30 Things I Learnt When I Was 30

If you go through a challenging period in life, even if the said stressful situation is over - mind & body will take time to bounce back to 'normal'. Give it time and patience. Trust that you will feel like you again. Take slow walks, buy yourself flowers every weekend and accept all parts of you.

Consistency pays, even if nothing seems to change at first.

Movement is magic and medicine- just show up, I have never felt lousy after a workout. The very act of showing up irrespective of how you feel is training in discipline & equanimity which will go a long way in life.

Eat enough protein and for a vegetarian lentils are not a complete source of protein. Find a good coach who can help with the goals.

Carry protein powder when you travel for work.

Work friends make work better.

Read in the metro instead of scrolling. I read 22 books in 2024 and I loved that I got a chance to be friends with reading again.

Human body is magical and intricate - cherish it. Healthy body is the biggest gift that life has to offer. Nothing else matters.

ALWAYS buy travel insurance, the cost of healthcare abroad is abhorrent.

Don't get hung up on the past, learn from it, accept it and move on gracefully.

Be kind to people, years later the circumstances erode but you always remember how someone made you feel.

Be inclusive, ask someone about their day - every person goes through the sine curve of life, you will be a newbie somewhere no matter how old you get.

You will get what you want but it may not come in the form that you'd anticipated - I always thought that when I do my yoga TTC (Teacher's Training Course) it would be a residential one, however there was never a perfect time to take a sabbatical and I ended up doing the 200 hours of training over the course of 6 months.

You will always suck when begin anything new and that is not an indicator of your capability. It WILL get better, you WILL find your footing.

Cooking is enjoyable and feels like a little experiment.

Travel with your parents, make memories. As I have grown up I see my parents as individuals with an identity that does not just include being my mom and dad, this change in lens creates a lot of empathy and a genuine wish to have them experience so many new things in the world.

The relationship with a sibling is special - you have grown in the same soil and seen each other through phases- from a kid who believes in fairies to a rebellious teenager, from silly problems to serious ones, hold on to them and let the relationship evolve. I got closer to my sister in 2024 because we lived together after a few years and in that time we understood each other better.

For everything that does not work out, some thing will. There are always silver linings.

I wanted to dance again in 2024, I joined Bharatnatyam after years. It was extremely challenging but I stuck to it and I got better, I felt creative and graceful. I even learnt very wordy shlokas for the exam. Keep the inner child alive - do something because you feel like it, not everything has to be productive in the capitalistic sense.

There is comfort in knowing you have a partner who will be there for you no matter what. The disagreements take a different shape because the relationship is unconditional.

There is a lot less drama once you are committed - in a sense a part of you really does take root and then is free to grow the other areas of life.

You can make your point with humor and tact - it is a much easier and peaceful way of getting things across personally and professionally.

There are no perfect decisions, so just make them already. I spent too much time in my 20s debating in my own head because I wanted to make the perfect choices when in reality they did not exist. If I knew this earlier, I would have saved myself so much time and rumination. In 2024 I made a lot of decisions and owned up to the outcomes. That felt powerful and freeing. It is okay to make mistakes, in fact it is only natural to make mistakes.

Rest unapologetically. Take care of your nervous system.

There will always be new things to learn, when something sparks your curiosity go after it. I want to learn pre-natal, post-natal yoga and nutrition science in the future.

Friendships are precious and you are so lucky to have found all the wonderful people in different stages of your life. Invest time in them, forgive your friends because everyone is doing their best and apologize if you have done them wrong.

Make a 'Life Updates' group with your friends who live abroad so you can update each other with what you consider an update - job change/successfully uttering a grammatically correct Kannada sentence/excellent hair cut - you get the drift.

Mix and match outfits for the many weddings you will attend the next 2-3 years.

Finding good help involves luck, if you have good help be kind to them and treat them well. I am so grateful to have food waiting for me when I get back late after a long day of work.

I rediscovered Cubbon Park on one of the days the yoga teacher's training class was outdoors. One thing I hoped for in 2024 had been stability and grounding, it took time but somethings did help like movement and consistency. Being outdoors reestablishes the connection with the planet, that we are part of the eco-system and not separate.