YOGUE: INSIYA RASIWALA-FINN

Yoga + Ayurveda. Rituals for Modern Wellness.

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Daily Habits for Happiness

February 5, 2021 by yogue Leave a Comment

This morning, I awoke later than usual. The sun was not its brightest yet, as the clouds still washed the sky after the constant rainstorms of the last night.

I had gone to sleep later than I usually do; had not slept well through the night; and subsequently woken up groggy and bleary eyed. Why? I had surgery on my left foot, 2 days ago; and the pain was still quite intense. Why I had to have surgery is another story that I will share later in another blog.

Yet, the effects of the surgery on my day to day life are what concern me right now.

I realize, as I hobble slowly and carefully across the still wet floor – our Bali villa is quite open to the rainy season – that I am feeling a little unmoored and ill at ease today. As if something is not quite right.

Then it hits me. My morning routine has unravelled in the past two days. And it’s making me feel completely out of sorts.

It’s similar to the feeling you have if you’ve been traveling for a while, or have been in various time zones. That feeling of not being in rhythm with your life.

I am not someone who actually loves routine, but what I’ve realized over the years through my studies of Ayurveda, that routine helps me to thrive; which is why now there are a few non-negotiable things I do every single day in the same order. They’ve become part of who I am. Researchers call them “anchor habits.”

What is my morning routine?

I wake up by 6 or 6:30 a.m., stretch in bed; then walk over to the bathroom sink to splash cool water on my face and in my eyes. Then I scrape my tongue with my copper tongue scraper – a simple cleansing practice that helps to wake up my digestive system and signals to my body to empty the waste from yesterday. Usually after this, I go to the bathroom; or first drink a mug of warm water with fresh squeezed lemon (and then go to the bathroom). After the lemon water, I also do a quick neti rinse with warm, sea-salted water.

Today; it takes effort, but I endeavor to do all my morning practices. I drink my lemon water; I do my neti rinse and then I prop up my left foot way up high – the doctor said “elevate your foot” – on the kitchen counter and standing on one leg, I make myself some chai. I don’t really need to take the trouble to make myself chai with fresh spices; but in the act of pounding some cardamom and fennel and peeling ginger root, I notice myself slowly releasing something. It is almost as if, my mind and body relax as I settle into the rhythm of doing familiar things – things my body and mind have been used to for days, months and years. And I feel myself smiling. I am feeling a bit more like myself.

And it hits me. Habits are essential to the health of our nervous systems. Good habits that is. Habits that promote our health and our wellness.

They help us to create a scaffolding for our day. A buffer zone that offers resilience in how we react to things that come at us. Helpful habits help us to self regulate, so we can withstand life, especially unexpected events.

How do they work?

When we create a routine or what I call a ritual, we start to create points of recognition for ourselves in our day, which help to anchor us, physically, but also mentally and emotionally.

For example, when we eat breakfast at a particular time every day; our bodies start to ready ourselves for that meal by secreting digestive enzymes in preparation for our food. This helps our gut to digest our food more easily every subsequent day. When we commit to walking or running every morning, after a few days of struggling just a little bit to get ourselves moving, we start to do this on automaton. The habit becomes part of our daily ritual and we begin to look forward to this activity, it starts to move us, vs. us trying to do the thing. Effort lessons and the rewards grow exponentially as we feel better and more alive and happy through the physical exercise.

Most importantly, habits take away the guess work out of our lives.

And guess work takes away uncertainty. If its Tuesday night, at our home, this means we stay in for dinner and it’s a veggie meal. Or hey, it’s Saturday night, which means we go out to a favorite restaurant that our son loves; and on Sundays and Sundays only, he is allowed croissants from the French bakery down the street.

Sometimes we break these habits and let spontaneity in; but I notice how quickly too much spontaneity leaves me feeling unsettled. In Ayurveda, we call this a little too much of the Vata dosha; which we want to keep in balance as much as possible in ourselves and in life.

