I’m on my way to becoming a yoga teacher and this couldn't have come at a better time

I think I may have mentioned it here and there in some of my posts. But here’s the full ‘announcement’. I’m studying to be a Certified Yoga Teacher! And it couldn’t have happened at a better time. Here’s why.

When I signed up for the year-long course from the well-known Aura Wellness Centre two months ago, I wasn’t sure if this was the time to take on something so intensive. Or, if an online course was the thing to do. Or, if I’d really be able to cope with the studies and the daily practice, what with a turbo toddler to chase after through the day. I was excited when I got my box of study material, but overwhelmed too. How would I master so many yoga poses? How could I read all those books and look at so many videos, and practice regularly?

I wrote to my teacher at the yoga school, and he told me to take each day as it comes, to practice my asanas to the best of my abilities, to enjoy the moment. A piece of advice that works so well for our daily lives if we let go of the desire to control each outcome and go with the flow. That’s when I let go of that coiled-up breath that I was holding onto, and just enjoyed my practice.

I still worry. I still try to visualize the outcome. But not as much. And guess what? I’m enjoying my yoga practice more and more with every passing day. I’m realizing that this course, this practice couldn’t have come at a better time.

With my attention & energy being bisected by 101 things and a roller coaster of toddler moods to skate through, this one thing, this hour of yoga time helps me stay grounded and centered. It makes those muscles work, opens up those knots in my body and brain, and steadies my soul.

It’s helping me let go of some of that post-birth chubbiness, filling me up with a booster shot of energy (which I desperately need in this season of life), and letting me stay calm when a storm whirls around my head. Yoga – just four little letters that help me focus on the now and works like a balm on frazzled nerves.

Ah…so I didn’t mean to write a jingle for a Yoga advert. But honestly, this is what yoga has been like for me. And interestingly, my son loves this mat-time too. He climbs over yoga blocks, thinks I’m a tunnel that he can chug under when I’m in Downward Dog yoga pose, snuggles up to me when I’m right in the middle of a Surya Namaskar, and plays ‘horse horse’ when I’m in Cobra pose. He often shares my yoga mat with me, dragging his current favorite toy or trinket onto it and playing there while I twist myself into yet another pose.

In a year, I’d like to teach other women this amazing art + exercise, create classes where yoga is equal parts fun and practice, and craft a community where people can be their true selves on the mat and in the world. I’d also like to learn Restorative yoga and Children’s yoga - two areas of yoga that fascinate me. But for now, I’ll return to my mat.

What do you like about yoga? Drop in a line here or join us at my Facebook page to continue the conversation.

#yoga #yogateacher

#100sareepact – 6 ways to tackle those excuses and wear a saree more often

I have been quiet on the blog front for this month or more. Not because I don’t have anything to say but because there’s a lot to share and just stray seconds to jot down, find pictures and upload a bunch of posts in. Sometimes life takes over, grabbing whatever slices of online time I have for its own.

But before I reel of all that I have on my mind, I gotta share what’s right on the tip of my tongue. The #100sareepact movement that’s rolling across the merry hills of Facebook and the wide world of the Internet.

Being offline for so much of the time, I was absolutely clueless about #100sareepact. And I am just as alarmed that it’s me, the saree aficionado, who has missed this saree revolution that’s promising to change the way urban Indian women view the saree, one saree at a time, one day at a time.

I stumbled across the #100sareepact, a dare and a challenge, a revolution and a revelation, when some of my readers tagged me, gently letting me know that I’ve nudged them towards their saree closets and saree style. (Thanks ladies, it’s an honor).

So here I am, a bit late but still full of enthusiasm for this rollicking ride, this wonderful challenge that’s nudging even me to step up my saree quotient. To wear them more often in this season of toddler-mommyhood, when a pair of trousers or leggings is what one tends to reach out for than 6 yards of gorgeousness.

If you’re a new mom/toddler mom like me, or a gal who wants to wear sarees but without the frills of it (read: getting more blouses stitched, altering the ones that don’t fit anymore, wearing saris without going crazy figuring out your entire ensemble), here are a few tips.

(Warning: These tips may take more than a dollop of casual + creativity + spunk to try on.)

Psst...I'm wearing a kurti as a blouse here

Problem 1: “My blouses don’t fit me anymore and I can’t find the time to get them altered. So, I guess, I’ll not participate in the #100sareepact.”

Action step: Put aside the blouses that don’t fit right now and reach out for those gorgeous tops, short kurtis and tees that you have stashed away in your closet. Team them up with your saree, preferably wearing a top that complements or is a contrast to your saree. Example: I like to wear printed cotton kurtis with plain tussar saris. Try this tip before discarding it – it sounds crazy but works just fine. I do this all the time.

