#harshayoga

I guess this is something that’s getting difficult as days pass by. Hmmm…. Makes me wonder, Did we have this problem when we were kids ?. I don't think so !!! Was there ever a day when you missed school just because you woke up late?. I don't think so. Right ?

Then, What happened to you now?. If it’s not the fire of life & freedom that’s pushing you to work & serve beyond your limits, pushing your body & mind to extreme leading to exhaustion & the only way to rejuvenate is sleeping your way to happiness then that’s a good sign.

But, If you’re having trouble waking up just because you're lazy then here are 10 things that you’re doing wrong when you’re awake & what needs to be done to break this pattern

1.Sleep on time : You will never ever ever be able to wake up early if you don't sleep early. There is no big secret to this ! Don't come up with reasons to nurture your ego in the name of responsibility and family. 

For, In the end none of these matters. All that matters is how disciplined you wish to be to maintain the sanity of your mental health in the long run. Nothing, Nothing is more satisfying,rejuvenating & healing than a good night's sleep. Shut of the lights & go to sleep (without your phone) at 9.30pm.

2.Early dinner : 6pm - 7pm is the ideal time for dinner, not 9.30 pm or 10.30 pm. You need to give at least a 3 hours gap before you go to sleep after your last meal if you wish to wake up with a new wave of energy in you the following morning. No !!! You won't feel hungry early in the morning the following day. In Fact, you’ll have more energy than before. 

I’ve been doing this for years now. My morning intense yoga practice routine lasts for 2.5hrs & I’ve never felt any sort of tiredness or fatigue ever !!!

3.Workout an hour everyday : This indeed is a game changer to reset your biological clock and to get into a beast mode of work life balance. All your systems, Physical & mental will start obeying your command and dare not disturb you when it’s time to rest. Just 1 hours of planning to workout at least 5-6 days a week increases your waking up time by 95% when you maintain the consistency. Don't believe me ?. Give it a try yourself !

4. Twenty minutes of silence : We get so busy and occupied in the hustle and bustle of everyday life we never take a break to contemplate where we are & how we are feeling. We keep moving farther away from ourselves and ultimately feel lost. 

You may not have an hour to practice meditation everyday but you can cut down on your phone usage. I am sure you’ll find that you need 20 minutes to feel alive every single day !!!. Remember one thing, No one can help you in life except yourself !

5.Eat healthy : Cheat day is absolute “NONSENSE” !!!. Discipline isn't a rule imposed upon you, It is the way you've chosen to live to stand apart from the crowd. You can actually cut down on the number of hours of sleep and yet feel rested and rejuvenated if you are ruthless as to what goes into your system. 

Forget seeking respect from others. First, Respect your inner system and eat to please the divine seated in you. Food is the best self made medicine. If you do not have this approach towards food and are happy with what’s on your plate you’ll never be happy even if you go to MARS.

6.Gratitude  : Happiness, We've been seeking this in all the wrong places over the years.Only when you thank yourself for who you truly are and accept everything around you and show your gratitude, everytime you close your eyes you indeed will be one with the creation. No gratitude = incompleteness. If you’re someone who’s been feeling incomplete inspite of workout & meditation, Then this is what you are lacking in.

Just surrender and let the magic unfold.

7.Throw that phone away : If you’re spending more than 40-50 minutes a day on your phone scrolling and getting to know what is happening in the other person's life, then I’d say it's high time to start thinking about where your life is headed towards.

Phone has become the reality of everyday life and when you are addicted to this habit, The young     eyes that are watching you will blindly imitate the same. This indeed is worse than drug addiction. If you don't know where to draw the line. Forget Yoga, Even God can't help you. 

If the first & last act of your before you go to bed is scrolling through the new feed on social media. Forget away waking up early, You’ll never ever be able to die peacefully a few years down the line.

8.Soulful conversations : We talk, All throughout the day to countless people & have useless & baseless conversations about things that mean nothing to us. Instead of gaining clarity you’ll be plunged into an ocean of confusion and chaos. 

Satsang - The most commonly used word in yoga, It means being in the company of those who’ll light up your inner fire and make you feel alive. If you are not surrounding yourself with them you’ll never feel connected to yourself and it doesn't matter even if you sleep for 12 years, You’ll never experience contentment in its purest form. 

If this helps you gain even 5% clarity and makes you think about where you stand now & you make up your mind to change yourself, I’m gonna be the happiest person ever !

We all get lost in the false pursuit of reality & happiness in the name of work, responsibility, ultimately getting sucked into the online world & OTT platforms📺 over our spare time (especially the weekends & at least 2-3 hours on weekdays) & we miss out on having real, soulful conversations that’ll help us in understanding the realities of life & oneself.

To fulfill the same emptiness you end up buying things which you never need or will probably never use so that you can pacify your ego & give it a false idea of belongingness and happiness. 

