Happy Independence Day to all Indians all over the world!
Have you smiled from the heart?
Let the smile out from within!
Why not smile when you still can
At times its a tough life indeed!
But a heartfelt smile is such a treat
Be grateful for the smiles
In giving and receiving
Celebrate the power of a smile
Create positivity! Share a smile.😃
Savvy
There is always something we can learn to do…
We can learn to be more understanding and empathetic.
We can learn to be caring and not controlling.
We can learn to love than be lackadaisical of another’s needs.
We can learn to be trustful.
We can learn to believe in evolving together.
We can learn to see the wisdom in the challenges.
We can learn to trade our fears for faith.
We can learn to stop those bullying another into submission.
We can learn to live and let live.
No one owns us and we certainly do not own another.
Savvy
Giving is the movement where the heart speaks without hesitation and in the flow through deeds and words. There is a moment of a decision before the giving and it is in that moment that life can be propelled to evolve along with the patterns of thought.
There is a lot of lovely words focused on Giving and most are essentially on the ‘Give before the Take.’
However, I also have something to share here …Every giving may have its own reasons…
Some may be in an instinctive reaction like warming up of the heart due to mutual understanding either being in the wavelength of resonance at that moment.
Or it may be because it is in goodwill as you genuinely care to show your appreciation.
Another would be because of your own good nature where you cannot leave without a positive act of appreciation in response…. there may be so many million and more reasons for giving which is wonderful for the world at large.
Now the reasons for not giving may be personal and unique as well.
Like for instance when you feel you are being used for a purpose that is self-serving.
Often there is a certain energy, in the very act of giving and that is what leaves an imprint on us and decides our future course of action.
Like at times a particular person’s energy may overwhelm and exhaust you or may be too much to handle that giving more thought or attention to it would feel counterproductive.
Like when you feel stressed and overburdened in the complexities of life and living that you simply may have overlooked the fact that the giving action is truly way beyond the gift itself.
Like when you fail to understand the reasons for giving or think the giver has ulterior motives for that matter…you may just appreciate it out of politeness but steer clear of receiving further as its truly not in your best interest to receive such a gift. But whatever it is, Giving nurtures and nourishes the soul of both the giver and the receiver when the intention is positive.
Go Give More of Yourself
Cos You come from Abundance
Receive with thankfulness
For that fills your own being with Grace.
Savvy
Life is like a book
Every page may look the same
But holds a different reason to be
Every page has its own meaning.
Layered in words and symbols
Contexts that assume clarity
Once the book is read
Messages unbound itself through words.
Peel through the layers
Life stares at you in a heartbeat
All the same.
Yet pull back the layers
Mired in perceptions
Caked in personna
Smudged in ego
Made up with assumptions
Life assumes many forms
Shaping itself in the circumstances
Each unique and distinctive
In impressions and expressions.
Neither can it be replaced nor duplicated
Nature and nurture
Have their own role to play
In the circle of life
Judge not another as you are
For every life churns out
A different truth
Of it’s own existence.
Savvy
What is life if not sensed with the tenderness of the heart
What is life if not sacrificed at the altar of love,
What is life if not moved from the depth of the soul.
What is life if not loved beyond the shackles of time.
What is life if not consumed sublime by the arrow of the heart
What is love if not coached into nature of life by the nurture of love …
What is life if not cleansed through tears of yearning.
What is love if not set aglow through the embers of passion
What is life if not basked in the warmth of love
What is life if not pining in the patience awaiting
As love conquers you it blesses you in the knowing.
Make not a mockery of love
Serenade love and allow it to speak truth
Love surfaces from the depth of emotions
To mend you and this world to a better place.
As true love is eternal
Free as bird in flights of oblivion
Travelling in the abandon
Of the wilderness of the spirit
Yet bonded in the boundless infinity
Endless love a gift of grace
Acknowledge this treasure
Blending two souls in one.
As a life loved is well lived… such a rare sight!
What a blessing it truly is….A love like that!
Savvy
I love the power of these words.
So profoundly inspiring that I had to share.
“I choose gentleness…
Nothing is won by force.
I choose to be gentle.
If I raise my voice may it be only in praise.
If I clench my fist, may it be only in prayer.
If I make a demand, may it be only of myself.”
Max Lucado
Truly beautiful and I deeply appreciate the profound strength of gentleness.
Gentleness is strength of the being
Rendered with softness
It is the power of compassion
That cares to bring the truth
Correcting the tone with care
So that it is well received.
Gentle are bravehearts
Without violence.
A gentle soul intends in goodwill.
Gentleness is a way of life
The path of the gentle
May not be easy
Being gentle is a choice you make.
