Me… Football… & Angamardana…

Swami Vivekananda once said ‘kicking a football will take you closer to the divine’. That is so true because while playing football my mind, body & emotions are totally involved in the game. Completely in the present moment, fully aware, conscious & focused… isn’t that what Yoga is about? I love playing Football because it is a holistic experience in itself.

For me, fitness & workout has always been about having a holistic experience. Full body sweat with tired muscles was my standard for a complete workout. Anything below that was just a waste of time. As I began to explore the different dimensions of fitness I stumbled upon Yoga & Pranayama (breathing exercises). I was able to inculcate Pranayama in my daily routine but it was difficult to add Yoga, probably because I was trying to do it ‘watching a YouTube video’.

In my search to learn Yoga in its raw form, the word ‘Angamardana’ caught my attention. Anga – means the body & mardana – means to conquer, it literally means to master the limbs, organs, and other parts of the body. I saw an ad from Yoga Netri on Instagram and immediately enrolled myself for it. On the first day when I saw the video of Isha Hatha Yogi’s performing Angamardana I thought to myself – ‘Ok – this looks easy’.

When I actually started doing it for the first time… OH MY GOD! I was taken aback. I could literally feel the parts of my body being used for the first time which I never knew existed before. My back, my legs, my feet, even my hands were sore after doing Angamardana. I knew it then and there itself that this is the holistic workout I was looking for. Angamardana literally engages all the joints in your body, top to bottom, in such a way that once you finish doing the entire session you feel relaxed, rejuvenated & at ease rather than tired and inactive. Angamardana works on the ligaments and sinews of the body more rather than the muscles.

After 6 months of practicing Angamardana, I can actually feel the body has come at certain ease & feel lightweight. After every session of Angamardana, I feel like I am ready for the day as it clears up all the tension & stress inside the body and mind. Angamardana has also helped excel in my athletic attributes. I can now engage my physical body better, faster, and stronger. Since the body is no longer a struggle, I can actually focus much better in the
football game & enjoy it more than ever.

Yoga Netri participant and blogger Harshal Pote writes about the influence of the time in Yoga