Savvy Raj

Live Life Lovingly!


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On Oneness 

Strength of the interconnects run deep

And in being alive to this now

We are connected in the ocean of oneness.

Savvy 


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Springwell of Creativity

Immense is the power of creative movements to balance the body mind and spirit.  

 We are all creative beings.We need to honour our creativity we need to find avenues to let go express and share what comes natural to us. In that is a healing and restoring beyond compare…

Savvy 

On Hope In The Being

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On Compassion 

 

On Beauty

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On Nurturing  2

Parenting: The learnings in the nurturing.

Parenting is a long term learning process. With the first born every parent is going through a variety of emotions and various stages of parenting. It is true as an infant it is entirely on the parents-  be its safety, its cleanliness, understanding its cries for various needs-  all done with so much love and care without prior experience.  As the child grows  so does its mode of expression, tantrums, seeking attention, and the parents learn to cope up with all of it  like experts. Cherubic angels with devilish moods. It’s a 24/ 7 job with full focus. The teacher in the child starts teaching valuable lessons, you may have not come across so far in any university.

You have to constantly learn new techniques with every child. One lesson will not work with the other as they are different individuals teaching you to handle the same issues with various means.

You will be learning new lessons with every stage of their growing up. Infants to toddlers to kids, youngsters to teen agers, Young adults to grown up,men and women, each stage teaches you different lessons.
You will be learning new lessons on changing generations, their changing values,  how to maintain the balance and be a bridge to keep up the tranquility and peace at home. Though every phase has its testing period, it is challenging period when they are in their teens with their  need to balance their inner and outer worlds.  Once you cross that successfully you can enjoy a momentary peace till the next one starts.

Coping up with the the new relations that springs up in their lives, and the need to understand their changing priorities, to accept gracefully  and take the back seat in their life though they remain as ur priority , without regrets. Ability to know the strength of the bond though invisible still remains strong and intact. The list of life lessons the child teaches goes on till the end.

That is the way life has to go on.

And all the while we pride ourselves as parents and that we teach and guide our children!
Who is the real teacher here?

These are a few reflections from my mothers perspectives on Parenting.

There may be many styles of parenting and the nurturing they instill  may be relative to  what they received. There is no foolproof way to successful parenting as success is itself subjective. However the idea of nurturing  abilities and giving space for evolving  helps the  holistic development of individual.On Nurturing

In a nutshell …can think of  5 A’s of Nurturing as parents… but the list never ends .

Acknowledge abilities as uniquely significant.

Appreciate the good qualities & its application.

Allow the potential of  personal expression.

Accept the challenges as part of life

Adapt to changing nature.

What are your views on Parenting and nurturing? Do share.
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Life is as you make it!

Life meets life

Life loves life

Life trusts life

Life births life

Life greets life

Life touches life

Life appreciates life

Life helps life

Life flows with life

Life inspires life

Life connects life!

Life hurts life

Life fears life

Life owns life

Life negates life

Life fights life

Life fools life

Life cheats life

Life hates life

Life fails life

Life takes life.

Life grieves life.

Life cherishes life

Life values life

Life nurtures life

Life goes on … such is the circle of life!

Savvy

 

  Wheel of life.Artwork by Savvy 


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On Giving & Receiving : 2

In the giving, we find our self
In the receiving, we understand our self.

In learning to give and receive well we learn about our own nature.  How we feel in accepting a gift or compliment or reward or title… For many, it is a task that is confusing, to say the least, especially how to accept a gift in a graceful dignified way.
Even more so, however, is how we learn to reciprocate what we receive and how to do so.
It truly is about reflecting gratitude. A gift well received is a gift in the truest sense or else it can be perceived in many other ways. How do you receive the gift you are given and how you care to express it back can make all the difference. Although subjective to the giver and the occasion the way you acknowledge it is very important to the giver.

I remember this incident from my childhood…
Many years ago as a young kid at school,  I used to carefully collect and save my pocket money so as to be able to buy small gifts for my family and friends on their birthdays. I would forgo my little sweet treats at lunch break and put it all in a little purse.

