Choice Matters Most

Our destiny is built up on the foundation of our choices. What we are today is all because of what we chose to do in past and what we are doing now will make up our tomorrows. This is the greatest power available to all of us. This little word choice has a profound impact on our life.

The experiment conducted by psychologist Walter Mischel gives a great insight into the power of choice. In this study, a group of children were offered a choice between one  marshmallow or two marshmallows, if they waited for a period of time. During this time the professor left the room and returned after fifteen minutes. Some children couldn't resist and ate up the marshmallow whereas some waited to get the bigger reward. This experiment shows the whole pattern of human behaviour. 

Later on the researcher found that the children who were able to wait tended to have better life outcomes, better relationships, better health, better learning skills and better emotional intelligence than the children who couldn't wait. They were economically backward and lesser willpower and self control. 

We are all gifted with this free will.But it is up to us how we exercise this power. Our choices can make us successful or a failure. We are solely responsible for our lives and with this attitude, we can make our choices. A student can choose to study or social networking and the results will follow accordingly. 

There are two possibilities - knowledge and wisdom. One is right, the other is wrong. One is light and the other is darkness. Choice is yours. You are the driver of your life. Circumstances vary, but it is your choice of response. Between stimulus and response is the greatest power - power to choose. A wise man chooses what is good for him in the long run, even if it is painful at the present moment. He knows that his choice will certainly bring sweet fruits in the future. 

When we choose a healthy option in our way of thinking, living, eating or learning ,we raise our emotional frequency which raises the frequency of all those around us. When we do any karma which raises the frequency of others, we are serving them. When we choose positive thinking, we are serving the world with our VIBRATIONS. 

Life always throws up situations - the results of our past actions, which we refer to as destiny. What you do with it and more importantly, how you face it, is a matter of choice 

Yoga, A Way Of Life

'Yoga is the journey of the self, through the self, to the self.

                               Bhagwad  Gita

The secret to knowing health is knowing how to deal with one's body. Our yogis through their research discovered Yoga, the science of seeking out the flow,  which rises and falls within each of us; then tuning in and harmonising one's existence with the flow.

The word Yoga means connection - union. Yoga is the unification of mind,  body and soul. It is the art and science of true and lasting happiness. The prime purpose of Yoga is internal cleansing by self knowledge. It not intended for physical fitness. Physical fitness is the byproduct of Yoga. Asanas,  postures, pranayama, dhyana offers physical,  psychological and spiritual benefits. Yoga unifies human consciousness with the divine consciousness. 

Yoga needs to permeate all our actions. The yamas and niyams -the restraints and observances are the first two stages of Ashtang yoga - non-violence, truth, non-stealing, continence and celibacy, purity, contentment, penance, study of self and surrender to the absolute respectively are good check points. The other six steps are asanas,pranayama, pratyahar,dharana, dhyana and samadhi.

To relieve from stress asanas and pranayama can help, because stress is all in the  mind. When the mind gets disturbed,  we  should move into the body. Asanas can be simple,  but should be done with sincerity and proper balance of inhalation and exhalation. Pranayama is essential to regulate breath and vital energy. "Those who have mastered the art of breathing have mastered the art of living ".

The common thread that unifies all yogic practices is energy. Prana - energy intelligently governs all bodily systems and is intimately connected with the mind. Since the goal of life is happiness, prana's connection with the mind is relevant. Things that we like lift our spirit and things that we dislike depress us. Hence, people react positively and negatively, up and down all day, every day. By practicing Yoga we can control upward or downward movements of energy. Thus, we can control our emotions and begin to find inner joy through dedicated practice. 

Yoga is to shine the light of awareness in every corner of the body. We become more conscious of our actions, because we begin to live in the present. Awareness is the greatest gift of Yoga. Yogasutras by Maharshi Patanjali gives valuable insights into Yoga. By practicing eight- fold steps, one gets started towards the journey of self-realisation. Although Hathayoga and Rajyoga seem different, but the  ultimate goal of all practices is self realisation through practicing Rajyoga given by Maharshi Patanjali. 

In the current scenario of Covid-19, one can not only boost his immunity,  but also gets protected by practicing Yogic practices. It is a protective shield - vaccine for any disease. One can live a happy, balanced and a disciplined life, if he incorporates Yoga in his daily routine. 

