Fitnessia -week 2

 FITNESSIA - WEEK 2

In the previous blog we had covered Week 1 of FITNESSIA - 30 HOURS OF FITNESS AND FUN.

SYNC is the Fitness and Wellness club of H.R. College wherein we organise many fitness related activities and events for our members. Our major Focus is on fostering the physical, mental and emotional well-being of every other individual.

So to take a step forward we came up with this 30 hours program which includes both fitness and fun.

It was a power packed 20 days of numerous workshops like Folk Dance, Sequence Yoga Workshop,  Nutritional Therapy, Music Therapy, Zumba workshop, Art Therapy, 7 chakras of the body, Unwind your Mind, Reiki Workshop, Bollywood Dance Workshop, Symmetry and Synergy, GYM 101, Laughter yoga Workshop, Confession box, Aerobics Workshop, Self Defence Workshop, Breath Focus, Hiit Workshop,Dance Therapy and Garba Workshop with the best of instructors in the town. 

Coming onto the specific topic for this blog, this time we will be taking a quick run-through of Week 2 of FITNESSIA held from 19th September to 23rd September. 

Following are the workshops that were a part of Week 2:- 

(1)7 CHAKRAS OF THE BODY

Every human body is segregated by seven chakras namely crown, third eye, throat, heart, solar plexus, sacral and root which are considered wheels of energy which give wholesome energy to an individual for his/her future endeavours. These Chakras can be activated by mantras and meditation. Each chakra has its own mantras and mudras that can be opened using the right mantras and mudras. This workshop helped the participant to energise their spiritual and mental space.

(2)UNWIND YOUR MIND

Unwind your Mind- A Mental Peace session was set up with an aim of clarifying and putting some light on the state of mind of an individual by resolving their queries and questions relating to the same. Peace of mind is usually associated with joy, merriness, calmness, prayer, yoga, meditation and a few more aspects. Mental Well-being indicates the deliberate state of spiritual calm and the potential of stressors such as the burden arising from pretending to perform at an optional level with a positive mind and internal peace.

(3)REIKI WORKSHOP

Reiki is a form of complementary therapy relating to energy healing. Professionals say that it works with the energy fields around the body and involves the transfer of universal energy from the practitioner's palms to the client. Basically, it involves hand movements and touches.

(4)BOLLYWOOD DANCE WORKSHOP

Well well well, can see you grooving on the best of bollywood beats reading this title! Bollywood dancing is a colourful, dynamic and highly theatrical dance style seen in Indian films. It combines classical forms of dance including traditional Indian, folk, salsa, belly-dance while also consists of more contemporary western forms such as hip hop and jazz. Lots of dance, music, fun, energy, smiles and a really good time- all that we had at this workshop. One can definitely term it as one of the best workshops. 

(5)SYMMETRY AND SYNERGY WORKSHOP

Parallelism is all about maintaining and coordinating with all your body parts. Learning how to control and balance your body parts effectively is very essential in today's times. Comprehending various parts of the human body and focusing on each one of them precisely plays a vital role in gaining overall balance and coordination.

This was all about Week 2 of FITNESSIA. A week full of fresh and unique ways of seeking relaxation in our day to day lives.

See you next week!

Happy reading!

-Vaishnavi Magar (Team SYNC)

Fitnessia week 1

 

Heyyy guysssssss! Back again with the magical mondayy blog and this time its all about fitnessia's 1st week!

So now What is fitnessia? 

Its power pack 30 hrs fitness sessions all over 20 days for the very first time in the life history of sync and this blog is about its 1st week! 

So we started with Folk dance and ended with art therapy for the 1st week. Lets have a glance at all if them one by one:

Folk dance - As soon as we hear dance, it has to be something very amazing and fun filled and no doubt it was! Mr Abhishek Walekar who thaught us Folk Dance filled the workshop with his exuberant energy and made it the most mesmerized one! And as people say we should start anything by remembering and praying lord ganesha and so did we by doing a dance workshop on ganpati vandana/stuti.

