Yoga Archives — NIMBLE FOUNDATION BLOG

Exploring Mindfulness: The Essentials and Benefits

1) What is Mindfulness?

Mindfulness is the practice of being fully present and engaged in the current moment, aware of your thoughts, feelings, and sensations without judgment. It involves paying attention to the present experience with openness and curiosity. Mindfulness can be cultivated through various techniques, including meditation, breathing exercises, and mindful movement, such as yoga.

Key aspects of mindfulness include:

Awareness: Being conscious of what is happening around you and within you.
Non-judgment: Observing thoughts and feelings without labeling them as good or bad.
Present Moment: Focusing on the here and now rather than dwelling on the past or worrying about the future.
Acceptance: Embracing your current experience without trying to change it. Practicing mindfulness has been shown to have numerous benefits, including reducing stress, improving emotional regulation, enhancing concentration, and promoting overall well-being.

2) How to practice mindfulness?

Practicing mindfulness involves focusing on the present moment and accepting it without judgment. Here are some effective ways to incorporate mindfulness into your daily routine:

Mindful Breathing:
Sit or lie down in a comfortable position.
Close your eyes and take deep breaths.
Focus on your breath as it goes in and out. Notice the sensation of the air entering and leaving your body.
If your mind wanders, gently bring your focus back to your breathing.

Body Scan:
Lie down comfortably and close your eyes.
Starting from your toes, bring your attention to each part of your body, moving upwards to your head.
Notice any sensations, tension, or discomfort. Acknowledge them without trying to change anything.

Mindful Walking:
Walk slowly and focus on the movement of your feet and legs.
Pay attention to the sensation of your feet touching the ground.
Notice your surroundings, the sounds, and the feeling of the air.

Mindful Eating:
Eat slowly and focus on the taste, texture, and aroma of your food.
Notice the colors and shapes of the food on your plate.
Chew slowly and savor each bite.

Meditation:
Set aside a few minutes each day for meditation.
Sit in a quiet place, close your eyes, and focus on your breathing.
When thoughts come, acknowledge them and let them go, returning your focus to your breath.

Gratitude Practice:
Take a moment each day to reflect on what you are grateful for.
Write down a few things you appreciate, no matter how small they may seem.

Mindful Listening:
When talking to someone, give them your full attention.
Listen without interrupting or planning your response.
Notice the speaker’s words, tone, and body language.

Mindful Observation:
Spend a few minutes observing something in your environment (e.g., a tree, a flower, or a candle flame).
Notice the details, colors, shapes, and movements without judgment.

Mindful Journaling:
Write about your thoughts and feelings without censoring yourself.
Reflect on your experiences and emotions.

Incorporate Mindfulness into Daily Activities:
Practice mindfulness during routine activities like washing dishes, showering, or brushing your teeth.

3) What are the benefits of mindfulness?

Mindfulness, the practice of being fully present and engaged in the moment, offers a range of benefits for mental, emotional, and physical well-being. Here are some key benefits:

Reduces Stress: Mindfulness helps lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol, leading to decreased stress and anxiety.
Improves Focus and Concentration: Regular mindfulness practice enhances attention span and the ability to concentrate on tasks.
Enhances Emotional Regulation: Mindfulness promotes better control over emotions, reducing emotional reactivity and increasing resilience.
Boosts Mental Health: It can reduce symptoms of depression, anxiety, and other mental health issues by promoting a more positive outlook and reducing negative thought patterns.
Improves Physical Health: Mindfulness has been linked to lower blood pressure, improved sleep quality, reduced chronic pain, and better immune function.
Promotes Self-Awareness: By paying attention to thoughts and feelings without judgment, mindfulness increases self-awareness and understanding of oneself.
Improves Relationships: Enhanced empathy, compassion, and communication skills through mindfulness lead to better relationships and social interactions.

4) How Mindfulness is related to Personal Success?

Mindfulness can significantly contribute to personal success in several ways:

Improved Focus and Clarity: Mindfulness practices, such as meditation, help enhance focus and concentration. This heightened focus allows individuals to work more efficiently, make better decisions, and stay committed to their goals.

Stress Reduction: Mindfulness reduces stress by promoting relaxation and cultivating a non-reactive mindset. Lower stress levels lead to better emotional regulation, which in turn improves overall well-being and resilience in facing challenges.

Enhanced Emotional Intelligence: Mindfulness fosters self-awareness and empathy. By understanding one’s emotions better and being attuned to others’ feelings, individuals can navigate social interactions more effectively, leading to better relationships and collaborative success.

Increased Creativity: Mindfulness encourages divergent thinking and the ability to see situations from multiple perspectives. This can spark creativity and innovation, crucial elements in problem-solving and entrepreneurial endeavors.