Once it was one of my dear relatives birthdays and I managed to joyfully search and buy a beautiful bracelet, a trinket actually from the saved money and happily gifted it to her. But to my dismay …in a few days she went and exchanged my gift for something else and I felt a little disappointed for a while when she told me casually about it only much later.  But then gradually I let it go and accepted it as every person is entitled to their own taste of things. And I also felt,  what may appeal to one may not suit the other. To each his or her own!

All is a matter of a shift in perspectives.

As soon as you adjust the way you see things the so-called issues that irk disappear on their own… but the question is are we ready to see beyond the niggling bits.

Lessons in life and living indeed!
A few more reflections on Giving and Receiving


Give with all of your heart 

 whenever and wherever you can 

Because you truly can.

Receive by expressing the value 

In  heartfelt appreciation

 of what you have got 

Because it truly matters.

 For then in the giving and receiving 

 Is established a full circle 

of a contented connection.

And that will pave the path of grace

For more to follow along.


Give generously without any expectation 

Receive generously in true appreciation.

Both are the core of human nature in action.

And all is well in the circle of interconnection.


When you give heartfully forget about it.

When you receive gratefully, remember it 

Savvy 

Tell me have you ever had a similar experience
What do you think about it?  How would you feel if your gift was exchanged… or have you exchanged a gift for another?

Would love to hear from you, do share your thoughts…

Savvy

 

 

 


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On giving and receiving.

When one share’s from the heart, the result is always a regeneration of trust confidence and love in abundance.

With increasing love, there is a decrease of needs and with that, there is greater contentment and fulfilment!   

 A few things to keep in mind are… share without motive, share without ego, share with gratitude! 

The ones who share with acceptance writ in their hearts are the ones who know the value of letting go enough to reaps its rewards.

Rewards that cannot be measured by time or days, as they abound in the infinite wisdom of conscious connections!

In the spirit of the season you can join the dance of life in this now with all your heart and soul. And partake the pleasures of being there in both the receiving and the giving.

Savvy Raj


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The truth of it all!

Getting to the truth of it all!

Beyond time is the eternal truth.

As time is caught in its own warp and loop,

Mirrored in their dimensions

Of patterns and pathways

Of their own making…

To aspire into the yet unknown,

To reach beyond existence,

Of knowing what lies beyond mortality

And all in the vulnerability and irrationality

And touch the core of creation

In coherent contemplation

As connected in continuum

In the interweaving of this interplay

Arises the dawn of consciousness.

To care to fine tune your skills to artistry

Is to perfect the preciseness of the point of view.

Envision this profoundness in the spaces between

Thought and action

In conviction and creation

Of a dimension that is but a mirror

Of its own very existence,

Bringing the fallacies and the facade

Out in the open to sift out the truth of it all.

Savvy Raj 


About me:

Wellness Mentor, Artist ,Dance Educator & Trainer Motivational Speaker, Writer, Freelance Designer

Creativity stems from the acceptance of your authentic self. It is a never-ending journey of endless possibilities that is much beyond the pursuit of a hobby or craft and is a habit of a lifetime. So besides being a Dance Educator as a Wellness coach, I offer a variety of Personal Effectiveness Programs for Self-development. Being a Writer and a Designer creating art gives me immense satisfaction with the infinite ways of expressing myself as I believe in enjoying the journey as much as the destination. 

 

Care to paint, write, draw, dance, sing and smile and simply let yourself be your authentic self and you will find the extraordinary in every moment. 

Savvy 

www.savvyraj.com

Artworks  Savvy Raj .


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Modern Marvels 1

Ingenuity of man is fascinating indeed But when coupled with the passion  it leaves quite an imprint ….

 Here’s a testament of a love story  finding a fixture  in reality .

Have you heard of the STATUES OF LOVE

Located in Batumi, Georgia, the statue of lovers begin to move every night at 7 p.m.And the two figures represent a Muslim boy, Ali, and a Georgian princess, Nino, from a famous 1937 novel  by Azerbaijani author Kurban Said. The tragic story ends with the lovers separated by the invasion of Soviet Russia. This powerful love story has been translated into more than 30 languages.

“Man and Woman” is a 8 meter (26 foot) tall moving steel sculpture by Georgian sculptor Tamara Kvesitadze.



