Happy Life Yoga workshop enthuses hundreds

• By Parveen Chopra

JAMAICA ESTATES, NY (TIP): Tirlok Malik’s Happy Life Yoga workshop at India Home here on July 28 was a roaring success. He made over 125 senior citizens from various seniors’ organizations laugh and dance to his tunes. Founder of Happy Life Yoga, Emmy-nominated filmmaker Tirlok Malik aimed to empower seniors in the audience to live a healthy, happy, and more fulfilling life. His live, entertaining, interactive workshop brims with the wisdom of Yoga, Ayurveda, and Indian Philosophy, which he distills and presents with practical tips and short exercises.

To me and some attendees I spoke to, the most striking takeaway from the workshop was when Malik made us hug ourselves and say loud and clear, “I love myself.” This line he made us repeat like a mantra or talisman. And from these three words, a big life lesson flows naturally. Explained Malik, “If I love myself, then it is my responsibility to take care of my health and happiness. So, commit that you will try your best to be healthy and happy.”

Each of Malik’s close friends will tell you that the moment he calls, both burst into guffaws. At the workshop too, he made everybody laugh, “like babies”, as one participant commented. “Laugh as much and as often,” Malik said. “It is good for you, it opens the lungs, and it produces happy hormones.” He does not resort to cracking jokes as he advises, “You don’t need a reason to laugh. Laugh at the absurdity of life, laugh at ordinary events – ‘oh, chapati on the stove got burnt’ is a good enough opportunity to laugh it away.”

Having his audience to eat out of his hands, Malik then moved to the core of his workshop.

Indian philosophy, he explained, tells us that you can have it all but only if you balance Artha, Kama, Dharma, and Moksha. Artha is our means, and Kama is our desires, and normally the two are out of whack, which causes problems. “I may want a Mercedes, but if currently, I can only afford $20,000, then it is better to shelve that goal,” he suggested. Dharma is making the right choices. Moksha is contentment or fulfillment that flows from harmoniously living the first three. From Ayurveda, Malik said, we learn to eat the right food for the body. Eat healthy as many times as possible and skip junk food.

The Yoga of Happy Life Yoga does not require mats. “Move the body as much as possible,” Malik advised, as yoga asanas also involve various body movements. Then, he made people sway and dance even as they were sitting in chairs. One simple breathing exercise he taught: “Take a deep breath, hold for a while, and exhale from the mouth with a sound.”

Malik wrapped up his motivational workshop with this nugget: We cannot change our past, so we must accept it. We may have made mistakes, but we cannot go back to correct them. We do not know what the future has in store for us. So, live in the present, doing your best to have a happy and healthy life.

The program was sponsored by Indo-American Senior Citizen Center of New York, GOPIO Manhattan, GOPIO New York, and India Home. Media support was provided by Prof Indrajit Singh Saluja, Chief Editor of The Indian Panorama. Dr. Vasundhara Kalasapudi, Executive Director of India Home, talked about the various free programs offered by the not-for-profit center for senior care.

Mukund Mehta, President, India Home, and Past President and Paramarshak of Indo-American Senior Citizen Center of New York, introduced Tirlok Malik.

Tirlok Malik is an acclaimed actor and filmmaker who is known for making feature films on the Indian American experience under his banner Apple Productions, such as ‘Lonely in America’, and ‘On Golden Years’. When asked, he will tell you that Happy Life Yoga is not a departure from that work but is the continuation of his love for India and his community. He had started the first Indian food restaurant (1985), the first Ayurveda medicine center (1992), and the first Ayurveda restaurant (1998), all in Manhattan.

During the program, Malik called upon Claudine and Jack Halpern to introduce their online app, named Zage, for elder care. The couple distributed discount coupons to the attendees.

Toward the end of the program, Malik introduced and thanked his team: Neha Lohia, a filmmaker and Happiness Director of Happy Life Yoga, and John Pina and Bohan, also filmmakers.

 Fulsome praise for the workshop

Tirlok Malik (third from left) with Organizers. L to R: Pankaj Parikh, Dr. Vasundhara Kalasapudi – Executive Director of India Home, Mukund Mehta, and Jagdish Patel, posing for a picture after the workshop.“Tirlok Ji’s presentation on Happy Life Yoga was extraordinary and seniors overwhelmingly enjoyed it. The entire session was robust and participative. He introduced the principles for a happier and healthier life based on the wisdom of Ayurveda, Yoga, and Indian Philosophy.”
-Mukund Mehta, President, India Home, and Past President and Paramarshak, Indo-American Senior Citizen Center of New York.

“Happy Life Yoga is beneficial for everyone to have good health, physically and emotionally, and Tirlok Malik’s platform can show how to achieve it.”

-Jagdish Patel, President, Indo-American Senior Citizen Center of New York

“Tirlok Malik’s workshop was unique in many ways. There were frequent bursts of laughter along with useful tips for breathing and developing a positive attitude towards your own self.”

-Pankaj Parikh, Vice President, Indo-American Senior Citizen Center of New York

“Tirlok Malik taught us the techniques to connect mind, heart, and body through positive thinking, using fundamental values and breathing exercises. It was a unique experience to expand the inner joy in our life.”

-Ashok Sheth, Vice President – Finance, Indo-American Senior Citizen Center of New York