Healing with yoga: 7 stories of resilience and hope

  On the special occasion of World Youth Day, we interviewed a few youngsters to know what were their dreams for the year. We shortlisted the top five dreams, some for the society and some personal, and presented them to Dinesh Ghodke who has empowered thousands of youth across 22 countries through various innovative initiatives of yoga and meditation. Let’s have a look at the top five dreams and Dinesh Ghodke’s answers to how meditation can help you achieve them. Dream 1 – Can I ever be stress-free? Can the society be stress-free? Dinesh Ghodke  - Sometimes the things that seem to help us un-wind ourselves actually end up adding more stress, such as watching a cricket match. So, that is where meditation comes in. Meditation really dissolves and eliminates the stress. With regular practice of meditation and yoga, you become afresh, bright and energetic person to take on the challenges of life. If everyone practices meditation, we can easily have a stress-free society. So we mu...

  The quality of your life depends directly on the state of your mind. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if when life throws you curve balls, instead of getting bogged down with uncertainties and questions, you could bounce back fighting stronger than ever? Most of us do manage to do this, in varying degrees, almost every day, but sometimes, it seems like our minds are infested with those annoying “can’ts” and “won’ts” and “maybe not”s . So how can we learn to spend more of our time thinking, “Yes, we can!”? Yoga has a unique approach to the state of doubt. Doubt is just a lack of prana – the vital life force or energy. We gain prana from four sources – food, sleep, breath and  meditation . So yogis, who are very smart doubt-busters, include plenty of these sources in their lives. When you start to sense a slight negative attitude in your thoughts, just get up and do something to increase your prana! It takes some practice to catch oneself before a negative train of thou...

Pregnancy is one of the most beautiful experiences gifted to a woman. Yet this nine-month journey brings with it a variety of changes and emotions to juggle with. Yoga can help you cope with this journey, making it smooth and enjoyable! As is evident in the case of Meghana Bragta, yoga enthusiast and first-time mother, as a would-be-mother she was better able to accept the changes during the nine months. She shares, "Sahaj Samadhi meditation helped me a lot, especially in the last trimester. It helped me accept my body and all the changes happening. Nadi Shodhan Pranayama (Alternate Nostril Breathing) helped me relax and handle anxiety. I would practice Butterfly Pose and in the latter half of the pregnancy, when my feet would swell due to water retention, I practiced some yoga postures lying on my back." Like Meghana, you can use yoga and meditation as effective guides for your journey. Here are a few quick yoga tips on how you can include yoga in your other 'must-dos...

Diabetes – a name that is no longer foreign. These days, this condition can happen to anybody, irrespective of age, place, or genetic history. Yet, there’s nothing to fret about because the condition can be controlled with a little awareness and care. Good food, regular exercise, and a few minutes of yoga practice everyday – the three golden rules to remember if you are a diabetic. But how to first find out whether you do have diabetes or not? Simple. Just look out for these common symptoms: Are you unusually losing weight? Do you need to pay frequent visits to the bathroom to urinate? Do you feel hungry or thirsty too often? If the answer to these is ‘yes’, it is quite likely that you have high blood sugar, either due to low production of insulin in the body, or lack of response from the blood cells to the insulin produced. In either case, it’s always good to consult a doctor at the earliest. Diabetes can be classified as Type 1 or type 2 or it can even be gestational - occurrin...

  Kartik, 30, is a software engineer by profession and a photographer by hobby. His average week comprises a 45-50-hour work schedule. Although a fitness enthusiast, his hectic schedule leaves very little time for him to keep his body in shape. Due to the long hours spent in front of the computer, bare-minimum breaks, and stressful deadlines, Kartik is now a victim of backache, fatigue, and constipation. At an age where one is expected to work dedicatedly, we often end up compromising our health. While many people would agree that a good fitness regime helps keep such risks at bay, it may just not be good enough. Choosing and following a good and healthy diet should also be taken into account. Irrespective of how hectic one’s life is, we can minimize the risks by selecting the right food. But is choosing the right food enough? The answer is a resounding no. Along with the right food, we must also learn good eating habits. While there are no set guidelines to follow, here are a few ...

  Adho Mukha Svanasana Asana (Downward Facing Dog ) Yoga Pose Adho – Forward; Mukha – Face; Svana - Dog The asana is  pronounced as A-doh MOO-kah shvah-NAS-anna Adho mukha svanasana posture  replicates a dog bending forward , hence the name  downward facing dog pose. This asana  can be practiced by any beginner  too and with all its benefits, one should include it as a part of  daily yoga practice. 6 Easy steps to do perfect Downward Facing Dog Pose (Adho Mukha Svanasana) Come onto your fours. Form a table such that your back forms the table top and your hands and feet form the legs of the table. As you breath out lift the hips up, straightening the knees and elbows, form an inverted V-shape with the body.  Hands are shoulder width apart, feet are hip width apart and parallel to each other. Toes point straight ahead. Press your hands into the ground. Widen through the shoulder blades. Keep the neck lengthened by touching the ears to the ...

  It is a few minutes past 5 a.m., the beginning of my daily yoga practice. My right leg is lunging forward, the right foot pointing to the front. My left leg is placed straight and solid behind me. I breathe in and raise my arms, stretching them slowly out toward both sides. I look over my right hand, all of its fingers stretching themselves in one line away from my right shoulder. This is Virabhadrasana, or the Warrior II yoga pose. I feel good. Bounding into the Yoga Pose A relationship is like a yoga posture. Getting into a relationship, everything is rosy bliss. The stars glitter in one another’s eyes. You feel like the glorious hero of an action movie who has just saved the world from a great enemy. Sunlight is like the beloved’s warm embrace, rain is liquid happiness. There is a story to Virabhadra’s yoga pose. As told in the Mahabharata, the great Hindu spiritual epic, Lord Shiva’s beloved, Shakti, happened to be the daughter of his enemy, Daksha. Shakti’s father openly ref...