To preach or not: Practicing yogis

Why we preach

We preach because we want to share something special, a beautiful experience of mind body energy. We want everyone to feel and discover this subtle and powerful aspect of life. Its like no one told us so we really really want to change at least one life. Essentially may be pay it forward kind of emotion. Really really trying to help out someone lost like us.

When we preach

We preach when we see people doing same things we did before. How we wasted time on tv, movies, alcohol blah blah things. We preach when people ask us why we are not like them. We desperately want to when people go even a step further to persuade us to come back to their version of normality. Specially when we see people in pain created by their own miseries.

Should we preach

Hmm there are two aspects to it. First one is yes go preach, tell people about your experience and how you benefited without going into the details of your goal or whole bookish knowledge, just share your part of journey if someone is willing to listen. Say as less as possible without any intention of persuading or insisting on anything.  Now that person might be interested or not, be prepared to be detached from their life's decisions.
Don't go telling everyone, hmm why because until you are strong this detachment will not come easily, your meditation will get affected, you might feel why are they not realizing this is such a great venture. Still try once so you experience it for yourself.
 For me personally, it didn't work, I am not a good speaker, so even when I was saying right thing, I didn't feel like defending arguing my point to extent I would be exhausted. But then again thats me, you can always choose your own path. Also, there is no right no wrong, everyone has their own truth. Just when people attacked me, it really got to me and disturbed my meditation. When I am calmer, my defensive nature will not be at peak. I am not ready right now.
 If someone is really seeking, all it takes is just one sentence from your side. If they are not, nothing matters. You can't convince someone to be on this path, they have to be willing. Also you are not really ready to be a leader. First be ready, get clarity then you are eligible.
Would you have listened if some random person told you 5 years ago to change your lifestyle you were proudly happy in? Its so much about timing and receptivity.
If they see you change, they will come and ask, then answer what their intention is.
अधजल गगरी छलकत जाए  
कम गुण वाला व्यक्ति दिखावा बहुत करता है
Less knowledge lesser skills more blabber. An intelligent wise person is usually quiet. 

Conclusion

You could be one of those influential ones who actually make people listen and follow. If you are, use your skill. If you are not, may be focus on your own journey first. Like in planes safety instructions, first help yourself then others. Everyone is living a full life according to themselves, they think they are at their best so approaching with necessary skills is important so you don't hurt their ego or throw spiritual terms that don't make any sense to them.

 Its a super long difficult hike, other hikes are just loops that waste time and effort. Time is so crucial in this path, its just a 100 yr old time then you are born again to who knows what kind of unconscious parents, again some years to remember come back on this path. So thinking ohh let me go slow this time, I will move to other levels in next life is like delaying the process and falling in hands of destiny again.

Again this is all just my understanding of my short practice. I might be very wrong and lost so use your own judgement. Just my view of my experiences.

NAMASTE

Meditation and Frustration: Tips

Are you frustrated? Are you wondering where are those peaceful times gone? And now that you are free of food and other desires, there is nothing that will help you out of this depression. Who would have thought meditation can do this? Technically meditation didn't, its another trick of mind to feel you less so you give up.


There are days when meditation, concentration is wonderful. One of my yoga teachers likes to say quotes in class and I barely listen because quoting a quote is not really my thing. But then one day he said something during my struggling time with body, mind, meditation. He goes, we all have our strong times weak times, days when we feel strong and we get all the praise are the days when we actually bear the fruits of weak times when we struggled a lot. So weak days are the times when we actually put all our strength in our work.


In meditation, the problem is you feel like you had reached a point. All of a sudden you have fallen into this pit all the way back. Its nothing like that at all. You are not your body, you are not your mind. So the act of sitting there for one hour no matter what is the actual one. How your body responds, how your mind interferes is just a reflection of your outer state. The balance is not there perhaps, your dedication discipline is very much there. As soon as this phase is over, your meditation would have improved. Honestly, if you think logically, okk you have a bad day or a series of those, what use is fucking yourself over it. You can not really do anything. The least favor you can do for yourself is to be in your default state, joyful peaceful state. Whatever happens, there is no sad state, straight away go to the default state, happy peace one.

You fall for compulsions, learn your lesson, move fast, happy peaceful again.
You preach too much, don't do next time, move fast, happy peaceful again.
You wasted time in desire, don't do next time,forget learn , happy peaceful again.
You can't be with people its disturbing you, may be stay alone for some time, happy peaceful again.
Your parents are bothering you, tell them what you want don't call for sometime, happy peaceful again.

Whatever happens, happy peaceful again and again.