On this international Yoga Day,  let us all commit some time to our overall health. Yoga is a complete way of life with practices and insights, enhancing everything we do. Unifyng all the techniques of Yoga is Meditation. 

Winning Over Negative Emotions

The crux of Yoga is to keep the mind under control. If not controlled, the darkness of the mind will not let us remain in peace and if controlled there will be light everywhere and we will find ways to control stress and experience joy.                           Patanjali

We act according to our past conditioning. Five senses have their likes and dislikes. The root of negative emotions lies here. If you have become a negative thinker, this is because you have not cared and taken time to train your mind to focus on the good. The mind is a wonderful servant  but a terrible master.

Negative thoughts leads to overthinking and the mind is under chaos. It not only affects our mind but also results in chronic diseases. The source of negative emotions is toxic thoughts - lust, greed, anger, infatuation, pride and jealousy. Don't let these toxic thoughts drain your precious mental energy. 

Your mind is a garden. Nurture it with positive thoughts and don't let weeds - toxic thoughts take the roots in your mind. Stand guard at the gate of your garden and let only best information enter. Don't allow worry to  rob your mind of life force. No matter what happens in your life, you alone have the power to choose your response. When you have the habit of finding positive in every circumstances, your life will move into higher dimension. You will unlock the true potential of your mind to create the magical life you deserve. 

Divinise your life by doing your actions as a service to God. This is a profound way to avoid negative emotions. The other way is to Witness. Whatever you experience through your senses are the objects of your perceptions. You are different from the object of your experience. You are the awareness in which thoughts, feelings, perceptions arise and illuminates the mind. For example, when you are angry, you will feel that you are the one who is experiencing anger. Anger is the  object of your experience. You are not one with it. This applies to all emotions-positive or  negative. 

When you are not overwhelmed by happiness, you will not be reactive towards sorrows. When you disassociate yourself from emotional drama, you will not be stressed in any circumstances. You will be calm and stable. A stable mind is the key to happier and healthier life. You go here and there hankering after happiness. Once you know that happiness dwells within you in its purest form, you will not hanker after it. You have no control over external factors, because they are variable. That which is constant  is within you. Meditate daily for a few minutes to  connect with your own self and find peace within. 

Once your life is your expression of blissfulness, you will not be in conflict with anyone.                                           Sadhguru 

Living In Harmony With Mother Nature

Nature reminds us how to be in harmony with life itself. 

Indic culture venetrates the Earth as one's own mother. We have not acknowledged nature's needs and concerns and accord to the highest respect and honour just as the mother is respected universally in all the traditions and cultures.Like a mother, nature nourishes all living beings with food, water and shelter without discrimination. 

Nature reveals a beautiful part of ourselves, we cannot find anywhere else. It is the greatest place to cleanse and heal. We can see the synergy, the whole nature is imbibed within itself. We can see this when we are we are in harmony within ourselves. People who are not in harmony within themselves can never be in harmony with the environment around them. 

Indic culture upholds a great deal of respect for nature. Infact, we used to worship the 5 elements of nature - earth, air, water, ether and fire. Today these principles seems to be forgotten and there is wide-scale exploitation of natural resources. Instead of caring about the long term wellbeing of the world, the environment is brazenly being destroyed and serious implications of it are clearly visible in the way weather patterns are changing,  species and habitats are getting depleted  and new diseases are developing. This is why ,the world is suffering from incurable disease like Covid-19. 

The cause of all physical pollution is polluted consciousness,  because our minds are polluted with  unsatisfiable toxic greed through exploiting nature. The Vedic solution is to learn how to be content and satisfied with simple living and high thinking. We should transform ourselves from being little Ravanas to becoming little Hanumans from exploiting nature for our selfish motives to protecting and honour mother nature  for divine purposes. 

Like our bodies, mother nature also heals herself. But if exploited repeatedly, and toxins are injected into her, then she can't heal herself and the result is serious diseases and disasters. We should strive to conserve our water resources and forest cover. Our body is made up of nature. Therefore, we feel bliss when we are connected with nature. It is in nature we discover multiple forms of life - and learn how humans can live in harmony with them. But it is this simple discovery that we lose as our lives grow more complex. There is no greater truth  today than the fact that we need to create a new world determined not by greed, but by its sustainability and simplicity. 

We must akin to our childhood selves, for whom a walk on the hill  was a  vibrant thrill, a voyage into a new world of flora and fauna. The more profound way to save our ecology is to clean the ecology of our consciousness. 