Better Decision-Making: By practicing mindfulness, individuals can cultivate a more balanced approach to decision-making. They become less reactive to impulses and emotions, making decisions that are more thoughtful, strategic, and aligned with their long-term goals.

Thanks for reading.

Wani Yoga – Lesson 14

Speak to express not to impress

You must always speak to express yourself. Any effort to impress others while speaking does not bring about the necessary result. In fact, it may even alienate your listener/ listeners. People expect you to express an honest opinion; no-body wants to be influenced by artificial means.

When you try to impress others, your body language, your voice and the very language used, make it apparent to a discerning listener that you are cooking up a story. No one is the interested in that.

Whenever you try to feign a style just to show off; it puts people off. So the best thing is to be your natural self. Develop a style by all means. But it should be your own natural style.

Your speech must be preceded by your desire to express yourself.

In the circumstances, I consider, Wani Yoga is a discipline which can be best practiced in our old Gura-Shishya tradition. Guru is always his own real self. He is keen that his disciples receive the maximum advantage of his training. His happiness lies in his disciples; in helping them achieve their goals. Wani Yoga enables you to have total control of your mind, body, body language and the language used by you in communication. The trainer or the coach can monitor your progress only if he or she follows this Guru-Shishiya tradition in the true sense.

I am informed by a friend of mine that today happens to be birthday of Adi Shankaracharya who was one of the greatest gurus propagating Guru-Shishiya Parampara.

Wani Yoga Lesson 12 – Part 2

Regarding Wani Yoga , in my last post, I talked about the talent and development of Lataji’s great singing. The other famous female singers of the same era are many. Today, we’ll go forward talk about Geeta Dutt. There Asha Bhosle, Suraiya, Runa Laila and Anuradha Podwal. Each of them has her own voice personality. They have learnt classical Indian Music from well-Known Gurus. Some of these singers could have also achieved excellence on their own and working with great music composers like Naushad, op Nayar, Shanker Jaikrishan, C. Ramchander, Madan Mohan and others. Their achievements have been are driven by the unsuitable hunger for some immortal songs. And all of them have worked real hard.

You might ask, if the singers have gone through structured or unstructured with rigorous training, then how does Wani Yoga come into the picture?

Any form of yoga requires consistent and constant. Riyaaz or ‘abhiyaas’.

What is Abhiyaas?

Abhiyaas is practice with devotion with a passion to learn. Following any passion, be it concerning art or science needs years of ‘Abhiyaas’ to culminate to its full bloom. Only then it leaves an indelible mark in the society. And, Abhiyaas about singing is ‘Wani Yoga’. Your own active listening improves the quality of your voice. Your own passion for music creates unforgettable combinations of ‘Sur and Taal’ of songs that haunt millions of followers.

Geeta Dutt:

An enchanting singer – her songs put the listeners under a strange spell. Even prosaic messages of her simple songs keep on ringing in your ears:

Babuji dheer chalna, pyaar mein zara sambhalna…..or

Aayee Meherbaan, Bhaithiye jaane jana; Shauk se lijiyeji, Ishq ke inttiyaan……or

Mera Sunder Sapna beet gaya……or

Aye Dil mujhe bata de, tu kispe aa gaya hai, Who kaun he jo aakar, khabon mein cha gaya hai…

And list in endless.

‘Wani Yoga’ Lesson 12

In the last lesson (11) I had described some exercises which are helpful for enhancing resonance in the voice. But resonance is primarily a quality the male voice. What about the female Voice? What are the types of female voices?
For western classical singers the female voice can be classified as:

Soprano: This voice type represents the highest vocal range ability
Mezzo soprano or “half soprano”: vocal range that lies between soprano and the contralto voice type.
Contralto: the voice range which is the lowest female voice type.

Jane Eaglen, famous soprano singer

Patricia O’Callaghan well known for ‘half soprano’ singing

Karneus Katarina – famed contralto singer

However, when we look at the scene in India, famous female singers are known for their unique voice quality. The composers choose the singer as per the demand of the situation in the film. I am talking about female playback singers and not classical singers because they are better known to the people at large. Nevertheless, the importance and greatness of the classical female singers cannot be exaggerated.
While there is no doubt each one of them was endowed with unmatched talent, the development of the voice varies remarkably. This happened due to their learning process and the way music composers worked with them to achieve the desired result in singing.
Lata Mangeshkar
It may be surprising, to many, to know that Lata Mangeshkar was rejected by many composers. They felt that her voice was very thin. In fact if we listen to her songs in very old movies, we will find that her voice was really thin. But it possessed a unique quality of a child’s innocence. However as the years passed, her voice matured. It is unrivaled even to this day. To me it appears that her singing grew as Lata Ji is seen in the following 2 pictures.
Lata Mangeshkar in her younger days
Lata Mangeshkar- her voice matured retaining its malady till date
Her songs truly reflect her versatility. She sings any type of song with unique ease. Invariably, her songs please the listeners immensely. The range of her voice and the poise in her songs are remarkable indeed. Her voice is very sweet and very attractive. Besides it has stood the test of time. If anything it has grown better and better.
As I like to talk about a number of well known female singers, this lesson no 12 will have many parts.
Thanks for visiting my blog.