Sequence Yoga - Doing yoga in proper chronological yo make it more beneficial is what is sequence yoga. Ms Priti made it super interesting by her chronologies and interesting combinations which not only adds more benefits then normal yoga but also makes it easier for us to practice. The 100 sec challenge, which was given by the instructor made it more fun and happening!

Nutritional Therapy - Nutrition is nothing but keeping yourself healthy by eating healthy stuff and provide your body with the correct amount of proteins, vitamins and minerals. This sounds so boring but Dr Geetanjali and her recipies can even make healthy diet food water your tongue. She also made a few types of salad and dips to show the magic of her recipies with diet food!

Music therapy- They say that "Music has healing powers, it has the ability to take people out of themselves for a few hours."

Music therapy is a therapeutic approach that uses the naturally mood-lifting properties of music to help people improve their mental health and overall well-being. This was indeed what was taught to us in the workshop by Mr. Roshan Manshukhani , a music therapist. He graced the room with his magical aura and put everyone in awe with his therapeutic healing beats. 

Zumba Workshop- Zumba is not only a plus for your physical health but also helps you heal mentally. This genre of dance features high and low-intensity intervals that help improve cardiovascular fitness while also enhancing balance, coordination, agility, and to some degree, strength. The workshop was taught by the energetic Manasi Katkar. Her skillful, fabulous moves did amaze everyone and enlightened thier Mood.

Art Therapy- "Art is like Therapy. What comes up is what comes up. You may want to keep some of it in a drawer but never judge it" - Nick Bantock.

Art is an expression which helps some people to convey their emotions while some to heal themselves.This workshop was taught by Molshree jain who introduced the humble beginnings of mandala art and its forms to the students.

By Tanisha and honey (team SYNC)

Dance for Togetherness

 Hey reader! Welcome back. In today’s blog, I’d like to share my views about Navratri and Garba!

Sharad Navratri, the nine splendorous and colorful nights, is one of the most awaited Indian festivals. A melodious occasion full of reveling evenings, Navratri is celebrated for ten days, beginning with holy Navratri and ending with Dusshera, Sharad Navratri, a medley of dance, fun, festivities, bonhomie, and religious devotion.

Where the Navratri days have devotees across different cultures of India, its significance amplifies in the states of Gujarat, Maharashtra, and Rajasthan, where Navratri is not only an ode to the feminine divinity but also an occasion of enthusiastic merriment combined with revelry. The Navratri nights here are a colorful melange of religious rituals and endless rounds of cultural dance and music.

Garba, Raas, and Dandiya are popular folk dances that rule the revelry- with these energetic dance forms, Navratri has spread its innate charm to the world.

Garba – the Cultural Dance Form

The dance form most closely associated with Navratri is Garba; divinity (in the form of the Goddess or Devi) resides. Garba is danced around this symbol to honor the fact that all humans have the divine energy of Devi within them. Today, it is common to have images of Durga at the center of the circle in lieu of the garbha deep.

Garba is performed in a circle (concentric circles when there are many people). The circle represents the Hindu view of time. In Hinduism, time is cyclical. As the cycle of time revolves, from birth to life to death to rebirth, the only thing that is constant is the Goddess, an unmoving symbol in the midst of all of this unending and infinite movement. The dance symbolizes that God, represented in feminine form in this case, is the only thing that remains unchanging in a constantly changing universe (jagat).

As garba is part of a religious practice, as with other Hindu rituals and worship, it is done barefoot (and on all kinds of surfaces). Going barefoot signifies respect for the earth upon which people walk. The foot is the body part that touches the earth – the sacred mother of all. The earth is imbued with generative powers and the foot is thought of as the conduit through which the vital energy of the earth travels through humans. Dancing barefoot is another way to connect with Devi.

Now you know the meaning behind Garba. It is also the folk dance of Gujarat and a pious dedication to the feminine power of giving birth thus, keeping the cycle of life alive. The word Garba comes from the Gujarati colloquial usage – Garbo – which means ‘Garbh’ (in Sanskrit) – which means, Womb.

A Garbha Deep – a small earthen lamp –holds the center of the open ground of festivities – along with an idol of the Goddess. Garba executes in a circle formation by women and menfolk of the community around the holy Garbha lantern.