As a mama, I know how important it is for children to have habits and a regular routine. And how it helps them to thrive because it helps them to look forward to things in a habitual way which takes away the anxiety of constantly having to try on something new.

Over the years I have worked hard to create daily habits in our family life to keep all of us on track. Some of these in no short order include:

  • Eating at approximately the same / similar times each day.
  • Waking up early, close to dawn and getting outside in the morning light.
  • Drinking my lemon water every morning + doing my net rinse.
  • Giving thanks for our food
  • Getting outside in nature every day for a bike ride, a walk or a run.
  • Doing one creative thing daily, it could be reading a poem, making art or doodling.
  • Saying or writing our gratefuls each night. Research shows this is the fastest way to shift your mood and I can see how it impacts our family daily. It may have been a challenging day, but when we start to look at what happened during a day with a gratitude filter, it really begins to shift things! 🙂
  • Daily yoga or meditation – this week, for me my yoga is simply putting my legs up a wall and letting myself rest.
  • Eating something seasonal to nourish our body, mind and heart.
  • Sleeping before 10 p.m.

It doesn’t always happen, but we have these daily habits that feel like they are a part of us. It takes us a little closer to the simplicity that only comes from the hard work of editing down life. And appreciating it fully.

What are some of your daily habits? How do they help you? Would you like to know more about Ayurvedic Rituals to keep you more in flow with the natural rhythms of day/ night? If so, take a look at this post here. And for my favorite and familiar chai recipe, head over here.

The Bali BLISS List: Our Fav Yogi Friendly Cafes in Canggu

February 11, 2020 by yogue 2 Comments

Brunch offerings at Crate, Canggu

Eoin my global yoga teaching, surf-mad husband and I have been returning to Bali for the last thirteen years; and you might say that Bali is not unfamiliar to us. Yet, we are still surprised by the changes, development and increasing hipster-ness that continues to grow exponentially where we hang out in Canggu.

[Read more…]

Marie Kondo Yoga

April 19, 2019 by yogue Leave a Comment

Image by Olive Nachle

A.K.A.: How Marie Kondo got into my Yoga Teaching Process, the Wholeness of Life and Creative Inspiration

I don’t usually plan what I’m going to talk about at my yoga classes in a formal way.  I don’t think about a “theme” and create the practice around it. But as I teach, I realize that in my teaching on that day, there is usually a specific flow, certain poses and words that emerge. So I thought I would share my process.

One of my other big loves in life is language and writing; and one of the things that I learned from writing school is that you cannot look for inspiration only in certain places.

No, instead, the work is to find inspiration, or “material” in all of life, in the simple, mundane things as well as the dramatic stuff. To use all life as a source from which to write from.

[Read more…]

Victoria Yoga Conference: Sunday

February 17, 2019 by yogue Leave a Comment

Conscious Parenting

We all seek to parent with presence, compassion and love and yet real life often gets in the way. Join mama and yogini Insiya Rasiwala-Finn in this stimulating workshop where she will share tangible insights gleaned from her years of study and practice of Yoga, Ayurveda and Mindfulness as well as a deep + ongoing curiosity about relational life to bring more balance, space, health, ease and love for our children and ourselves in the fast pace of modern living. This workshop includes a discussion and meditation. Bring a journal and pen.

Participants Need

journal + pen, cushion for sitting on.


PRESENTED BY:

Insiya Rasiwala-Finn-VYC Presenter

Presenter

INSIYA RASIWALA-FINN

Insiya Rasiwala-Finn B.A., E-RYT, Ayurvedic Health Counsellor; is a yogini and writer from Bombay, India. Since 2006, Insiya has been on a radical journey of self-healing, simplicity and exploration; sharing her insights as a yogi, a woman and a mother through writing and teaching. Insiya is known for her lyrical, heart filled yet challenging vinyasa practice; a first-person, East-West perspective in her teachings; and the ability to make the ancient wisdom of Vedic India relevant, contemporary and alive. Insiya has been featured in Yoga Journal and Peppermint magazines, has written on wellness for the Globe + Mail; and presents internationally at festivals such as Wanderlust and Bali Spirit.

