Monthly Archives: March 2012
Countdown: One Hundred Surya Namaskars!
The first anniversary of learning yoga is approaching this month; incidentally it is happening soon after the completion of my first year of living in India.
So, my yoga trainer decided (unilaterally!) that before the first year was up that I and my yoga buddy needed to have at least one session where we each did one hundred Surya Namaskars – aiming for a major milestone to celebrate the occasion. But we were not the only ones who were going for the gold. We roped him in to join us on the ‘marathon’ [I know I exaggerate, but that’s what it felt like] session.
Posture # 7 of Surya Namaskar
Today being a Sunday allowed for the extra time needed for this feat. So, it was D-day and what a session this was! With very little warm-up, we started counting down.
Can you imagine how it felt after completing that first Surya Namaskar? Yep, “99 to go”. Whew. 😦
The trick was to pace ourselves and divide the larger goal of one hundred Surya Namaskars into sets of ten each. That made it easier to digest – physically and mentally. We averaged about 7 or 8 minutes per set and gave ourselves “generous” breaks between the sets of about 3 minutes each. Enough for a few sips of water and to wipe the dripping sweat off our red faces.
Postures #3 and # 10 of Surya Namaskar
As you may know, each Surya Namaskar is a set in itself – of 12 asanas or postures.
So that means we did 1200 asanas today!
Can you guess how we all felt after completing the 100th one? Unbelievably exhilarated!
I must say it was tough going though. I had done up to 75 in one go (once) – and that was months ago. Since then, my regular class routine has included only 20 or 30 of them, so this felt (really felt!) like a major mountain to climb.
According to our teacher, in addition to getting all the benefits of Surya Namaskar, we could also assume our body had received the benefits of having done something like:
- 40 crunches,
- 50 squats and
- 150 push-ups.
Wow!
Here’s my personal lesson learned after one year of yoga:
Never, ever underestimate what your body is capable of – no matter how stiff, unused to exercise, dormant or tired it may be…
And the Yoga (if that’s your cuppa tea) bonus:
It works great on energizing your mind too.
Posture #8 of Surya Namaskar
Back to the countdown, here’s some of what I told myself during the grueling session:
1. Just do this one…don’t worry about what’s coming next (and next and next…). You can do it.
2. It’s all in your mind…of course, you can do it.
3. Plus my favorite – If it doesn’t kill you, it will make you stronger. You can do it.
4. Go ahead and visualize…the 80th one, the 90th, the 95th, the 99th, the 100th, and then…then, the bragging rights!
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Thank you. You may applaud now. I think we deserve it, don’t you?. 😉
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P.S. We have one more Sunday before that “first yoga anniversary” and there’s some talk about a repeat feat. But, don’t worry, I will resist hard about writing another post so you won’t have to hear me bragging all over again… 🙂
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Wow! The World’s Largest University – Democratic and Open to All
Size Matters
Early on in my years in the USA, when I first learned about the size of universities such as Ohio State or Texas-Austin, I gasped. My undergraduate and graduate degrees were at schools of a much more modest size, in the 5000-student range. By comparison, the universities that boasted a student body over 50,000 were huge.
But, I learned only recently that by far, the largest university in the world serves a staggering 4 million+ students and it is based in India. Who knew?
And what better one than this vast country – to apply the concept of distance learning and technology to expand the reach of higher education to its scores of people – including many millions who are financially disadvantaged?
Name Matters
It is an “Open University” – specifically IGNOU Or Indira Gandhi National Open University.
Open University is a concept conceived in the United Kingdom in the 1960s to open the doors of formal education to the masses.
It was founded on the belief that communications technology could bring high quality degree-level learning to people who had not had the opportunity to attend traditional campus universities.
Not only did the UK execute successfully on this concept but many other countries replicated it as well. India was one of them when it opened its doors wider and broader than ever before with IGNOU – Indira Gandhi National Open University.
Price Matters
Because of it’s mission to remove barriers to the maximum number of students, the tuition here is affordable. Very affordable. Have a look at some examples to see what I mean:
Course in Entrepreneurship (12 credits): $20
Bachelor’s Degree (B.Sc) in Life Sciences (3 years): $56 per year
Master’s in Education (2 years): $240
PhD in Physics (2 years): $280
And several high speciality degrees which are more up-market such as:
MBA in Hospitality Management (2 years): $2600 per year
Post Graduate Diploma in Clinical Cardiology (2 years): $2000
Access Matters
This concept and unique institution enables individuals (of any age) who do not come from wealthy backgrounds or have limited resources and educational backgrounds to access higher learning – this is part of its overall mission. Can you say noble?
Education Matters
Courses range from technical Certificates and Diplomas in a range of subjects to Bachelors, Masters and PhD programs.
Check out the diverse number of schools of study available to the students! Simply amazing. The more I dug into this bastion of innovative higher education, the more impressed I became. It’s not often I can say this. About anything.
Success Matters
I am fascinated by this institution and what it has accomplished. Simply awesome!
There’s a slightly dated (circa 2010) but great animated presentation called IGNOU: A Success Story that I would urge you to watch. Short…about 5 minutes or less, but with great information on its innovations and position in the world of higher education.
Today, there are other well know open universities in India which are state based, including B.R. Ambedkar University in Hyderabad and Nalanda Open University in Bihar among many others. Copying a great success…why ever not?
But, there’s more. Now, it has expanded beyond the borders of India and is offering education to students in many parts of the world, especially the developing world. Wow!
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I have to say that as many times as I find myself staggered by the bad and the ugly side of India, just as many times I run across something that amazes and inspires me with its awesome mission or accomplishments. IGNOU – the people’s University is one of them. It is totally impressive and incredibly inspiring.
With all humility and the greatest of respect, my hats off – to its visionaries, innovators, supporters, leaders, contributors, and administrators – now and through the years.
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The Yin and Yang of Life Anywhere 