Ana Olar

“Author’s Note

When you meet hundreds of people every week
and most seem to ask you a question that troubles
or intrigues them and they expect an answer out of
you, for years, you tend to become a person who
is indulged in complex thinking and contemplating.
Amidst such times when I was feeling heavy by the
complexity of human life and wondering why does
everything seem so complicated to people while it is
so simple, I found myself writing short notes on various
topics in the simplest language I could. It seems
there was a lot inside me which wanted to be expressed,
initially written only for self-sake. Just over
a few weeks, I wrote on many topics yet explained
almost none. The notes were written in a contemplative
manner or just to make a statement rather than
being educational as they were meant only for me to
make my mind lighter. I wanted to write them to make
sure I understand what I preach and if I do, I must be
able to satisfy myself in the least number of words
possible. Later, when another thought came up to
publish them as a book, I had to choose to expand
upon each topic or to let them be as they are.
I decided on not expanding on the topics for a
few reasons: first, if there is a concept that is alien
to the reader, the inquisitive ones will look for other
sources to understand that concept. If they do it, I
will be glad that they were interested, if they don’t,
I am happy that I didn’t bother explaining as they
were only reading with an average interest. Secondly,
I may have contradicted myself a few times and
I didn’t purposefully correct myself because I wanted
the readers to have a glimpse into how my mind
works which is to say that contradiction is the nature of our minds. My words aren’t meant to be taken as
truth or advises, they are meant for the reader to
experience their own lives following the words and
make their judgements. Thirdly, I didn’t seek to clarify
any confusing statement or to correct my language
because I wanted this book to sound like the reader
is face to face with the writer and there is no bookish
smell coming out of each sentence. I was speaking to
myself when I wrote these notes. The only changes
that I made are that I directed the tone of the notes
from the writer to you, the reader. Finally, if you sense
a provoking tone in some parts of the book, this tone
is also not removed purposefully. If and when you
feel provoked, I suggest that you take it as an opportunity
to look into your value and belief system. It will
be a great exercise to come face to face with yourself
through the book to know what provokes you and
why and see if you could learn something valuable
from there.
If there is any flaw in the book, it is entirely due
to the lack of understanding of yoga and life on my
part. If there is anything worth compliments, I credit
them all to the grand Indian spiritual traditions and I,
myself, take no credit whatsoever.
I would appreciate your thoughts and feelings,
your concerns and curiosities after reading this book
If you want to reach out to me, please write to
me on yogawithhitesh@gmail.com.”