Effects of the book "Think like a Monk"

 

Hey reader! Welcome back. In today’s blog, I did like to share an experience that is very dear to me and the one which taught me a lot about the aspects of our lives. A few months ago, I came across a book called ‘THINK LIKE A MONK’ by ‘JAY SHETTY’. This book had been really helpful because it promotes mindful meditation and many such learnings as it is inspired by the author's monk life.

Just a little background about the author of the book Jay Shetty is a former monk, a storyteller, a social media influencer, and host of the podcast ‘On Purpose’ the #1 Health and Wellness podcast in the world. Jay has created over 400 viral videos with over 5 billion views, he is also known for providing a framework with a combination of ancient wisdom and the practicalities of living in a modern world.

Luckily I came across this book on a book stall and decided to purchase it. The art to compel all the wisdom on a few pieces of paper is something incredible. Yet the most important thing about this book would be that it is written in such a way that it is easy to understand for each one of us. ‘Think like a monk’ is a book which makes me say that this is one of the best buys I have ever made. There are several reasons why I would want y’all to read this book as well. It provides a magical distillation of a monk's life and lessons learned with the help of such practical concepts suitable for everyone. 

Even if you aren’t a hardcore reader like I was earlier, this book would be a great start. It will highly impact your thoughts and will make you more aware of your conscious and subconscious minds. I loved every chunk of it most importantly while I was reading; it always kept me kind of excited to explore what the other chapters have in them and what could be learned further. The book not only contained lessons but also beautiful examples by the author. There are many noteworthy examples described in the book but one of them that I remember at the moment while writing this blog is the one about Kailash Satyarthi. There are several times in our lives when we feel that we have done or accomplished a lot in life or I don’t have to do anything further, there is so much I have already done or contributed or I’m just so done. Whenever you feel the same always remember this example that Jay Shetty gives in the eighth chapter called ‘EGO’ and one of the sub-topic in this chapter is Real Greatness. Jay Shetty writes – “Kailash Satyarthi is a children’s rights activist who is dedicated to saving kids from exploitation. His NGOs have rescued tens of thousands of children, but when asked what his first reaction was to winning the 2014 Nobel Prize, he responded, “The first reaction? Well, I wondered if I had done enough to get this award.” Satyarthi is humbled by the knowledge of how much more there is to do. The most powerful, admirable, captivating quality in any human is seen when they’ve achieved great things, but still, embrace humility and their significance.” This was one of the several beautiful illustrations given by the author. 

There are many exercises which we are supposed to try and practice which are mentioned in the book. The author also inspires us to practice mindfulness and visualization, which is not only good for our physical health but also enhances the capability of our mental health and many such benefits. The amount of knowledge provided in this book is such an inspiration and I am truly grateful that I got an opportunity to read this masterpiece. This blog was to inspire everyone out there to read such books and ignite our powerful approaches, and our beliefs, and create a healthy, happy place altogether. Also, don’t forget to take action not only reading but also turning our learnings into an action plan is essential. It is really difficult to summarize all the learnings in a short blog I tried my best to give a minute insight about the book. This is all for today I hope you got some meaningful understanding from today’s blog. Thank you for your precious time. See you in the next blog.

By Pratiksha ( Team SYNC Snippets)

Ashtanga yoga

 

Heyy helllooo hiii everyone ... Hope you all find this in good health ... Yoga will surely give you peace of mind so lets know what do we have for this week. 

Well thats Ashtanga Yoga. Whats Ashtanga yoga? 

So as the name suggests - 'Ashta' means 'eight' and "Anga" means body parts and Ashtanga yoga means union of 8 limbs to do yoga. The Ashtanga philosophy is to integrate all of the eight limbs of yoga, which include: Yama (moral codes), Niyama (self-discipline), Asana (posture), Pranayama (breath control), Pratyahara (sense withdrawal), Dharana (concentration), Dhyana (meditation), and Samadhi (oneness with the self). Doing Ashtanga feels like a challenge to many people and requires flexibility in one's body. However, there are 6 different levels of Ashtanga yoga. It is a yogic pratice where breath is linked with a series of poses to form a continuos sequence. Even if a person just starts doing yoga adding Ashtanga yoga to his/her daily pratice will boost his health and give him peace of mind and physical flexibility.