This beautiful symbolism signifies that the whole human civilization revolves around the central premise of fertility, the female ability to give birth, and thus running the entire life cycle.

For all nine nights, there are communal (community) feasts and dancing programs. After the evening pooja/ worship, people gather in open areas, their community areas/ plots, roads, etc., where they dance together to the foot-tapping beats of traditional Garba/ Dandiya music. Many formal evenings and Navratri events are organized all over the cities, where people go in hoards to participate and dance.

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 😊.

Aryan Veerwani (Team SYNC)

Japanese Secrets to a Long and Happy Life

 Japanese Secrets to a Long and Happy Life!

Every time we hear the word Century, our minds go straight ahead toward the Century score in a cricket match. A century represents a mere 3-digit number that holds a different meaning for various people in the situation. 

Here, I am going to share a different perspective considering the word Century. People who live for 100 years or more are referred to as Centenarians.

While talking about such extraordinary people, one thing that comes to my mind is the Centenarians of Japan, the people of Japan who live so long but remain active.

An obvious question that baffles us is what is the secret behind living a long but purposeful life. Many theories float around, and this topic can be read even when you look forward to living a healthy and purposeful life and not aspiring to be a centurion. The answer to this mystery is IKIGAI; in Japanese, it means the philosophy of Lifelong Happiness.

But what does Ikigai mean?

In the simplest term, Ikigai is "Your Purpose of Being." Having an Ikigai gives you the core reason to get up every day and start your day joyfully. 

I read the book written by Hector Garcia and Francesc Miralles named "IKIGAI" one may find this in different versions and languages. This book deals with your Ikigai by throwing light on your four elements, Passion, Mission, Profession, and Vocation of your Life. Somehow our career relies a lot on having a purpose to SETTLE in life and make it MEANINGFUL.  

What do you love to do? 

Is it tuned with what the world needs? 

What are you good at? 

What can you be paid for? 

It would help if you reflected on these questions while deciding on Your Ikigai (The Purpose) of Life.

Now that you know how to find your Ikigai let me reveal those Japanese Secrets to a Long and Happy Life.

Secret 1- Hara Hachi Bu

You wonder what these words mean. It is simply eating until you are 80% complete. Keep yourself a bit "still hungry state" in every meal. Easy tactics of eating will keep you healthy and fit. 

Some say that age is a number. Indeed I found many people around the world behave like young even when their biological age is mature enough to be called old. When I look back on my beliefs in my 20s, I feel 40 is old; oh God, don't push me to 40. When I crossed that age, I felt I needed to go a long way; this was just another chapter to begin in my life. 

 

 

Secret 2- Workouts for Mental Health 

We are hearing about mental health and wellness too often in a new normal scenario! It was never a topic for discussion before the pandemic. We had understood the importance of mental health lately when it started affecting our physical health. The secret of being mentally alert and levelling up our cognitive ability lies in simple mind games & workouts that keep our mind, body, and soul lively even when we are ageing.  

Stress is generally construed with a negative connotation, but it can greatly help you to make your brain remain more active and sustain improved mental activities. Even writing does it for me.

Secret 3- Morita Therapy

Morita therapy is a purpose centre therapy created by Shoma Morita, an ardent Buddhist and contemporary of Sigmund Freud. 

Morita addressed human feelings by building traction with nature. To discover the ultimate purpose of being is a complex and time-consuming process; many fail to connect even with the word called PURPOSE. 

He has shared a few simple steps to help an individual reach the ultimate purpose of being. 

a. Accept your feelings

The suppressed feelings are the killers; they transit you back to the negative zone whenever you try to be happy. 

b. Do what you should be doing 

Morita therapy allows people to analyse and comprehend their own actions instead of comparing them to other examples. 

c. Discover your life's purpose

We are responsible for our actions, with no one to blame. Moving forward is pivotal by aligning your purpose before you take the first step, according to Morita Therapy. 

d. Going with the flow

Imagine you went on trekking and successfully met the summit of a decent height. Morita therapy teaches you to be in the moment and live it thoroughly because that is what makes your life worthy.

