22 Tuesday Apr 2014
Posted in Art Of Living
Tags
addictions, Alternate nostril breathing, Anxierty, Art of Living, Brain, Breath, Breathing, Cortisol, Cravings, Depression, Emma Seppala, emotions, Happiness, health, Immunity, Mind, optimism, Pain, Pranayama, Sleep, social, Stress, Stress hormone, Trauma
I saw this beautiful poster on Emma Seppala’s website. Thought of sharing it with my readers. Here is her website – http://www.emmaseppala.com/
16 Wednesday Apr 2014
Posted in Knowledge
Tags
emotions, Events, Inspiration, Krishna, Life, Mahabharata, Mahabharatha, Pandavas, Spirituality, the Game
Even though the Mahabharata symbolism series of posts has generated a lot of interest from the readers, I promise this is the last post in it :). I have surely enjoyed researching and writing this series of posts and I hope you readers have to. I would love to write on all the major events in the epic and how they are related to each one of us but it would take too long and most of them would be abstract. We saw the symbolism of Kauravas and Pandavas. Now that you guys have the picture, I wanted to bring a closure by taking your attention to some of the major events in the Mahabharata. With these
The Game of Dice – represents the Game of Delusion. In childhood, the senses, and the development of the body, are governed by the soul’s powers of discrimination. As youth approaches, the strong sense desires are awakened, by temptations in this life and Samskaras (habit tendencies) of past lives. The game is very charming, and the princely faculties of discrimination are enticed into a deceitful game with the sense desires, and man stakes his entire bodily kingdom. He is overpowered by them, and the pure discriminative intelligence of the soul is ousted from the throne, and sent into exile. The Pandavas are lured into the game by Duryodhana which is how the mind deludes its own energies into playing this whole game which we call life. Yudhisthira and the Pandavas lose the game and are banished from the kingdom and sent into exile for 12 years, with a further 1 year in total anonymity.
12 years of exile – A spiritual aspirant, who is armed with the grace of his Guru, and the knowledge of Kriya Yoga, and with all faculties intact, can with perseverance, evolve spiritually within twelve years, to the point where he can wage a battle with the senses to reclaim this body kingdom. This is a known fact to Spiritual aspirants. It is written in many yogic texts that a aspirant has intensely practice for 12 years before he can completely win over this senses which in turn control the mind. In the 12 years that the Pandavas are banished, they had to go through various events where they grow spiritually.
The One Year in Anonymity – refers to the period when the aspirant, having attained a lofty height of spiritual evolution, i.e., he has attained Yudhistira’s calmness, Bhima’s Pranayama, Arjuna’s nonattachment, Nakula’s adherence, and Sahadeva’s power to resist evil, he is now ready to immerse himself in states of Samadhi. In the state of Samadhi, the Sadhaka is withdrawn from the world, and all that is worldly, immersing him in states of consciousness. In the State of Samadhi, one’s consciousness is not in the material world, but in the supreme consciousness, hence, why the Pandavas were incognito, to the people around them.
Kurukshetra – the Land (field) of the Kurus, is the symbolic representation of the body. Kurukshetra is formed from the Sanskrit roots, kri meaning work, material action, and ksetra means field. So this Field of Action is the body, on which all activities of life, take place.
Bhagavad gita – In our inner conflict when we lose peace, it is the aspect of knowledge in us that is confused needs clarity. This aspect in us that seeks teaching represents Arjuna. As we already discussed Arjuna represents bondage it seeks freedom to attain the kingdom of Peace. It seeks Krishna the manifestation of pure Consciousness. We seek for clarity a teacher, a Guru. What we seek outside is already in us. The external teacher helps us to seek our internal teacher Krishna, the pure consciousness. The dialogue between the Krishna and Arjuna is Bhagavad Gita.
KRISHNA – Lastly, who is Krishna? Krishna the manifestation of pure Consciousness. Consciousness is the “being” of every form and formless in this universe. The reflection of that Consciousness is awareness. Krishna is the cousin and brother -in-law of Arjuna and interestingly Krishna is the father-in-law of Duryodhan’s daughter, that is , Krishna’s son married Duryodhan’s daughter Lakshmana. So Krishna is related to both the positive and negative groups of brothers. This is why Indian God’s are represented with three faces. The two faces on the sides represents the pair of opposites of the same body. Explains that both positive and negatives qualities resides in us. I can go on writing about Krishna.
