Founder of 'Aum Your Way' and Yoga expert Manisha Kohli opened up about taking up yoga as a lifestyle and how it can impact and transform one's life.
One thing that makes the Indian culture more prominent and worthy is the fact that it has learnings that can be useful in our everyday lives. And Yoga happens to be one way of living with its own principles and techniques that brings discipline into one's life. Yoga expert and founder of 'Aum your way', Manisha Kohli has dedicated her life to transform the lives of others through the art of Yoga. She's an inventor with design & utility patents in industrial design and began her journey in the nascent years. Her mindfulness and meditation journey began once she saw what everyday performance pressure and stress was doing to her. She believes in the importance of meditation in daily life, meditation for beginners, hoagie breathing, breathwork for productivity, and asanas for disease prevention and management.
Manisha has studied Masters in Yoga by Yoga Alliance International from Sri Aurobindo International Yoga Centre and plunged headlong into the realm as a Yoga trainer, an analyst, and a Zumba instructor. She's an esteemed judge at Amrita Kala Sangam for Intercollege for young adults and a coach at Ashoka University for Career diversity choices. Manisha is an ardent traveler and has tried to share her knowledge in Yoga with the world, over the years. She has also been a guest lecturer at various institutions and for events, such as BML Mural University, News World India, and Doordarshan. Apart from being an aggregator for all wellness activities in Delhi by fitness brands in India, she has also been covered by media companies like Discovery Channel, NDTV, TLC, CNN, Times Now, The Times of India, India Today, and Zee News.
She worked through the lockdown to create multiple wellness programs for companies like Aditya Birla, Aditya Birla Insurance group, etc. Manisha is a certified meditation coach in Silva Life system, in Silva Ultra mind, and from The yoga Alliance.
Here's what she had to share:
When did you decide on practicing Yoga, how did this journey begin?
I have watched my parents do Yoga since childhood but the practice for me began in my teens. My actual journey started when I had a knee injury and the doctor asked me to discontinue running and kickboxing since it's degenerative. I refused to believe that in my 20s and began the process of healing with Yoga. Since then, I’ve been hooked to it.
Can you talk about 'Aum your way'? What was the purpose of starting it?
I believe everyone deserves to wake up every single morning with a smile. Our lives and the environment we get are down. Aumyourway was conceived to just do that, to create a platform that’s holistic in mind, body, and life. We have everything under the sun for helping people create a beautiful life that they deserve to live. From manifestation to bio hacks from workouts to advanced spiritual meditations. Everything is put together for each of us to cater to our bio-individuality.
What are your thoughts on Yoga being adopted by people around the world?
It's beautiful to see Yoga become such a holistic part of everyone’s lives. We celebrate World Yoga Day now and that makes me so happy. Whether it's asana goals or mind goals, either way, adopting Yoga into your life can change your entire being. Though I would like more people to go deeper into the mental power of Yoga too.
How would you describe Yoga as a lifestyle?
Yoga is a state of being. Unlike “doing“ something, you live a yogic life. Babies do Yoga so well, observe their breathing, the way they laugh, the poses they do when they want to release tension from the body, or just watch how they let go of anger and any attachments right after the tantrums. That’s a Yoga lifestyle, enjoying every moment of your life because you are so whole and happy.
There are other variations of Yoga such as power yoga, hot yoga among others, what do you think of them and would you recommend them to people?
"I don't recommend a type of exercise, I recommend exercise. If any of those gets you moving, go ahead. Do what feels good to you, you might enjoy one form more than the other. That’s the goal, to find the happy place and a workout that makes you happy after is the one you choose."
You practice Yoga and Zumba. Both are different forms of maintaining a healthy lifestyle. How would you describe each as a method of exercise?
"(Laughs) I do yoga, aerial silks, Zumba, animal flow, and sometimes kickboxing. And now, working with resistance training. Each has different learning, I love how each connects with neuroma differently. When I want to go deep in my practice and mind and breath, it’s Yoga. When I want to simply let go and feel the rhythm, it’s Zumba. When I want to just feel the strength, it’s animal flow. Each day is different, so why have the same workout? I sometimes mix them up too. But I practice meditation every single day, that’s my non-negotiable."
Are there any asanas that people can perform in between their work breaks?
"Of course. I invite you to definitely try asanas to release your wrists, arms, pelvic floor muscles, your spine, and lower back. It’s a must! We sit for so long, you owe it to your body. One asana I would suggest that would change your life is the Malasana, the yogic squat. You will see changes within a week on not just how you feel but how great you feel."
If you want to know more about Yoga and its different kinds, follow Manisha Kohli @mk_firefly or Aum your way
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