Column: The Good Life: for Mint Lounge
Worship and Workout
Home » Leisure » The Better Life Last Published: Thu, Dec 22 2016. 06 05 PM IST Worship and workout Religion offers great scope for exercise Shoba Narayan Photo: iStock Whether or not you are religious, there are activities in religious places that can be incorporated into your daily routine in healthy ways. You can kneel in a mosque and bend forward into a shashankasana or hare pose for a wonderful backstretch. Prostrating yourself before the gods (the south Indian namaskaram) is a great exercise because you have to squat, bend, stretch your back and rise up again. It involves multiple muscle groups. Do this, oh, about 30 [...]
Get into the zone
Home » Leisure » The Better Life Last Published: Thu, Jan 05 2017. 05 16 PM IST Get into the zone There are several activities that get people into what is sometimes called ‘the zone’, where the mind empties and thoughts flow Shoba Narayan Photo: iStock I have always been a hard-working sort of gal—and no, this is not a preamble to some irony-laced witty statement. Sadly, it is exactly what it is. A combination of a middle-class Indian upbringing compounded by the puritan work ethic of the north-east US where I went to college has made me into a worker bee and occasional drone. [...]
Drop Lists Choose Pleasure
Drop lists, choose pleasure Does making a self-improvement list or reading articles with lists help? Shoba Narayan Home » Leisure » The Better Life Last Published: Thu, Jan 12 2017. 05 40 PM IST A sense of malaise combined with a hankering for change is a deadly combination. Photo: iStock The new year is a good time to examine life, and so I did—mine. It was about time. I owed it to friends and family who had been nagging me to change my bad habits for years. Heck, I owed it to myself. I would manage my time better; I would stop procrastinating and get [...]
Relax, work easy
They say that you have to visualize and trust that you can do it; reach the next goal, climb the new mountain; and work less hard at it.
Turmeric for terrificness
Home remedies Don’t have the discipline to make facial masks every morning? Here are a few things you can do for your well-being Shoba Narayan Home » Leisure » The Better Life Last Published: Thu, Jan 26 2017. 05 45 PM IST An underused but magical ingredient for beauty treatments is a plant that is indigenous to India: Curcurma aromatica. Photo: iStockphoto One of the prettiest women I know in Delhi is 70 years old but looks 45. People routinely ask her husband if she is his second wife. When I ask her for beauty secrets, she says, “Use the kitchen counter.” Every day, as she [...]
Profile of a Samaritan and a Scion: for Mint
The word that most people use to describe Vandana is “selfless”. The word that most people use to describe Arathi is “balanced”. Vandana doesn’t think she is altruistic or selfless. Mental health is very personal to her. “I have bipolar disorder,” she says. “I am on meds. I used to cut myself as a teenager. Work gives me sanity.”
Oberoi Rajvilas: Hotel Review: The Telegraph UK
A luxurious base from which to see Jaipur The Oberoi Rajvilas, Jaipur, India Telegraph Review/ Shoba Narayan/ Travel writer 8/10 This hotel just outside Jaipur, with red-brick architecture reminiscent of a Rajasthani fort, boasts stylish tented rooms, Mughal-inspired trellises, courtyard fountains, superb cuisine, wandering peacocks on the 32-acre grounds and staff who anticipate your requests before you even vocalise them. Location 8/10 Just outside Jaipur city. This hotel is great for jetlagged travellers who want a little respite before exploring Rajasthan. Its location diminshes traffic, noise and pollution so [...]
ITC Rajputana: Hotel Review: The Telegraph UK
This hotel evokes the spirit of Rajasthan through the use of riotous colour, mural paintings, excellent Indian cuisine, and folk music every evening. The rooms with jewellery motifs, outdoor swimming pool and the pomegranate-themed spa offer respite from the desert heat.
Shangrila Bengaluru: Hotel Review: The Telegraph UK
With 397 rooms, this hotel in central Bangalore — a favourite for glittering Indian weddings — ably represents the Shangri-La global chain with an outstanding spa; Chinese, Italian, Indian and Japanese restaurants; and a rooftop bar that offers sprawling views of the city.
The Ritz-Carlton: Hotel Review: The Telegraph UK
With over 1,200 art works displayed all over, this jewel-like hotel in the heart of Bangalore has arguably the loveliest spa in the city, highly-rated Indian, Chinese and Continental restaurants, a Mercedes-Benz chauffeur pickup, and a wonderful design motif of painstakingly-carved extensive latticework.