Savvy Raj

Live Life Lovingly!


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And when the spinach leaves curl…

Every movement is a sign
That denotes something.
There is always a reason why
Nothing is just accidental.

My terrace garden plan
Started with growing a pot of spinach
While the first few weeks
There was a bountiful green…

As they grew some more
The foliage got a little dense.
It perhaps was overcrowded
It harboured a certain dampness…

Perhaps the spinach leaves curl
In lack of space to accommodate
In so doing they become vulnerable
To infestation in distress.

Any sign of curling
Is a contraction
For self protection
From the ravages in living life!

There is always remedy to heal
In going back to basics
In caring to correct the ways
In allowing space for growth.

Let there be space around
For the leaves to breathe in
Regulate the water intake
Harvest them at the right time.

Growing plants teaches many lessons
Worth applying in life and living.
The choice is ours to take
And choose to optimize in the changes.

Savvy

In continuation of the series

Lessons learned from the Three Pots


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On Patience

Patience

Nature never hurries

It takes it’s own time

Nature teaches patience in waiting.

From sowing a seed to reaping a harvest

All goes on in good time.

Seeds to saplings

Leaves to branches

Flowers to fruits

Plants to trees

Roots to stem

All takes it’s own time

To root as much as to grow

Nothing can be hurried.

Savvy

In continuation of the series

Lessons learned from Three Pots


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THREE POTS

Have always wanted to grow vegetables and fruits in our terrace garden. But not knowing much about gardening we kept putting it off.

But seeing how much pesticides are there in vegetables and fruits that we consume, all of us in the family kept wanting to steer towards growing an organic garden.

Although there are a number of show plants and flowering plants that are already there…growing vegetables was still a challenge. So we decided finally to get a local gardeners advice to help start us off on our mission.

Now having no idea about the right planters for the vegetables we have taken up on his suggestion to get 3 pots for our initial vegetable cultivation trial. If successful we decided we can get more pots .

So next came the choice of vegetables to grow in these pots .Everyone came up with the name of some of their favorite vegetables for starters.

But then it got decided that we must grow vegetables that the gardener advises according to the season.

So now three vegetable seeds are sown in these pots . Time will gradually bring forth them into view . Till then it is a matter of patience in waiting

Week 2

A few shoots have emerged…

Energy in the emerging must be magnanimous for new life life to shoot out in the open. All the potential of possibilities of creative energy emerge with this act.

But each pot has a different seed and hence will take its course in time to shoot out to life. Nature never hurries. All in good time.

Yet humans are prone to impatience There was certainly this little bit of insecurity when we were all waiting, wishing to see the hope of a new life through a sign of some sprouting or shooting of a seed to a plant.

Experiences with gardening are a trial and error.

Watering plants correctly is an important learning for plants to grow well. We made our mistakes and learned along the way .

And then we got it right!

Now all the three plants have started growing in their pots. And it’s truly a lovely feeling to watch them grow!

Can you guess the emerging plants?

Yes they may be a long way from fruiting as yet but it’s nice to watch them grow in the nurturing.

Here are some tips on watering.

Lessons in watering plants

You can apply water to the soil directly not the plants. It’s better not to wet most plants as this can cause problems such as fungal diseases -and much will just evaporate away anyway. Water gently, with a rose (like a shower head) which will damage the soil less than a jet of water and prevent much mud splashing up onto the leaves. Also it’s better to wet the ground really heavily occasionally rather than to just splash a little about more often which can make the soil look damp on top while remaining dry underneath.

There is an art to watering plants.

Gently water them caring from the heart.

You will find them awaken in response

Make sure to water them in a timely manner

Not too much or too little

Keep it flowing but dont let it overflow.

There is so much to understand

In the simple act of watering plants

In both the giving and the receiving.

Too less and they will dry

Too much and they will die.

In it lies the lesson of need for balance.

Nature teaches lessons in nurturing.

Savvy

Contd


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Ripples in time

Our thought vibrations create a change, even a single one
Make sure to think well!
Words create waves, even a single word
Make sure it is positive!
Actions create ripples even a single deed
Make sure it’s well intended!