Are we running from problems here by ignoring people? Should we face them right then and there and be over it? I tried a lot, our parents have been after us for having kids giving different kinds of social sentimental even karmic reasons. Why not talk it out right? Problem is when you are tying to find your footing in spiritual path, lost is the only way out. When discussions happen, you will always feel defeated, you don't know enough to say why you are doing what you are doing and they have a thousand things to say, they won't take no for an answer. Only way out is to request to not talk about it. Save yourself from agitation, frustration of this constant fight with the world. Accept people as they are. Who says you change, just let them be. Right in this moment, you work on yourself. Don't resist so much, flow with the world. Don't say much. Blend in where you can. If not, its okk. Everyone has their own journey. Don't take it too seriously.

Can I take advice from a meditator? I tried that too, see that also doesn't work unless you are really close to the person. So don't try it with someone you barely know. Only a knowledgeable wise person can give advice with no strings attached. A relative might add his intention or favor from your parents or society unconsciously. If nothing, their life could be totally different from yours. You are not alone, just meditate regularly for some years patiently, all answers are inside. When you are vulnerable, your wounds just need some air, no other thing helps. Let them dry up smoothly.

Meditation is a super long process. Years of practice gives guru to set you on right path. Be patient. Doing not doing exist in the same realm. Impatience intolerance is also a distraction. Try bhajans, chanting when nothing works. Calm yourself, think why are you angry, what is the solution, sort it out, be the champion. Within 15 minutes, you will smile.

Smile smile smile for you are finally on the right path. Its a bliss in itself. What if you were running around chasing in this life too.  Be grateful to cosmos, is this not enough to keep yourself in a high spirit? Think about it, count your blessings yogis.

This is all part of my experience and coping mechanism. Hope this helps someone out there.

NAMASTE

Dealing with PMS : Just go with it

PMS is this annoying cycle of 2 weeks or sometimes extending upto 3 weeks for me. All those weeks, something in me dies like someone kicked my ass, I am this debbie downer who says she's good but inside she's just not there. No emotion, no thought is worth wasting energy on. Even the energy to just sit and meditate is barely ever there. When I do try, then come all the downpulling wasteful thoughts. If something bothers me, normally I can just brush aside and forget in seconds, nah pms simply magnifies the problem, it becomes a constant ticking bomb in mind unless there is some drastic measure from my side. Like recently, all whatsapp groups saw archana left. People being people thought I was angry, well how do you say its for meditation when you are not even still for a moment no matter how much you try. My life has no worries, not even a single one, its extraordinarily surprising capability of pmsing mind to turn me into a disaster with no reason.

So these are the symptoms, I know the problem is of body which honestly no one can do much about. Its pills that fuck you up more. So diet should take care of it. Meanwhile lets focus on how to handle this.

Okay you don't feel like waking up early, doing kriya swimming. Lets take it slow. Wake up whenever you complete sleep. Have breakfast. Finish kitchen work. Now decide which class acc to breakfast. Light breakfast, early class 10am. Heavy breakfast,4.30 class. But one class is must no matter how you feel. Put your clothes out, sign yourself up for next class in advance. Now go for walk after lunch for one hour. Walk in any direction. If its sunny, go to a lake. At the end of all of it, trust me it feels like why did I waste half of the month doing nothing. So don't listen to mind, just step out like something you must do no matter what. Now what to do about mood swings and reciprocating husband's moods. Follow timothy olyphant " This is where I  wanna be" " This is the moment" Be your version of grand happy. This moment won't come back. Don't really engage in serious conversations right now. You might say feel do things people will hold grudge against. Wait if you can. Try to not act impulsively. Think for a moment- who's saying this body, mind or me the life.


Okay so honestly don't waste time moping around waiting for it to come. Just do what you do everyday in bestest way. This past me is telling you, you regret staying at home, you regret missing fun all days, you regret being not happy, you regret not meditating, you regret it all. Correcting mistakes is important but dwelling of them is more time wasted. Don't do it. Just try honestly. Lets break this cycle of giving up every month together.

I am not my body practice begins. Good luck. I am not my mind when it says lets be down. Especially when mind says no, go deep and ask again really do I have to.

 Love yourself. Love others. Go out, have fun.

Lost found Lost...PMS ruined meditation :(

Days in a row I am so found I wasn't lost ever, then nights of lost me occur where there is nothing in me that sees hope of ever nailing this path of meditation.

