Ira Trivedi - The 10-Minute Yoga Solution

Even 10 minutes of yoga can lead to physical, mental and, eventually, spiritual transformation. My personal yoga journey is an example of this. When I first started doing yoga, now more than a decade ago, the thought of being on a yoga mat for a full hour seemed tremendously boring. I needed high-energy activities running, squash, tennis, gymming anything that could get my endorphins spinning and the calories burning. But all of this changed when I started doing yoga, and I started with just 10 minutes a day. The transformation was slow and subtle, almost invisible, but I stuck to the promise I had made to myself 10 minutes of yoga every day, no matter what.

The 10 minutes steadily grew to 20, 30, 60 minutes a day, and today I have a daily practise which anchors my day and grounds me in my life. Yoga has given me everything that a back-breaking gym routine or a sweaty, tedious marathon did not. Today I am at the pinnacle of my physical fitness. I have recovered from a serious neck injury, acquired washboard abs that I had once only dreamed of (also lost hope of), and my skin, hair and other vital stats are keeping as well as I could ever wish for. And this is just on the physical level. I am a much more peaceful and content person than I ever was before.

As I learnt to control my body and breath through yoga, I also learnt how to steady my mind. And when I learnt to steady my mind, I learnt how to control my anger, my fear, my selfish and vain desires. Yoga has put me on a trajectory of self-discovery, a path on which I have found balance, joy and myself. And it all started with just 10 minutes a day. What can 10 minutes of yoga do? Even a short 10-minute practise can yield tremendous results. It can lead to weight loss, it can lead to chiselled abs, it can remedy back pain and help with chronic diseases like diabetes or high blood pressure, it can improve your eyesight and it can even help you cope with heartbreak.

More than anything else, it can help you lead a better, more balanced life. Like many alternative forms of wellness, yoga steadily lets you progress on your path of self-improvement and creates permanent positive change with no nasty side effects. This book is designed to do a few things. INTRODUCE YOU TO YOGA BASICS What is an asana? Pranayama? How is yoga different from going to the gym? What is all the hype about? This book will answer all these questions and help you kick-start your yoga practise by offering an effective personalized yoga solution that can be carried out in the comfort and convenience of your own home. WORK ON SPECIFIC AILMENTS Whatever your problem is, yoga can help cure it. This book presents to you twenty-five yoga cures for twenty-five of the most common lifestyle issues of our time.

Whether your problem is physical, mental or emotional, yoga can cure, help and prevent. GET YOU STARTED ON YOUR YOGA JOURNEY This book has simplified elements of ancient yoga practises to make them as user-friendly and time effective as possible. Begin with just 10 minutes a day, and gradually increase the intensity and level of your practise to a comfortable pace that is perfectly tailored to your lifestyle. Like a salad, mix and match, and toss what is irrelevant at your discretion. As you start practising, you will learn what your body needs and understand how to work on it. And most importantly THIS BOOK TAKES YOU AN INCH FORWARD ON THE SPIRITUAL JOURNEY THAT IS LIFE Is yoga a spiritual practise? Yes, it is.

Physical purification is perhaps the easiest and surest path towards mental and emotional purification. When you breathe correctly, you reduce stress levels; when you balance on your toes, you balance your mind; when you challenge yourself by trying a difficult asana, you face your fears. Yoga prepares and disciplines your body and mind for a deeper spiritual experience. Through the purging of negative thoughts and habits, you begin to declutter your mind and thus your life. Whatever your personal goals are, I guarantee that they can be achieved through yoga whether its weight loss, increasing flexibility in your body, building strength or tone. Even something like hair growth and skin problems can be improved through the practise of yoga.

However, yoga is not a temporary or instant quick fix. Instead, it is a sustainable practise that works internally to bring about permanent change. With a little time (only 10 minutes) and a dash of patience, yoga will yield benefits that can, and will, last a lifetime. I was overweight, I had bad skin and was losing hair. None of my clothes fit me and my constant state of agitation was ruining my personal relationships. I had just moved back to India from the US and I was depressed, lethargic and had a major case of writers block.

Overall, my life was utterly imbalanced. This was my state of being when I first began my yoga practise. Ten years later, I am at my ideal weight. I eat healthier and never fight to ward off cravings. It may sound bizarre but I only crave what is good for my body and my hair and my skin are not just under control, but fabulous. I have a healthy attitude towards my work I work hard but am detached from the outcome of the results and often I find myself floating on a creative high.

I have better control over my emotions and have realized that there is nothing in this world, or in this life, that should make me unhappy. No matter how clichd it sounds, Ive also realized that no matter what the circumstances, or how dreary the situation, life can truly be a joy every step of the way. A simple yoga and meditation practise helped trigger my transformation. My time spent at the Sivananda Ashram taught me that yoga is not just a physical practise but a lifestyle, and that it is crucial to inculcate yoga into all aspects of your life. This may sound daunting (you may wonder why you even picked up this book, it is the 10-Minute Yoga Solution after all) but it is much easier and less time consuming than it sounds. The yogic life happens organically and naturally.