Victoria Yoga Conference: Saturday

February 16, 2019 by yogue Leave a Comment

Urban Ayurveda with Insiya 

We live in a world of 24/7 stimulation. The impact of our current pace of living has resulted in disconnect, stress and chronic health imbalances. How can we stay healthy, grounded, present and not burn out? What is true freedom and how can we experience it? Join Insiya for an exciting conversation grounded in the ancient wisdom of Ayurveda, yet peppered with practical modern insights on how to find balance, ease, purpose and presence in a world that is moving so fast we can scarcely keep up. We will end our discussion with a healing meditation to gain balance and presence.

Participants Need

Notebook + pen, cushion to sit on for meditation.

Insiya Rasiwala-Finn B.A., E-RYT, Ayurvedic Health Counsellor; is a yogini and writer from Bombay, India. Since 2006, Insiya has been on a radical journey of self-healing, simplicity and exploration; sharing her insights as a yogi, a woman and a mother through writing and teaching. Insiya is known for her lyrical, heart filled yet challenging vinyasa practice; a first-person, East-West perspective in her teachings; and the ability to make the ancient wisdom of Vedic India relevant, contemporary and alive. Insiya has been featured in Yoga Journal and Peppermint magazines, has written on wellness for the Globe + Mail; and presents internationally at festivals such as Wanderlust and Bali Spirit.

Conscious Parenting with Insiya @Prairie Love Festival

January 20, 2019 by yogue Leave a Comment

We all seek to parent with presence, compassion and love and yet real life often gets in the way. Join mama and yogini Insiya Rasiwala-Finn in this stimulating workshop where she will share tangible insights gleaned from her years of study and practice of Yoga, Ayurveda and Mindfulness as well as a deep + ongoing curiosity about relational life to bring more balance, space, health, ease and love for our children and ourselves in the fast pace of modern living. This workshop includes a discussion and meditation. Bring a journal and pen.

Vital Radiance with Insiya @ Prairie Love Festival

January 20, 2019 by yogue Leave a Comment

Open up to the vital intuitive awareness of your body wisdom through an alignment based
approach to vinyasa yoga and catalyze an awakening of the spirit and heart. We will play with
deep core work, twists and heart openers in a juicy, energizing flow infusing our practice with
insights from Ayurveda to tune into and nourish our deep, vital radiance. Expect to feel shiny
and god(dess) like after!

All levels of yogis welcome. Some vinyasa practice is recommended.

Solstice Flow + Sound Bath

December 21, 2018 by yogue Leave a Comment

To mark the winter solstice this year, reclaim your stillness and re-chart your personal
path, as we move with intention, power and presence.
This nature affirming vinyasa practice melds mantra, meditation, breath and a sound bath
with 7 singing bowls, each tuned to the tone of the 7 chakras.
This resonant experience evolves into a magical solstice ritual that allows us to
cultivate our inner light, as we turn toward that source of all illumination, the sun, with
more clarity and joy.
Suitable for all levels of yogis. Please bring a journal and apen as well as something
that represents nature to you for our community nature mandala.

Featuring Insiya Rasiwala-Finn and Jennifer Lang.

50 hr Ayurveda Immersion with Blissology

July 3, 2018 by yogue Leave a Comment

Experience the healing power of Ayurveda as we tap into its divine wisdom storehouse to transform our Yoga, up-level our health and live with more purpose, power, clarity and bliss at this transformational course with Yogini + Ayurveda Specialist Insiya Rasiwala-Finn.

WHAT TO EXPECT

Ayurveda is India’s powerful healing science of life, it helps us return to a simple yet core idea: when we live in true harmony with the rhythms of nature and flow of life, we can experience authentic mind body and spirit health even in our fast-paced, modern lives.

As yogis and yoga teachers , we are all looking to deepen our practice and ignite it with more presence, intuition and power. With Ayurveda’s wisdom of self-knowledge, we receive the gift of more insight, sensitivity and understanding in our lives. In this way, the study of Ayurveda will transform our yoga practices and our health, as well as those of our students, allowing us to truly become healers while we share our own journeys of growth and evolution.

