‘Cherish Memories. Not Stress’

Saija NAIR responds to ThinkWellness360 questionnaire. 

Your view on beauty?

I believe in the most common, or clichéd, adage, “Beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder,” albeit my idea of beauty may not match with the view of another. But, the best part is — I’ve been lucky enough to witness the innermost beauty of different, also interesting, characters, because I come across dozens of people in my daily life — be it the folks I know, or the eunuchs at the traffic signal I do not know. Do they not always greet you with a smile and bless you, no matter what caste, or creed, you belong to? Or, just think of another paradigm — the energy of your house help who cleans up your home and 4-5 other households. Yet, notwithstanding the daily grind, they manage to keep up their smile; also spirit. Or, senior citizens, for that matter, who teach you to tackle life better, because they care for you, aside from neighbours — who I rely upon like my family. Add to all this, our pets who are beautiful souls. And, last, but not the least, the most precious of all, my beautiful family. They all keep me happy and going — not because they are beautiful souls, but because they care for us too.

Your ‘take’ on fitness?

I simply believe that fitness needs to be balanced with our daily life, just like the regular intake of food and water. Giving just one hour a day to our body is not rocket science, or drudgery. As for me, I don’t like to get bored with the normal, fixated routine for fitness, so I divide it — three days for Zumba, since I love music and challenge my energy there, and two days for yoga to keeping my mind relaxed, as also stretch my muscles a bit. Well, when I am absolutely lazy to do anything, on certain days, especially in the morning, I may go for a walk in the evening.

Your view of health and wellness?

They are like the wheels of a car. They need to be in ‘perfect’ balance for you to enjoy the ride of life. There is no need for fixations, or fads — but, just keeping things simple and balanced.

Your ‘take’ on work-life balance?

This is absolutely important. I sympathise with people who don’t practice work-life balance, because of just work and more work. They may not realise that in no time they have wasted their precious life nature has gifted us. There’s no harm in taking breaks to enjoying life as we are here to live well and perform our roles appropriately as individuals. Well, it is all simple, also profound — if I don’t have enough goof-ups and amusing stories to sharing with my friends and family, I’d think I’ve not done adequate justice to my life. I make sure that I enjoy my work and life, and vice versa, and blend it in such a way that I keep making, if not inventing, enough memories, like rain drops falling on my head, to cherish.

Your mantra to beat stress?

This may sound a bit dramatic, but I like to believe in magic like every little kid. It’s providence that makes plans to cheer us up and keep us busy. It is really ironic that some people call it stress. It is like a circle. If I have had a difficult day, I’m sure that there will be, by default, a surprise, or great plan, coming my way, the next day. I don’t have a mantra to beating stress, but nature, I believe, takes care of it, all by itself — may be, because I am lucky enough to understand and identify its quintessence from the inside out.

SAIJA NAIR, a school teacher for 23 years, surmises that she’s blessed, because she’s a special ‘cog,’ during the most innocent stage of a child’s life. She believes too that life is entertaining, also challenging, with such tiny angels, who are immensely lovable, what with their different stories to narrate, or mood swings — for a teacher to tackle, practically every day. Her ‘ear for music,’ she believes, has endowed her, no less, with the ability to connecting and cheering them up, or spending quality time with her own friends and visiting scenic places. A complete foodie, in a manner born, she understands that health and fitness are more than important for optimal wellness. This also underscores the fact as to why the gym, yoga and Zumba are all part of her daily life. She lives in Navi Mumbai, India.