A Healthy Vacation

 

Over the years the world has sped up like a river descending from tall mountains. In today's world everyone is rushing. People are in a hurry to gain success. We accelerate while driving, eating is done in a rush and rest times are cut short. Our bodies are put to move as fast as our mind demands. We put our health on stake. The coronavirus pandemic has forced us to stop and think, is our immunity as strong as our ambitions? 

We have done self harm to our body. We had let it rot with years of junk lives.

But whose duty is to clean up? Ours.

But how to do this? By following yoga.

Yoga is a way of life without suffering. Our body and mind are linked perfectly with yoga.

Why have I suddenly started preaching about yoga? The answer lies in the place I visited recently. For this Diwali vacation, we decided to stay at ‘Patanjali Yog Gram’. 

Yoga was started by the great saint Patanjali but the popularization and promotion of yoga is done by Swami Ramdev. Swami Ramdev is an eminent figure whose ideas and views have touched hearts and changed lives. His smile and confidence makes you believe there is a way to end your sorrows. Adopting Yoga in his life he has proved that the human body is capable of being perfectly immune if trained the right way.

Before coming here my parents, my younger brother and I solemnly pledged to follow every task assigned to us with full honesty. If you too get interested to visit then take each activity as a challenge and you will surely enjoy it.

Here is the standard daily schedule we followed: 

1.  3:30 a.m.- Wake up:- The first time I ever woke so early but the excitement pushed me to get ready.

2.  4:00 a.m.-Shatkarma:-  Our body is a network of pipes and tubes, diseases can lead to blockage of pipes. Like common cold blocks windpipe. Shatkarma is the yoga practice of cleaning these pipes and allowing a better intake of air and nutrition in your body.

3. 4:30 a.m. - Morning Drink:- When I say morning drink, I don’t mean tea or coffee. Anything with caffeine is strictly off the charts. You would be lucky to get milk on your diet plan. The drinks here are made with herbs and plants and I missed the Giloy juice my Dad used to make at home cause it was a lot tastier than these drinks. But challenge is a challenge and no one in my family was ready to lose first so we all cheered and drank down our drinks.

4. 5:00 a.m.- Yoga Session:- Shivering slightly in the morning cold we huddled in the big yoga hall. Following the Acharya's instructions we had warmed enough to remove our jackets. After sometime it was announced that Swami Ramdev had arrived in Yog Gram and would be continuing our session. Before coming here I really hoped that we would get the splendid opportunity to witness Swami ji’s aura. My wish was fulfilled on the very first day. When Swami ji entered the hall he brought with him a new surge of energy which spread everywhere. His words motivated me to move more precisely.  After the session I didn’t feel tired due to all the heavy exercises. Instead my heart felt lighter, all the sleepiness had vanished and I was ready for the next challenge.

5.  7:30 a.m.- Again a refreshing drink:- Yes, this drink was really refreshing as if anyone was still asleep, they would be jerked away by eye watering taste.

6. 8:00 a.m.- Mitti patti therapy:- In olden times houses were made of soil and surrounded by big farmlands. With modernization houses have got so little patches of soil. Sometimes there are only flower pots holding it. Soil is considered to hold many medicinal properties. Here at Yog Gram they have made simple soil packs to give you a good therapy. One pack is kept on your abdomen and one on your eyes. With bhajans and songs echoing around you , you fall in a stupor of peace and calmness.

7. 8:30 a.m.- Breakfast time:- Sorry toast, milkshakes, sandwiches, parathas, puri or bhaturas are not on the menu. You get an assortment of dry fruits kept in water overnight. Sprouts, some fruit like apple/pear. Yes, that’s about it. Also let me mention that you didn’t get these items in abundance but just tiny servings.

8. 9:00 a.m. to 12 noon- Therapy:- According to your problems everyone is given a treatment plan. They are massages, mud baths, water treatments, face packs. In a way they are soothing and extremely relaxing. You can even be assigned a physiotherapy session. They even provide acupressure facilities. Our hands and feet have nerves linked to each part and pressing them in the right way helps to get relief.

9. 12:00 to 1:00 p.m.- Lunch time:- If there are boiled vegetables on your plate and you don’t like them then my advice would be to enjoy them as by the third day even, they would be off your diet and only fruits and soup you would get to survive. But they were not that bad. Of course not as good as finger licking Shahi paneer but they were edible for my starving stomach.

10. 2:00 pm- Again a drink:- Keeping us nicely hydrated was surely their aim.

11. 3:00 pm to 6:00pm – Evening therapy:- After some rest you can go back to complete your therapies. They have recently started Yagya chikitsa(treatment). Agni(holy fire) is considered a purifier. It is believed that yagna would help cleanse all your ailments. Adding scientific proofs and valid research, special yagna kits have been made. Every samagri(offering put in yagna agni) is made specially for some ailments like diabetes, weak eyesight, heart problems, body pain etc. after yagna, you have to take in all the fragmented scents while doing pranayama. The beauty of yagna is that these mango tree sticks and cow dung sticks when kindled with the help of desi ghee and yagna samagri don’t pollute the environment instead they purify it. The pious white strands rising from the ambers don’t contain Carbon dioxide and this is scientifically validated.

12. 6:00pm to 7:00 pm- Evening yoga session:- This yoga session focuses on Suksham Vayaam(meaning light exercises). It teaches the importance of moving every little part of our body.

13. 7:30 pm – Dinner:- The items presented here are similar to lunch. Just the soup flavor will change. Also the soup is not like the ones we get usually served in hotels. These soups are extremely liquified but have complete nutrition.

14. 8:30 pm – Night Drink:- Till now your taste buds would be fine with whatever is served. Though if you are as lucky as my younger brother then golden milk (milk with haldi) can also be added to your diet.

15. 9:00 pm- Sleeping time:- I remembered being seven years old and going to bed at 9 pm but just after a few thoughts I fell into sound sleep.

 

In a way this was how my 7 days routine had been. It was nice to not plan your day. They had already worked it out for you.

This Diwali I welcomed all the positivity from the surroundings. The entire place is filled with a serene Aura that made my Diwali brighter. Away from the fire crackers, festive food and decorations in this divine place I felt at peace.

At that time it appeared as if my past was just an illusion. During medication I started to reach out to my inner self. I felt more alive than ever. I became calmer. I saw a difference in the way I studied. I was able to concentrate for longer times and grasp easily. I felt so much lighter both physically and mentally. All the sad thoughts and fear were being thrown out. It was as if I were in a free fall reaching weightlessness.

‘Yoga adds years to your life and life to your years.’ I can now relate to the latter part of this quote aptly. Earlier my life was a monotonous routine like waking up, studying, preparing for a fortnightly test, writing one blog on every 15th and this was set to repeat. Yoga somehow beautified this routine. I was able to enjoy this routine to the core.

Many won’t hold the same opinion about yoga, may think it is a waste of time and effort but yoga practices are scientifically proven and even internationally yoga is emerging at top. The new ‘Integrated Yoga Therapy’ uses all the elements of yoga like Pranayam, meditation, Yagya, Shatkarma, Panchakarma, Acupressure, etc. To relieve you from all your woes.

One should definitely try it out but before you go to buy yoga mats or consider reservations for Yog Gram, I would just like to say you need to believe first. Believe in yoga and it would free you of even the deadliest of diseases. If you want to just criticize and be like a closed vessel then the knowledge of yoga would never flow through you. If you love yourself and believe in your abilities, then yoga will help you.

As quoted by Swami Ramdev,  ‘If you can control the rising of ripples in your mind, you will experience yoga.’

Let the uncertainties die out and you will experience yoga.

Meeting Swami Ramdev