Health Education: A healing narrative

This was written by my cousin in the USA after the election. The loss of reason, logic and justice cuts deep into our collective consciousness as we begin to go through the stages of grief together. It feels like a death, or a really bad hangover. Like did that really happen last night and when will it end?  It makes me reflect on the chapter in our text about social inequalities and how they affect effect individuals and groups mental health. People are depressed, angry, hurt, confused, let down and shocked that someone who is so ignorant, sexist, racist and divisive had gained power in a so called democratic country. The sad reality is that this is a country that had done much damage to the world, and has a history of slavery, now it seems like it is imploding on itself.  I too feel shocked, sad, and uncertain for my family living in the States. I don't know what to do except for hold onto an idealistic belief that light and goodness will always prevail over dark times...

I chose to share this poem by Rumi as it describes the oneness of our humanity. Beyond religion, nature, cultures, borders, and beliefs, we are human-beings, breathing the same breaths in this limited lifetime. From duality and separation comes the possibility of union and the concept of oneness. The goal of many of the worlds religions are the same, and we are all in this together.  The Sanskrit word Yoga means union and involves practices that connect the individual self to the universal Self.   Not Christian or Jew or Muslim, not Hindu Buddhist, Sufi or Zen. Not any religion  I am not from the East or the West,  not out of the ocean or up from the ground,  not natural or ethereal,  not composed of elements at all.  I do not exist,   am not an entity in this world or in the next,  did not descend from Adam and Eve,  or any origin story.  My place is placeless,  a tra...

Reflect on a time when you received care – the other cared for you and how you knew you were cared for. This past weekend brought up some fears and doubts. My mind has a tendency to race and it raced away from me into the future thinking am I in the right place? Did I choose the right program? Will there ever enough time to get it all done? I tend to get anxious and irritable when I am feeling stressed out. I am also really tired coping with some form of mama insomnia. I want to avoid, exit and escape painful and uncomfortable situations. Unfortunately, who gets the brunt of this is my family, mainly my life partner. He is such an amazing man who is generous and kind in his actions. He loves from such an unconditional place and I am Debbie Doubter, questioning it all and even being mean sometimes. I want to be and do everything and get it right, but it's so darn hard!   I teach my son not to shout or hurt others, and he listens. It is so much harder to listen to my own wor...

"Pranayama teaches us to slow down our breath.  And when we slow down our breath, we slow down our thoughts. That's yoga." Naseem  This  video captures the essence of the program I created for Langara College. I believe it is important to preserve the classical teachings of yoga so they do not get lost in a sea of appropriation. I want people to learn that asana is one part of the practice. There are many limbs to learning and self-discovery in the yogic tradition. I am judgemental to all these nuveau forms of yoga. I just people would stop calling it yoga - it has become a catch phrase and it loosing it meaning like - eco and sustainability. It sounds good but what the heck does it mean?  My program is now in it's 9th year. It is has been an incredible success in my eyes, although I am just coming to this place of admiration. It has been really hard work, and the pouring out of my heart, passion, sweat and tears.  I have put tonnes of energy into m...

What an incredible opportunity I have been given to be interviewed by Nirmala on the JoyTV show called Journey of Healing. She is the founder of the Deepak Chopra Center for Addictions an d does incr edible work in the world . We presented on the stage for the International Day of Yoga, as representatives of traditional yogic teachings. I used to love drama classes in high school, and even won the grade 12 drama award, but feel way more comfortable on stage than in front of a camera.  This brought me out of my comfort zone, and I feel proud and honoured that I was asked to share my journey into healing on the path of yoga. It is still a day to day journey, that is now about integrating all of these life experiences into a master's thesis , and having the strength and courage to tell my story to others .

What is your personal description/definition of self care? Neurobiology of Self-care:  http://www.childhoodtrauma.org.au/2015/may/neurobiology-of-self-care#sthash.pOU7z4W3.gbpl Self-care is essential to my daily survival. In Ayurvedic medicine, the concept of self-care is defined as dinacharya, meaning daily routine. It is our daily routine that allows us to get in touch with the circadian rhythm of nature and our lives. I believe that we are slowly loosing touch with this natural rhythm of life as technology and busyness begins to control us.  Caring for the self means putting on the oxygen mask first. It is a cliche, but my immediate response is to care for others, putting their needs and expectations first and neglecting my own needs. I have discovered that doing this repetitively over time has left me feeling depleted and unable to breathe properly. I love being of service in my work and personal life, but find it is much easier to give from a plac...

I created this postcard at work, by deconstructing the postcards I use for promotion materials from my programs which include certificates in YTT,  Therapeutic Yoga for Trauma & Resilience and Pain Management. These words are messages of holistic health, vitality and healing. The picture is of my son, who likes to do and tell me to do my yoga when I am feeling tired and grumpy. I am in awe of the natural yoga poses that babies do as part of their developmental milestones as well. I think it is important to educate children in the heart, and with a positive mind, so they grow up strong, confident and loving who they truly are, not who they are expected to be. I feel like I have spent a lot of my adult life, undoing the trauma I experienced as a child. Studying and living in ashrams with Yoga gurus from India, therapy, community, and travel have been powerful tools for self-transformation. From my learned journey and life experiences, I love teaching and sharing with other...

A yogini is a female practitioner of Yoga, the male counterpart is yogi. Hatha Yoga is a physical, active practice that  works to balance the polarities in the body and bring homeostasis. My great grandfather in Gujurat was from the Nath Yogi tradition, which follows an ancient lineage founded by Gorakshanath, and Matsyendranath. It is said in our family tradition that he had the 'noor' in his eyes - meaning light. I love writing about Yoga and it's practices. Here are some links published articles:  http://drishtimagazine.com/2016/08/yoga-the-path-of-global-transformation/ http://commonground.ca/OLD/iss/205/cg205_yoga.shtml 

Namaste everyone, My name is Naseem, and I am a newly experienced mom to a calm, sweet and joyful 2.5 year old toddler boy, who is blossoming every day. I love to explore to world, having travelled to several countries in search of meaning, purpose, health and healing. I left and found my heart in India, which changed my world view forever.  I love to dance, listen to world music, eat dosas and enjoy a pint of Guinness, being of Indo-Irish descent and all. I am also a Yoga Teacher Trainer, Curriculum Developer, Program Coordinator, and Writer. I recently wrote a manual for the Yoga Teacher Training Program I created at Langara College. It took me 8 years of developing, and a few years of writing to get it done, but I feel super proud of my work today. It is hard not to be critical at times, and trust that the rush of inspiration will come. But it did, and I am giving myself a pat on the back for all the hard work of myself and my team. This has been a year of recognition, ha...