So here are the symbolisms of the characters and events in Mahabharata. It is not just another long story that happened long time ago. It is happening right now right her within you. If you believe in these allegoric events, then read the Mahabharata again. Only this time see if you can relate to these characters for they lived and died(mortally) to relate to us.
14 Monday Apr 2014
Posted in Knowledge
Tags
Anahata Chakra, Chakras, Draupadi, Elements, emotions, Energy, energy centers, Feelings, Kundalini, Mahabharata, Mind, Panadavas, spinal column, spinal cord, tattwas
Here is the introduction and the Part I for those who missed it. The previous post talked about the Kauravas and their symbolism. Lets talk about the pandavas now. Before we go there here is a primer on energy centers or chakras in our body that hold the secret to human existence according to the tantric philosophy.
Chakras are the energy centers in the body which are storehouses of spiritual energy. They vitalize the physical body replenishing all the parts of the body. They are 7 major chakras along the spinal cord. Each of these chakras are associated with particular emotions and spiritual progress. You might be wondering why are we talking on the chakras when we are supposed to talk about the Pandavas. Right? They are related. The pandavas represent the first 5 chakras in our body. You will understand when we deal with each of the pandavas. Here we go!
Pandu – the younger brother of Dhritarashtra represents wisdom. Which was represented by his white color. This wisdom matures with experience and hence gives the ruling power to the blind mind, until the children of wisdom are ready. His wife Kunti represents the power of dispassion while his second wife Maadri represents the attachment to dispassion. Pandu has got 5 sons, 3 sons with Kunti and 2 sons with Maadri. The sons of Pandu represents the 5 elements which in turn represents the 5 energy chakras in our spinal column.
Yudhistira – Yudhi means in the battle, sthira means tranquil or undisturbed. Yudhi-stra is the symbol of peace and the sky or ether element of Pancha Bhootas. Sky is the bridge of transcendence to the conscious state and represented as throat chakra(Vishuddhi chakra). Ether remains unchanged, and undisturbed by the violent plays of nature’s forces.
Bheema – is Prana, the Power of Vitality, the Air Element in the Dorsal Center, or Anahata Chakra. He is the son of the Vayu deva, the God of Wind. The aspiring Sadhaka, practices his Pranayama that is controlled by this center, thereby calming the breath and controlling the mind and all of its sense objects. The breath has got such a strength that it can destroy all tendencies of the mind. That is why Bheema kills the 100 sons of Dhritarashtara. The breath also brings the awareness of “oneness”. The ignorance of duality dissolves in the purity of “Love” and is represented as heart chakra(Anahata Chakra). Know more secrets of your breath in this article.
Arjuna – Arjuna the third represents fire element. Rajju means rope or bondage and na means no. This represents that we are really not bonded, but free. Arjuna represents the liberating thoughts in us and brings peace. Arjuna is the enquiring mind. The enquiring mind burns like fire and destroys the darkness of ignorance. This burning fire is what needs to be given direction and that is why out of the five brothers Arjuna was taught Bhagavad Gita. Arjuna represents the mastering the “Heat or Power” of senses symbolized as the navel chakra(Manipura Chakra). This center is for the purification of mind and body, making intense meditation possible.
Nakula, is Adherence, the Power to Obey Rules of Dharma, the Water Element in the Sacral Center, or Swadhishthana Chakra. Adherence to Dharmic principles, allows the Sadhaka to control mental tendencies.
Sahadeva, is Restraint, the Earth Element in the Coccyx Center, or Muladhara Chakra. He is the Power of Resistance by which restless outer sense organs can be controlled.
The structure of the spinal cord also shows a differentiation supporting the divisions of the three sons of Kunti, with the two sons of Madri. The spinal column extends to the level of the lumbar vertebrae, as one solid structure. From the lower lumbar to the coccyx, the spinal nerves with their ganglia, extend downwards like the tail of a horse, and has been named cauda equina (horses tail). It has the same origin, (as in having the same father) but are at the same time different. They are the location of the 2 sons of Madri. Also significant to the spiritual aspirant (Sadhaka), is the function of the first three chakras, versus the last two. The first three are important in the inner spiritual activities of the spiritual aspirant; the lower two, are important for the purification of his external activities.