Savvy
I come from light
Born with the infinite in me
Learning through it all
To move from deepest insecurities to dare
To rise like a phoenix beyond fear.
To see the world in a heartbeat
To turn the tide of pain to pleasure
To awaken the dormant awareness
To hope beyond despair
To give hope to the hopeless.
And when the mood strikes
To take flights of fancy in the light of imagination
Into the world of creativity and dream on
In surrealistic idealism.
To revel, celebrate and enthuse
In the creativity of thoughts words & deeds
To be conscious of my glorious truths
To feel free and yet deeply interwoven
To the fabric of conscious intentions
To denote the goodwill in the endowment
To mark the fleeting time with grace.
To leave footprints in benevolence.
In joyous acceptance of the potential within
Of endless beginning in possibilities
Of Infinity expressing itself through me.
©Savvy Raj
Nature is a dance of abundance
Colours and textures
Waltzing in vividity
With the arising concotion
Of unique patterns
Interspersed with changes
Of Seasons in a rapturous flow
Spellbinding yet endearing
Cataclysmic yet composed
Arresting hues juxtaposed
In delicate balance of form
Distinguishing the elements
Nature expresses in all shades!
The light of it’s own being.
Savvy
Sharing a few of my captures…
Of precious moments in nature.
When the spirit delves into the soul
Seeking an understanding of the self
The emerging picture reflects the true nature of every being.
The turbulence and turmoils ,
The arrogance and attitudes
The anger and greed
The hatred and revenge
Clothed in ignorance ,
Accumulated over the eons,
Vanish without trace.
When it senses the real Truth,
The transience of Nature.
Maturity and wisdom teach
The lessons of life in experiences
Peace and tranquility
Harmony and health
Inner joy and oneness
Are all one seeks
Resonances in eternal time.
Why confine the self to notions that binds.
Trapped in soul cages.
Wiser to unshackle and be free when the way appears
Untangle the chains to fly free in the unlimited space.
Channel the evolving energy in more ways than one.
Develop humility, compassion & loving kindness.
Value the learning in the letting go
Realise the potency of your own Unlimited energy.
Sharing these above reflections which originated in a deep conversation with my own mother about life. These are her heartfelt musings. I simply reconstructed her thoughts with suitable pictures.
Savvy
This post is all about you!
Cos I would love to know more about you, my dear reader.
Would you be so kind as to share if you are fond of dancing…
Do you dance?
And if the music is right …
Would you prefer to dance solo or with a partner?
I do believe dancing from the heart has much to do with your wellbeing.
As a dance trainer over the years, I have come across many people to whom movement and music have made a huge difference in their lives.
Have always seen that it is not about the level or the intricacies of the steps or advanced techniques…
Rather it is about how you feel as you dance from within and how you make and leave another feeling even after the dance is over.
A few minutes of enjoyable dancing can leave lasting impressions on every cell of the being for the better.
Whatever the music or dance style that appeals to you the point is it integrates your healing mode and brings forth a positive transformation in the mind and body.
This is my humble attempt to bring the like-minded together and motivate you to take a step and dance some more.
As you dance you are creating health in and around you.
Do share if you feel dance has touched your life in any way…
Would be great to hear your insights and experiences.
Have shared many of my personal experiences over the years with my Dance for wellness workshops.
Here are some links
Magic of movements https://www.bebee.com/producer/@savvy-raj/magic-of-the-movements
You Most Certainly Can Dance https://savvyraj.com/2018/03/01/you-most-certainly-can-dance/
You lead I follow: I lead, you follow … Life is a dance! https://savvyraj.com/2018/11/27/you-lead-i-follow-i-lead-you-follow-life-is-a-dance/
Savvy
Sharing this is very poignant piece of writing that I came across. Although it is truly touching it does leave us with a valuable learning on living life…
Do care to read.
ONE BEDROOM FLAT…
Written by an Indian Engineer.
A Bitter Reality
As the dream of most parents I had acquired a degree in Engineering and joined a company based in USA, the land of braves and opportunity. When I arrived in the USA, it was as if a dream had come true.
Here at last I was in the place where I want to be. I decided I would be staying in this country for about Five years in which time I would have earned enough money to settle down in India.
My father was a government employee and after his retirement, the only asset he could acquire was a decent one bedroom flat.
I wanted to do something more than him. I started feeling homesick and lonely as the time passed. I used to call home and speak to my parents every week using cheap international phone cards. Two years passed, two years of Burgers at McDonald’s and pizzas and discos and 2 years watching the foreign exchange rate getting happy whenever the Rupee value went down.
