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“To Travel is to Live.” – Hans Christian Anderson

Travelling, to me, is to explore different parts of the planet as well as to explore my own self. Every journey has its own story and teachings. If you have never been into travelling you have already missed out some great pleasures in life. Your perfect Yatra does not need a lot of money to be invested in but a mind free from everything and a desire to see the unseen.

My idea of an ideal Yatra would be to any place that I have not seen before, on my terms, exploring every inch of that place and discovering some never-seen-before alcoves. It might sound a little metaphysical but that’s me. I do not like visiting a place that is generally crowded. I don’t like visiting a city and standing in a queue to visit a museum or march all the way to see some famous ‘viewpoint’. That’s completely not my cup of tea! I am more of a traveller than a tourist. I love to make my own itinerary and follow it as I find it convenient for me.

“Once a year, go someplace you’ve never been before.” -Dalai Lama

If you ask me about my dream destination in India, I would say it is Leh and Ladakh as of now. Obviously, this tour has to have only two travellers- my boyfriend and I. I have been to several places with my parents and I don’t think they are now strong enough to ‘explore’ places rather than having an ‘arranged tour’. I want someone who has similar thoughts on travelling and who would give me the perfect company. An ideal journey is nothing without the ideal travellers.

The journey would begin by choosing the desired Airlines and booking flight tickets. Next, we would plan our days or adventures in regard to the time we would have there. Firstly, we would invest our time more in exploring the neglected and unexplored places and then later we will try to indulge in some touristic traditions.

The only way you can perceive the true beauty of a place is through its natives and the food it offers. So, we would spend time with the locals and try to know their perspectives on exploring their own place. Trying local food is also on the list. No yatra is complete without tasting the local delicacies.

“All journeys have secret destinations of which the traveller is unaware.”

Apart from all these, discovering our own special place in the region and unearthing something that has never been looked into would be more fun than being guided by a tourist’s’ guidebook. Doing the unthinkable while enjoying the nature’s bounty and wandering amidst the picturesqueness is totally my thing. A traveller should be successful in his job of knowing the unknown.

I don’t what would have happened to me if my father had not injected the passion for travelling in me. The Ideal Yatra is possible only if you have a heart of a true traveller, a strength to adjust yourself to any odd circumstances and of course longing for visiting places.

“The impulse to travel is one of the hopeful symptoms of life” -Agnes Repplier

The alarm clock rings and before you can get accustomed to your surroundings, the voices in your head tell you to hit the snooze button.
For most, mornings can be a dreaded period. But it’s also the perfect opportunity to gather your thoughts before plunging headlong into the chaos that engulfs the outside world. If you manage to clear your mind and mentally prepare yourself for a great day, you’re going to make the most of it.

The Answer: Mindfulness

Most people switch to autopilot mode as soon as they wake up, where your brain instinctively navigates its way through the daily habitual patterns that you’ve established. In short, you’re able to go through your everyday routine without really paying any attention to what you’re doing.
Stray thoughts enter your mind, where they are entertained and nurtured. These musings tend to tire out your neurons, leaving you exhausted. The best way to avoid this, is to begin your day with mindful practices, where you’re focusing on what’s happening in the moment. Starting your day like that keeps you mentally prepared and relaxed for what’s ahead.
It might take a while to actually implement these practices, but try them out if you’re ever in need of a super-charged morning.

Light Meditation

As soon as you wake up, slowly sit up in bed, shut your eyes and breathe deeply. Focus on your breath and let any thoughts that enter your head stay in the background. Don’t try to eliminate them, just continue to focus on your breathing, and eventually, those stray thoughts will stop bothering you.
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Even 5 minutes of meditation in the morning is like a shot of espresso. It’ll awaken your brain so that you can be fully aware of the next step.

Happy Melodies 

Right after your mental trip, slip on your headphones, spend at least 15 minutes listening to a couple of songs that infuse you with pleasant feelings. It’ll put you in a happy mood before you can begin to ponder any of the challenges that you might encounter over the course of your day. That way, you’ll enter a more positive state of mind and be able to enjoy your next activity.

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Brisk Jogging

When you’ve had your fill of music, throw on your running gear and get out of the house. You can jog to a particular location and back, or map out a circuit and do a couple of laps around it. Try to perform this activity for a good 20 minutes, or until you run out of breath. You’ll increase the blood flow to your muscles, charging your limbs with energy.
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Make sure that you’re wearing the right sports shoes, to avoid injury. Columbus shoes provide the best support to your heels while running, so if you’re looking to buy a pair, head over to rediff.com.

Spiritual Stretching

The final activity to wrap up this routine is yoga. All you need to do is find a great yoga guide online, and get started.

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Learn the basics of this spiritual art form, and you can add the posture stretches to your morning routine. Yoga is like a culmination of all the previous activities; it involves focusing on your breath, being mindful, and physical exertion. It’s the best way to end your preparations and tackle the day that lies ahead.
This is just a basic rundown of what you can do in the morning to set the pace for the rest of your day. This entire routine shouldn’t take you longer than an hour, and it’ll leave you reinvigorated.
Remember to eat healthy and drink plenty of water when you wake up, so that your body stays energized. Follow these steps, and you’ll never have to fear the sunrise again.
Hope you liked this post. See you next time. Till then, be safe & keep smiling!    
      
 
Having been born and raised in a semi joint family, I had the opportunity to learn a lot of different things from each and every member of my family. Where my mother taught me the basics of a human life and reading books and writing postcards to my maternal grandparents, my grandmother taught me to be firm in my decisions, to be strong yet sensitive. 
My childhood days were like what every child should get. Learning a new thing everyday- related to life, relationships, sensibility, books and toys. My grandfather was the only one to tell me stories from Panchatantra to his imaginary incidents and popular fairytales. I still can feel how mesmerized I used to be every time the Prince found his Princess in my grandfathers stories. Growing up I understood that those were not merely fancy fairytales but they were life lessons that had been injected into my mind at the very beginning of my life. The stories taught me that I shouldn’t lose hope and give up when there is a war between good and evil, they taught me that there is always a hope however thorny the roads might be, they taught me that the good will always prevail over the evil. The morals of the Panchatantra stories are etched in my mind in a way that I can clearly judge the good and the bad.
Apart from all these, the lessons that helped me in excelling as a human being had been taught by my father- the source of all my strength and creativity. He instilled the passion for creating and composing into my psyche in such a way that it has now become an inseparable part of me. The goals I achieved and the milestones I reached today are only because of him. Well, that was a part of his teachings, now let’s talk about the few others. Like any other fathers, my father is also the pillar of my success and progress. He was the only one to support me every time I needed it. I knew that my father won’t abhor me or stop talking to me if I bring home a poor report card. I knew he would call me, talk to me and want to know the reason behind the result. I think that is the only reason why I never had to keep mum about or hide the weirdest and the most awful things from my parents. I knew that whatever the problem is, it could only be solved if I disclose it before him. My father always has encouraged me and my sister to do whatever we liked, unlike many others who push their children to do anything. My father never forced me to anything, he never told me to come first or second in class, he has always emphasized on becoming a good person and a perfect human being. His teachings, advices and encouragement have made me what I am today. He is surely the one who has created the ‘human’ inside me. 
Source: IndiBlogger.in

This post is written for the IndiBlogger Happy Hours ‘My Family My Pride’ campaign in association with HDFC Life.


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