Naina interviewed Delhi-based friends working in the mainstream media, asking them how they manage to maintain a sane and healthy lifestyle.
No doubt the world is in our hands today. From snail mail and library hall days to a small gizmo in your palm that holds all the information you could want and connects you instantly to anyone, anywhere, anytime. The world has been squeezed into a tiny chip. Gone are the days when one hopped from place to place to shop, get information or pay a bill. Today IT takes care of everything online to the point that groceries are delivered at your doorstep at the click of a button.
In this chip age, staying physically and mentally fit has become a major challenge.
Osho says, “All the jobs that the city provides are unhealthy, because people are sitting the whole day in chairs. Man is not made for that; his body is made for at least eight hours’ physical labour. Basically he was a hunter, running after wild and fast animals. And that was his food. He managed for thousands of years, and naturally he had a certain health that modern man cannot afford. If you don’t use a certain part of your body, that part slowly becomes useless; then you cannot use it.”
Light on the Path, Ch 23, Q 1
Although the media is abuzz with articles and features that talk about how to maintain a healthy lifestyle, what about the people who work in media itself? They cover stories and bring to the masses what is so relevant for humanity. Yet, given their crazy schedules, it is a big challenge to keep their physical fitness and mental balance. Seldom does anyone know about the person behind any story published in the mainstream media. How do they manage to keep up with their physical health and stay sane? What is their fitness mantra?
Some friends who work in the mainstream media shared exclusively with Osho World how they manage their schedules, yet also make time for themselves. They have realised that being physically and mentally fit today will be the real success of their lives. Running after stories is one thing, but running for themselves is quite another matter.
Political commentator, writer, thinker and Vice President of the Press Association of India, Shishir Soni shares, “I have been in journalism for more than 2 decades now and my profession and my working hours don’t allow me a cosy sleep due to late night assignments or early morning flights. But I try to stay healthy and sound. My health recipe consists of jogging for half an hour, half an hour of exercise, and some yoga and Dhyan for a healthy mind and soul. Osho’s meditations, especially silent meditation helped me transform my life towards happiness and harmony within that I carry all throughout my day. Diet is also very important and I avoid a heavy breakfast, prefer a simple lunch and some solid veggies in the early evening, to keep my body ready for another hectic day.”
Bhavya Shrivastava, Producer at ABP News, gets motivation from Osho’s books and makes good use of his iPad to read: “As a media professional I have to be mentally alert always and never in the snooze mood. Every day is a challenge and sometimes like a war to win with proper resources and full valour. I find my best meditation in my sleep, deep sleep with a silent mind. I find water an energizing source. I prefer reading something before going to sleep to clear all ongoing thoughts of the day. Sometimes I listen to music to soothe my mind and heart. I am fond of motivational books, and that includes Osho’s books as well. I am making good use of my iPad to read rather than for useless things.”
Chief Editor-Crime at a News Channel, Ravi Sharma keeps himself physically fit with one hour of treadmill and mentally fit by meditating half an hour daily. He says, “I love to listen to Osho’s audio discourses while travelling back home from office.”
Divya Aggarwal, Senior Correspondent at a National News Channel, is a working mother and full time journalist. Practising Yoga helps her to stay relaxed and calm. She says, “Sometimes I receive messages at 1 am that in the morning that at 7am I have to give a live coverage! I love my work and so do I love my 2 year old son. Although I have to be continuously present over phone and devices with my office, I take out time every day to take my son for a walk after office. Before retiring for the night I always close my eyes and recall my whole day and pray that god bless me and my family like today. Yoga (Pranayam) is a regular practice for me for keeping my mind peaceful and relaxed.”
Amit Negi, who covers crime beat for a News channel is a regular at the gym either in the morning or at night. He feels it’s his stamina that keeps him moving all throughout the day. His job oft makes him visit mortuaries and cover gruesome and shocking stories. He says that nothing makes him more aware of life and death than watching a body going up in flames. Every morning he stops by the crematorium on his way to office. That silence gives him the awareness and a very different kind of peace that he carries along with him the whole day.
“It is one of the old meditations. Buddha used to send his disciples to the Hindu cemetery, shamshan, to watch dead bodies being burned. Every disciple had to go, and had to remain there for at least three months, day and night. Many people would come to burn bodies and the disciples just had to sit and watch. The meditation was to think that it was their body that was being burned, that was in among the flames.
One day, suddenly they would understand the whole thing and start to laugh – because they would understand that it is only the body that dies and nothing else!”
Osho, Hammer on the Rock, Ch 28
One is only what one feels. How we approach life each moment, every day can make a big difference. We feel exhausted not because of work but because we have lost the inner contact, because we do not know how to go deep into ourselves and be revitalized. Yet it is just a matter of little awareness.
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