Why BRuSH Every Day ?

Isn’t it obvious why we need to brush every day? What’s the new thing I am going to write? Well, I am not talking about the brush you are thinking of, I am talking about the new acronym I have coined, which is a very essential part of life just like brushing every day. Y- BRuSH stands for 

 

Yoga

Bike (also referred as cycling)

Running or can be walking, 

Swimming

Hiking (also referred as trekking) 

 

Well, isn’t it now easy to remember, every morning you are brushing, pushing yourself, Y you should BRuSH again!

 

There are enough things written about why exercise should be an essential part of life, so I am not going to bore you with that. In summary, exercise delivers oxygen and nutrients to your tissues and helps your cardiovascular system work more efficiently. And when your heart and lung health improve, you have more energy to tackle daily chores. I want to talk about my story and my experiences with these!

 

Yoga: 

 

Yoga, the term in subconscious minds, takes us to Yogi and spiritual aspects of life. However, for me Yoga has 3 parts. First one, the daily exercise, referred to as asanas, it helps in building muscle strength. Second is the pranayama, an inhale and exhale technique, that helps improve the prana, the oxygen we breathe every second. The third, meditation, relaxation of mind. 

 

Growing up, we mostly did one or the other asanas in school. There were yoga camps, where we had enrolled and experienced these 3 shades of Yoga. We were surrounded by grandparents who were spiritual and religious, and the religious side had meditation built into everyday routine, through prayers. 

 

I got re-introduced to yoga 2 years ago, during the pandemic. Especially with virtual classes, it became easy to attend from home. It was indeed a great experience. The first few days into Yoga, I realized my body is not flexible as in teens. As days went by, I was able to do most of the asanas. Beauty of
Yoga is for every body part; you have one or the other asana. For example, if you have back pain or a neck pain, you can pick those asanas and customize them to your needs. I learnt more than 40 asanas in the first few months and later practiced them myself. 

 

I also learnt pranayama in these classes. Pranayama technique has three main stages, Purak (inhalation through nostrils), Kumbhak (retention) and Rechak (exhalation). Depending on the type of pranayama (example, Anulom Vilom – Alternate Nostril Breathing) , you control and hold these 3 stages. One may assume, pranayama is easy but for me it is more difficult than asanas. With Pranayama, I experienced an elevated energy level for the rest of the day.

 

The third is meditation, and I sincerely believe I am not qualified to talk about it. I believe it requires a spiritual aspect to practice correctly. In short, relax every muscle from toes to the top, as the muscles are relaxed the breathing becomes slower and slower. As the breathing becomes slow, the Mind becomes calm and quiet. As the Mind becomes calm and quiet, the body relaxes further, which further reduces the breathing rate and so on. So you eventually relax your mind. 

 

Yoga is a very low investment of the Y-BRuSH family because it just requires an empty space, that’s it. If you have not started on this path, attend classes through a Yoga practitioner and then later practice yourself. Doing at least 20 minutes of Yoga daily will greatly help your mind, soul, and body. I have really experienced this for the last 2 years. Recently, I made videos of 18 asanas and can be found here. 

 

Bike or Bicycle:

I learned to ride a bicycle by the age of 7. Cycling to high school was the only option to commute then. It was even more fun when you cycle in the heavy rainy season, umbrella in one hand and break in the other hand. In the last two years of undergraduate, I took my brother cycle to the hostel and used it for local commuting. After that, the cycle vanished from my life. As affordability improved (read as we became lazy), motorcycles and cars were used for transportation. For a short period, I also bought a cycle, and cycled to work but Bangalore roads were not safe and eventually I had to give up.

 

I got reintroduced to cycling in 2018. We had only one car, and both of us needed it. So, I choose to cycle to work instead of buying another car. It was about 14 miles (22km) both ways. In winter, I cycled to the train station, and then train to work. You can take the cycle inside the train, that was the best part. It continued till the pandemic and was a great experience.

 

Best thing about cycling, you get to experience nature, birds, and the breeze. You get a great exercise to your legs, and your heart breathes fast, which improves blood circulation. If you are an early person like me, you get to see sunrise and early morning vitamin D, which is so precious and essential. I also enjoy my own undisturbed time when I bike, especially stopovers in the middle of the trail and watching the sky, nature, and water streams.

 

Cycling can be a moderate to heavy one-time investment based on your affordability and choice of cycle. Cycle needs regular tune up, tire and parts replacements. Good bikes last forever. You have a variety of bikes to choose from, like road bike, mountain bike, hybrid bike, gear and without gear, carbon bikes and so on. I have settled with an hybrid bike from Specialized.  

 

Running or Walking:

Of all the Y-BRuSH families, this is the least one should do a few times in a week. If your knee hurts, at least walk a few miles a day! In the last few years, I am able to consistently increase my endurance and run up to 5 miles ( 7-8 km) consistently. Excessive running is also not good, as it may start taking a toll on your knees. One should watch out for that and give breaks during the run. This is true for any exercise, overdoing it is not good for common people.

 

Running is low to moderate recurring investment based on your choice of shoes! You will need to try a few shoes before you settle for one. You need to choose your trail, like a road trail or a mud trail, that can also influence the way your knees respond to running. You also need to watch out how you land your feet, distance between feet for each step and adjust continuously to ensure your knee does not get hurt. For example, I was doing longer steps earlier and learnt it was the reason for my knee pain and switched to shorter but faster steps. A twenty to thirty minutes run every day should suffice to keep you active. I do dream that one day I will do at least a half marathon!

 

Swimming 

Who does not like to be in the water? Swimming is one of the well-rounded exercises from head to toe. I was fortunate to learn by the age of 7 or 8, and it is my second most favorite sport. Swimming as everyone knows has many types such as freestyle, Backstroke, breaststroke and so on and all have so many benefits. Couple of days of swimming in a week would greatly improve my health. Finding a swimming facility with reasonable cost may not be an easy task.  

 

Hiking 

This is my most favorite sport, for many reasons. First, you are in the woods, forest and with nature for a longer duration. Second, when you hike with a group, you have so many conversions that bring back old memories. Third, the uncertainty associated with a trail that you need to navigate some time with gut feeling. Fourth, the fresh water that you can drink from the streams. Last, the night camping if you are backpacking. Only downside is it demands lots of time and can be challenging when you start a family. I started my hikes in teens and it remains dear to me with the same level of excitement and happiness. I am fortunate to find many friends who are into hiking and able to do it regularly. Hiking for about 8 miles (13km) in a week should give you good exercise.

 

So, in summary, you need to ask yourself, did I brush twice today? If not, you need to pick up at least one from the Y-BRuSH and start brushing again!

 

Happy International Yoga Day! 

Anil Masakal

Enthusiast for sustainable and healthy living!

Some of my Yoga Videos:

Play list : https://tinyurl.com/ysbbmmn3