Secret 4- Proper Diet and Exercise

Japanese people, especially those living on Okinawa Island, follow a particular diet. Their diet resembles "eating a rainbow," which includes peppers, carrots, spinach, cauliflower, and eggplant. 

Few other specialties are White Tea and Shikuwasa (a citrus fruit), which are highly effective against ageing. 

Once we are talking about diets and exercise, let me tell you, perhaps 98% of people will start with all energy but soon give up both. I advise people to follow a strict diet & workout regime as it could reverse my diabetes with these two habits. 

Japanese consider exercise a vital part of their everyday life. They use various forms of fitness methods like Radio Taiso, Yoga, Tai Chi, and Qigong, to name a few, which help them in fostering mental and physical health. You may google to check the real application of these typical methods. 

Well, I have given a very elaborative perspective of finding your Ikigai (purpose of life) through this blog. The message I would like to percolate here is that even if you follow some of these and be consistent, you will have a healthy life. Our physical and mental health are capable of playing sports whenever we recharge ourselves to attain a bigger goal if these are not nurtured well. 

Aspirations need an agile mind, a distinct purpose, and steady progress to realise your goals. And here the IKIGAI techniques work the best. 

Happy Reading!🤗

Vaishnavi Magar (Team SYNC)

Yoga for Teachers

 

Heyyyy guys wishing all the readers a very Happy Teacher's day! 🥰✨Now you all must be thinking why I am wishing happy teacher's day to you all. So the answer to this is, that every person serves as a teacher to one or the other person in many different ways, knowingly or unknowingly! 

Teachers are the most imporant person in everyone's life! Right from birth till the last breath we come through a lot of teachers. In the first stage our parents, family, and close relatives, then teachers and school friends enter the further phase of teachers in our lives. Sometimes, even strangers teach us a lot of things by some or other means ✨ 

What is the connection of yoga with a teacher? Our teachers also go through a daily routine, even though they have a lot of stress and they are also facing some or other issues for which yoga proves to be the best solution. Yoga helps them keep their mental health stable and meditation helps them to stabilize their emotions and patience to deal with all different sets of students.

Some of the poses that teachers should practice in general for good health are as follows:- 

1. Balasana 

How to do this pose:-

Sit on your heels and keep your knees together or wide apart as per convenience. Slowly exhale and bend forward and touch the floor with your forehead or rest it on some object at a normal height while keeping your arms alongside your body and palms facing up.

Benefits:-

This pose not only helps reduce stress but also anxiety and helps release the tension in the chest, back and shoulders. 

2. Vrikshasana (Tree pose):

How to do this pose:- 

Balance your body on one leg, with the other one folded and supported on the inner thigh and your hand above the head joined and pointing in an upward direction.

Benefits:-

This asana helps to bring balance to the mind and body. It also helps strengthen our thighs, calves, and ankles and helps improve focus.

3. Mindfulness of breath:

How to do this pose:-

Sit, stand or relax at a position for 5-30 mins or more and bring your whole concentration a spotlight, then later start inhaling and exhaling and concentrate on the breath and keep repeating this. Start with a smaller duration and then increase it slowly.

Benefits :

Helps relax or mind and brain and increases the power of concentration. Helps to relax the mind and stabilizes the brain.

So this was all on the part of yoga for teachers ❤✨

On this auspicious dayyyyyy, we wish our whole and sole who has always been there throughout and has been constantly supporting us and who is the pillar of the committee without whom we would have not been here, a very happyyyyyyy teacher's day. ❤❤✨✨

By Honey Shah(Team SYNC)

What sense of yoga we can learn from lord Ganesha.

 Heyyyyy guyssssss, hope all the readers are doing well ..... And Yesss it's Monday time for another blog from sync. As we all know our favorite festival is near, so firstly advance our heartiest wishes of Ganesh Chaturthi to all our readers.

As soon as we hear Ganesh Chaturthi what comes to our mind first? Let me guess modak? Dance? Ganesh sthapna in society, at our friend's house, maybe our house too, or relatives? Holidays? Get-togethers? And much more..... All this brings happiness and satisfaction and helps our mind relax and fills it with positive vibes which is very good for our mental health.

We have heard a lot of stories of Ganesh Ji, how he came into existence, why this posture, and all that. so let's see today what this posture of his teaches us.