You accept it or not it makes no difference, This is the reality!.  All of us are seeking the ones who make us feel full & complete beyond our family, ourselves, who will make us realize things we never knew about ourselves.

I believe everything we seek is right in front of us. All we have to do is open our eyes & SEE 👀!!!

This is how I'm gonna take you on this journey…

Firstly, It is Yoga🧘.

Second, Travelling🧳.

Third, Mountains & adventure⛰️.

Nurturing the innate nature among my students, connecting them to one another has been by far the most exciting initiative of this year :). 

A little adventure will never dent your life & the excitement to visit an unknown place with like minded humans is indeed soul tickling.

So, Last month I started an initiative to stretch our legs beyond the mat. It is time to start the adventure wing of Harsha Yoga.

We started with the bike ride last month & this month we were fortunate enough to be hosted in one of my student's coffee plantations in Coorg. What we practice here in between 4 walls, is what we need to experience in nature.

Traveling, spending time with fellow practitioners will make you feel free, alive & taste the freedom of Yoga in its purest form.

Nature🍃 = Nurturing oneself.

We learn the biggest lessons in life from our birth mother, But we learn the realities of oneself from Mother Nature.

My heartfelt Pranamas to everyone who made it to Coorg over the weekend & now we have 4 farm visits & 3 bike rides lined up for the next 3 months. 

It is indeed a blessing to be in the midst of the students who love yoga, traveling, mountains🗻, agriculture🥬, music🎶 & adventure.

Remember, we all love having different identities & lead the same at different points of a day, month & year!

It is very essential that you do it by pursuing varied interests so that you don't get bored & bugged with your life, profession & family.

Your pockets will be full of money💵,

Your belly will be full of food🍕,

Your home will be complete with your loved ones👨‍👩‍👧‍👦,

Your company will be full of employees👩‍🏭,

But your inner self (SOUL) will be sad as F**k !!!😔

Stop waiting for others to make the first move, YOU make the first move!!

Deep down if you know it’s something you want to do, JUST DO IT !!!

Don't waste your time searching. Start building & everyone will come to you !!

What you want & how you want to live is what hundreds want too !!!

After the lockdown ended & after a break of 2 years, completely broke, dejected, lost & lonely, I restarted again last year with just 2 students. It was time to wake up from the dead !!!

But this time I was clear as to what I was about to embark on. 

It’s time to change lives, forever !!!

Embrace the company of the ones who are with you & bring out the best in anyone & everyone. Each one is a power house of skill, talent & most importantly life !!! 

Embrace Humanity, Embrace being Human.

Being amidst the earnest seekers who turn out to be your students is indeed a blessing !!!

To fill this big hole in you, Under Harsha Yoga I've decided to take this initiative of traveling.

What do you think?. Does this make sense ?. If yes, What are you waiting for?. Join us !!!!

Rise | Shine | Evolve 

When we get things before asking for them & when we aren't ready, and when we don't value what we have in front of our eyes. We are indeed blind.

We may have sight, But we are blind, PERIOD !

Ever thought as to why we do not value things when we have them and then cry for them when we lose them?. Ever wonder as to why this happens?. Why?.

Is it because we want to experience pain or because we are just too dumb, extroverted and lost in the purisut of wordly happiness that we forget to establish the deeper connection that’s needed for us to feel alive?. Why ? why? Why?

Why are we so ignorant?. Why haven't we established a deeper emotional connection with oneself and yet wish to be emotionally connected to everyone around us and want them to respect our emotions?. How can you have sympathy and empathy for others when you aren't sympathetic and empathetic to yourself?.

We have the habit of blaming others instead of accepting the ignorance that’s clouded us. Let’s get real. When we were genuinely interested in something we just found ways to figure things out. The drive to solve the problem and experience freedom helps us push to the limits. Isn't it?.

If we understand and apply the same in every aspect of our lives, The only person we will ever hold accountable is ourselves. You will realize the friends, enemy, creator and the creation is seated in you & you alone.

Wondering why I am telling this?. Well, It’s because we haven't understood what is means to be devoted to one’s life & we aren't devoted to our own life. Does it make sense to  expect everyone around us to be devoted to us? Seriously?

Devotion and respect for oneself brings love and affection and then you establish a deeper connection with your inner self, you not just feel alive but you find the cause of your birth. The sad reality is respect is demanded. The Bhava, Bhavana doesn't need a reason to love, It’s our nature.

The very moment we come into this world, we are held in the hands of our loved one and welcomed into this world with a kiss on our cheeks. So, isn't it obvious that the majority of us always wish to be embraced and kissed by our loved ones?. But, don't you think in this process we have lost connection with ourselves and always seek love in another soul when deep down we are an ocean of happiness and have abundant love?.

When was the last time you hugged yourself, When was the last time you gave a pat on the back and said you’re the best, Why is that you’ve stopped appreciating yourself?. Is it because you are asking to get your heart broken? Or do you want to experience pain and understand the meaning of love or are you just lost ?