 Students begin an Ashtanga practice with five repetitions of Sun salutation A (surya namaskar) and Sun salutation B. This is followed by a set of standing poses, in 5 repetitions, then a set of seated poses. After a students master this then advanced levels of salutations are taught and practiced. 

History of Ashtanga yoga began in 20th century when T - Krishnamacharya originated this type of yoga for his young, obedient and energetic student  K. Pattabhi jois, and he being an dedicated student then refined this and started teaching others. The fast moves that are praticed under this type of yoga have been influenced from indian wrestlers and gymnasts. These challenging posture flows were designed to purify the body to offer peace of mind, and eventually gave rise to many different styles of hot yoga, flow or Vinyasa Yoga, and power yoga.

Basic principles of Ashtanga Yoga :-

Ujjaini pranayama - This specific breathing technique is used to warm and energize students and increase their focus and concentration  

Drishti: A specific drishti, or focal point, is used in each asana. This helps create a more focused and meditative practice

Vinyasa: The core of the practice is synchronising the breath to the sequence of postures and transitions in the series.

Bandha: The engagement of the bandhas, or body locks, is encouraged throughout the class to seal in the prana energy and create core stability.

Daily practice : A six-days-per-week routine is encouraged, with Saturday as the rest day. “Moon days,” the days on the full and new moon are also rest days, and women often refrain from practicing during menstruation.

Ashtanga yoga not only focuses on physical factors of the body but also mental aspects of the body and health. It can increase your stamina, bone density and muscle strength, control your bodyweight, lowers your blood pressure and relieve stress.  It also helps mentally and spiritually by boosting mental clarity, creating mental calmness and developing better concentration in daily life. Hence adding Ashtanga yoga to our daily pratice is necesary and beneficial.

Keep doing yoga and maintain your health to the best!😊

By Honey Shah (Team SYNC) 

Vipassana meditation

Meditation is often said to be a practice of deep focus. There are several benefits which could be acquired through meditation emphasized by our friends, family, teachers, peers etc; which includes relaxation, mindfulness and a better sense of inner peace. There exist many ways to meditate and Vipassana is one of these techniques. In today’s blog we will have an insight specifically about this technique known as Vipassana. It’s benefits, the way to practice, and many more. Vipassana is known to be one of India’s most ancient meditation techniques. Before diving deep into this technique and its essential elements. Let us try to first learn about the roots of Vipassana and where was it directed from and by whom? 

Vipassana was derived to be born through Buddhism. Buddhism is a path of our spiritual development and practice which leads to an insight into the true nature of reality. Buddhism is one of the world’s largest religions and originated 2,500 years ago in India. It is a faith that was founded by Siddhartha Gautama. 

Buddhism consists of two major types of meditation. In Pali, the original language of Theravada literature, they are called Vipassana and Samatha. Gautama Buddha rediscovered the technique of Vipassana while he was looking for enlightenment. In Pali an ancient language of Buddhism, the word “Vipassana” means “seeing things as they really are” it can also be translated as “Insight”, which briefly describes it as a clear awareness of what is happening as it happens. 

How to practice Vipassana? 

1. It is widely recommended to practice Vipassana early in the morning when you get up. 

2.Find a place with complete silence and less disturbances or distractions. 

3. Give yourself at least 10-15 minutes in order to practice Vipassana everyday and eventually try increasing the timer day by day as you’re comfortable. 

4. Cross your legs and sit on the ground in a comfortable position. D

5. Do not sit with a folded back or neck, try to first relax your body, straighten your back. Posture defines the mood of a person throughout the process so try to maintain a proper posture. 

6. Start with inhaling and exhaling. Be aware and mindful of each breathe passing through your nostrils. 

7. Do not judge or react on the thoughts arising in your mind. Just observe the feelings and sensations. 

8. In case if, even after rigorous concentration and effort you get distracted simply observe the sensations resulting to distractions and return back to your breathe.

