What’s IdaPingala.com All About and What’s in It for Me?

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This will be probably the longest post on this blog. I will love it if you can stick around and read it till the end. I promise you it will be worthwhile.

I am going to tell you about

• The genesis of the blog

• The significance of the name of the blog

• The goal of the blog

• What is in it for YOU

• What is in it for me

The genesis of the blog

For a long time, I wanted to do something that is purely for myself, at my own pace, an action that is not forced by the need for material gains, driven by money. An activity that keeps me anchored in a physically and emotionally balanced state to go out and do the hard jobs that need to be done day after day. I have a day job to earn money and put food on the table.

What I was trying to find is my Ikigai.

In the real world, your Ikigai is the confluence of four things.

I went back and forth with various thoughts. I have found a direction now.

I would say that IdaPingala.com is my sandbox.

Our Ikigai depends on 4 things -

> What I love to do

>> What the world needs

>>> What I am good at

>>>> What I can be paid for

The answer to what I love to do is simple - to research and write content. I have the eagerness and ability to read and learn about a wide range of stuff, and complicated ideas, and weave them into words that is easy to understand.

I chanced upon the idea for this blog during a conversation about finding my Ikigai. Since I was anyway investing time researching topics, reading up about them, and implementing them in my life in some way or the other, wouldn’t it benefit others if I publish them in a blog?

Read, learn, reflect, and share.

I am good at writing with a Flesch-Kincaid score of 60 - 70. Even an eighth-grade kid will grasp the content. The goal is to appeal to people from diverse backgrounds all of whom seek to know.

There is humongous content generated all over the world at every moment. Only a handful of ideas are new, innovative, or unique. There is a treasure trove of information out there but most people suffer from a severe shortage of time in their daily lives that come in the way of gaining knowledge.

The problem is distraction-free time to consume information. You and I all suffer from this severe scarcity of time. Life keeps on coming in the way.

What the world needs, according to me, is a distillation of a wide range of thoughts, ideas, and content into tiny packets that are simple because who doesn’t want to learn new things or widen their knowledge?

This world may be a large group of diverse people geographically spread across the planet, a small group of people in my network, or you who is too busy in your life with your daily routine, household work, your job, and a bazillion responsibilities pulling you down every moment.

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if you are served with meaningful content that you can

finish reading it while sipping a mug of coffee or a cup of tea, waiting for the bus or train, or sitting outside the doctor’s or lawyer’s office.

That leaves point number four - what I can be paid for. This piece of the puzzle was solved by Hector Garcia himself in a podcast with Guy Kawasaki. The beauty of Ikigai is you can pursue it even if you cannot be paid for doing it or do not seek to be paid for it.

There is a circle here.

My day job gives me the financial freedom to pursue my Ikigai. Pursuing my Ikigai keeps me motivated to continuously perform better at my day job and succeed. It is a win-win for me.

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The name IdaPingala.com

At a glance, you might feel that this is a blog to do with Yoga, Ayurveda, fitness etc.

Yes and No.

Ida and Pingala are the two channels on the left and right side of our body that run from the top to bottom creating a passage for “prana” to flow. Prana is the life force that keeps us going, the energy that flows in and around us maintaining a balance.

If you wish to thrive whatever may be your circumstances, you have to create a balance within yourself to keep you anchored. This balance comes from nurturing your physical and mental health and keeping your mind, body, and soul primed. Because, like your brain and gut, your physical and mental health are connected.

Physical health is maintained by practicing different forms of exercise and mental health is nurtured with information, and knowledge leading to wisdom. The ability to visualize a good life comes from the knowledge to define what is a “good life”.

I chose this name for what the two words embody and mean in our lives. Everything is connected, either visibly or at a spiritual level.

Ida

Ida is the left one, the Yin or Moon in us. Our mental energy and vitality. A clean and clear Ida means our mind is calmer, collected, and purposeful. How do we attain that? One is through practicing breathing exercises and Yoga. The other is by consuming information that opens up our mind and directs it towards focused actions.

Your rational mind becomes resolute making you aware of your inner self and surroundings. At the least, it protects you from burnout. Here’s the thing though – you attain a rational mind through knowledge. They are mutually connected.

Ida affects your moods, emotions, feelings, creativity, intuition, and therefore, your quality of sleep. When you read and work through your issues in life, your mood will improve and give you a wholesome gain.

You concentrate better on your tasks and goals in life and develop a habit of self-reflection for continuous improvement.

Pingala

Pingala is the right channel, the sun or Yang in us. Think of this as your physical side of life, focused on visible actions. You will need to strengthen your analytical abilities and sharpen your perceptions. You need a strong body with all your senses working in perfect order.

What kind of food should you eat to become stronger and mentally alert? Which exercises will help you maintain stronger muscles and improve mobility?

Simple content tips on the above can help you gradually form habits to be physically more active. A slight nudge in the right direction is all that you need.

Pingala will influence your ability to work and provide for yourself and others. It will help you be a better team person or leader. Your calm demeanor will increase your charisma. Your vitality and drive to pursue goals will rub off on others around you and energize them for a larger collective effort.

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The goal of this blog

It points toward harmony and balance which is what we need to live well. The goal of this blog is to help my readers become aware, make peace with circumstances, and live healthy life.

IdaPingala.com will bring you content that helps you to reduce stress, beat lethargy, or any form of mental or physical sluggishness filling you with uplifting thoughts. The content will be centered around areas to revitalize you, therefore, increasing your energy.

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What’s in it for YOU

The blog posts will focus on areas that will influence you to rethink your beliefs, enabling you to rewire your mindset by altering your thoughts.

The choice of content will steadily aspire to stimulate you to develop the strength to be courageous and assertive in your actions, have clarity of direction and purpose, and have the boldness to pursue your goals.

You will find the internal motivation to create new possibilities in your life, identify opportunities, and go after them with conviction.

Think of this blog as your tiny dose of input to detox your thoughts and think afresh. To develop the capability to adapt and win with the cards you have been dealt with.

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What’s in it for Me

Most of us tend to see and attach our work and actions to money, quantifiable gains, and tangible results. It is necessary. Sometimes, the work you do will not directly result in a bigger bank balance or higher net worth. Yet, that work must be done because only then you will attain other goals in life.

Working on this blog is my means of enhancing the flow in my Ida and Pingala, nourishing my emotional and psychological needs, and strengthening my well-being.

It will keep me charged and vitalized to do other things to fulfill my baser, material aspirations.

The blog is my means to an end.

If you wish to connect, have a comment, or a post suggestion - please email me, and let’s strike up a conversation.

I hope we connect and share our thoughts.

Blog image credit: Photo by Maksim Goncharenok