Under the Mask (August Newsletter)
Image credit: Kajal Sen Gupta
It’s already August, time to get back to school and get back to work. There is an earnestness about the way everyone moves, there is focus as they go about their business. There’s still some summer left as the weather forecast informs us and we might as well enjoy the lingering ‘lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer’.
As we head back to business, whatever that is, we don a persona, or a personality that befits the workplace. The word ‘persona’ comes from the Latin word, mask. We create a personality for the workplace that is different from who we really are.
Beyond the mask however, little behaviors will give away what lies under the mask. It’s much the same as the next person. Under the persona we present, each one of us is the very same.
But, who are we really? In the ancient Indian Upanishads, the teachings that were passed on for generations to the wise and seeking, speak of dressing down to the essential being. Each one of us derives our essential energy from the Universe that is wholeness. The Complete , the Absolute, the Whole, and we are each exactly the same.
Namaste,
sipra
Summer Heat (July Newsletter)
Image: Black work embroidery by Kajal Sen Gupta, sipra’s sister
It’s going to be hot. So what else is new?
Living in Columbus or wherever you are it is still going to be hot and that brings some uncomfortable sensations, feelings and doubts. We will undoubtedly complain about it. We complain about the winter, we complain about the summer, but look at the joys of summer. The birds are varied and their calls and songs fill the sky. The flowers, blossoms and fruit are beginning to fill the stores and makeshift streetside stalls. Bees, lightning bugs and dragonflies glide and frolic from dawn to late dusk, as if they want the day to never end.
Yet we continue to be caught in the dragnet of the microscopic world of our own singular life, caught up in problems that we cannot resolve or those that cannot be resolved. Those problems will not be resolved despite endlessly thinking about it. Often when we stop focusing so much on those problems and let them sit on the back burner and move on to think of other things the problems resolve. My house mate lost his precious pocket knife, the only precious memento he had from his long departed father. He spent hours looking for it for several days, and feeling understandably distressed, finally giving up his search. Within the next few days I happened to inadvertently find it.
Day by day the days are already getting shorter, even if it’s only by a few minutes each day. Enjoy the summer, recalling some of the fun you had as a child, and reliving them. With children at home, get them away from technology when possible and have fun sharing some of your childhood summer fun. Have a joyous summer!
Namaste,
sipra
It’s my birthday
It’s my birthday
No really, it is my birthday. I am 79 years old. One’s age in years depends on the method one uses to calculate it. I believe that in several Indian systems the birth is counted as year one. That would make me 80 years old.
I have been asked how I feel about aging. The analogy that comes to mind is an old pair of leather boots - cracked, worn out, and discolored. The heels are unevenly worn out. Despite softeners and shoe shine, it still doesn’t really cover up the fact that they have seen much better times. But that’s not how many septuagenarian’s, octogenarians, or even older, and I feel.
I feel lucky to have had a lifetime of simple, nourishing meals cooked by my mother or cooked under her direction. Always well balanced, tasty and fresh. Aromatic with fresh herbs, hot foods literally from stove to dinner table. Homemade yogurt, salads fresh from the garden. ‘Eat a serving of each course or leave the table’. Bitter, sour, spicy, sour were all tastes that were topped off with a simple dessert or fresh fruit.
I have never been inclined to get quick relief with drugs. Never took any, except after surgery for broken bones. Never any NSAIDS which tend to be addictive. Seasonal and locally grown fruits and vegetables and fish and eggs make delicious and easy to prepare meals.Try it. Freeze extras for quick meals.
I drink 6 to 7 liters of hot water and liquids a day, but no pop/soda. Tea and coffee are both good for you and for me.
I do take a variety of supplements for arthritis, aches and pains and vitamins as my body suggests.
Happy that I have all 36 of my teeth and no dental work except for a coating when I chipped a tooth biting into an olive pit! The joy in sharing and eating food comes from mastication of real food.
I am blessed with a wonderful family of two older sisters and one younger, who have lived noteworthy lives. My younger sister is an artist whose latest work, Solar Corona is shared with you in this newsletter. My two daughters are successful and influential in their jobs.
The few people who have been in constant touch over the years are needless to say, precious friends, sincere to the core, to whom I can turn any time of day or night for any reason. You have met Chris Johnson over the years. He is one such and directly connected with YWB.
I am not interested in what’s trending. I love walking my dogs and enjoying the moment. Moment by moment as no moment is the same. Look, listen, feel the moment, touch the ground beneath and the sky above, and all it encompasses! It’s a good life.
Too much information about me? First and last time, I promise.
Namaste,
sipra
Image credit: Solar Corona by Kajal Sen Gupta
It’s a Full Moon and Springtime is Here
I am!
I am what?
I am That.
Who is That?
THAT is not a who. THAT, is an energy that pervades everything.
THAT is Divine.
THAT is beyond our limited human consciousness and experience.
However
IT is everywhere. Gyana or the wisdom and knowledge that comes through a silence we create by being present in the present moment.
How do I access That?
Watching, looking, observing without comment or judgement, and with complete stillness of the mind. That is Dhyana.
But how? Sit comfortably or even lie down. Let the thoughts come and go. Eyes closed, watch what is going on in the mind.