9. Practice the same everyday and slowly go on increasing it upto 15 minutes or more. 

10. In case if you’re a beginner and need some help in a detailed manner you can always get the help from Youtube videos or can also download the Dhamma.org app which is a Vipassana meditation app. This app includes insightful articles, recordings, materials and resources through which you can also get access to Vipassana courses. 

Vipassana is also thaught free of cst as a 10 day meditation retreat all over the world so all of us can get access to this most ancient technique and practice it whenever we want in order to rip its benefits. 

Such a Vipassana centre was first operated in Igatpuri, Maharashtra India in 1974. This is known to be the first official Vipassana center by SN Goenka ji. Dhamma Giri located in the Western Ghats in Igatpuri. This meditation centre is the largest and most popular centre which offers Vipassana courses free of cost. Yes that’s right and even you can avail such courses and apply for them online without any application charges. According to the data available, there are almost 74 Vipassana Centres in India and total 168 Vipassana centres operated all over the world.

Gautam Buddha attained enlightenment through Vipassana 2500 years ago and then passed this technique to his fellow disciples in India and even today Vipassana is widely used as a technique in order to experience peace and harmony. 

This was it for today’s blog. We hope that you’ll liked this piece of information. Let us know your feedbacks in the comment section. Thank you. 

By Pratiksha (Team SYNC)
 

Movies you should watch if you are a fitness frek

 Movies have always been a great inspiration and motivation for fitness and exercise for the World.Well here are some of the biggest motivation movies for you.

These movies have various elements that have the power to inspire people towards fitness and achieve their goals via sheer dedication and strong will-power.

Let’s have a look at 5 all-time blockbusters that had the power to motivate and inspire its audiences.

1. Rocky Series

The series of movies made under the Rocky banner are undoubtedly one of the most famous, inspiring and record breaking movies of a fitness/sports theme. This series has a total of 6 movies released – Rocky, Rocky II, Rocky III, Rocky IV, Rocky V and Rocky Balboa. This movie series had all the right elements for fitness motivation.

2.Pumping Iron

This 1977 blockbuster features the hero of all bodybuilders and the youngest ever Mr. Olympia – Arnold Schwarzenegger. The name of Arnold is enough to inspire millions of bodybuilding enthusiasts and professionals around the globe. Thus the face value of this movie is simply unmatched.

3. Bhaag Milkha Bhaag

Fighting against odds? Desperate to win? Want to be a true champion. Then this is the movie for you.

Bhaag Milkha Bhaag is one of the best fitness and sports based inspirational movies ever made in Bollywood. And what sets this movie apart from the most is that – It is based on a true story; The true story of India’s legendary athlete – Padma Shri Milkha Singh, also known as the “Flying Sikh”.

4. Million Dollar Baby

Determination! Perspiration! Inspiration!

If one could sum up this beautifully strong and motivational movie, the above three words would be the perfect suite.

Million Dollar Baby revolves around a determined woman who is willing to give in all her sweat and blood to make her boxing dreams come true. It’s her true dedication and grit to beat the best in the ring that steals the show. An amazing storyline and great acting performances is what makes this movie worth a many time watch by everyone who needs motivation to kick-start their fitness regime.

With the female lead training real hard to beat the best in the ring, this movie is a roller-coaster of mental and physical strength.

Want to learn to never give up when you train? This is the movie for you!

5.Kickboxer

Do you love martial arts and want see some cool kickboxing training techniques?

Then this is just the movie you are looking for!

This movie is the epitome of sharp skills on display. The lead character of the movie is shown learning some amazing kickboxing techniques from a great martial arts teacher. “No Pain – No Gain” is what this movie teaches you.

So next time you lose your will to hit the gym thinking about the pain it might cause, watch this movie and you shall be refueled with strong will power to go the distance you need to achieve your fitness goals.

Now watch them and tell us which one was your favourite.