Draupadi – You could have guessed the representation of Draupadi. She was the wife of all the five pandavas which means she stays with each of them for some time and moves on to the other. She represents the feminine kundalini energy which travels through the spinal column to all the chakras on her path. Kundalini , which is metamorphically represented as Draupadi , the five hooded (meaning the five elements ,energies ) Snake. She is the one who connects the individual soul to the universal soul.(the connecting cord between MAN and Paramathman)The fire that propels it is called KUNDALINI Shakthi. That is the reason she was born out of fire. Draupadi is thus wedded to the five elements which makes the MAN. Here is another titbit – It is said that Bheema(air) was the one who loved Draupadi the most. That is why breath is used to awake the rise the Kundalini inside you!
We can see that the Mahabharata is not just another grandeur story that happened long time ago. It is something that is happening right now. Inside us. Every moment we live, there is a mahabharata happening. In my next post, I will go over some of the incidents that happened in the mahabharata with their symbolism.
13 Sunday Apr 2014
Posted in Knowledge
Tags
Body, desires, Ego, emotions, HInduism, Mahabharata, Mind, Scriptures, Spirituality, Story, Symbolism, thoughts
Two families. Five brothers against a Hundred. A story spanning four generations. Aerial attacks, Ufos, Aliens, Atomic bombs and many many more. That is just a part of the Mahabharata for you. If you have not had the chance the read it, here is the Mahabharata in 36 tweets for you.
The author of the epic used the real incident and weaved symbolic images to reflect our own inner conflicts. Using these images if we dive deep into our inner self, we will be able to appreciate the mystery of our own mind and life. Recently, I had a chance to read many versions of it with their story changed. Even though there were good efforts with good intentions, I felt that a lot of people haven’t explored the inner essence and symbolism of the characters, events, their interactions, etc. It is imperative to know the inner symbolism of the characters and its representation to grasp the immensity of Mahabharata. I have been wanting to write on it but had to do some research on it to get it right. So here is a write up of what the characters meant and why is it important to know this. To deal with all the characters at once would be over whelming. We will take a group of characters and few events in a series of posts. Lets deal with the Kauravas first.
Cast of the Mahabharata series
Dhritarashtra – The blind king of Hastinapura represents the our mind. More than that – our blind mind. Without the intellect’s discriminating power. Hence the blindness. His wife Gandhari represents the intellect power. The intellect can see. However, when the intellect gets smitten with emotion it gets blinded too. This is indicated by Gandhari blinding herself after being married to Dhritarashtra. The result is devastation and destruction. The blind mind has got many desires and tendencies in it and is the abode of emotions and feelings.
Five are senses of knowledge or perception the eyes, nose, ears, tongue and skin (Gnanendriyas). The other five are the senses of action-mouth, hands, feet, genital organ and anus (Karmendriyas). There are 10 directions north, south, west, east, north east, south east, south west and northwest and up and down. When the mind and intellect run blindly in all 10 directions and functions through 10 sense organs , give rise to hundred desires, thoughts, ambitions, expectations and dreams. These are the children of the mind and symbolized as the 100 sons in Mahabharata.
Duryodhana – the first son. The main thought of the mind is always ‘I, me, Mine’. This is called the ego. So he represents the first and fore most thought of the mind – the EGO. The mind cant control the ego very easily. That is why Dhritarashtra couldn’t control Duryodahana and always swayed by his son’s wishes. ‘Duh‘ means difficult and ‘yodhana‘ means to fight. Ego is something that was difficult to fight against. It is the Ego feeling or “I” thought that craves and falls into addiction. All mental and physical problems stems from the “I” feeling. The “I” feeling instead of helping the body, ruthlessly rips off health of the body. “I” want to experience spicy taste no matter my stomach hurts and develop ulcers. “I” want to experience to “refresh” with coffee no matter if it dehydrates my body and make my body cells suffer in thirst. “I” want to experience dull-mindedness with alcohol no matter if it hurts my liver and all other body organs. I want to do something even though my doctor has asked me not to because I already booked it! (targeted remark). 🙂
The moment the Ego gets the mind to dance to its whims and tunes, the body is completely forgotten. That is why Dhritarashtra was caught completely in the whims of Duryadhana and gave in to most of his wants. As a king, he didnt listen to his subjects which represent the body. The blind mind always tries to give importance to its ego – Dhritarashtra wants his son to be crowned as the prince of the kingdom. Like this you can find so many instances of how the mind empowers the ego and the ego runs rampage in our mind. This is so beautifully portrayed in the mahabharata with various events. The next time you read the mahabhrata, see if you can relate to the same happening with in you.
