Vision

"I am an excellent yoga practitioner"
"I am a loving, dutiful & respectful daughter"
"I am a great cook"
"I am creative and confident"
.......

Before you get ideas about my tom-tomming, let me make it clear that it is a part of my VISION.

A vision is an expression of your goal for yourself. It's how you see yourself or wish for yourself but in a present positive tense. Let me make it more clear. For eg. an architect wants to build a house, the first thing he'll do is to create it in his mind, followed by a drawing, a model and then the actual house. In the same way what we want to be in life (in all aspects) also begins with a thought.

We have always focused on what we "don't want" or what we "don't have" in life and tried to strive to attain that. But a vision talks in a way as if we already have that. Those of you who've read the book "The Secret" or seen the movie would be able to relate to this better.

But it does not mean that you have a perfect sounding vision and sit back. Nothing will happen. It's just the "right" beginning. You can take a few minutes to make your own vision and then keep adding and editing it as and when required. In fact you can have your own vision book which you read first thing in the morning instead of the newspaper. You'll spend just 2 minutes reading it, but the effect it would leave on your phyche and persona would be profound.

I learned about it in the SSY (Siddha Samadhi Yoga) course and the ISP (Infant Siddha Programme - The art of joyful parenting) which concluded yesterday. Believe me, our mind is much much more powerful than we can fathom.

Please take a few minutes out during the day today to open the eyes of your mind to build your own vision.

Happy visualizing!!!

A STARK REALITY OF LIFE

Something borrowed..... My friend Janu from Italy sent me this a few days back & i thought i must share it.

Eagles are the most long-lived birds in the world. By the time they reach 40 years, their claws start to age, losing their effectiveness and making it hard for them to catch prey. The lifespan of an eagle is up to 70 years old. But in order to live this long, it must make the toughest decision at 40. At 40 its beak is too long and curvy that it reaches its chest. Its wings, full of long, thickened feathers, are too heavy for easy flying. The eagle is left with 2 choices - do nothing and await its death or go through a painful period of transformation and renewal. For 150 days, it first trains itself to fly beyond the high mountains, build and live in its nest and cease all flying activities. It then begins to knock its beak against granite rocks till the beak is completely removed. When a new beak is grown, the eagle will use it to remove all its old claws and await quietly for new ones to be fully grown. When the new claws are fully grown, the eagle will use them to remove all its feathers, one by one. Five months later, when its new feathers are fully grown, it will soar in the sky again with renewed strength and is able to live for the next 30 years.

In life, sometimes, we have to learn to make difficult decisions so as to make room for changes. Changes bring about renewal. And the only way for us to soar again is to let go old ways, old habits, old lives. For as long as we are prepared to put aside our old baggage - past glory or shame, past success or failure - be willing to become zero, with an empty cup mentality, we will be able to discover our potential and head towards a renewed perspective in any aspect of our lives.

Thought for today

Life ends when you stop Dreaming,

Hope ends when you stop Believing,

Love ends when you stop Caring,

Friendship ends when you stop Sharing...

Open Sandwich

Sorry for being away for a long long time...........

Today i would like to share a recipe for a healthy meal which i got from my aunt.

Ingredients:

A packet of whole cereal bread, 2 medium sized cucumbers, 2 bell peppers, spring onions, (broccoli, baby corn or any other vegetable of your choice optional), half a litre of curd made from low fat milk.

Method:

Tie the curd up in a muslin cloth for about 3 hours.

Finely chop all the vegetables and add hung curd to it.

Add salt & pepper to taste.

Put the mixture in the refrigerator for 2-4 hours to soak.

Make toasts from the bread slices and spread the mixture generously on it.

You can also add cheese as garnish or into the mixture of vegetables.

And presto, your open sandwich is ready to eat.

Have any soup or drink as an accompaniment.

It's extremely easy, quick to make and makes up for a healthy meal.

Happy eating!!!

Are you insecure?

1) Do you always want to be the centre of attraction when you are in a group?

2) Do you tend to boast of your attainments, work, relationships etc.?

3) Do you spend a major part of conversation (with anyone) on criticizing people, things, systems etc and feel good about it?

4) Do you act as a Mr/ Ms Know-it-all?

5) Are you too sensitive towards others opinions of you?

6) Is it difficult for you to acknowledge others virtues, good advice, achievements?

7) Do you say "thank you", "please" and "sorry" easily?

8) Can you easily accept your own mistakes?

9) Are you too conscious of other people judging you?

10) Are you shy to talk in a group?

Some of these questions are contradictory, some reflect extroversion, whereas others introversion. And each one of us will have the answer "yes" in one or a few questions. The important thing to realise here is that a positive answer to any of these questions reflects that a person is insecure, has low self-esteem and is not comfortable in his skin. Also important is to realize that all of us will have some degree of insecurity but i feel that when more than 2 of the above questions are answered as "yes", we need to think.

i am on a long break now (which explains my laziness towards the blog) at my hometown in Ahmedabad where I had a chance to meet and interact with many people. Out of the conversations that we had, one thing was common......... CRITICISMS. I don't know why are we so fond of it and why do we get a sense of satisfaction and gratification from running others down. That reminds me of an anecdote,

An evening school teacher asked his lady students to refrain from talking negative about anything throughout the week. In the next week he asked the ladies, how the week went and what did they talk about. One of the ladies promptly replied, "Sir, there was hardly anything to talk."

Isn't it also true for us? (i m referring equally to men and women :-))

Why are we not comfortable with who we are? why do we keep comparing everything? why cant we accept the simple fact that each one is made different with his strengths and weaknesses, talents etc, and why do we get confidence out of negating others? People who are extremely extrovert or introvert are both insecure and tend to have a bloated ego. It's not wrong but it's certainly wrong not to know about it.

In yoga there is no comparison, no competition with others. To develop the attitude of "Aishwarya" i.e. self confidence, sense of achievement; we have to move ahead and that too by not pulling others down. Criticising is very easy like breaking a glass. But you achieve only when you make a glass, applying heat, moulding and proper cooling....................

Cheers to that!!!

Thought for today

Don't be afraid to say, "I don't know", "I made a mistake", "I need help", "I'm sorry".

Spiderman is a Vegan and practices Yoga

Spiderman, Spiderman,

Does whatever a spider can

Spins a web, any size,

Catches thieves just like flies

Look Out! Here comes the Spiderman.

Every one from a small child to an adult is fond of superheroes and would certainly wish to get some of their powers. Needless to say that 'Spiderman' is one of the favourite superheroes around the world. So this bit of information might inspire a few. The man who played the strong, loveable, caring, protecting Spidey - Tobey Maguire, is certainly one to look up to. He is a vegetarian (vegan to be precise) and practices yoga daily.