Wani Yoga – Lesson 11

Wani Yoga Lesson 11
I will now describe some simple exercises which will bring resonation and make your voice rich. But these exercises must be done consistently. And, you must remain relaxed while doing these exercises.
Sit comfortably on a chair or on the ground with crossed legs. Breathe in deeply and vocalize the following:
Exercise 1
Oo, Oo, Oo, ( Use your speech organs in an exaggerated manner while speaking these vowel sound.
Aw, Aw, Aw,
Ah, Ah, Ah,
Ay, Ay, Ay,
Ee, Ee, Ee
Oh, oh, oh
Repeat 3 to 5 times as can be comfortably done.
Exercise 2 : Taking a deep breath vocalize the following:
oo, oo, oo……mmmmmmm
(while humming the m sound should keep your upper and lower teeth apart. Let the lips touch each other)
Next, repeat with other vowel sounds:
Oh, oh, oh        ………… mmmmmmmmm
Aw, Aw, Aw    …………mmmmmmmmm
Ah, Ah, Ah       ………….mmmmmmmm
Ay, Ay, Ay       …………. mmmmmmmm
Ee, Ee, Ee        ………….. mmmmmmmm
Exercise 3 :
Speak the following line on one note (do) or (sa)
Many military matters must not mount
Then, repeat the same in other notes of the octave
Sa, re, ga, ma, pa, dha, ni, sa
OR
Do, re me, far, so, la, te, do
Some of the other singers known for their resonant voices are:

Some additional speakers with resonant voices are:

Disclaimer: The exercises recommended are harmless, however any person before undertaking my consult his / her physician. The blog owner will not accept any kind of direct or indirect responsibility.

Wani Yoga – Lesson 7

In the last lesson (Lesson 6), we had seen how WaniYoga encompasses the necessaity to balance the third eye chakra or the Ajna. Physcially, Wani (Speech) may be produced by the breath, vocal chord and speech organs. It is enhanced and made more effective by your talent to modulate your voice. However, its origin is in the mind. You have to have a desire to speak. Then, you organize your thoughts and the process of speech starts.
Crystallizing the idea, and translating it into the language can be easy and quick with the ‘balanced third eye chakra’ However, if the chakra is not activated you will not have the focus to translate your ideas into language and present it the way you want. The Ajna chakra, or the third eye chakra is in fact the seat of wisdom. This gives you the ability to create an effective desired communication. Since the Ajna is also the command centre for your body, it manages your five senses, as well as your conscious and sub-conscious mind. The body language created while you speak also depends upon the activity of the third eye chakra.
When we are communicating, this Ajna Chakra makes it possible to see the bigger picture. This enables us to put things in the right perspective and we can negotiate with empathy and without being judgemental. Balancing, the chakra also enables you to hear your ego speak. You heart and mind come closer. They no longer tend to take you in different directions, so you speak with conviction and you become more convincing.
Herein below is an exercises which will help you balance the third eye chakra for better communication:
1. Visualize that it is a full moon night
2. You are sitting on the banks of a lake
3. Water in the lake is calm and still
4. You can see the reflection of the moon in the still water of the lake.
5. Concentrate on the image of the moon
6. Visualize light in your mind as if it was the moon in the still water of the lake
7. Continue to meditate on the light in your mind in terms of moon in the lake for 5 minutes. Gradually the time can be increased as much you comfortably can.
8. The best time to do this exercise is early in the morning. However, it can be done at any quiet place at any time with practice.
Disclaimer: The exercises recommended are harmless, however any person before undertaking my consult his / her physician. The blog owner will not accept any kind of direct or indirect responsibility.

Wani Yoga – Lesson 6

In the Lesson – 5, we had discussed the ways and means to balance ‘Throat Chakra.’ The simple exercises described can be carried out at any time and place can help you become more articulate and focused.

The importance of the ‘Throat Chakra’ encompasses thinking also. Because if you think clearly, only then you can give suitable commands to your vocal chords and the speech organs. Needless to say that you breathing pattern when you speak is critical. And, Wani Yoga helps you to develop an appropriate and effective breathing pattern.

Primarily though, this sixth chakra, that is the Third Eye Chakra concerns itself with vision. It is both the physical vision and the mental vision. When you look at anything, certain impressions are created on your mind. A closer and attentive look will bring about clarity. But if you are casual, and inattentive, the impression will be hazy and unclear. A series of hazy and unclear impressions are bound to make you mind also hazy and unclear. In the process, you tend to become indecisive. Procrastination prevails thereafter. In such a situation, you are unable to speak clearly and express your thoughts precisely. How can you succeed in influencing others? We all know that the most important quality of a good leader is that he/she should be able to express clearly and should also be able to influence others.

