Alive and Kicking at 95 – Thanks to YOGA!

Babumoshai…..zindagi badi honi chahiye lambi nahi…. This dialogue from 1971 film, Anand continues to inspire us till date. This one-line dialogue has been an epitome of capturing the essence of how one should live life.

Transform your body, mind, breath and heart –

Another beautiful essence of life lies in yoga. As Rishi Patanjali says, “Yoga Chitta Vriti Nirodhah,” which translates to “Yoga is the silencing of the modification of the mind.” Only by silencing the mind can we transcend the mind. With this transcendence, we begin our inner journey towards our True Self. We have all heard from our childhood about the power of yoga. Our grandparents, parents have always taught us that a healthy body leads to a healthy life style. This article is the story of a 95 years old senior citizen who wakes up early at 4 every morning to do yoga and exercise to keep himself fit and healthy.

ML Sharma, a true fitness enthusiast –

Born on 27th Dec 1924, Gurdaspur, Punjab Mr. Manohar Lal Sharma believes that,

“One must lead a healthy life, and to lead a healthy life one must exercise.”

On asked about what inspires him so much that he still follows a strict yoga and workout regime, he simply replied with sincere smile on his face, “I feel happy when I know that I am healthy and fit and that I don’t depend on anyone for anything.” Effortlessly he conveyed such a meaningful statement with so much purity at heart. Mr. Sharma believes in our desi workout style without much equipment and yoga more than the modern-day gyms. He believes that humans shouldn’t be a slave to the machines, especially in the case of health.

Yeh Un Dino Ki Baat Hai…. a little flashback –

Mr. Sharma had been a gymnast since his schooling days. After completing his education too, he pursued wrestling for 11 long years. Then something unfortunate happened, Mr. Sharma was among the innumerable victims of the partition of 1947. He had to move to Shimla to join services after the partition, but he never let his will power weaken even by a percent. In hard situations he relied completely on milk and butter to gain energy for working out.

His firm principles never allowed him to drink alcohol or eat non-vegetarian food. He is very proud of being a teetotaler and a pure vegetarian. Today’s gym generation depends mostly on chicken and fish for protein intake and gaining muscles in the gym but our super hero Sharma sir still takes abundant amount of milk and white butter to keep his body workout-ready, and no doubt he is fitter and healthier than most gym enthusiasts these days.

Cut to present –

Apart from yoga and exercise, punctuality and discipline are also among the life principles of Mr. Sharma. During his working days, he used work out and get ready for the office by 8:30 a.m. Now after years of retirement, he still follows the same routine of getting up at 4 in the morning, working out till 5:30 and getting ready by 8:30. He says he built a strong foundation of his daily routine since his working days and he still does justice to it.

2 years ago, he was advised by the doctors to stop working out due to health issues and also due to the fact that he has a pace maker implanted in his heart, but Mr. Sharma did not let anything come between his urge to stay fit and healthy. He found the cure to his problems through homeopathy medicines and yoga.

Along with regular health issues, can Homeopathy cure the deadly corona virus also? Read here…. https://allaboutseniors.in/2020/06/18/is-homeopathy-the-cure-for-corona-virus/

WWE Fan –

Wrestling has always been Manohar Lal Sharma’s one true love. Being a wrestler himself in the past, he is now a huge fan of the World Wrestling Entertainment. He says that it is due to the coronavirus that he is stuck in the confines of his house, otherwise he would daily go to the Senior Citizens Day Care Centre and play a lot of indoor games with his other senior buddies.

Mr. Sharma is also the general secretary of the Senior Citizen Council, Panchkula. In our interview with him, he made sure to mention about his friends, he emphasized that his friends have stories more inspiring than his. Someone very well said that beauty lies in the eyes of beholder. Only a person like Manohar Lal Sharma knows how to appreciate and congratulate the efforts and struggles of everyone around them.

The aim of Yoga is Self-Actualization and Self-Realization –

Mr. Sharma practiced yoga dedicatedly his entire life, now he is enjoying the fruit of his rigorous efforts by leading a fit and healthy life even at the age of 95. As the International Yoga Day is also approaching on 21st June, All About Seniors feel proud to have interviewed such an inspiring and dedicated senior. If you have a real-life story of any senior citizen who transformed their life with yoga, mail to us at  life@allaboutseniors.in and we will be the happiest to share it out with the world. We also encourage every senior out there to adopt yoga and stay fit, healthy and happy always because your health matters, your happiness matters.

Here is your guide to the perfect Yoga Mat for yourself………. https://allaboutseniors.in/2020/06/18/how-to-choose-the-right-yoga-mat/

Here are some books to help you steer your way into acknowledging yoga and its benefits for a healthy lifestyle.