A writers soul emerges through the words written . A painters soul emanates from between the colours in the canvas The potters soul is afire in the fingers shaping the clay. The singers soul breathes in the sounds created by the voice. The dancers soul flows through in every movement in the moments.
The Soul is a restless wanderer It breathes free not in captivity, But in every movement of creation. It cannot be fathomed or even sensed Other than in the light of passion in the being. For then the soul shines in its own light For it has found its purpose of being.
You are holding a cup of coffee when someone comes along and bumps into you, And making you Spill your coffee everywhere. Why did you spill the coffee? You spilled the coffee because there was coffee in your cup. Had there been tea in the cup, you would have spilled tea. The point is whatever is inside the cup, is what will spill out. Therefore, when life comes along and shakes you (which will happen), whatever is inside you will come out. It’s easy to fake it, until you get rattled. So, we have to ask ourselves, “What’s my cup?”
When life gets tough, what spills out? Joy, gratefulness, peace and humility? Or does anger, bitterness, harsh words and reactions come out?
You choose! Today let’s work towards filling our cups with gratitude, forgiveness, joy, words of affirmation, kindness gentleness and love for others.
Good Reminder for one and all. In making conscious choices. Filling my cup with gratitude Sensing joy and love Choosing forgiveness Expressions in gentleness And affirming in kindness For my choices matter... To me & the world around me. Savvy
Sometimes life makes you teach yourself many things…
Giving the benefit of doubt
There are many crossroads in life be it in a career with any organisation or in partnerships, or even personally between people or teams, where point of views are different and clash of perspectives on decisions are bound to occur.
Can you agree to disagree?
For most, it is challenging as its not always easy to come to terms with what affects you or makes you emotional. Yet learning ways to give the benefit of doubt, calls for development of strategic skills.
It is important to process any conflict of interest, you may have with others , first with your own self.
Check if you can find the root of your disagreement with a particular decision.
What is it that you are not aligned with?
Why are you feeling this way?
Empathic Perspectives
Then begin to imagine if you are able to bring empathy by setting aside your feelings on what you are yet unable to accept and think from the other persons perspective, does the view alter then? Does it change your thoughts a bit?
If you can alternatively, also think if you choose to agree, in the larger interest, does it benefit or can it make your team bond together.
Let’s also not discount the possibility of you having less information about the reasons for any decision taken.
Ultimately, whatever way you chose to think or act is your choice to take. But sometimes when it may seem impossible to make sense of things do remember, there is always more than what meets the eye!
‘The silence between our actions or movements becomes the bridge to our conscious experiences. The greater our awareness, the greater the creative potency of the action itself.
You can never give from an empty cup. So keep refreshing knowledge and understanding Make sure to breathe easy so that you are not getting engulfed in trying to find solutions for another. Exercise equanimity and trust yourself to deliver. Most importantly take care of yourself. Enjoy the work you do! And give your very best. It will certainly bring results.
How to keep refilling your cup…to stay updated.
Many ways.
. Be open to possibilities and perspectives
. Stay humble and sense your foot on the ground… Remember anyone can be a teacher.
. Choose to balance work and play. Respect your time and use it wisely.
. Stay curious. Keep your inner child alive
. Pause to rest and recover when you feel overwhelmed.
Here is what I imagined in the dance of these words…
When Love is Destiny
Emerging in eternal time Destiny twinkles on stardust Garnering connections of hearts Voyaging free in the spirit of freedom. Gathering abundance in the depth of love.
Where there are no rules that bound Where the music leads and you follow Where there is no end and no beginning All is in the flow as you sense you are the flow.
Anger is like a storm rising up from the bottom of your consciousness. When you feel it coming, turn your focus to your breath. Thich Nhat Hanh
Healing through breathing…
Here is one of the many techniques that can be practiced in awareness.
Box breathing
A Breathing technique to destress an agitated and tense mind to calm state and improve the mood.
A good practice for all and especially for those with depression, anxiety disorder and PTSD managing pains and insomnia.
The technique is simple and very effective.
1. Sit upright & Start with exhaling air out of your mouth slowly counting 1to 4.
2. Hold for four counts
3. Inhale deeply filling air section by section till it reaches the lungs & abdomen for four counts through your nose.
4.Again hold for four counts
5. Exhale for four counts from the abdomen and lungs slowly.
As a beginner choose a quiet place to begin this mindful practice. You can start by repeating for four times in one setting. Initially it is advisable to gradually take it up. In case you feel a little dizzy go back to your regular breathing and build it again.
The slow breathing and holding is the most important aspect which activates the para sympathetic system and thus helps reduce stress.
You can practice box breathing couple of sets in a day as needed to calm down.
As a dancer, I often use my dance education and experiences by associating concepts and find it helps me understand and evolve in the many life challenges and relate to the changing world.
In a world where almost everyone is interfacing with ChatGPT and AI and finding new and improved ways of prompting for application of technology for every day use, I find some relevant associations here with partner dancing and technology.