Finally I decided to get married. Told my parents that I have only 10 days of holidays and everything must be done within these 10 days. I got my ticket booked in the cheapest flight. Was jubilant and was actually enjoying hopping for gifts for all my friends back home. If I miss anyone then there will be talks. After reaching home I went through all the photographs of girls and as the time was getting shorter I was forced to select one candidate.
In-laws told me, to my surprise, that I would have to get married in 2-3 days, as I will not get anymore holidays. After the marriage, it was time to return to USA, after giving some money to my parents and telling the neighbours to look after them, we returned to USA.
My wife enjoyed this country for about two months and then she started feeling lonely. The frequency of calling India increased to twice in a week sometimes 3 times a week. Our savings started diminishing.
After two more years we started to have kids. Two lovely kids, a boy and a girl, were gifted to us by the almighty. Every time I spoke to my parents, they asked me to come to India so that they can see their grand-children.
Every year I decide to go to India But part work part monetary conditions prevented it. Years went by and visiting India was a distant dream. Then suddenly one day I got a message that my parents were seriously sick. I tried but I couldn’t get any holidays and thus could not go to India … The next message I got was my parents had passed away and as there was no one to do the last rites the society members had done whatever they could. I was depressed. My parents had passed away without seeing their grand children.
After couple more years passed away, much to my children’s dislike and my wife’s joy we returned to India to settle down. I started to look for a suitable property, but to my dismay my savings were short and the property prices had gone up during all these years. I had to return to the USA…
My children refused to stay in India… So I returned to USA with my family.
Time passed by, my daughter decided to get married to an American and my son was happy living in USA… I decided that had enough and wound-up everything and returned to India… I had just enough money to buy a decent 02 bedroom flat in a well-developed locality.
Now I am 60 years old and the only time I go out of the flat is for the routine visit to the nearby temple. My faithful wife has also left me and gone to the holy abode.
Sometimes I wondered was it worth all this?
My father, even after staying in India,had a house to his name and I too have the same nothing more.
I lost my parents and children for just ONE EXTRA BEDROOM.
Looking out from the window I see my childhood and the beautiful moments that I missed. I get occasional cards from my children asking I am alright. Well at least they remember me.
Now perhaps after I die it will be the neighbours again who will be performing my last rights, God Bless them.
But the question still remains ‘was all this worth it?’
I am still searching for an answer!
START THINKING
IS IT JUST FOR ONE EXTRA BEDROOM???
LIFE IS BEYOND THIS …. .DON’T JUST LEAVE YOUR LIFE ..
LEAD YOUR LIFE HAPPILY WITH YOUR LOVED ONES AROUND.
Enjoy it with your near and dear ones
Money does not make you happy,
love of parents, children and all close to us does.
“So much pressure in today’s world to succeed at all costs, to attain materialistic desires, somewhere loses its way and all seems to go back the start.
Such is the irony of life and living”
Savvy
Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com
The stillness between your actions or movements are the bridges to our conscious experiences and the greater your awareness the greater the creative potency of the action itself.Savvy
When you dance, if you still your thoughts to simply learn to flow with the partner, the atmosphere, the music you will undoubtedly enliven yourself in the process and what you have is a beautiful dance of togetherness bridging the spaces between the steps with a conscious awareness …… And that is when dancing feels like a miracle that’s happening!
Photo by Samuel Silitonga on Pexels.com
Is the form you see
Exactly the form I see
Perhaps they differ
In the way we choose to interpret.
Is form the mark of reality
Does being formless makes it unreal
Is form the contention
To know the real and unreal.
Forms are shaped by intentions
In dedication & deliberation.
For forms become fleeting memories
Perishing in the sands of time.
While the formless evolve in the heart
Holding up to unfathomable faith
They may live on in the silent knowing
Of unspoken trust in the being.
Discernment of the forms
In the inner recesses of the heart and the mind
Waltzes the consciousness of the being
In States of knowing ,of the truth of light
A light of wisdom
That takes many forms
Million times over
To show the path of truth.
The path is lit
As the steps are taken
The forms manifest in the interactions
Of vibrations in resonance.
Between these Illuminating illusions
Of the form and formless
What is real and unreal
All are just reflections in the dimensions.
In the beam of even one moment of truth
Is the convergence of envisioning
Forms and formless become one
Conveying the message safely home.
Savvy
In continuation to my earlier post
Here are some very interesting facts.
The average length of a hug between two people is 3 seconds. But the researchers have discovered something fantastic. When a hug lasts 20 seconds, there is a therapeutic effect on the body and mind. The reason is that a sincere embrace produces a hormone called “oxytocin”, also known as the love hormone. This substance has many benefits in our physical and mental health, helps us, among other things, to relax, to feel safe and calm our fears and anxiety. This wonderful tranquilizer is offered free of charge every time we have a person in our arms, who cradled a child, who cherish a dog or a cat, that we are dancing with our partner, the closer we get to someone or simply hold the Shoulders of a friend.