Dhritarashtra had a son named Yuyutsu with a vaishya(worker) clan woman. Yuyutsu was always on the path of dharma even though he was with the Kauravas. He does defect to the Pandavas just before the war. Kind of an equal to Vibhishana of Ramayana. He represents the desire to give psychological battle to the bad things the mind comes up with but is not as powerful as the ego and desires. This shows the mind is capable of producing good thoughts but these are not strong enough. In my next post, I will bring out the Pandavas and many other events within the mahabharata and its significance.
[COURTESY : Discourses on Bhagavad Gita by Paramahamsa Prajnanananda, Bhagavad Gita by Eknath Eswaran and Symbolism of Mahabharata article]
07 Monday Apr 2014
Posted in Poems
Those moments in the dark..
Night so quiet and stark
Raising pain in the heart
Dreams left to fall apart
Looking through gazed vision
Of life’s important mission
Between incomplete sections
Toyed with emotions
Those moments in the dark..
Body shaping like a bent arc
Tears left uncried
Lying, bound and tied
Laughing the diction
Freeing the anticipation
Joy, once mine
Now belong to different time
Oh, Those moments…
03 Sunday Mar 2013
Posted in Art Of Living, Inspirational Quotes, Knowledge
Tags
Ego, emotions, Love, marriage, Meditation, Secrets, Sri Sri, Tenali Raman
Sharing some beautiful knowledge that I read this morning. Enjoy!
What is it that comes to your mind when you hear the word ‘marriage’? Two people, whose hearts and minds are united, who care for each other and who share a sacred bond nourished by love, companionship and faith, isn’t it?
However, have you seen sometimes that your marriage might not meet your or your spouse’s expectations? When such challenging situations constantly arise, you may require some skill to nurture your relationship. How to develop that skill? Meditation might help.
These are some practical tips which, when kept in mind, can make this journey smoother and more comfortable for both your spouse and you.
Tenali Raman, known for his wisdom and wit, sets an example for the secrets of a happy married life.
One of the courtiers from the king’s durbar (court) was jealous of Tenali’s wisdom. One day, he approached Tenali’s wife.
Courtier – Your husband’s brain is the size of a peanut!
Tenali’s wife – So what, it’s the world’s largest peanut.
This secret is for women. Never step on the ego of your man.
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar – The whole world may say to him that he has no brains, but you, his wife, should never say that. You should always say, ‘You are the most intelligent person on the planet. Just the fact that you don’t use your brain does not mean you don’t have it!’ You should always pump his ego. Just praise and shower him with compliments sometimes. Even when he has made some mistake, tell him that he has the ability to do better. Just that little praise will make him feel better.
The most important thing to a man is that at least his wife thinks that he is the best. Now, pampering his ego may require you to capture all the goodness in him and amplify it. And this skill develops with meditation.
Tenali Raman gives 20 gold coins to his wife.
Wife (happily) – Now I’ll do my monthly shopping!
Seeing this, Tenali’s friend was taken by surprise.
Friend – You gave so much money to your wife, how do you manage all your expenses?
Tenali – Well, managing expenses is easier than managing emotions.
Emotions are very powerful and you can easily get caught up in them. As a man, it is important to deal with the woman’s emotions skilfully. Sometimes, you may have to nurture them well.
Meditation brings in you that skill to be sensitive and sensible at the same time while dealing with your wife’s emotions. It gives you the ability to bring that pleasantness in the atmosphere which is important for a healthy relationship.