Songs carry resonances afar, even a single tune
Make sure it plays from a loving heart
Whatever you feel, sense and do
Is never only restricted to you.

The vibrations carry on afar
In ways we may not know
It changes the world
In every moment in time
Make sure to feel responsible
You make a difference
Make sure it is a good one!
Savvy


24 Comments

Something…

Find and choose something to do,

Something to love,

And something to hope for.

And it will make you a happy person.

Something to be, something to do

In the being is the doing.

Yes, the potential to create…

That beautiful ‘something’

Is in each of us.

Create light, feel light, live light.

Savvy


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Contact

Point of intersection
Sacred and sacrosanct
To the evolving
In thoughts ideas or deeds.

In making and breaking
In marking or masking
In chanelling or containing
And changing in the exchanges.

The element of space
Creates the challenges.

Emergence of a point or idea
Creates ways for the dance of evolution
Moving it towards convergence
What matters is the path and the way
It chooses to do so.

In intention and contention
Significance of its impact
Matters to the whole
In the freedom lost and gained
As a means to an end
Or in a journey of wonder.

In this dance
Of emergence and convergence
Containing and contracting
In nullifying on impact
Or expressing and expanding
In projecting the possibilities
Creating scope to flourish or finish
Gradually or abruptly.

In the course of such a convergence
The meeting point then diverges
Into the experiences of the being
In thought and action
Creating a muscle memory.

To take off on its course
Treading over or gliding through
To new paths in the possibilities.
In birthing or bouncing off
The intersections create energy

Within and around
And in the spaces beyond
That continues to impact as waves
Deeply even in the subtlest of ways.

Savvy


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Right place right time!

At the right place at the right time…

Are places we land, reach, live and interact of our own choice and free will.

Is there a more at play beyond the random?

Isn’t there a pattern to the puzzle?

Are we meant to be where we are supposed to be?

At a particular place and time.

While every life journey in time is unique yet…

Life has an emergent pattern in the order and chaos that it self creates.

And in between, there is organisation and destruction.

Nature has its way in both order and disorder.

When in the flow of harmony there emerges a stillness in structure.

A plan, a commitment and discipline

Seems worth the effort of it all!

All is clockwork and efficient

Life seems at its optimal best.

And then things fall into a routine.

At a heightened state of equilibrium

When all is even & smooth sailing

A slack and slump in motivation appears,

Complacency creeps in time, in that ordered universe.

Creative juices need a boost up .

And that is when entrophy begins.

Changing equations changing hierarchy

Disruption appears as a need for change

All is in flux of a disordered flow

Disaster sets in, tumbling the structure

Crumbling systems until chaos reigns.

Until chaos settles itself again giving way.

To strengthen structure .

The dance goes on

Between freedom and restraint.

Are we truly free ?

Or are we guided to be

At the right place at the right time!

For there is so little we know

Of this self arranging universe

Except to understand

From the emerging patterns.

Of sequences of self similarity

Of timing and spacing.

There is after all so much more to discover.

Savvy


8 Comments

The Potential Within

Aren’t we often biased about our brain’s workings?
Is creativity only by the so called right- brained?
Is attention to detail only by the logical left-brained?
We need to see beyond these narrow definitions
To broaden our sense of the spectrum of creativity.

Our creator has bestowed us variety in creativity.
We can be lyrically logical.
Analytically artistic and much more.
There are scientifically proven facts
Spouted from words of poets
And poetical manifestations
Of empirical evidences by scientists.
The proof of concepts
Lies in our own nature,
In the fractals of life,
Myriad and mystical
Yet mathematically coherent.

Our brilliance may shine in one field
Because perhaps we haven’t
Yet truly tapped and glimpsed
Into all of our own potential abilities.

Let’s never belittle the true self
For beyond the facade and ego dramas
Our every cell vibration is deeply tuned
To the forces of nature and nurture.

We are far more than we could ever know
We have all imbibed it well in our subconscious
It’s just a matter of time before the awakening
Of the stream of conscious energy in the flow.