Start by watching the inner light through closed eyes.
Can you be still while doing this? Try it for just one minute!
No music, no chanting, no sermons.
No thoughts.
Silence!
Work on it. Can you get to 20 minutes of silence?
Namaste,
sipra
Photo credit: Tai Pimputkar
The ideal that was India
Watch this video about India. It's worth the watch. It will take just about 90 seconds!
It's about the India that makes it such an ideal country, a place worth visiting, a place worth living in. Diversity, generosity, compassion, and sharing that you will find everywhere. A smile greets you wherever you turn. Everyone has the time to share a smile. What does it cost? Nothing. How long does it take? No time at all. Why? Because it will make you happy too.
Life is diverse: Scenes from sipra’s trip to India
Last month, sipra traveled to India. Enjoy these scenes of the creatures and humans sharing the land in all their diversity.
Life is diverse... Live and let live is the motto by which India has lived through the ages and continues to follow to this day. The creatures that share the land with the people appear to respect that thought. They are almost domesticated and do not attack the human residents that share their world. The humans are kind too. On our evening walks, we regularly found a dozen or more wild dogs running to a gate outside a house as they arrived for a daily meal of meat soup and roti (dry flat wheat bread). They quietly ate, sharing the food and then left...there is so much to see and experience in India if you don't apply the standards of the western world to Asia and specifically to India.
Rhythm of the Seasons (November 2025 Newsletter)
Night falls softly
The leaves cascading all around hover midair and land ever so gently.
Their work is done
After a season of growing and nourishing.
We can surely take a lesson from nature. Let bygones go. Take on the winter with its own demands and offerings. Have you noticed that most produce has a sweetness and ripeness and a thicker taste that comforts the body, the digestion and in general is calming. Discover for yourself some new endeavor that keeps you growing inside and out.
A new direction that Yoga-Well-Being is taking is to offer students and non-students, i.e. anyone in the community, from children to seniors share their talents and skills with the participants. How can we do this? With your help. Spread the word, and YOU come with your interested friends and acquaintances and have a fun time together. ‘Sip and Dip’. Spend some time together with new and old friends. And teach some thing new and make some money.
Don’t underestimate your talents.
Re-imagining YWB (October 2025 Newsletter)
We are moving out of the church at 296 W. Fourth Ave. Moving out of the church fills us with nostalgia. However, one door closes to let the light shine in through another. It is a time also to rethink the intent and purpose of Yoga-Well-Being. Yoga as a practice is commonplace. Our intent is to remain current and progressive. Thinking always out of the box! So, while yoga classes will continue at the new studio, our new concept is entirely new. It is similar to the offerings at the event spaces, community spaces, coffee shops, and gyms, but is none of them.
We are moving to Relevate in Upper Arlington at 1490 Old Henderson Road starting October 1. The yoga class schedule will remain much the same. What the new YWB is, is that it is not a one-way street. You will not only have a chance to practice Yoga, but you can offer your own classes/events/discussions/workshops. Anyone from anywhere introduced to us through safe channels can organize, promote and set their own rates. spread the word and offer a class showing off your talents. Who knows, you might start your own business or become an Influencer.
Namasté,
sipra
Mind the Mind (September 2025 Newsletter)
Photo Credit: Tai Pimputkar
Our consciousness determines who we are and what we do. But what is consciousness? It could be described as those emotions that are sent to the mind/brain by how the body responds to its environment. Without realizing it, many of us follow what the mind finds appealing. It is consciousness that wills which unknown next step we take on our journey. It sometimes has little to do with the reason/rationality, buddhi (intellect), or the mind, manas/mana. The two words are commonly used interchangeably but there is a difference. Manas is the mind which is emotional and wants to always follow what is pleasing to oneself. An example of this would be when the manas says “I don’t feel like it” or “I’d love to” while the buddhi says “I have to do this”. When one’s practices and beliefs are based on the manas, the practice is known as Bhakti Yoga. In other practices, reason plays a strong role and is known as Jnana Yoga.
While focusing on Jnana Yoga, and Bhakti Yoga in this brief article, one must not forget the other major practices. Karma Yoga, the practice and focus or service, and Bhakti Yoga or devotional practice.
No practice is better or worse than another. Whatever appeals to the practitioner is the right one for them, so long as it is consistent, and practiced with purity and focus. It can be religious, agnostic or atheistic.
At the end of any practice you choose, remember to shake off your hands and feet, massage neck and shoulders, slap your face, and pull on your ears, it’ll make you feel like new again.
Namasté,
sipra
Wandering, Meandering (August 2025 Newsletter)
Photo Credit: Tai Pimputkar
August is a time to take your summer break like simply meandering downstream. We at Yoga-Well-Being are doing the same: leaving our upstairs studio and continuing with classes in the Fellowship Hall in the Fourth Avenue Church. When we use the Church space you’ll see a sign on their front door and the door will be unlocked. Do come and enjoy the calmness of the space.
Life is good, and life is where we put our personal emphasis. If we are embodied in our own body and spirit, life is meaningful, and when we don’t see ourselves as the centerpiece we are invisible to ourselves. We might as well not be! August represents the high and mighty. You are so in spirit. Remember also to be meek and humble.
Namasté,
sipra