1/19. Yoga for the teenage soul. Teaching, and healing myself through, Yoga.
My challenge for the final 19 days of my being 19 years old during the Covid-19 pandemic is to reflect upon and work towards inculcating into habit the best practices that I undertook in my Covid year. I know that most people my age have succumbed to unhealthy routines that they regret — such as bingeing Netflix till late at night and then beginning their next day in the P.M. I suppose I was like them for a short period in between, but luckily for me I had other mental mechanisms in place to avoid addiction or indulgence in anything that may lead to a habit I do not wish to inculcate.
This time I am going to talk about Yoga. Somewhere in October of 2020, I began regularly practicing yoga and also using my practice to create content on social media. As a young model, social media is a great tool for me to get noticed — and also create a portfolio. There will be a different post on social media content.
Yoga became something I looked forward to, and despite having taken two hiatuses in between, I have returned to Yoga diligently. Mostly because it affects the way I feel, the way I feel about myself, and equally so — the way I look, and look at myself.
I wake up between 5:30 and 6 a.m., put on comfortable and minimal clothing, warm a 500 ml mug of water mixed with honey and lemon/apple cider vinegar, and settle on my mat on our outdoor terrace while I sip my morning nectar.
Once I am hydrated, I begin with slow stretches — bending down, pulling up, sideways and backwards — moving every joint of my body, and feeling myself crack out of every tiring yesterday. There is so much to move! So many joints to crack! So many muscles to pull. But most importantly — so so so much to open.
Heart openers. Hip openers. Lung openers.
The beauty of beginning my day with a yoga sequence, is that I was able to continue the day sequentially. Everything from when I took a shit to when I took a nap and when I felt hungry came naturally to me, day after day.
Starting my day this early taught me that it is actually just as simple and just as difficult as doing one thing right first thing in the morning, to live a better life.
This also increased the positive energy around me — in that my family viewed me more positively, for taking care of myself. My peer group and social media following rewarded me with their compliments. I was able to generate more engagement on my social media by posting my routine — which didn’t just appeal to their aesthetics but also inspired them to take up yoga or starting their days early. Additionally, I was motivated by the positive responses to my actions, reinstating my passion in them.
14–02–21 Update: I have not been practicing yoga regularly, as I had hoped while I was writing this draft and 19 days from my birthday. Now I am only 5 day away. There’s always another sleepless night, or crying myself to sleep and waking up too close to class timings, or simply forcing myself to work so I can distract from the never ending sense of impeding failure to match my own expectations, and no yoga or mindful breathing.
This sounds too morbid, but believe you me, I am going to bring this dark phase to an end, because I have no valentine and I have all the love to give myself.
The beauty of a morning is amplified by the feeling of a morning,
Another unfinished article, but a beautiful piece for me, personally. I am now in 2022 — I think this was end of 2020? Early 2021? I have been lifting weights regularly, and really enjoying my time at the gym. I have also been consistent in my stretching routine and try to do a circuit of yoga after each workout. I am also reading Yoga for Spinal Pain by Pandit Sharma, who was the honorary Physician to the President of India.