Half of the month, it could be my hormones acting up, I am so boosted and motivated, my whole personality magnifies, I am happy lively outgoing, my meditation peaks my concentration focus improves. Everything every task that I do is like a joyful doing. Even my hair look better.  Especially during this time, all my creativity also comes back, lazboy couch is alone, my ass is out there in the world smiling walking waving helping finishing off regular chores with highest involvement in my life like literally. I don't gossip, super calm me imagines a preacher's face on me. Its like the identity mask changes. All sadhguru spirituality videos come pouring in, everyone who touches my life during this time gets a different version of me. These two weeks are the ultimate functioning weeks literally, my learning weeks. I am waking up at 4, swimming tabata running gosh my day is like a happiness marathon of my own making. I read books for god's sake, me reading a book aah who is this person. Even tasks that were like postponed for months get done somehow. My heaven is right there if only it continued more than 15 days.

Then comes another half of the month, my back starts acting up and poof goes my meditation in air. No focus, no concentration, a billion useless thoughts in mind that don't even matter to me. I mean honestly even if the wedding was tomorrow, I wouldn't lift finger today but then why the hell is it making rounds in my mind when meditating. My back doesn't even allow me to do easy poses when my latest accomplishment was king pigeon. Its frustrating.It could be annoying pms, no wonder women choose bhakti route. Hormones must help in that path.  Outgoing me transforms into this introvert home caged person who doesn't even see bk shivani anymore. My hair are like a stray dog's dirty fur, either too oily or too rough.  I am watching useless shows, movies all the while realizing what I am doing. But spirituality isn't even a bit appealing.  This is the lost phase, the worst part is all kinds of compulsive habits soar up, controlling them, being conscious takes more toll but the moment I give in, I know it will be like missing an exit and driving another 50 miles till another one comes. It could be my anemia but still how lost can you really be.? How unmotivated disheartened can you wander around? All kinds of gossips, doubts on who likes who doesn't, all kinds of insecurities are popping up. Its like my own created living hell of emotions which the fuck I don't give a fuck then why the fuck are they popping up. I need nonsense blocker for mind.

Hopefully this shall pass soon. Finally found, never lost again. This hope is so fake, from what I have read, 15 days can convert into months of nothing nada progress too. So yeah just follow schedule do what how you can do best that day I guess. Push, surrender do whatever it takes to keep me floating.

Losing weight vs Being healthy

My college break was full of yoga, every semester I ate, gained weight did nothing even a bit athletic to help my body. At one point, it went to the extent my friends said I carried my own seat with me. They might have exaggerated a bit, still sadly no one ever told me why it was important to take care of body. Even when they asked me to lose weight, it was countered with reasons like you will look better with solutions like eat boiled food. So honestly the whole concept never appealed. It was done as a process with more focus on the part how people looked at me or rated me.

I maintained around 55kgs for 5 years. Sometimes if I worked out in gym more or did more beachbody kind of extensive workouts, it easily shed off to bounce back in few months adding little by little every month. 

With yoga also, the weight went flexibility came but change was never stable. I gained, I lost to gain again. Although after a while, yoga gave me the sense of handling my body, first time when I did crow pose or the bow pose, the amount of balance gave me a new rush. In that very moment, the why of fitness came to me.

We should be fit because when someone says run, jump we shouldn't be like a sack managing somehow. When you feel fit, you feel alive, you feel light like wind. Fat is not our friend, it makes us lethargic clung to sofas.  More lightness came with tabata, swimming. I never really did anything anymore that wasn't fun for me. Yoga is super fun, tabata is fun, swimming is so calmingly energetic. Would this work for everyone, nope, it depends on a lot what you like to have fun in. How you like to play with your body? Still weight wasn't stable. 

Now how much calories how many times what to eat how to eat blah blah doesn't really matter. We get lost in stupid diet complexities. All I did was I started taking 3 meals in a day in an interval of 6 hours. So all those metabolism 8 meals a day is not really good. It doesn't give your stomach time to relax, your body is constantly working unnecessarily. Shambhavi kriya also affected my weight. 

Yep, I don't eat fried food or restaurant food. Most of it is our simple indian vegetarian food, somedays its salads or fruits. I fast all ekadashis . Its like once in 15 days, you cleanse your body. 

Its the simplest thing to do. Just eat simple indian food, fast once in 15 days if possible weekly with fruits only, do yoga, eat 3 meals. When you eat, chew chew chew. Within 15 minutes you will feel full and done. As soon as you feel your stomach is 3/4th full, stop , you don't need more. Thats about it. All the weightlifting, cardio blasts, blah blah diets workouts are mere money schemes. Exercise eat like you are not controlling yourself all the time, you are enjoying life.