Self-Discipline is Self-Love

The person who  masters himself  through  self control and discipline is truly undefeatable.              

                        Gautam Buddha 

Self-discipline begins with the mastery of your thoughts. If you can not control  what you think, you can not control what you do. It means that you forego all your current pleasures for the exchange of long term  self-respect. You can  not win the  war against  the world  unless you  win the  war against yourself. If you  want to be happy, you have to discipline your behaviour. It is the road to sustain happiness. Your  happiness is your responsibility. 

Self-discipline is the strongest form of self-love. It is loving yourself enough to give your self all that you have  ever wanted. It bridges the gap between goals and accomplishments. So each day you must choose between the pain of discipline or the pain of regret. The undisciplined are the slaves of moods, appetites and passions. 

In Bhagwad Gita, Shree Krishna says, "The mind is a fickle. It won't obey you. Everytime it  misbehaves, use your discretionary intellect to bring it back  to  equanimity. Regular  practice  will help in disciplining the mind". There is nothing so disobedient as an undisciplined mind and nothing obedient as a disciplined mind. Be stronger than your  excuses. Skills are developed by hours of hard work  and perseverance. You get  what you  work for  and not what you wish for. Your addiction for growth should be stronger than your comfort. 

All successful people in the world have discipline in  their routines. People  like Bill Gates, Steve jobs and many others have benefited this world by  their constant efforts and discipline  in their lives. If you  love yourself  you  would be consistently  motivated to sustain  discipline  in your life and make yourself  deserving to get the  unlimited reserves of abundance in your life. Weak minds leads to  weak actions 

A strong and a disciplined  mind can achieve miracles. If you  don't  go  after  what you  want, you will never have it.

Basic  discipline rules:

• set the schedule for the next day before  sleeping. 

• Wake up  on time and make your bed.

• Sit in silence  for  at least 10 to 15 minutes

• Read or listen to something  powerful. 

• Eat healthy  foods. 

• Follow  through your  plans.

• To create  a new  habit, follow 21\90 rule. It takes  21 days to  create  a  new habit  and 90 days to  create a  lifestyle. 

Disciplining  means to push your self to  do what is needed to be done, even if it is painful. Once incorporated in  the lifestyle, a disciplined  person  reaps the  fruits of his actions and  lives a healthy and a happy life. In the  process , a disciplined person  evolves to  be a  better  human being with greater  willpower and self esteem. 

Performing Roles In Life

One point advocated by Shree Krishna in Bhagwad Gita is "Swadharma", which means one should do his duties depending on the responsibilities he has.

Everyone has different roles and responsibilities. In any situation one should see his role in the situation. We should play our role to our best capacity, without getting entangled into the results of the action. The only thing that matters is the effectiveness of your role in that situation.

A parent can be a mother at one time and a doctor or a teacher at other times. One person can play different roles at different times. Our life is just like a stage. Our responsibility is to perform our role to the fullest. We should not bother about others performances. If they do not play their role effectively, we should not copy their behaviour. Our sole duty is to focus on ourselves and give our best.

If someone drives ruthlessly on the road and you look at him instead of your driving, what is going to happen then? We should focus on our work,irrespective of what others are doing. This is the safest way. This will not only save your time and energy, but also improve quality of your work.

When you look at others' ability to play their roles, we become judgemental. Judging others is actually a sign of weakness. We want to feel superior in this way. When we focus on our own self, much of our time and energy is saved from being leaked. So, plug your leakages to have a profoundness in your life. Alligning body and mind while performing an activity helps us to put full potential into the process.

Our organs also perform the roles they are attributed to - Lungs for breathing, heart to pump blood, stomach for digestion. Similarly our mind has to think and feel. Our duty is to keep our mind alligned with our work. For example, when we walk, we should feel each step. Instead our legs are walking and mind is roaming elsewhere. Our role is to be in the present moment. When we work in this way, our work is bound to be great.

• Perform your role well but do not get entangled into the fruits of that action.

• Feed your body with nutritious food and your mind with positive and powerful thoughts.

• You are different from your role. You are not the role. Roles are different, but the person is one.

• Be grateful to God and everyone who has helped you.

In this way you can find positivity in everyone and feel that everyone is good and the whole world is beautiful. When we do whatever we do with all our heart, the work becomes worship. Such actions surely bring success and happiness in our lives.