Manal Aquil

  Padmasana or Lotus position  is a cross-legged yoga posture which helps deepen meditation by calming the mind and alleviating various physical ailments. A regular practice of this posture aids in overall blossoming of the practitioner, just like a lotus; and hence the name Padmasana. In Chinese and Tibetan Buddhism, the Lotus pose is also known as  Vajra position.  

It was my first trek back in 2016 to Chandrashila via Tungnath and just after recovering from chikungunya I had joints pain and had no idea how treks really are .So my journey was full of discomfort but fascination . Till Tungnath there were many fellow devotees to accompany but the trek after that till Chandrashila was a real deal .For amateur trekker like me ,I was terrified with my every step and was feeling I may roll down from meadows or I may encounter an accident and there would be no one to help me .So for a couple of hours I was just sitting on my way waiting for any human existence who are trekking towards Chandrashila . So finally with few people moving up, I reached Chandrashila peak and the moment I witnessed 360 degrees panoramic view of entire Himalayan range ,I felt like I have got big crush on HIMALAYAS. Then and there I learned what is "Mountain calling" !      --- M.A

This might look like a cupcake but it took me months of practice to conquer the fear of hitting my head to the ground and surely that sweet pain in my spine but nothing in the universe is more stronger than your will to do it .After I was able to accomplish this asana (Chakrasana) I was on cloud nine . I wish to built a castle out of all the new things I can do, learn, experience in life and that's my kind of SUCCESSFUL I want to become !

While trekking down from Brigu lake trek me and my friends were mesmerized by the nature that we saw around, we encountered few mountain cows grazing in the meadows and one of my friends said food is in abundance in nature to these herbivorous animals to which I responded food is available to all, it is just that LION has to hunt ! -M.A

Dated 2018: I don't how much I am going to miss this place but I know one thing for sure that I have immense gratitude for it. Because of this place I am able to look ahead in life, pave my ways and feel a lot immune in challenging situations. Because of this place I celebrated my first job, my first fixed pay (Although, I started earning being a chemistry tutor while I was in college), my first promotion. Because of this place, I encountered different people of different psychology and their different behavior in different situations which helped me to accept the fact "different is a law of diversity" and Darwin rightly said in theory of evolution that diversity is important for the survival of species. Since, different species respond differently to different stress conditions and fittest survive . So, if we don't have diversity, we will extinct together if subjected to similar situation. So, all is important and all is good. P.S: All I can say is thank you to this...

My mother who is the first person to accept and cultivate my INDIVIDUALISM, my cushion if I fall back in life .   Moreover, it is my deepest desire and an innocent prayer to God that I wish my mother to live 100 years with best of health and I live 75 years, so that I don't have to live a day without her .                   OR Dear God, ratio you decide but not a day without her please ! -Manal AQUIL

I met Frodo Baggins at 'Gone Fishing Cottages'  in Tirthan Valley . At first sight, I was really terrified the way he was exited to recognize who I am but his mother like lady 'Reha'  handled the situation with so much composure and tried to convince me for the fact that he is a very human friendly dog and I was still clueless and was observing him from tip to toe to believe that. Surprisingly, that very evening when we all were chit chatting around the bonfire, I observed Frodo cuddling his mom 'Reha'  and behaving like an innocent kid. I felt for a moment a creature who can understand gestures and seek love can be of no harm to anyone. So, I made my mind to express little bit of love that I have for all the creations of this world and with the hope that he recognize me with the same excitement when I meet him next. P. S: Frodo's daddy 'Nitish'  helped me to get this clicked. Lots of love for Frodo.

                                                                                      Warrior-3 And journey began with this asana in Chopta (8790ft) which was our first stop to valley of flowers. Though we expected to view Kedarnath, Chaukhamba and Gangotri range but due to blanket of cloud all around in monsoon ,all we could experience was feeling of living in clouds ,feeding Parle-G to fatty black crows (oops! they are called guardians of Tung Nath ),cows and horses grazing in meadows and me tying to get best shot of virabhadrasana-3/ Warrior-3

Embracing  Alaknanda ! There is so much to learn from a river. It's flexibility, it's strength, it's purity and most importantly it's "Keep going attitude" Such a creation gives a deep sense of the Creator. I Love peaks who doesn't but If I had to choose between mountain peaks and valley with mesmerizing river, I will opt valley with river because they motivates to move on .However peaks gives us a contended feeling to sit and relax. -M.A

This is inspired by my journey to Spiti Valley, though in the itinerary the destination was Chandrataal but I experienced breathtaking beauty in each and every step during my journey and just in case even if I would not have reached Chandrataal, I felt wherever I took a halt was as beautiful as destination. ~M.A

Having a good family is great. Having good friends are great. Having a good career is great. But we shouldn’t be leaning on any of it, to derive our identity we have to be great. So that if life happens  and any of it falls apart, our greatness remain intact. -Manal AQUIL