Savvy Raj

Live Life Lovingly!


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Being you as you are!

Being you as you are

A few tips…
In a world that can entangle you with varied opinions and beliefs…know you are a multifaceted unique individual.

Allow yourself to take time and understand your spectrum of being .
Accepting yourself is a great start to being you.

In knowing your self you are able to discern what your choices are and gradually you are able to be comfortable with your own self. Remember everyone of us here have our own journey of life to explore and fathom.

Allow yourself to explore the truths of your own being.
Be authentic enough to avoid being who you are not . It simply cannot last too long. And it is not a path towards your purpose of being.

Being yourequires a whole lot of respect for yourself as you are. In moments of turmoil and confusion, just say to yourself ‘ I am enough for me’
There is great power of truth in these simple words .
Trust that you are enough for you.

Be all that you are!

Because you truly can!

Savvy


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It’s just a matter of time!

Time heals it all they say
And its so very true
So when we are in throes of torment
Trust time to pass to a better moment

When life throws a googly at you
And you are left flummoxed
That you just have no certain way
Trust time to move you on along the way

In trying moments of despair
When you are left fending for yourself
Know the answer is around the bend
Trust time to let itself mend.

For time is the answer
Be patient to let it pass
For no two moments are alike
Such is the eternal mystic of time.

Savvy


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On Success

Believe in your abilities,

Trust your instincts

Give your best shot,

Success is sure to follow…

Savvy


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Every woman…

In 1997, Pamela Redmond Satran wrote a list for Glamour Magazine. Having already passed her thirtieth birthday, her goal was to tell younger women about “the things I really wished I’d had and known by that important milestone.” It not only resonated, it became a phenomenon. To this day, the now bestselling author’s list continues to make its way across the web, via sites, inboxes, and social feeds, experiencing recurring surges of viral popularity. Yet, up until very recently, in typical not-giving-credit-where-credit-is-due internet form, it was most often shared with either no attribution to Pamela or tagged as someone else’s work, including “Maya Angelou’s Best Poem Ever.”

Here are 15 interesting points from that list …

1)”A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE …
enough money within her control to move out
and rent a place of her own, even if she never wants to or needs to…
……..
2)A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ..
a youth she’s content to leave behind….

3)A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE …
a past juicy enough that she’s looking forward to
retelling it in her old age….
………..

4)A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ….
one friend who always makes her laugh… and one who lets her cry…
………..
5)A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE …
a feeling of control over her destiny…

6)EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW…
how to fall in love without losing herself..

7)EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW…
how to quit a job, break up with a lover, and confront a friend without; ruining the friendship…

8)EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW…
when to try harder… and WHEN TO WALK AWAY…

9)EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW…
that she can’t change the length of her calves,
the width of her hips, or the nature of her parents..

10)EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW…
that her childhood may not have been perfect..but its over…

11)EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW…
what she would and wouldn’t do for love or more…

12)EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW…
how to live alone… even if she doesn’t like it…

13)EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW.. .
whom she can trust,
whom she can’t,
and why she shouldn’t take it personally…

14)EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW…
where to go…
be it to her best friend’s kitchen table…
or a charming inn in the woods…
when her soul needs soothing…

15)EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW…
what she can and can’t accomplish in a day…
a month…and a year…

So much for the creativity passed on without credit.

And here is a dedication to Every Woman out there…Enjoy 💖👍💖


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The path of the heart…

Allow the heart to speak.

Don’t disown it

As it speaks from an intuitive connect

Of knowing and sensing.

Walk the path of the heart,

Where action emanates from empathy,

Where sight envisions noble deeds,

Where one senses the calm of compassion,

Where ears listen to sounds of silence.

And every heart knows the path.

Such is the path of the heart!

Put your heart in whatever you do

For the path of the heart lights the way.

Savvy


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Gentle is the Way!

Walk as if you are kissing the earth with your feet. THICH NHAT HANH

Words of wisdom from the gentle soul!!!

Gentle is the Way

Yes you are born into this world

But how must you be

Now that you are a part of it?

Your time is preordained.

Yet your destiny is in your being

So be kind and gentle with this world

And be the gift that you are meant to be.