Tenali’s wife – Tenali, will you always love me?
Tenali’s – Hmm, let me think about it.
After a few seconds (smiling)
Tenali – I will love you for as long as the sun keeps shining during the day.
Do you see this? Just like the existence of the sun during the day, certain things are very obvious and do not need any proof. Love is one of those things. We look for a proof for love from our partner all the time.
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar- Never ask for proof of your partner’s love for you! Do not ask each other, ’Do you really love me?’ Even if you find something lacking, just say, ’Why do you love me so much?’ Take it for granted that they love you. Even if the spring has died out, it will start again.
Meditation nurtures the qualities of contentment, giving and love in us, so naturally.
One evening, impressed with Tenali’s wisdom, a saint gives Tenali two fruits of happiness. Tenali decides to keep one for himself and his wife and generously decides to give the other to a worthy couple. He calls three of his closest friends and their wives to tea.
Tenali to the first couple – What do you want in life?
Man – I just want to see my wife happy all the time.
Wife – I just want to see my husband happy all the time.
Tenali to the second couple – What is it that you want in life?
Man – I want to build a nice, big house for the comfort of my wife.
Wife – I want to travel the whole world with my husband!
Tenali to the third couple – What is it that you want to do in life?
Man – I want to create a more holistic education system in our society.
Wife – I want to add to the vision of my husband.
Tenali happily gives the fruit of happiness to the third couple.
When the husband and wife are simply focused on each other all the time, they quickly enter into fights. After the initial phase of marriage, where everything is magical, faults start surfacing all too soon. Lines moving towards each other only move apart after the point of intersection.
Again, when the husband and wife are not focused on each other and their goals in life are different, they stop seeing eye-to-eye with each other and communication and trust break down. Further, when the goals are only to satisfy personal desires, there is not much fulfillment or merit that is gained.
It is only when both are moving together, with their focus on a higher goal for the society, for the world, that values are upheld in the relationship and beauty, love and faith are nourished. Parallel lines move together until infinity. We need to have both personal goals and goals for the society. Only then would we have a sense of fulfillment and higher purpose. This paradigm shift in our thinking, from “What about me?” to “What can I do for others?” happens naturally when we meditate. The skill, courage and commitment to move together, come what may, is nourished and strengthened by meditation. The deeper the foundation, the taller the building will be. Meditation brings this depth to our relationship so that our life and aspirations can reach out to the sky!
Inspired by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar’s wisdom talks
By Divya Sachdev
Based on inputs by Bharathy Harish, Sahaj Samadhi Meditation Expert
17 Saturday Nov 2012
Posted in Art Of Living, General
Tags
Art of Living, Breath, emotions, Meditation, Mind, Sri Sri, Sudarshan Kriya, Yoga
I had written a post about how the outer environment affects our inner world in the previous post and promised to speak more about how our breath can help us. Well, here is how it can help us! You can read the previous post here.
Recently, I was involved in a altercation with someone and it turned into a heated argument. We both were going head on head with each other about our opinions and what had happened until I noticed something. I was feeling so hot! My head, face, palms and chest were so hot and it was suffocating! The moment I noticed it, I started to let go of the argument and started taking my awareness inside me to observe all these sensations in the body. This helped me cool down a bit.
Have you been in a situation like this before? What has helped you to come out of it? What helped me to control my emotion at that time was my BREATH.
Every emotion in the body – anger, sadness, joy, etc. has a corresponding rhythm in the body. If we notice our breath when we are angry it is shallow, fast and hot. Yes, our breath can be of various temperature! When we are sad, we sigh – which is long, deep and our exhalation is longer than our inhalation. When in joy or happy – it is long, deep and inhalation is longer than exhalation. Like smelling something really nice or delicious! These emotions trigger these different patterns of breathing in our body. This is done automatically by the body with out any intervention from us.Now here is the best part – We can use the breath to control the emotions too! When I heard this for the first time, I was like – “REALLY? I am not sure about that!”. But this was until I experienced it myself. Breathing in a particular pattern can induce a corresponding emotion. So instead of being overwhelmed by our emotions, we can transform those using specific breathing techniques. You can listen to Sri Sri Ravi Shankar explaining in the video.