Savvy

As a dance educator I have very often come across statements like ‘Mam, I have two left,’ which meant they were so clumsy that they cant dance . Or that they have no balance.

This is truly just a perception…

If only we can understand there is a dance and a dancer in every life. And the dance goes on!

After all we all have a heart that is beating right now!❤

I have heard people often talk of the students of arts as right brained as they are more artistic . Or a science student classified as left brained and logical.

However there is so much more to people beyond these biased compartmentalization. When we begin to see beyond our limited beliefs we open ourselves to the potential within .

Our innate potential simply needs awakening to realise, the truth of who we are and what all we can be….

Savvy


11 Comments

Bring out the dancer in you!

Happy International Dance Day!

A true incident in dedication!

Just a casual conversation with a dear friend on Facebook threw open a facet of her innate personality, she loves to watch others dance and probably would love to learn too, but may be a complex of how it might be perceived, or so has kept her from trying. She also believes she has two left feet…

Well this is a notion held by many people, who may be basically shy or introverted by nature, or even perfectionists , or perhaps have some conditional experiences that makes them uncomfortable in daring to dance.

We went about talking as to how this can be helped.

Some simple yet profound movements that can help as starters.

A few things to remember:
It’s important to give yourself permission to begin movements, in whatever way you think best… a bow in prayer, a call out to yourself, or simply start with watching the dance of your breath in passive awareness and feel energized, with your in-breath and with every out-breath sense the release of that which needs to go …respect begins at home!

Sense, observe and feel one with any movement that you make, accepting the strange and the beautiful, the harmonious and the shaky moves … as part of the same source and believe there is a reason why they are what they are .

Take your time! There is no rush to prove anything so go with what works for you.

Preparation:

Allocate a time and place for yourself in the day at home. Clear the space and rearrange some furniture so that you have some moving space, without any obstructions. Option to have a mirror in front is totally yours as and when you want to allow it to happen. Mirrors reflect our actions so it helps to have one as a silent guide.

Make sure to remove jewellery, watches that may obstruct movement & avoid chewing gum as it is distracting.

As you begin moving on your feet it’s better to wear cotton socks for ease and flow of movement and preferably wear stretchable or loose clothes that don’t restrict body movements.

Remember the first time need not be the last time, just don’t give up! As with everything else, practise dancing from the heart and soul and be open to the changes in the flow.

With every movement we create energy in the room or space we are practicing. Each session is different. Sometimes exhausting, energizing, calming, stimulating, etc depending on a number of factors . Try to be receptive and accepting of that energy.

Aim:

To find yourself as you dance, accepting yourself as you create expressions through movements. Sensing the power of letting go & the power of Dancing as you move.

Take yourself a little less seriously. Enjoy Yourself!

My friend questioned me about how to actually start dancing. Having shared endless conversations completely whimsical or tremendously uplifting with her over the years I know her, I simply wanted to reach out to her and remind her, how much she has already moved with her unique experiences, dancing through the tunes of life. How many movements she already has explored in silent rapture and conscious presence. And how many times she has been supportive, constructive, connective ,caring, loving, giving, tender, gentle & corrective in her movements towards the ones she cared. People like me! Well it was time to gently remind her of her own innate creative flows…

Dance to your own tunes.

Depending on what suits your mood at the moment, let yourself hear some tune, that vibrates with the inner you. Knowing her soft and gentle nature, I suggested some soothing music to be played in the background without it being too overbearing. Since she was wondering how to begin… I suggested her to sit down and allow just her fingers, then her hand and then the arms to begin to move with the music, just yielding, flowing as she felt like from the depth of her soul.

Neutralizing the rest of the body allows the ease of tension of perceptions. With just the hands in front of the person as they move, one could draw a circle with each individual hand. trace a simple pattern, write their names in cursive , using the pace and flow that seems right for them. Many who don’t physically dance much in the open are self- conscious of their physical body. So its important to be gradual in the movements. Once the hands start getting comfortable to move from an inner calling of the rhythm, it’s time to allow the sway of the shoulders or even allow the foot to take a step ahead.

