Skip to main content

Music- The Breath of Life


As Nishka is getting older and more energetic I have found the perfect way to keep her occupied, something I would recommend to all parents. Nishka has taken up music and has started learning to play Tabla (Indian drums). This however is no ordinary music lesson, it is in in the style of "yotabla" which a fusion of tabla and yoga. This unique style has been created by Rishi Chowdhury a renowned performer and teacher of tabla, who also happens to be my brother and Nishka's uncle. This post is really an introduction to the next post where Rishi will be making a guest appearance and explaining more about "yotabla" and how it benefits young children. From a parental point of view I can say it is a brilliant concept that marries two holistic disciplines together.
Tabla or yoga alone provide many emotional and spiritual benefits, why not bring the two together. For children especially there is the coordination and concentration aspect of tabla and the calming and physical benefits of yoga. As I said in the last post Nishka has now started school and I feel this is the perfect time to introduce these disciplines.
In my own experience I have found that it can be difficult to get children to sit still and concentrate for long periods of time. This can often hinder the benefits of music lessons. Break the lessons down with yoga and I am sure Rishi will tell you the benefits he has observed with his own students. My own initial observations of Nishka are she seems calmer and sleeps better at night.
Having a calm and happy child has a positive knock on effect for parents too. If there are any parents out there looking to calm down their hyperactive kids who refuse to sit still, keep a look out for the next blog post, where Rishi will be appearing as a guest blogger to go deeper into "yotabla".

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Post Christmas Recovery Kit!

 To say this year is a festive season like no other is a massive understatement! Without a pandemic the festive period for separated families can be a time of doom and gloom. It is with this in mind I decided to release my current book " The Post-Divorce Recovery Kit" just before Christmas.  In 2014 I published " The Divorce Toolbox" which focused more on the legal proceedings around divorce, aimed at people who were at the decision-making stage of divorce or going through court proceedings. My current book looks more closely at ways of supporting children through the process. I have included a chapter about " The difficult firsts" where I have shared my story about Christmas away from my daughter for the first time.  As the festive period continues there is now the pandemic to factor in. If there are still difficulty with the non-resident parent, it will be even harder to make decisions and reach an agreement. I have also included a section about work...

The Pen Strikes Again!!!!

In my last post I introduced my new book Embarrassing Siblings,Playground Taunts and other Growing Pains, which is a semi autobiographical anthology of poems and short fiction based on my childhood experiences. This collection covers adolescent issues that are still close to my heart such as bullying,racism,eating disorders, low self esteem, early puberty and many more issues. The bullying issues I cover in this collection  are not just describing fellow peers but also teachers. My siblings and I all have experience of having our dreams mocked or being met with negativity. The headteacher at my primary school told my mother that I would never set foot in a university. He was right I did not set foot in one university but two with two degrees to show for it. While I was being mocked, picked on etc  behind closed doors I had an outlet to vent which  was through my writing which has led to this collection. In some ways I feel the playground bullies, boys who called m...

1448 was great!

To continue from the last post, my weekend as a Runner on the 1448 Design Team was beyond awesome. The theme for the first night was “ I’ve got a bad feeling about this.” On the first day I didn’t get the full 1448 experience due to juggling this with a day job but I definitely gained invaluable experience from the time I spent. My lunch hour was spent making poo tentacles and cutting material for neckerchiefs. When I returned in the evening it was a long but fun night with a happy and hardworking team that made every moment an amazing experience. We were on our feet all night running around but we had a lot of laughter in the process. Between running around I caught a glimpse of some of the acts and wow what amazing talents from the writers,actors and directors. I got in at 2am and caught a few hours sleep ready for the next day. Even with less sleep once I walked into The Y the energy of all the people around me woke me up. The theme for Saturday was “no pain no gain.” I felt on...