Video link  Watch this

Sharing my verses in  appreciation of the  visions of beauty created by human collaborations in creativity…

An artist’s vision…


An  engineering  of marvel.

Of outstanding technicality.

Ingenuity of man interweaving emotions 

Interspersing with creativity.

Painstaking perfection.

Magnanimous task 

Cultivating  in collaboration

Perseverance and patience 

With teamwork and technicality.

Stupendous effort.

A sight to behold!

Imploring you to feast  your eyes on a visual treat! 

Savvy Raj



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What do you see? 

When I shared this  beautiful picture of the Jacaranda Trees on  the social media yesterday this post got a lot of responses… and continues to pour in still. Perhaps it touches the chord of connectedness somewhere amidst the roots.

Am highlighting a few learnings along the way for me through this post.

 My friend  John Rylance mentioned about how much the beautiful work  ‘ Endymion’ the poem with the opening line ….

‘A thing of beauty is a joy for ever’   by John Keats applies to this picture .  In his words ..

So much of this poem reflects your Jacaranda tree picture, it could so easily be an illustration to accompany the work.@John Rylance

Sharing a  few curated verses  from the poem Endymion-

A thing-beauty-joy-ever…
Paths there were many, 

Winding through palmy fern, and rushes fenny,

 And ivy banks; all leading pleasantly To a wide lawn,

 whence one could only see Stems thronging all around between 

the swell Of turf and slanting branches: who could tell

 The freshness of the space of heaven above, 

Edg’d round with dark tree tops? through which a dove

 Would often beat its wings, and often too 

A little cloud would move across the blue. 

 

Endymion is a poem by John Keats first published in 1818. It begins with the line “A thing of beauty is a joy for ever”. Endymion is written in rhyming couplets in iambic pentameter. Wikipedia Originally published: 1818



I also came across the video clip about these trees there.. 

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QW61D92WV1I

In response my friends Claire Cardwell and Gert Scholtz mentioned about Pretoria and Johanesburg in South Africa having huge number of these trees still.. inspite of the opposition to these  so called alien invasions …


  @Savvy Raj there was a very vocal minority a few years back that wanted to chop down all the Jacaranda trees as they are not indigenous to South Africa. Fortunately the majority over-ruled them! You can’t however now buy a Jacaranda sapling at the nursery to plant in your garden. I do love them, I think the best places to see them in Joburg are in Linden, Northcliff Hill and in an office block in Rosebank – looking down all you can see is purple. Thanks for the post!  Claire Cardwell 


  @Savvy Raj Jacaranda’s are truly beautiful. They bloom this time of year and our street plus many surrounding areas are covered with bright blue-purple flowers. Pretoria is known as the Jacaranda city, but Johannesburg where I live, actually has more of these trees lining the streets. Very nice post Savvy – thanks for the video too.



 A thing of beauty is a joy forever indeed! 

Thank you all for your amazing contributions.  

https://youtu.be/bKlDqgKtpRY

And then as  I happened to share this photograph  with my family and here is what my mother comes up with…

“The twisted branches signify the conflicts in our wavering minds and the clarity of the sky  of the blue in the background with the bewitching pink flowers assures us of the positive solutions at the end .” Anjana 

Indeed so much learnings in the sharings …

What did you see in the picture ?


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Intend well,live well!

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Spend time on that which you love

It is beautiful to reflect and revel in joyfulness

Cos it does your body  mind and spirit

A whole deal of good.

Contrary to opinion of what mindfulness is … being in the now is also about being able to witness the joys of your life in the sensing but  without dependence.

Your own lifes better moments are deeply healing experience for your state of being.

The neurons that fire in the rememberance of positive experiences can bring association of memory banks long long forgotten in time.  And suddenly you find yourself recharged, reinvigourated and regenerated in the wake of such moments.

Mindfulness comes to play in the simple witnessing and letting the memory move on in time naturally as it would rather than wallowing in the wake of  and in the aftermath of  happy memories.

So next time you find yourself in the beautiful times of the then, dont worry, a lot of healing is  taking place sub consciously. Just take care to cross the bridge of the then to the now, steering away consciously and gradually from any self remorse and self pity.

