YouGo with Rajni Let’s Be Mindful Series Pandemic Yoga 101: Yoga your way through lockdowns

YouGo with Rajni Let’s Be Mindful Series

Pandemic Yoga 101: Yoga your way through lockdowns

By: Rajni Ghai Malhotra

These are challenging times of lockdowns, disrupted schedules, wearing masks, physical distancing and having to deal with grief, isolation, loneliness and ‘not knowing’. The pandemic has presented an array of challenges for children as they cope with the effects of home-schooling, increased screen time, parental fatigue and disconnected friendships. Pandemic fatigue is affecting all of us in some form or the other. But there are ways to counter this. And one most effective and easy to use strategy is yoga.

Here are messages from my global yoga community who have turned to/continued with yoga through lockdowns and found it helpful in more ways than one.

Yoga is magical

In yoga I can be a cat, cow, bee, mountain, river or a tree. I can do yoga at any time and any place. I even do it in my trampoline. ~Amyra (5 years) Anya and Amyra

Yoga in a jiffy

I like to do yoga because it keeps me healthy and makes my body flexible. My favourite is Cobra pose which I can do in a jiffy. ~Bhav (7 years)

Yoga builds focus

I enjoy doing yoga and I practice yoga about 2 to 3 times a week. Yoga helps me to relax and focus as well. It keeps my body flexible. My favourite pose is the Tree Pose. It stabilises and improves my body balance. During the pandemic and lockdown, yoga has helped me stay calm and focussed. Being at home I could still practice yoga poses and keep myself active and relaxed. ~Angad (9 years)

Yoga is fun

I attend regular weekly yoga sessions with my teacher Rajni aunty. Occasionally I also attend Art of Living sessions. Yoga is fun and one of the ways to get indoor exercise more so during lockdown. I like to do the Tree pose, Semi-Cobra pose, the Relaxation pose and the Crocodile pose. I also enjoy the memory game. ~Abhiram (10 years)

Yoga brings balance

I used to do yoga in the pandemic and it felt calming and it helped me get really fit. I did it because we all were going through a very challenging time and I needed something to take my

Amyra

Naina

mind off things. After some time of doing yoga I even found my balance had improved and I could stand on a ball with my arms straight. ~Naina (8 years)

Yoga is calming

Yoga makes me calm and sometimes I go to sleep. Yoga makes me happy. ~Aashi (11 years)

Yoga is the best

Getting ready for my yoga Away from all the stress Pulling my yoga mat out Excited to start even though, I’m in a dress Making different shapes with my body To make it feel relaxed Feeling calm and peaceful Yoga is the best ~Tanishi (11 years)

Yoga is rejuvenating

Pranayama gives me relaxation during lockdown. It relaxes my mind, body and soul it rejuvenates me for the next day. ~Moyra (12 years)

Yoga brings flexibility

Yoga makes me focus better and makes me more flexible physically and mentally. It also helps me to understand situations better. ~Aakarsh (13 years)

Yoga is my ‘go-to’

It’s amazing how yoga can make me feel energetic when I’m feeling tired and sleepy. It helps me slow down when I’m feeling rushed but also helps me quicken my pace when I feel I’m slowing down! It is a mood breaker and it helps me to push myself harder and challenge myself to find Moyra

balance in more and more difficult positions and situations. Yoga makes me happy within myself and helps me be more mindful. ~Anya (12 years )

There YouGo! Words of wisdom from little souls. If they can keep their balance in these tumultuous times through yoga then so can we! Regardless of the restrictions and lockdown in your area, yoga can be done in the comfort and confines of your home, all you need is enough space to roll out your mat and the intent to engage in practice – take it from these children.

Yours mindfully, Rajni Follow Rajni on Facebook @YogaWithRajni

Anya

Family Time: The Best ‘Gift’

By: Lalitha Chellappan

Sydney based filmmaker Pankaj Upadhayay has been an active contributor among the AustralianIndian diaspora and has worked with a variety of local artists in a number of ways. The man behind the lenses lately faced the lens himself by producing a simple take on a Birthday event that explores a Father-Daughter relationship amidst a pandemic. The short film subtitled in Hindi is

worth a dekko if you haven’t already seen it.

We are pleased to share a link to the film here and to take you through what transpired behind the scenes as well as introduce the artists. As a parent, if your reaction after seeing this film is one where your child gets to spend some quality time with you which you normally may not have had, it would have achieved its purpose.

12 year old Natasha’s parents were contemplating a storyline based on the current reality where we have all been mostly indoors. The father in this case happens to be Pankaj so evidently there was no dearth of possibilities. After creative brainstorming galore, they decided to pay a tribute

to a parent-child relationship by addressing what truly matters – ‘the gift of time’. They strongly felt that material things may come and go but what remains is the happy memories created together. Thus, the idea of making this short film was born and to Natasha’s delight they were able to complete the film during her birthday week. The film was released during the week of Father’s Day celebrations.

Speaking of lockdown which has put many of us through home learning for children, as well as months of working from home for parents, one would think a scenario such as this would help families bond better. After all being stuck at home means getting to spend more time with each other but this has also created a distance due to conflicting priorities. In today’s times, lockdown or not, spending time with loved ones seems to be losing its meaning. A great way of showing love to a loved one is by giving them the gift of time but then the metaphor Time is Money has taken over for a few while others maybe stressed due to work pressure or other priorities that take precedence over the simple but much needed act of spending time.

While as adults we may be in a position to reason this out and come to terms with it, this hasn’t been easy on children. Their impressionable young minds may not be able to express what they feel but they do sense everything and neglect can make the feel unloved. The film well conveys this aspect and the beauty of it lies in its simplicity and the fact that there is no dialogue. Yet the father-daughter duo can be seen expressing their inner turmoil eloquently. Real life shots of childhood scenes showing Pankaj with Natasha when she was much younger, add to the charm.

We hope you’ll enjoy watching this film that touches the heart.

About the actors:

Natasha who is in year 7 came to Australia with her parents Pankaj and Mamta five years ago. She believes that every day with loved ones is special and spending time with each other is the most precious gift. She likes reading fiction, watching television and gaming. All things creative such as music, books and films inspire her. She can be seen making drawings, writing stories or assisting Pankaj in his productions at Euphony Films. Very passionate about writing, she has written a Children’s novel titled ‘The Vanished Twin’ that is available on Amazon.

Pankaj is a multiple award-winning Independent Filmmaker, visual artist and a poet. He draws his inspiration from poems and readings and his favorite lines are by Rumi: What you seek is seeking you and his motto of life is ‘Help Share Laugh’. Pankaj recently co-produced, shot and edited two anti-dowry videos for NSW Police and is currently producing and directing his Short Film series ‘Bhram’ – a collection of mystery short stories.