“Join me on this exciting immersion that I have crafted with years of my study of this incredible holistic science and lifestyle.”

Insiya Rasiwala-Finn, B.A. RYT, Ayurveda Counsellor.

This course counts towards 50 hours for the Blissology Yoga 500-hour certification. Or you can earn 50 Yoga Alliance CEUs (in order to maintain your RYT status on Yoga Alliance, you need to report at least 30 hours of training every three years and this course will give you 50 hours towards that). 

 

YOU WILL LEARN:

KEY AYURVEDIC PRINCIPLES:

Understand the key principles of Ayurveda as related to diet, lifestyle, mental and spiritual health. Learn how to apply them to your life to create more well-being, balance and transformation.  Intimately connect with your Prakriti: your unique, natal constitution and rediscover how you are meant to live, in harmony with our larger environment, in a way that is uniquely balancing for your body, mind and spirit. Use this knowledge to create a life of more purpose and bliss.

YOGA FOR THE DOSHAS:

The three Doshas or constitutional mind-body types open the doorway to deeper understanding of our bodies, our minds and heart. With these tools, we begin to observe existing habit patters and effect lasting changes that move us to a different way of being. You will learn how to adapt the yoga practice to balance the impact of the time of day, seasons, the age of your students and bring more balance and healing. You will practice creating bespoke yoga routines that help to balance yours and your students’ individual constitution and learn how yoga can be powerful medicine when used wisely.

HOW TO CULTIVATE PRANA:

The movement of prana, or life force or energy is key in the yoga practice. Understanding the deeper principles of this life force energy via Ayurveda offers us insights into sequencing practices to address different energetic needs. We will discuss and practice yoga asanas through the Ayurvedic lens, to bring freedom, awareness and flow.

 

FOOD AND DIGESTION:

Digesting food well is crucial to our health according to Ayurveda and more recently Western Science. Learn how what you eat and when impacts us individually and how we can find more balance in our life through balancing our food. Create your own healing regimen using simple Ayurvedic recipes that you will use for life.

 

SELF-CARE PRACTICES:

Maintaining “shukra” or juicy-ness is our mind-body’s way of signalling that we are vibrant and thriving. Here we’ll explore how we can use a daily routine of Ayurvedic self care practices, yoga and pranayama to effect energy, vitality and creativity in our life and practice as we age.

 

AT THE END OF THIS COURSE, YOU WILL FEEL EMPOWERED TO:

  • Incorporate Ayurveda into your own life and your yoga classes.
  • Understand digestion from an Ayurvedic perspective and be able to offer yoga and lifestyle suggestions on improving digestion and thus overall health.
  • Teach Yoga inspired by Ayurveda to balance the doshas.
  • Understand Ayurvedic principles on taste, food and health.
  • Cook a delicious and healing Ayurvedic meal.
  • Create and practice an inspiring home self care routine.
  • Live life according to the natural flow of energy so that you thrive in all aspects of your life.

Live in Flow: How to Balance Your Doshas

April 10, 2018 by yogue Leave a Comment

In the post preceding this one, What’s my Dosha?; I wrote, that in order to live more in FLOW with Life, to be truly healthy and vital, it is essential to balance our Doshas.  And since you now have an understanding of the energetic qualities of the 3 doshas: Vata, Pitta and Kapha I know we can talk about how to balance them.

[Read more…]

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Yoga + Ayurveda. Rituals for Modern Wellness
ABOUT YOGUE Hi, I'm Insiya. Journey with me as we live slow, scatter beauty and tread lightly on the planet.
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Recipes

Spiced Apple Almond Muffins

Spiced Apple Almond Muffins

January 17, 2019

Simple Spiced Summer Oatmeal

Simple Spiced Summer Oatmeal

August 16, 2018

Ayurvedic Chai: My Favorite Recipe

Ayurvedic Chai: My Favorite Recipe

August 16, 2017