This is the not the first time we have heard this. We have been doing this for a long time. Have you heard people asking you to take deep breath in and out when you were excited or angry? This is to come out of anger by using your own breath. When you take long deep breaths, the breath induces a sense of calmness or happiness which acts against your anger and helps you snap out it! This the secret behind the technique.
Now we need the skill to know which breath to use when and how. This is where the Art of Living course has helped me. These techniques are taught in such a superb way in this course that anyone can learn and practice it. You learn something called the Sudarshan Kriya in the course which helps you de – stress and release the built up emotions that are hidden deep in your body. You also learn pranayamas – techniques to control your breath, in the course. They teach you the link between the body, breath, mind and emotions that will help you manage your emotions next time. You do a lot of yoga and meditation in the 20 hour course spanning across 4 days which helps you to release the tensions in the body and mind. This is what Sri Sri Ravi Shankar says about Sudarshan Kriya –
The Sudarshan Kriya incorporates specific natural rhythms of breath which harmonize the rhythms of the body and emotions and bring them in tune with the rhythms of nature. The breath connects the body and mind. Just as emotions affect our patterns of breathing, we can bring about changes in our mental and behavioral patterns by altering the rhythms of our breath. It flushes our anger, anxiety and worry; leaving the mind completely relaxed and energized.
Try it out to experience it yourself! Here is the link : http://www.artofliving.org/us-en/public-programs?center=&scenter=8512&ctype=9142
It is natural for the mind to get caught up in emotions. The duet of the breath and emotions has been there since we came into this world. But we dont have to be stuck in emotions the whole time and lead a life dictated by emotions. When we learn these techniques, it helps us to dance better to this duet. More importantly, it helps us to control the duet! So the next time you are caught up in any emotion, take a deep breath, SMILE and remember – YOU ARE IN CONTROL!
08 Thursday Nov 2012
There was a kingdom which had a king and he was aided by a wise prime minister. The king ruled the kingdom with the help of a government which took care of all the administration. Most of the time the country was governed by the administrative body. Whenever something unusual needs to be decided, the king is advised by the prime minister and then makes a decision. But unfortunately, the king is always confused by the amount of information brought to him by the administration. His another problem was his attachement to and his identification to the kingdom. As a result, the king often does not properly listen to the wise prime minister and kingdom ends up in trouble due to the king’s bad decision. The kingdom had a GOD which kept on witnessing these events but did nothing!
The above story is not so different from what happens in everyone’s life every day. Do you find the inner meaning in this story? The kingdom is our BODY while EGO is the king. Our INTELLECT is the wise prime minister. The intellect is wise because it has access to memory and it knows which events in the past have been good or bad for the body. The governing administrative entity is our own MIND. The mind takes care of all the activities this body does. But when something unusual needs to be done, the Ego steps in and consults with the intellect on how to act. Though the ego gets the right answer, it is flooded with inputs from the mind through the five senses.
The ego can work in two ways from here – either agree with the intellect or surrender to the emotions stirred by the mind. Lets take a small deviation and see what are the inputs from the mind to the intellect. When we breath we take in Prana or Life force and this prana when in contact with the state of mind, emotions or Rasas(in Sanskrit) are experienced in the mind. Emotions like Anger, Sadness, Joy, Wonder, etc. At this point the ego has to decide whether to accept this Rasa that is being experienced by the body. If the ego, after consulting with the body, does not support the Rasa, then it will be changed by the act of will power. If the ego supports the Rasa, then the intellect can not do anything and is forced by the ego to accept the Rasa. At this time the ego thinks that it is enjoying the Rasa and then we exclaim “I am feeling great“! So far example, when you are eating an ice cream, the tongue send the signal to the mind that it likes it. So an emotion is triggered in the mind. The ego consults its intellect whether to accept it or not. Though the intellect keeps telling “The last time you had ice cream you had a cold. Do not eat it!”, the ego is flooded with a joyful feeling from the mind. Then the ego decides to overcome the intellect and starts to enjoy the ice cream thinking – “I really love eating ice cream!”.
The GOD who kept watching this entire event but did nothing is the SELF. It just witnesses.