A famous quote by psychotherapist Virginia Satir goes, “We need 4 hugs a day for survival. We need 8 hugs a day for maintenance. We need 12 hugs a day for growth.”
Whether those exact numbers have been scientifically proven remains to be seen, but there is a great deal of scientific evidence related to the importance of hugs and physical contact. Here are some reasons why we should hug::
1. STIMULATES OXYTOCIN
Oxytocin is a neurotransmitter that acts on the limbic system, the brain’s emotional centre, promoting feelings of contentment, reducing anxiety and stress, and even making mammals monogamous. It is the hormone responsible for us all being here today. You see this little gem is released during childbirth, making our mothers forget about all of the excruciating pain they endured expelling us from their bodies and making them want to still love and spend time with us. New research from the University of California suggests that it has a similarly civilising effect on human males, making them more affectionate and better at forming relationships and social bonding. When we hug someone, oxytocin is released into our bodies by our pituitary gland, lowering both our heart rates and our cortisol levels. Cortisol is the hormone responsible for stress, high blood pressure, and heart disease.
2. CULTIVATES PATIENCE
Connections are fostered when people take the time to appreciate and acknowledge one another. A hug is one of the easiest ways to show appreciation and acknowledgement of another person. The world is a busy, hustle-bustle place and we’re constantly rushing to the next task. By slowing down and taking a moment to offer sincere hugs throughout the day, we’re benefiting ourselves, others, and cultivating better patience within ourselves.
3. PREVENTS DISEASE
Affection also has a direct response on the reduction of stress which prevents many diseases. The Touch Research Institute at the University of Miami School of Medicine says it has carried out more than 100 studies into touch and found evidence of significant effects, including faster growth in premature babies, reduced pain, decreased autoimmune disease symptoms, lowered glucose levels in children with diabetes, and improved immune systems in people with cancer.
4. STIMULATES THYMUS GLAND
Hugs strengthen the immune system. The gentle pressure on the sternum and the emotional charge this creates activates the Solar Plexus Chakra. This stimulates the thymus gland, which regulates and balances the body’s production of white blood cells, which keep you healthy and disease free.
5. COMMUNICATION WITHOUT SAYING A WORD
Almost 70 percent of communication is nonverbal. The interpretation of body language can be based on a single gesture and hugging is an excellent method of expressing yourself nonverbally to another human being or animal. Not only can they feel the love and care in your embrace, but they can actually be receptive enough to pay it forward to others based on your initiative alone.
6. SELF-ESTEEM
Hugging boosts self-esteem, especially in children. The tactile sense is all-important in infants. A baby recognizes its parents initially by touch. From the time we’re born our family’s touch shows us that we’re loved and special. The associations of self-worth and tactile sensations from our early years are still imbedded in our nervous system as adults. The cuddles we received from our Mom and Dad while growing up remain imprinted at a cellular level, and hugs remind us at a somatic level of that. Hugs, therefore, connect us to our ability to self love.
7. STIMULATES DOPAMINE
Everything everyone does involves protecting and triggering dopamine flow. Low dopamine levels play a role in the neurodegenerative disease Parkinson’s as well as mood disorders such as depression. Dopamine is responsible for giving us that feel-good feeling, and it’s also responsible for motivation! Hugs stimulate brains to release dopamine, the pleasure hormone. Dopamine sensors are the areas that many stimulating drugs such as cocaine and methamphetamine target. The presence of a certain kinds of dopamine receptors are also associated with sensation-seeking.
8. STIMULATES SEROTONIN
Reaching out and hugging releases endorphins and serotonin into the blood vessels and the released endorphins and serotonin cause pleasure and negate pain and sadness and decrease the chances of getting heart problems, helps fight excess weight and prolongs life. Even the cuddling of pets has a soothing effect that reduces the stress levels. Hugging for an extended time lifts one’s serotonin levels, elevating mood and creating happiness.
9. PARASYMPATHETIC BALANCE
Hugs balance out the nervous system. The skin contains a network of tiny, egg-shaped pressure centres called Pacinian corpuscles that can sense touch and which are in contact with the brain through the vagus nerve. The galvanic skin response of someone receiving and giving a hug shows a change in skin conductance. The effect in moisture and electricity in the skin suggests a more balanced state in the nervous system – parasympathetic.
Quite a bit of indepth information on the healing powers in a simple hug.
Such is the magic in a warm embrace
Embrace, embrace with your heart.
When you are hugging a child, always be the last one to let go. You never know how long they need it. ~Author Unknown
Savvy Raj 
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