This is where  cultivation of gratitude comes in to help simply feeling grateful to have had some very blessed moments, and that creates space for abundance to move into your present moment.

Have a blessed day and blessed life!

You are your deepest intention.

Intend well. Live well.

Savvy Raj

 

Although I am no medical expert this  reflection has come simply from many of my personal observations in life and living.  As a dance educator and trainer,  and having facilitated workshops for many seniors  I have been blessed with many beautiful memories . But more specifically have been a witness to how fond recollections can be for them of a take back in time when I play music of 40s and 60s with dances from that era. Suddenly their faces light up with smiles and there is a spring in their steps.

There are so many incidents of positive reflections  that come to mind and touch my heart….I  particularly remember one of my senior most student at a glorious 89, mentioning to me excitedly how even a single class on a Monday evening  would have them charged up with positivity for the whole week ahead . I know it is not just about the dance form but about the triggered  recollections of the joyous times of the then and  its associations that made their day !  The goodwill and cheer was almost palpable. Life is truly to live than just exist!
Savvy Raj


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On Interconnects 

For we cannot survive alone  in islands of our own making… 

Life truly  thrives in the interconnects 

Give and partake,  share and receive 

The gifts of abundance are strewn aplenty across

If we choose to truly see with open hearts. 

Savvy Raj 


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On Life Management.

Wisdom truly lies in the art of  management of two principles in life : one of never giving up and the other of letting go.

On one side is a dedication, discipline  and determination  and on  the other is the  dispassionate discernment and in learning to surrender to balance the ego within.  Every attempt at achieving such a state of balance can be a great tool for learning to evolve with the wisdom.
For life is to evolve and not simply dissolve

For life is to live and not simply exist.

Take the path of purpose in faith trust and belief

Flow along with the path of light in passion and dedication .

And allow life to manifest its infinite abundance.

 

There is an exemplary account of life lived in such a path of evolution and enlightenment

Sharing the great visionary  of India Swami Vivekananda’s  account of  life story in his  own words here  ….

 “When you travel on this path of shraddha, (faith) veerya, (courage ) smiriti, (that which is remembered) you have to go through three phases.  The first phase is Haasya (laughter/humour). People will make fun of you. Face them. Accept them. When you are taunted, reply in the same tone of haasya. Then slowly the inner consciousness starts evolving. Then comes the second stage ‘Virodha’.(opposition/ hostility) The same people will start opposing your stance – Accept all the opposition. Don’t fight with anybody. Don’t argue. The moment you get into the argument, then you are going to suffer. If you argue while you are going through lot of internal turmoil’s, conflicts and confusions, you will not be able to convince anybody. So, during the second part of sadhana, (dedicated practice)don’t argue with anybody. Convert the negativity into a positive fragrance and give this in return. Then comes the third stage of ‘Svekaara'(acceptance). The same people who laughed at you, the same people who threw stones, will do pranams ( respectful salutation)& accept you.

In my own life, I have experienced this but I had to pay heavily. Those who taught me became my students but only after I did tapas for 10 years continuously and silently. Understand one thing. Inner sadhana is not a revolution but an evolution. Revolution requires force, vengeance. Evolution requires love, humility and a great feeling of universal love. The consciousness has to evolve. This is an evolutionary process where the bud flowers. We have to allow time for the bud to flower. It will not flower in one day. It takes time. It has to receive proteins, vitamins and the necessary energy for all petals to open out. You have to have a great patience. You have to create an environment for the petals to bloom silently. This is Sadhana. “Swami Vivekananda

 

Any path of passionate dedication and discipline evolves you along in the strength of persevarance

To honor your path and vision is a task of a lifetime.

To steer clear of slack and sloth, lethargy and languidity  takes a  consistent mastering of the senses. 

To stay true to your chosen way and vision is a commitment  driven by your belief  and faith in your life’s purpose of being.

To know is to reach beyond the sensing of the  eternal truth of ones being . 

And  all the challenges happening along in the journey, will resolve in time on its own  as the intent and  focus remains unwavered.

 For life itself  is a spark of the divine consciousness.

Savvy Raj