Where are you?. What are you headed towards?

Start now !!!

Rise | Shine | Evolve

Nothing is easy in life. If it was, we’d never be happy. Ever !

We feel alive when we have to fight for things that are close to our heart to fulfill the cause we are destined for. 

We feel we are at peace with ourselves when the work we do dawns clarity and insight into what our future has in offering to us.

All of us strive in gaining clarity about what exactly we want in life. We run & run & run & then finally come back to where we started and in the due course of time we would have wasted precious years of our life and learnt a lesson or two. 

But what if we had clarity and insight, understood the reason and cause as to why we are born where we are born and for what reason we are born and why we are born to our parents, everything becomes clear to us. We stop fighting, we start learning and we evolve.

There is no such thing as “getting settled” in life when you have the fire within to grow, experience new things and seek to lead a life filled with adventure. You are settled because you’re lazy, PERIOD !

Not wanting to live life to the fullest and not willing to break the barriers and set new standards of thinking and living for yourself is indeed what’s suffocating you. It’s not about responsibilities nor the family. 

Ignite the thought of creativity in you and give an opportunity for the real you to burst out and share the happiness of your birth with the ones who reflect the same insights that you have in life. Develop genuine, soul connections with the ones who are meant for you. For only then will you stop crying for the ones you have lost. 

For that which you lost was never meant to be yours.

Don't just taste the meal called freedom of life, Sit back and have a full course meal. Realize and be free. 

RISE | SHINE | EVOLVE.

Well, let’s get real !! 

Life doesn't give you second chances, it gives you hundreds. It’s up to us to take action.

We give the reason for age, responsibilities, and work. In reality, It’s our laziness, lack of motivation, and self-respect that’s speaking. 

Don't get offended, It’s the reality. Accept it. Don't agree with me?. Let me explain.

We all know deep down the superpowers we have and the skill we possess and where we will reach if we put them into action, Right?!. You know deep down you can reach unimaginable heights if you pursue your inner calling and yet you say no. WHY?.

Why are you depriving yourself of wanting to experience the true taste of freedom?. Don't you want to live life to the fullest and feel complete every day when you lie down in bed?. Don't you want to experience the happiness of closing your eyes and taste the touch of sleep?.

Now let’s talk about Self respect. We always seek or rather demand respect from others. Why?. Maybe there’s a big hole inside you that you’ve left a void for a long long time and just expect others to fulfill when the other person doesn't even know !!!. So, Why don't you just speak up !!! Not just to others, speak to yourself. Listen to yourself. 

What’s making you not take that action?. What’s holding you back?. You family? Your job? Your friends? Your colleagues ?.

Bullsh*t !!!.  IT’S YOU !!!

You set the pace of your life, No one else !!!

This is not about you getting used to & staying in your comfort zone. This is about not letting go and wanting to grow. It’s about not exploring alternative streams of knowledge that help you gain deeper insight about yourself. It’s about the emptiness you feel deep down, Remember it?. 

The one you’ve been feeling since the days of schooling, college, and family life. That’s the culprit.

You’ve been just filling the wrong pot. You were thirsty all your life and instead of quenching the thirst, you’re feeding food thinking you’re hungry. It’s just not adding up.

Being hungry and being thirsty are 2 different things. You have to quench your thirst of life, Instead of that you’ve been feeding yourself. Make sense?

You’ve quenched the hunger for pleasure, It’s done.

You’ve quenched the hunger for company, You have a partner, It’s done.

You’ve quenched the hunger for money, You have enough now,  It’s done.

You’ve quenched the hunger for family, You have people around you,  It’s done.

But, have you fulfilled the thirst for growth, knowledge & freedom?. If not, You know the reason now.

These aren't my words, but the words of Swami Vivekananda himself. It’s just that I am breaking it down to the simplest words imaginable and adding a little bit of humor.

When was the last time you read a book that helped you think in the right direction? Or gave you a redirect?. When was the last time you held yourself accountable? When was the last time you started a new habit that’d set you apart from others and push you ahead?.

Don't tell me you don't have time. How much time do you spend scrolling on your phone?. If you’re smiling while reading this, then you have the answer. 

You are stuck because you decided to stay there.

You have kids because you decided to have a family.

You have responsibilities because you decided to become responsible.

You have pain because you asked for it. Yes, You really did.

You suffer because you don't want to find a solution.

You aren't growing, Because you aren't learning.

You aren't healthy because you choose to remain so.

You aren’t fit because you haven't thrown that weighing scale away and done what needs to be done.

You cry because you let the hurt hurt you, it’s not the people who hurt. It’s the emotion inside you that’s hurting you.

It’s you & you alone !!!

Stop blaming & Start becoming.

RISE | SHINE | EVOLVE.