, where events in life no longer cast an effect on him or her. The journey from Ajña to Sahasrara is not along a defined path but those who raise their energy to reach there, discover ecstasy that is beyond reason or explanation.
“Just as a well-balanced and free-flowing chakra system keeps us calm and energetic, any blocks and imbalances in the chakras can have the reverse effect. We may feel dull, weak and exhausted. Many of our habits and lack of discipline can upset the harmony of chakras, preventing us from making full use of our vitality. So, through a personally tailored healing regime at Nasra Wellness, I will work with you in restoring this sacred geometry and opening up the energy channels. This can in turn cleanse your aura and enhance your intuition.”
When we are out of harmony with ourselves, low energy emotions dominate and the major chakras are unable to cast
their influence freely. Expanding the energy centres and making way for free-flowing energy ultimately leads to
more vitality and life energy – awakening the power of the ‘kundalini’.
Kundalini shakti is defined as the ultimate bio energy within us that is yet to be awakened in most people. This
energy is born with you, and evolves from a consciousness of existence (Prajña) and the power to will (Ajña).
Throughout life, it goes through different stages of physical and emotional maturity before settling down at the
root. Only the initiated are fortunate enough to cause this energy to rise and touch the pinnacle of energy
(sahasrara chakra). The good news is that this state can be attained through yogic practises.
Many people wonder if it is the right time to start learning yoga or if they are flexible enough. The fact is you don’t have to start by being elastic and flexible; that is one of the benefits of Yoga. Contrary to what many people believe, it is not about pushing yourself till it hurts, it is about doing your best while you are comfortable. An understanding teacher will help you work within your limitations and help you achieve mastery, with patient practice.
As a yoga practitioner, I might have acquired many skills but as a teacher and guide, what matters most is empathy. That is what will help me guide you forward in your chosen path.