Dancing & Prompting has a lot in common A dance with a partner is an action and response More than a reaction. Likewise in today’s world every day is a dance with AI and our prompts are nothing but inputs towards an intelligent response than just a reaction. The better the input the better the output. Here I want to share a few thoughts for starters Dancing with a partner is about being in tandem, one leading the way and one following without anticipation Likewise prompting is about giving clear directions without ambiguity. To dance is to set and hold the frame In a good prompt setting the context and format helps to streamline the output.
In a dance the music sets the movements of the dance… And in a prompt sharing the example of what it feels like helps clearer and relevant output.
In a dance a leader can evaluate as you go which steps will work with which partner. Assessing the dance space available helps in evaluating the flow. For there are no second moves… Whatever you do decides the dance flow… And you are free to improvise your self as you go along
Likewise in prompts evaluation helps check what is working and tweaking it gives better quality output.
When a dancer is a professional Dancing a single step may feel fluid but in breaking down the steps it’s easier to understand the flow. In prompting dividing the steps well into multiple steps connected to a certain goal will give desired results.
Be it a dance with partner or with words for AI when you have a clear intention and purpose and are able to communicate what you want and where you want to reach, in easily understable and suitable way not only will you reach your destination You will enjoy the journey!
Do you sense love for yourself Do you feel respect for yourself Do you feel your sense of self esteem
Do you feel a sense of self worth
What is your self worth tied to? Is it your education Your fancy degrees Your knowledge Your partner? Or your beauty? Your abilities? Is it to your achievements? Your skills? Your bank balance? Or is it to your designation Your children Your home? Your cars? Your phone?
If you have answered yes honestly to any of the above please think again Work on your independence Free your mind free your heart Free yourself from chains Practice unshackling Try to detach your self worth From material things. Others cannot always be around We are born as unique beings We are complete in every way No one can latch on to us Nor should we latch on to another Self awareness is crucial For true self confidence Self Confidence creates self esteem Self esteem develops self worth Value the life you have Understand your truth Explore your potential You are worthy.
While you can use any of the latest AI Apps to enhance your presentation. And you may find it easier when you do the basic preparation of the speech. A few things that are truly important is keeping yourself hydrated before a speech. Having to deliver a long presentation and speech can be quite challenging with a dry mouth. Secondly doing a technical check if you also have a presentation to support, prior to your speech is equally necessary. As whatever be your presentation if it does not synch with your speech, it can be rather challenging. Third make sure to take a deep breath before you start as it helps balance your mind & body easing the nervous system, and enhancing present moment awareness. This is truly helpful where you can easily improvise in case you forget a few lines which can happen to anyone Inspite of preparations. Most of all having a good night sleep before an important speech keeps you looking fresh and in the now.
Unconference, the word piqued my curiosity for a while until I checked it up on the internet, only to find that the idea has gained tremendous momentum across the globe.
The idea of un-structuring the ingrained structure seemed interesting to say the least, in creating spaces and possibilities to honour the learning.
Suffice to say recently, when I came across an Unconference event in the local newspaper I decided I must make a visit.
The venue of this Unconference was the well known Symbiosis School of Liberal Arts in Pune. I reached just in time for the proceedings to untold.
A customary registration ensued and I was greeted by a few volunteers with a relaxed warm and welcoming attitude. Clearly, the Unconference had started right there.
The word Conference kind of stiffens people up. There is a formal attitude, a thick air of competition to perform at their very best. There are fees and strict rules to adhere to. There are super busy organisers scurrying through and tension is writ large on their faces and their bodies as well are stressed out with expectations of the outcome of the event. Suited men and women whizz through looking super important. And yes there would be a Chief Guest of honour and a coterie of important people who need VIP handling… Adherence to their whims and fancies and most importantly their speeches which may or may not be of interest to any. But all must endure as to get up and leave is an offence to the speaker.
On the contrary here, there was a prevalent free-spirited feeling in the first place that all were in it together. The sense of community always takes time to build so I stood in that room with a small group of people waiting for the (informal introductory practice,) the opening circle.
The Opening Circle :
Someone from the group had taken an initiative to design a pretty pattern made of flowers in the centre of the space and light a lamp there.
A few introductory rounds later which turned out to be icebreakers with a few games to let loose and get into the flow.
There was a board set up with a mention of few rooms and a time slot to boot. The participants were encouraged to choose to attend or conduct workshops or just wander around and network.
A few people got up to mention their workshops and claim their slot. On a moment’s impulse although I was not exactly in the right attire for a dance workshop I simply decided to go with the flow and offered a Dance connection workshop by me.
Encouraged by a decent number of participants I let the moment take the lead. As I began teaching I witnessed the flow of the energy in the exchange.
I spoke about the dance, hold, frame and positioning and started introducing them to partner dancing and some basic steps. Bit by bit people shed inhibitions as they were getting tuned into the moves.
The moment strangers began to hold hands and face one another… for many, there was harmony to be found in the mirror imaging. For after all the lead and follow were simply an extension of each other dancing as one unit.
The energy in the room turned up a notch with the Achy Breaky Heart country cha sounds of Billy Ray Cyrus for company.
All started sensing the tuning in to the rhthymic expression of music & movement with their partners at that moment.
After the dance workshop I asked what they felt in that moment and here is what they shared immediately…
Savvy Raj 
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