Your gifts are in awakening your senses

So be in harmony with the living you

Flow with the now and just be

To receive what this moment offers you.

Tread carefully, hurt no one

To feel the flow of grace in and around you

Yes, Gentle is the way!

Savvy


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Circle of life

We are not here alone

We are interweaved in this tapestry of life

Times bygone to the yet to arrive

We create our selves with our deepest intentions

Though we are housed in different bodies

Which is an expression of our uniqueness.

We are connected in the core

Strengthened in the interconnects.

The further we seem to be in our exploration

We are simply reaching out and finding ourselves again

Amidst the many dimensions of life and living

In this wondrous circle of life.

Savvy


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This Moment

This Now’ is a just a flicker
In the vast endless space.
A fleeting moment,
That travels backwards in Time.
Never to return on its one-way path.
Never blink your eyes, lest you miss
The beauty of the Moment.

Some moments well captured in this time frame.
Stays afresh like the etching on a rock.
A single moment, so potent
To change the course of your life.

A bliss or curse depends on the Awakening Awareness of its Transcience.

Seek an understanding mind
Make no effort to stagnate,
As flowing is its innate Nature.

Senses wandering free
Unmindful of the other
Thoughts floating like clouds
Unconnected actions of body n mind
Aimless moments, effortless wastage
Unaware of the flow of Time.
Like sand seeping through the fingers
‘This Now’ dissolving in the past,
Creating a formless future, at what cost?
Potent moments become futile.

Detachment is different from disconnection.
Awareness is not aligned to alienation.
Make an effort to be consciously present
Not to miss a moment of breath,
‘Be in the Now’ to witness the magic of Life.
Anjana

Sharing my mothers reflections here on the value of the moments. She wrote this after reflecting on my earlier poem

The Potent Now! https://savvyraj.com/2018/09/26/the-potent-now/

Just added some images to go with her thoughts.


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Powers within.

Your ability to think ,imagine, create and express is a gift of life.

Your own positive thoughts create positive expressions and leaves lasting positive benefits in and around you .

Remember you are creating the future with your thoughts.

Think well. Intend well.

Just having the courage to express ourselves, we open ourselves to a vulnerable yet creative self, and that is the light in us shining through….:)

Savvy


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You lead I follow : I lead you follow… Life is a dance!

Do you love to dance?

Do you enjoy leading a dance?

What makes a dance enjoyable?

Dance is a lot like life . Here I bring forth a few simple pointers on Partner Dancing.

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Important lessons in leadership are easily learned, on the dance floor…as you lead and as you follow.

They are very simple lessons and yet very powerful and contribute in making one a better dancer immediately. But more importantly it helps to know how to be a better leader in life too.

About two decades or more, Social dancing workshops and lessons in India were rarely common. We decided to do something about it and the Dance Concepts Latin &ballroom dance workshops began . We started with the basics :a Foxtrot , a Waltz , Jive , Rock n Roll and of course a Cha Cha Cha.

The idea was to teach as naturally and as simply as possible, so that the students made quick progress in learning the concepts of dancing rather than just a routine. Having had the privilege of sharing our social dancing skills with so many eager learners over the years we made a few observations … when the learners were learning the footwork side by side they would find it a breeze. But when we instructed them to join hands and dance together in an open hold some of them felt as if they were wrestling more than dancing with the lady pulling one way, while the man was pushing her another way Each had their ideas about how they should move and how it would look.

Social Dancing is a partnership, a partnership where there is a leader and a follower. Even if you don’t like to follow, to dance well together it is wise to respect the partnership rules. Learning to follow is a skill that one needs to develop and is not necessarily easy. It’s difficult as you have to do the same thing your partner is doing, except backward.

Just as important, you have to follow his lead even if it seems as if he’s going the wrong way. And thus if one learns to lead well, the partner may actually enjoy the feeling of being led than feeling yanked and shoved around.

Traditionally the man takes the lead on the dance floor. Yes, in ballroom dancing – even in these days -mostly the man leads. But roles can be and are reversed as well. After all it takes two to tango… if one leads the other follows.