When you are talking to people or addressing them in a group, it is also necessary to understand their response. How do we do that? When they communicate through their body language, it is necessary for the speaker to listen to them with his/her third eye. You observe the body language through the physical eyes, but assimilating the information gathered, and using the same while speaking surely needs the adept ability of your ‘third eye.’ It is the third eye chakra which enables you to perceive things and simultaneously react accordingly. The intervention of your deeper vision through your third eye chakra takes you to a commanding position. Thus you influence people and develop your leadership quality.

In my next post I shall talk about the exercises the Wani Yoga exercises which balances and enhances this unique faculty that is ‘The Third Eye Chakra.’

Wani Yoga Lesson 4

Wani (your speech) is an index of your physical and mental health. What you speak (content), quality of your voice and how you speak, truly reflect your attitude, your control over your speech organs, your breath control and the coordination between the mind and the language you use to express your thoughts.

These are seven vital energy centres in the body known as the Seven Chakras. Throat Chakra pertains to your expression and communication. If the Throat Chakra is unbalanced, the individual finds him/her unable to express. Often there is a feeling of stagnation. You hesitate to express yourself in a group. Your self-esteem is hurt. You hold on to your anger within yourself. Such a situation affects your mental health which in turn also spoils your physical health. Other symptoms of an unbalanced Throat Chakra which is also known as the fifth chakra are:- excessive talking, timidity ,inability to express yourself in a focused fashion, shyness and being judgmental.

Following are the indications of a balanced Throat Chakra:

Ability to effectively communicate verbally, in writing or through body language.
Confidence in your beliefs and ability to express these.
The capacity to listen to others and understand their viewpoint.
You start respecting the power of language and develop an ability to leverage this unique power.

In my next post, I shall describe the yogic exercises that bring about balance in the Throat Chakra.

Thanks for visiting my blog.

Wani Yoga Lesson 3

In my last post, I had talked about importance of Jaw and Lips for speaking clearly. Since the words are created by the five speech organs i.e. Jaw, Lips, Tongue, Teeth and Palate, today, I will explain the importance of the last three.
Tongue:
Tongue plays the most important role in creating various sounds which are recognized as words. How does it do it? By making different movements and adopting different shapes. Sometimes it rests and against the upper teeth; sometimes it clips to the lower ones. It curls horizontally and then vertical for articulating different letters of the alphabet or syllabus of the words. One thing remarkable about the tongue is that it heals very fast should it be hurt due to any reason. Your teeth may bite it. You may suddenly take a very hot drink etc. though it is rarely damaged, but it heals fast indeed. Let the wounds it can create on the minds of people whenever ill used do not heal in a lifetime. It always needs to be reined and used carefully.
Teeth:
Teeth also play a very important role in creating certain words. You may notice that when young children loose their upper teeth they are not able to speak certain words clearly at all. Because tongue does not find the correct resting place for producing those sounds.
Palate:
It is the outer layer of the upper dome in our mouth. It is importance in creating resonance in the voice and also is, instrumental in articulating certain sounds. You might have observed that whenever it is hurt due to talking very hot food or drink our voice is impaired and we are not able to speak certain words.
It is possible you may have found this post a bit too technical. Yet it extremely importance to recognize the role these speech organs play to make our ‘Wani’ sweet and attractive, so we must do all that we can to protect our speech organs and use them adeptly for making our speech effective.

Wani Yoga

We have seen, in our earlier post, the functions of jaw. Today, we shall look at functions/ importance of other speech organs i.e. lips, tongue, teeth and palate.
Lips: Sound of consonants like b, P and M cannot he appropriately produced unless we use lips correctly. Wani yoga puts on the right path to create correct sound of each of these consonants. The exercises for the lips make the lips very flexible. The power of discipline (yoga) in this case also lies in making us active listeners to our own speech. When we listen to the words spoken by us and identify inadequacies, the repetitive process of these exercises reminds the mind of the inadequacies. In turn a revised stimulus (instruction) is sent by the brain to the lips which make the correct movements that result in producing the right sounds.
In order to practically observe the clarity of the words requiring effective movement of the lips, you may try to say the following sentence without touching your lips.
Please pack the pickles and post the parcel.
You will not be able to say the above sentence in an articulate manner unless you press your lips a little.
Similarly you may try to speak the following sentence clearly and observe. This will require slightly different overall formation of the lips to speak the same clearly:
Many moaning man were making music to the moon.
Tomorrow, we will discuss the, next speech organ. And, you must always keep in mind that practitioners of ‘Wani Yoga’ always ensure that they speak clearly.