Ganesha is mostly known as a remover of obstacles both spiritual and physical. According to his character or dharma, he can both places obstacles as well as destroy them and that's his dharma. Now let's have a look at the posture and let's see what posture teaches us ..... Starting from the crown, the crown teaches us to think big.  Ganesha's small eyes teach us to detail and concentrate on any task given or provided. His big ears remind us to listen more and speak less. His big belly point says digest everything that is being thrown on your life, whether positive or negative and the axe in one of his hands reminds us of the ability to cut through all the attachments. So all this helps us face our problems, obstacles, and life all the negativity and this principle fill us with positivity and happiness. Even after having a head of an elephant and a big belly, he is still so approachable and this reminds us that no one is perfect and we need to accept ourselves however we are with all our perceived imperfections.

Now lets us have a look at how Ganesh jii is related to yoga. Does anyone know about the connection between Ganesh Ji and yoga? So to answer this Ganesh is said to be connected to the root chakra out of the 7 chakras of yoga which represents survival and material well-being. We also have a yogic mudra related to Ganesha which is Ganesha Mudra. It helps to maintain the motivation in people to keep going when they strive to break down. Ganesh's relation to the first chakra means he's connected to the seat of one's primordial force and is the manifestation of its divine energy. In kundalini yoga, Ganesh is said to reside in this chakra. In this way, he is the foundation and support for all of the higher chakras. The three asanas of hath yoga are known to be associated with activating root chakra and connecting Ganesha which are - 

1 Sukhasana

2 Balasana

3 Trikonasana 

And this is how Ganesha spreads the sense and importance of doing yoga and his connection with yoga. 

And as Ganesh Chaturthi is near we all tend to have those tasty modaks and sweets but all along with that, it is necessary to be physically fit and so with all these preparations and everything going around do not forget to do yoga every day... Happy Ganesh Chaturthi!! happy n healthy life!! 😊😊

By Honey Shah(Team SYNC)

Yoga for Menstruation

 

Sooooo heyyyyy guyssssss🤗🤗

Here we are back with one more blog with none other than sync. Today's topic for the blog is yoga during menstruation. As we all know girls during their puberty start menstruating and this phase is not the same for all girls. All women and girls have their own set of difficulties and discomforts during periods. Some females do not face any side effects rather some face a lot of side effects such as extreme pain, mood swings, fatigue, bloating, irritability, and so on. And so this topic is very controversial whether yoga should be done during menstruation or not. Some say a very light yoga practice should be done and some say the strong practice is useful. But since all women's bodies do not react the same we must listen to our bodies and act accordingly.

The menstrual cycle is very delicate and can change depending upon the circumstances and phases of life we go through. So the cycle not only affects us physically but also mentally and hence not only asanas should be done but also pranayam and meditations help us during menstruation.

The reason why we choose not to do yoga is the cause of negative emotions during extreme menstruation. The best yoga practice at such a point of time would be yoga Nidra or pranayam such as bhramari, anulom vilom, ujjayi, and deep breathing along with the chanting of om which is also very beneficial.

But if a person is feeling comfortable yoga practice can help alleviate pain in the back or period pain, and helps to control mood swings, anger, depression, and so on. Practicing yoga according to its suitability to the body can help increase peace and mental stability.

Asanas such as inversions, bandhas, and the ones with the involvement of strong backends, twists, and arm balances should be avoided cause some of them may cause heavier bleeding, disturbs the menstrual flow, and leads to vascular congestion, and so on.

Though generally, Pranayam is very useful during menstruation as it helps to balance emotions and calm the mind. Meditation is another useful practice at this time particularly as one is more sensitive and aware at this time. Yoga Nidra is also strongly recommended during this Time.

So here we went through the various impacts of menstruation on females and the body and the types of yoga that should be performed during various phases. we also had a strong focus on the general guidelines which can be practiced throughout the cycle and helps gain mental stability and energy. 

So all the girls out there, no need to fear cause it's time to put on the yogic gear. 

Let's do yoga every day cause of menstruation no more obstacles and let's make some miracles!

By Honey Shah(Team SYNC)