Soon the rest of body joins the dance gradually as you allow and acknowledge the presence of the creative dancer in you.

Movements may seem shaky and erratic at first and as you persevere you begin to see the changes.The movement starts getting connected with the inner you and you begin to merge with the tune and the movement.

After all there is a teacher in you for the disciple in you!

Savvy Raj

Member International Dance Council

UNESCO

http://www.danceconcepts.in


4 Comments

Purpose of Creativity

Is there a purpose
To creativity?
For creativity fulfils itself.
In it’s own doing.

Art is the pathway for creativity
To unleash its potential of possibilities.
Tapping into it’s own understandings.
In the flow, shaping and forming…

Creativity flourishes in the freedom
To do, to be, to voice, to express
Without fear or favour
And yet to create is a responsiblity.

To hold the pieces together.
To give meaning to expression
As it makes thoughts tangible
It holds answers to questions.

In hope for innovations in posterity
Of solutions in probability
In the knowing every facet of creativity
Is just as unique as its creator.

Savvy


12 Comments

To live life lovingly!

Patience in waiting is a virtue
Timing holds the key
For life cannot be rushed
Nor lived in haste.

Flowing along in harmony
Makes all the difference
In knowing life is endless
Dimensions in the making

In understanding and amalgamating
The lessons that are in the living.
In the resting between regeneration.
In the crossing over beyond in fulfillment
All one needs is to live life lovingly!
Savvy


10 Comments

Flowing in harmony

Flowing along is a sign of strength

Misconstrued to be a weakness

It is an instrument in awareness

Of awakening to the potential.

In respecting the harmony in nature

There is so much to understand

In the path of non resistance

In letting go doubts & fear of the worst.

To thrive in the flow of possibilities.

In between the pressure of momentum

In between the dance of forces

Occurs the buoyancy of being

A self adjusted neutrality

A Flow in harmony.

Steer away from impulsive resistance

Whatever you resist persists

Yes while resistance is natural in life

Resistance may create tension

Yet it can be a signal of change

In channelling this very resistance.

In allowing to let go completely

Soon tension eases in the flow

In perseverance & patience.

In response than reaction

Creating positive transmutation.

In thoughts words and deeds

Sifting & sailing through your perspectives

Till harmony becomes you.

Savvy


8 Comments

On Change

You are not the same

You are changing

In every moment

The change is creating you

That changer is within you !

You are the change, the changer and the changing you seek.

The wisdom is in…

Seeing the structure in the chaos and relate to the rhythms in nature.

Following along the infinite beginnings all leading to the same place :’Your true self’.

And in a knowingness that allows you to exercise choice in free will to be who you truly are.

Savvy Raj

Artwork by Savvy Raj

#metaphysics #writing #poetry #selfawareness
#writers #


8 Comments

On discernment

Discernment is a spiritual gift
As humanity stands perplexed
At times in the paradoxes of life
Confounded by challenges.

In the throes of confusion.
An ability to figure things out.
A clarity of purpose and reason.
An act of perception of the obscure.

An ability to be insighted and comprehend.
A sifting through to make sense of it all
Acknowledging the spirit of the soul
Meeting through both the head and the heart.

Discernment is a wonderful tool
In intervention than in criticism.
For the gift is an ability to distinguish
The truth, in the facades that may appear.
In understanding the real and unreal
The truths and the untruths
And everything in between.

When seen with dispassionate eyes
Beyond the mirrored existence
Shifting perspectives in the making.
Yet knowing simply all as parts of the same source.
Savvy


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Befriend nature.

Be a friend of the earth

Befriend nature

Identify with it

You are born of it.

Be one with it!

Care and be concerned

About what affects

The world today

For it matters

Just as much as you.

Love nature

Nourish it with nurture

Grow plants save trees

Choose green living

Choose to sustain and simplify

Support and stand for the cause

Of living with nature.

Voice your thoughts

That are pro nature.

Take a step

To protect nature

Every good deed from the heart

Makes a relevant difference.

Savvy

#earthday