Being a leader is more about sensitivity and definitely not about pushing your partner around, but to lead well, it is necessary to develop spatial awareness so you know exactly where your partner is at every moment, which foot their weight is balanced on without looking. You have to be aware of their pacing, and be mindful of the strengths, and weaknesses. And you have to take all that into consideration every time you move with a partner in your arms.

A good leader connects than controls.

Savvy

Sense what you are going to do before you do it. Just be aware of what your next step is going to be, and give your partner the signal at the right time so they can follow you gracefully. Like so in life: Having some foresight of what your life should become is like knowing what type of dance you want to do. But being a good leader requires more of you than that. It demands that you also have good ideas about the medium- and short-term tasks that are required to achieve that vision. And it means you have to communicate those ideas to your partners – those who are working closely with you to achieve your vision.

When dancing together it is very important to …

Signal your intentions with clarity. To lead well, and the way to avoid using force is to give strong, clear signals. The clearer your signals are, the easier it is to follow you. And the easier it is for your partner to follow you, the better you will look and feel together and the better they will like dancing with you.

In life: knowing what you want from your partners, colleagues etc is not enough. You have to let them know what you want them to do by communicating it to them with clarity. And most of all you have to develop the art of patience.

Lead to demonstrate your partner’s strengths.In dancing, the purpose of the leader is to lead – but the purpose of the dance itself is to enjoy the moment with your partner, each focusing on the bringing the best of each others strengths than the weaknesses…

Wise leaders hardly blame the follower when things go haphazard , which it might at times! After all exhilaration and excitement are a stones throw away from comfort zones that one might trespass at times , yet when ever the leader and the follower work in harmony … it is magnetic and mesmerizing indeed! It is then a dance beyond all expectations!

Savvy Raj

Member of International Dance Council

UNESCO

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What is God?

Dear child,
Today you asked me what is GOD?

In your growing years, many emotional fluctuations of belief and disbelief will arise from curiosity to concern, from doubt to belief, questioning the purpose of our existence, questioning the powers undefined , the supremeness of it all ..!!!!
May my thoughts be well scrutinized by you in your quest to answers that resonate to your being . But hope to pass on a share of my simple understanding of the complexities of the undefinable ‘Faith’ in the name of God!

To me faith is the hope and strength of divinity in each of us …Without which we cease to exist as living beings .

Acknowledging the presence of divine compassion in our lives is about being able to receive as much easily as much as being able to give.

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When we are focused on evolving deeper into our spiritual path of awareness , very often the body is neglected … it could be physically neglected, abused, deprived in more ways than one ,either out of sheer ignorance or due to assumption that austerity and overt practices of discipline over our body will only lead to salvation .

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When the very dwelling place of our being is neglected how are the roots going to dig deeper… wisdom is not intellectual understanding alone.

True wisdom is acknowledgement of the divinity in every living being … being able to understand the union of the heart and the mind , and in the awakening of the wisdom one finds the balance in the union of action and thoughts.

Caring for our body,is a prerequisite to spiritual growth .. if you don’t love yourself, how can you love others .Eastern philosophies extoll the virtues of equanimity and the consciousness of the intuitive intellect, a sense intelligence than just rational thoughts … And when we learn that you and I are simply one… the connectedness of consciousness becomes easy to unravel . We are also able see and to accept the reality of the shades of grey in between the black and white of human behavior .

When we are able to do so , the so called negative traits of reaction , rebuttal to an action converts itself to a mindful response with equanimity .
This method invokes a sense of balance in the living being .

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Simply adding an element of gratitude to all that we are blessed with will only let us ingrain a spirit of gratefulness in whatever we do …as we learn to respect and love another being as part of the same source … AND THAT TO ME IS ….

BEING HAPPY WHERE YOU ARE, AS YOU ARE, WITH ALL THAT YOU ARE …. LOVING THE SELF …AND CARING ENOUGH TO LOVE THE WORLD AROUND YOU !

AND THEN THE FAITH IN THE GOD -NESS IN YOU AND ME IS ONE !
Love
Mom

Savvy

This is an excerpt from a few reflections written to my daughter in her growing years.


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The Divine Touch

A fine piece of art

Has the soul of the artist

Embedded within it forever.

