Monita Rajpal

The sweetness of doing nothing. A concept with which we aren't expected to be familiar or even comfortable. Yet cultivating space in time to just be, and not feel the need to always be productive, is important for our physical, mental, and emotional health.

Motherhood is a torrent of emotions swirling around. Love, guilt, fear, joy. All of which occur at the same time. What I would come to realise in the midst of postpartum depression is that at the core of motherhood isn't expectation of what I should be, but more an appreciation for what I am. 

What I would consider normal, someone else wouldn't. So why do we even keep thinking there is a level, a standard that we should all we be trying to live up to? Why is normal, the way it is currently defined, considered gospel?

Post Traumatic Growth Opportunity is a tool we can use to understand what we are capable of, what is possible, after going through difficult times; recognising the opportunity that can only come from having endured what was seemingly unbearable. From rising out of the ashes after disaster to using "revolutionary", redefining power by changing our narratives, and finding hope as a way forward out of darkness.

Yoga is about the process, not about perfection. It is about recognising we're all a work in progress and that nobody is perfect.

Do you ever wonder if luck plays a role in your life? The concept of luck is widely used in most cultures. The thinking being if we took the necessary steps and had the right charms, it would maximise our chances (or proximity) to luck. But what exactly is luck? And can we influence our chances of getting it?

I never defined myself by my race. For me, my race and religion were things that were a part of me. Like the colour of my skin, they were things I didn't question, have any control over, or feel the need to address. Yet, I, like so many, are fighting for our right to live equally. Life is not meant to be like this. We were meant to get better, be better.

Columbia University defines 'revolution' as "complete change in the fundamental institutions of society." What the protesters and the rest of us who are home in support of their bravery are demanding, is a fundamental dismantling of mindsets, physical and mental structures, systems that are rigged to ignore people of colour. Systems that are rigged to ignore people who are black.

As a species we have become disconnected from each other. We have become disconnected from ourselves. And as a result we are disconnected from our planet.