Problem 2: I have a lot of sarees and haven’t taken them out from my boxes for the past 10 years. I’m not sure if I’m up to the task of hauling them out now for the #100sareepact.

Action step: Choose 10 sarees that’ll suit the season. So, if it’s summer, bring out the crisp Bengal cottons, the breezy Kota dorias and the soft chiffons. Or, if it’s cool where you live, bring out the raw silks and heavy cottons. Bring them out and get them ironed. Bring out the petticoats to match the sarees and arrange all of these in your closet. So, when you want to wear a saree, you don’t have to do the entire drill of dipping into your boxes, rummage for the petticoats, smoothen out the crinkles in the folds. You’ll have what you want, when you want them.

When you’ve worn the 10 sarees, put them back in the boxes and bring out 10 more. Rinse and repeat.

Problem 3: “I haven’t worn sarees for years and I’m not sure how my friends or colleagues will react when I start wearing them.” Or, if you’re like me – “I wear sarees so often that people think I’ve gone crazy and ask me strange questions”.

Action step: Just laugh and let people know that saree is your style. Even add that you’re part of the #100sareepact. And then just brush off those strange reactions. People will get used to you in a saree. And even if they don’t – do you really care or does it really matter?

Problem 4: How do I know what kind of sarees to wear for casual events or formal parties?

Action step: Go with your gut feeling. I often pick that saree up that whispers its story to me on that particular day. You can choose a saree for any occasion or day depending on what color appeals to you, what kind of story you want to create, what look are you aiming for. You can also take the weather into consideration and choose a saree you’re comfortable in.

Problem 5: I want to take part in the #100sareepact but I’m not sure if I’ll be able to wear sarees a 100 times this particular year (this may be your concern if you’ve just learnt to wear a saree / still getting used to being in a saree / are pregnant / have a baby or toddler / are in another country).

Action step: I have this concern too. In this season of life, I’m a stay-at-home mom chasing after a turbo toddler. I live in pajamas and comfy leggings; a skirt or dhoti pants for the days when I’m feeling more vibrant and bohemian. I do wear my sarees to parties and social do’s, but I don’t see myself attending a 100 parties this year. So, what should I do? Drop out of the #100sareepact because I may not be able to wear sarees a 100 times?

I almost thought that that’s what I may have to do if I couldn’t keep up with the pact. But I love the saree too much to not hop onto this particular bandwagon…this merry bandwagon full of vibrant saree-wearers like me. So, this is the deal that I’ve made with myself: I’ll wear sarees whenever I can. I’m not sure if I’ll be able to wear them a 100 times. But I can wear them to my heart’s content within the parameters of my life situation.

I’m going with this motto: wear (a saree) when you can.

Problem 6: I don’t seem to be fitting in what with me wearing sarees so often.

Action step: You’ll never fit in, in a saree, especially in the urban Indian scenario. But you can fit out for your creativity and the stories that your style tells, for your out-of-the-box ideas and your own unique personality – all of this when you drape a saree and step out with confidence.

Are you ready to wear your sarees more often, this year for the #100sareepact and for the years to come?

What challenges do you face in wearing sarees more often? Drop in a line and let me know if I can help.

In the meanwhile, you may enjoy reading these saree stories:

Why we don’t wear sarees more often

Simple ways to style your saree

Continue the conversation on my Facebook page.

When mothering can be either - an instinctive skill or a learnt art

I have never been one of those girls who can say that all I ever wanted to be was a mother. Or that motherhood defines me. Or that motherhood is my calling. I wish I could, but I’d be lying if I did.

Parenting/mothering has never come naturally or very easily to me.

During those early months and till much later, I fumbled and fretted when I had to snap on a diaper or tie on a nappy on my newborn son. I got grouchy every time I was woken up by a screaming/hungry/uncomfortable baby (which would be a 100 times) during the night. I yearned for the comfort of my blanket and the serenity of sleep, when I had to sit through the fuzzy hours nursing my son. I ached for my pre-pregnancy self…that responsibility-free self minus the mummy tummy, the dark circles, the sleep-deprived brain, the achy bones and the bag full of self-doubts.

I didn’t like cleaning my baby’s yellow poop (and still don’t)! I felt shaky every time my baby would want to be a kangaroo-kid-in-mamas-pouch (which was all the time), doubting my capability and ability to provide him comfort (I wasn’t sure who needed more comforting at that time, him or me). I trundled through the endless routines that define a baby’s life…the same monotonous cycle of feeding, diapering, rocking him to sleep. The ones that were on automatic rinse & repeat cycles all through the day, repeated meticulously every two hours till I felt that my brain was ready to drop off.

