-Disket Angmo, MA student from India

I noticed myself feeling rushed in my MA program at Rangjung Yeshe. I found myself sitting for prolonged hours with no regard to the wellbeing of my body. I found myself always planning and thinking about the next deadline with little time to relax and breathe. Besides that, adjusting to a new country without friends and families was challenging. And making friends during the first semester at Rangjung Yeshe was hard as everybody seemed busy with their studies. Though as the time went by, I did make friends. Nonetheless beside all these challenges, the one practice that brought me peace was to disengage from all the mental stories and connect with the body.

Connecting with the body through yoga, Zumba, gym, massages, and sun-bathing were crucial for my health. I hope this article becomes a reminder to take care of your body and its needs. We ignore our bodies chronically. We do not even feel the pain while sitting in the wrong posture for a prolonged time. This shows how disconnected we are with our body. Our academic world thrives on the “thinking” mind and it does bring great benefit. However, a Tibetan amchi once told me that “thinking too much” leads to imbalances, it leads to sickness. It is not easy to swiftly come out of a discursive mind if that is what you are conditioned with. And this is where body- based care in the form of massages, dancing, yoga, exercises are extremely important for one’s wellbeing.