This is the general flow of energy from the outside world into our inner world and how we think we are enjoying the world! Fascinating isn’t it? I will discuss about how to control this whole flow of energy and emotions from the outer to the inner by just using our own Breath in a next post. Keep watching!
05 Monday Nov 2012
Posted in Knowledge
Tags
Bad habits, emotions, Fear, Greed, Love, Samyama, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar
Have you noticed any particular patterns that you tend to do regularly which eventually tends to occur subconsciously? No? Let me rephrase. Have you noticed your HABITS? Sounds familiar now right? If you read my first question carefully, it says – “.. eventually tends to OCCUR subconsciously” in it. This is the interesting part about a habit. You do not know you are doing it since you need not engage in self-analysis when you are doing it. For example, drinking coffee or smoking a cigarette the moment you wake up.
Lets talk about bad habits and on how to over come those. A bad habit is negative pattern that you keep doing. Some examples would be procrastination, biting your nails, etc. A bad habit is not an addiction unless the person looses control over his behavior. There are many ways to overcome a bad habit or any habit for that instance. Some ways include – behviour modification techniques, habit reversing techniques, etc. These techniques involve detail analysis of the behavior and treating them accordingly.
There is a natural way to treat them too. using your EMOTIONS. Sri Sri Ravi Shankar says that our habits can be dealt with Love, Greed and Fear.
When a loved one comes and asks you to refrain from sometime, we easily control the behavior for their sake. A promise to a loved one has got great powers! This is one of the easiest way and smooth way of controlling a habit.
Sri Sri says that if you are offered a million dollars to stop doing something, you would put your best efforts to stop it to get the million dollars. So greed can help us in this way.
This technique has been used from the ancient days to alter and change our habits. Instilling fear in kids to make them do something or stop them from doing something. It is the same with adults.
A different approach to tackling habits is by taking a time bound vow. This is called as Samyama in Sanskrit. Sri Sri says that taking the vows according to time and place is important. For example, suppose someone has a habit of smoking cigarettes and says, “I will quit smoking,” but cannot do it. They can take a vow, three months or 90 days; a time-bound vow. If someone is used to cursing and swearing, take a vow not to use bad language for ten days. Don’t take it for a lifetime; you will break it immediately. If you happen to break it in between, don’t worry. Just begin again. Slowly increase the duration until it becomes your nature.
Habits will clog you when there is no liveliness or juice in life. When there is a direction for life force, you can rise above habits through Samyama. – Sri Sri Ravi Shankar
So lets take on our bad habits, list them down and start doing our samyama :))
04 Thursday Oct 2012
Posted in Art Of Living, Videos
Tags
Art of Living, Breath, CNN, emotions, Guruji, Human values, Meditation, Quest, Religion, Satsang, Spirituality, Sri Sri, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar
CNN’s Richard Quest goes to Bangalore, INDIA to soak into the Spiritual bliss and vibes of Sri Sri Ravi Shankar at his ashram. An interesting video from the program on the man they call “Guruji” and about the Art of Living Foundation. Here Sri Sri talks about the secrets of breath, how the breath is linked to the mind based on the rhythms and emotions. Richard Quest takes the Basic Art of Living course and I think he likes it 🙂 He says that he is positively sure that he was floating when he was taking the Ayurveda treatment! Ha ha!
I love the part where Sri Sri Ravi Shankar talks about how even though the knowledge in the Art of Living has got its roots in Hinduism but he has made it secular in a sense that people from all religions have no problem understanding or following it. He also says that only secular spiritualism can unite people from all over the world. This is awesome!
Richard takes part in the silver jubilee celebration of the Art of Living foundation. He sits with Sri Sri on the stage with 3800 more other dignitaries and enjoys the satsang – music and dance.
The last words of Richard is really touching. He says – “As human beings, we are driven to explore;explain the inexplicable. Our intelligence means that at times we are doomed to suffer in a turmoil, despair, disillusionment but answers are forth coming. Whatever our religious beliefs are, spirituality is rooted in ideals of human nature. Being a better person. Breathing exercises, meditation and breath – they all help us open our mind;take stock of who we are. Put Life back into perspective. And lets face it, most of us could do a little but of that! Between you and me, it has just begun!”
Stories untold and retold
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