5 Keys To The Good Life According to a Yogi
Hello from Rishikesh!
Thanks for all the support on the recent video.
It is about to reach 2,000 views which is insane.
I had so much fun making it and I’m glad you liked it too.
It is very different from my other videos because I actually talk about my experience, instead of just showing what I do.
A couple of days ago, in one of my classes in the Yoga TTC i’m doing, my teacher gave us a talk about the five ways to live a good life.
The talk was so valuable that I had to share it. So, I’ve compiled the main points:
1. Daily Exercise
Do the exercise that works best for you.
Each body is different, don’t just copy a random workout routine you saw on YouTube or even your friends.
In Hatha Yoga, there are so many asanas (postures) that could fit any body type.
2. Proper pranayama practice
Pranayama is about creating a bridge between the physical body and the subtle body and crossing it. The word "prana" means our life force or vital energy that keeps us alive. While "ayam" means expansion, extension, or control.
Each nostril represents feminine or masculine. The right nostril is masculine or pingala nadi and the left is feminine or ida nadi.
Ida is associated with lovingness, calmness, the moon, and female energy. While Pingala is associated with activity, masculine energy, and the sun.
We need both feminine and masculine energy.
Yogis think that we have limited prana. Once that prana runs out we die. Pranayama is about managing the prana.
Essentially, pranayama is breathing. But it is deeper than only breathing. It is a tool to reach a state of inner peace and tranquility.
“Breathe slower, live longer, happier, and healthier!”
3. Proper food
Eat more seasonal food. Nature gives it to us for a reason.
Very few people eat only seasonal food because you can find food from every season at any time of year.
Avoid bad food:
Packaged
Presesrvants
Processed
Try to always eat fresh food. But if there isn’t any other option then it is okay.
There is this concept in Ayurveda called Dosha and Prakriti.
Doshas are the forces that govern the mind and body, Vata, Pitta, and Kapha. They can go in and out of balance based on lifestyle, diet, environment, and other factors.
Prakriti is about finding what your inherent constitution is, according to the three doshas.
Knowing what your constitution is and living according to it will help you live a more balanced life.
Knowing your Dosha will tell you what food is best for you, help you how to manage stress, prevent serious health issues, know what self-care is best for you, and it’ll just help you understand your physical and mental body better
Most sicknesses and diseases mean that you are unbalanced according to your Prakriti.
Each person will have a different dosha, so you need to find out for yourself. This is another great reason why you shouldn’t follow advice from the internet blindly.
4. Proper relaxation.
Good relaxation. Good sleep.
If you don’t relax, you’ll have many problems.
If you don’t relax, chronic stress can lead to physical health issues like high blood pressure and mental problems such as anxiety and burnout. It reduces your productivity and strains relationships, making it harder to function effectively.
Relaxation helps you reset, manage stress, and maintain a healthy balance in all areas of life. Without it, these compounded problems can become overwhelming.
Take time for yourself!! How much time do you give to others? How much do you give to yourself? How many hours a week do you have to enjoy yourself? We do everything to please or for others, take a moment to think about what you need right now.
What is the most important for you right now? Take a few minutes or hours where you live for yourself. Where you do what you want and love. Otherwise, you are living for others for your whole life.
5. Positive thinking.
Nothing is good or bad, it’s how we interpret it. For example, some people love India and some people hate it. It is the same India! It didn’t change, it’s how they perceived it
Positive cannot survive without negative. Without “bad” people in society, how do we know who the “good” are?
What we share, will multiply. What you expect from people, do it first.
This week, I read The Sovereign Artist by Vizi Andrei and The Path of Yoga by Osho.
The Sovereign Artist put to words many things I feel, wanted to do, and already do.
"We read books to find out what we already know but find it hard to express." - The Soverign Artist
The Sovereign Artist gives a new philosophy of work and leisure.
According to Vizi Andrei, a sovereign artist is someone who combines art and business. Someone who works with others but never for others. Someone who has both scalable (a YouTube channel or books) and non-scalable (client work) sources of income. Someone who can take a walk or a nap on a random Tuesday afternoon without asking for permission. Someone who can say no to projects that would make them rich but drain them spiritually or morally.
A Sovereign Arist consciously chooses how they live, work, and interact with the world.
This book in a way is similar to the pathless path.
It was easy to read, not only because of the language but because it is written in short essays and aphorisms.
You could read this book all in one go. But it is best to read a couple of pages every day or an aphorism a day.
"Even Michelangelo would have trouble getting out of bed if he had nothing but a day of spreadsheets ahead. It's impossible to imagine Leonardo da Vinci working for a corporation or being a government bureaucrat"
This is a book I'll be referring back to a lot. I recommend it.
The Path of Yoga by Osho is brilliant. It is Osho’s interpretation of Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras.
I found this book very interesting because it explained all the 8 limbs of yoga as well as adding his own flavor to it.
Osho’s books are the ones that you can highlight entire pages. His books are addictive. You don’t want to stop reading them!!
If you want to keep up with what books I’m reading and listening to, follow my GoodReads!
💬 Thought-Provoking Quote
“Nobody can build the bridge for you to walk across the river of life, no one but you yourself alone. There are, to be sure, countless paths and bridges and demi-gods which would carry you across this river, but only at the cost of yourself; you would pawn yourself and lose. There is in the world only one way, on which nobody can go, except you: where does it lead? Do not ask, go along with it.” — Friedrich Nietzsche
🗣 Tempting Question!
What would you start doing if you had 10,000 years to live?
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see you next sunday?