I plodded through each day, praying for more confidence and patience, wondering if I’d ever be totally comfortable in this new skin, in this new avatar as a mom. If I’d ever really get over the overwhelm that came with the responsibility and this role packed within the span of 6 short letters and 3 shorter ones i.e. m-o-t-h-e-r & m-o-m.

My husband on the other hand, has been an instinctive parent from Day 1. When it comes to parenting (and maybe even flying), he flies by the seat of his pants. He has always known just what to do when our son howled/complained/pooped/fidgeted. It’s he who taught me how to snap on a diaper, hold/talk/comfort/clean/bathe/play with our baby.

19 months later, he still plays and works with my son with a sureness that makes parenting seem like a cake walk (now that could partly be because he just has to spend 2 hours per day and not 24 braving the various moods of a charming but challenging toddler, eh?! ;-)). My husband makes parenting look like a Kodak moment, like one of those breezy TV jingles, like a photoshopped image.

But for me, all of this…this taking care of and looking after the million-and-one needs of a small human is a learnt art...an art and a skill that I have to work at every day. Even now and I suspect for many more years. I have to read, research, fumble, fume and practice before I get some of the basics right. From fixing on a diaper to dealing with a toddler’s tantrums to dressing a 1 foot high human being who hates the unnecessary layers called clothes to playing with that little dynamo, I have to study my techniques, learn new ones, plan and take every little step with a prayer on my lips and a tight rein on my patience. That’s the kind of mom I am. A ‘student mom’.

How I’d love to be a cool, confident mom with an in-born talent for mothering and an endless supply of patience. But after a little over 1.5 years, I know mothering is not one of my God-gifted talents. It’s an acquired skill, one that comes to me with a lot of hard work and head banging, research and reading, prayer and perseverance. If there’s one thing I did instinctively and without fretting, then it was reading to my son ever since he was a month old (now he loves books, asks for stories through the day, looks at picture books by himself). But the rest of it…it’s all been a labor of love. And I’ve made peace with it.

I’ve learnt to be grateful for the other skills I have, the ones that I’m weaving into my life as a mother. I’ve accepted that I can’t be a super mom - one who paints/writes/cooks/launches businesses with the same élan as changing a diaper/dressing up a mini dictator/handling the millionth meltdown. I’ve learnt that not all skills and talents come easily or naturally and that many of them can be acquired on-the-job.

My light bulb moment says that a learnt art need not be inferior to in-born, God-gifted talents. It’s just how you view it, how much you’re ready to learn, how you shape your own journey…as a mother and as a person.

#motherhood #mothering #lifeasmom #parenting

photographs by chandana & sandeep banerjee 

Back to being the girl on the kite – My shiny new blog design!

Hey you, guys!

As we land on a brand new week and take a deep breath to see us through till Saturday, I have something exciting to share with all of you.

After 13 months of blogging, I am finally ready with a blog makeover. This one’s a cosmetic makeover, complete with a bright and colorful new banner, shiny new social media buttons and painterly category tabs. Just what I wanted, my little space in the virtual world that’s full of color and the freedom to dream.

My original illustration

The little girl riding on the tail of a kite, excited about the possibilities of new lands and new dreams is so much of what I am about. Always tailing a new dream…mining the gold in the daily…exploring the possibility of joy.

So this is how it all happened…

After almost a year of using a homemade banner for the blog, I decided to add some sparkle and spunk into the visual part of my blog. I sent an illustration I had done to Pinaz Patel, my friend + whimsical graphic designer (she is the one who designed my writing website and you can check out her portfolio here) and asked her to whip up a yummy design based on that. The result? What you see right now. A fresh, fun and filled-with-freedom design.

But while we got the design ready, we still didn’t know of a programmer to help us with the coding…the very thing that gets the design off the computer to the blog. A blog reader and online friend introduced us to Arpit Soni, an entrepreneur and coder, who worked his magic behind the scenes and helped us execute what you see right now.

Thanks Pinaz and Arpit for helping create this! And thanks again for having faith in the project even when I disappeared for long weeks from the online world to take care of my toddler.

As I upload this post, as I write this blog, this change feels good. It urges me on to share my words and my life reminding me every day that I can’t let go of this dream no matter how chaotic life becomes. That even when the days are long and all I seem to do is what a mother with a young child does (follow routines, care for another, play, deal with tantrums), I still am a writer, an explorer of dreams, an artist and an adventurer on this journey called life. And even if I show up at the blog to type out my words every now and then, this little space that I share with you is worthwhile. It’s one small but significant notch in the canvas of my dreams. It’s a wonderful way to connect with all of you, one post at a time. It’s a lovely way to stay inspired and share inspiration one sentence at a time.

So thanks Team and thank you readers for staying on the page for 13 months. 

Let me know what you like about the design J.

#blogdesign #illustration #personalblog