2020 has been a year like never before. We all have our own version of the events of the year! Unprecedented term got thrown quite a bit and for a good reason. For me personally, Arva was born in 2020 and here is the inspiration for Arva Yoga and the story behind the name.
My paternal grandmother passed away on Dec 23, 2020. She lived a great long life and she is certainly in a better place today. She was a strong and courageous woman. She kept herself active by making handicrafts, and she gave them away to family and friends. See that picture, its a handmade artefact of hers. All giving that she was, her happiness was in our happiness! Aaji in Marathi means Grandmother and Nagpur is name of a city in India- She travelled independently between Nagpur and Mumbai often to come visit us! I used to call her "Nagpur Aaji"! And that name stuck with her till the end, even if she was not really in Nagpur when she breathed her last.
The last few years of her life were tough, however. She was bedridden for several years and we saw her condition deteriorate. It was painful to watch. She was fine mentally even till the end, but it was her spine health that eventually caused her to be in the state she was in. I often wonder if there was something we could have done for her...She did not exercise and she never spent on herself- time or money. As an ardent student of Yoga, I cannot help but wonder, if she had done something for herself back in her 40s and 50s, paid a little more attention to her own long term health, taken 30 minutes in her day for her own mind and body, could she be with us today? I know the answer is yes...what stopped her back then was possibly money. My Nagpur Aaji's passing has stirred a passion that was brewing inside for a long time. I want to share my knowledge with the world, and do that for no charge. Perhaps there is a woman or man out there somewhere who can take a class, and start focusing on their spine health! Yoga shows us the way for body health, spinal cord flexibility and mental peace.
And what is the significance of Arva ? Its the combination of our kids names- first and last two alphabets each. It turns out that Arva means "fertile" in Latin. Fertile like our minds...the thoughts we sow are the actions we shall reap. The purpose of yoga is to remove the fluctuations in our mind. Arva also means " fast motion wind" in Sanskrit. In Ariel yoga, as you perform some fun poses, you do feel like wind! So, that is why I picked this name for my initiative. Arva name seemed just right for my yoga initiative that includes traditional Hatha yoga as well as Ariel yoga classes at the onset.
Arva was born to help all! Young or old- personal classes during the weekends and regular practice through the week. The eventual vision for ARVA is to be that platform for mind, body and soul's wellness. Additional classes and workshops will be announced over the course of 2021.
In Nagpur Aaji I see my past and, in my kids I see the future. As a bridge between past and future, I hope my community service at the present time, makes a difference to this world, one soul at a time!
Namaste!