A poet leaves his soultraces

On his poetry

For they evoke his hearts imagery.

Like a writer leaves his hearts imprints

On the story

With his personal take on life.

The painter paints a picture

But emotes the scene

Etched deep in his heart.

The dancer graces the space

With gratitude

From the freedom in the spirit of movement.

The musicians hand creates

With artistic abandon

Signing every piece with his soul.

And in the letting go

Of the creation at hand

Without personal attachment

Marks the path of discovery

Of the value attached

In every part to the whole

For then the art

Breathes life unto itself

To inspire some more.

As it is left bare open

To be shared and seen

In the ever expanding horizon

And in the trials & tribulations

In the making, it knows

It is blessed with the divine touch.

Often as artists there is much at stake ingrained individually.

But to move beyond these narrow means is an awakening to the arising and ever expanding horion of truth in its infinite potential. And that is what gives the shape of things to come.

To see beauty in creation is to know its strength and weaknesses as they are …

knowing it is the divine creators touch that makes it unique even in its very falliability.

No matter then, the elements the energy chooses to express with… for in the very enterprise of creation is a divine transcendence.

Savvy


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Once upon a time…

This beautiful story conveys the preciousness of every life.

We are born for a purpose

Many times we are so busy searching

That we fail to see our own worth

In being as we are

There is always a reason

Why we are as we are

Just because we dont know it

Does not mean life is not worth living.

We are only as good as we learn

To see ourselves in our hearts

Cheer up from your trials and errors

For there are many paths on our way

To nourish with our nature

To heal and help evolve.

There is much that requires our being

To do, to care, to share, to love and live

In our own special way…

The way only we can !

Savvy


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The Bond

To my loving child.
The Bond
Who says the umbilical card is severed.

Never, it can be so.
The bond of blood,
Sculpting every day
With ur flesh and blood.

Never a moment
In those nine months
Was careless or thoughtless
Of the growing life inside.

The miracle of life energies
To continue its cycle on earth Seeps in every cell in its own synergy
A bond that lasts a lifetime.

Age, time and distance doesn’t matter,
A child will ever be a child in the eyes of a Mother,
A continuation of her life
A source of her joy for ever.

A child’s misery bleeds her heart
All the foibles are erased without effort
How nice this world would be
If all have a mother’s outlook towards others.

Putting her child first comes natural, not by intention,
The only love that expects nothing in return.
Everything else becomes a shadow
When the child comes in a Mother’s vision.

A mother is a messenger of God
Not confined to humans alone
Look around to see this motherhood
In all the Species of Nature around.

Selfless and pure ,unconditional love
Caring and sharing comes untold.
The bond is in the senses and soul
Who says this cord is severed at birth.

Anjana

I am touched by the above verses that my mother has penned. I share this here with all my heart and soul, knowing every mother and child out there will relate to this beautiful poem from the heart of my dear mother Anjana.

Thank you dearest mom.

Savvy


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Think well!

Here is a beautiful story that is worth a read and share.

A young woman was sitting at her dining table, worried about taxes to be paid, house-work to be done and to top it all, her family was coming over for Thanksgiving the next day. She was not feeling very thankful at that time. As she turned her gaze sideways, she noticed her young daughter scribbling furiously into her notebook. “My teacher asked us to write a paragraph on “Negative Thanksgiving” for homework today.” said the daughter, “She asked us to write down things that we are thankful for, things that make us feel not so good in the beginning, but turn out to be good after all.”

With curiosity, the mother peeked into the book. This is what the daughter had written:
“I’m thankful for Final Exams, because that means school is almost over. I’m thankful for bad-tasting medicine, because it helps me feel better. I’m thankful for waking up to alarm clocks, because it means I’m still alive.” It then dawned on the mother, that she had a lot of things to be thankful for! She thought again… She had to pay taxes but that meant she was fortunate to be employed. She had house-work to do but that meant she had her own home to live in. She had to cook for her family for Thanksgiving but that meant she had a family with whom she could celebrate.

Moral:We generally complain about the negative things in life but we fail to look at the positive side of it. What is the positive in your negatives?
Look at the better part of life this day and make it a great day”