The Condor is one of the largest flying bird in the world. Magnificient birds with wings spreading to almost three feet.
They are a symbol of strength and freedom. They have a distinct white circle of tuft of feathers on the neck as well on their wings. The Andean condors are monogamous birds They live with a single partner all their life. They are known to care for their offspring together, for almost an year.
There are many legends by Incas associated with these amazing birds. Of how much they are tuned in to the circle of life. Talks about the magnanimity & loyalty as a bird. They are common to South American Andes region.
We are country overflowing with an abundance of rivers and blessed with the monsoon season. Yet the picture is grim. Rivers are tilting the balance, either in floods or in a draught. The changing weather conditions, the seasonal shifts, have created havoc on our agriculture.
Common man’s need for drinking water is not met. Some states fight for rivers to flow into them with acute water shortages, some states have perennial rivers flowing. And some have dried river beds without a drop of rain.
Our majestic country that stood tall in the wealth of nature from east to west and north to south is sadly shrinking in shame The culprits are no one but us all. Land grabbing and construction is happening without care or consideration of the ecosystem.
Today where rivers were there are buildings With rampant construction without ethical practices. We may have turned the face of India in digitization and globalization but our natural resources are being drained. With rising population, it is creating a giant depletion of resources without developing adequate measures to restore and regenerate the ecosystem.
Here is the truth as we stand today. India is among the 17 countries facing “extremely high” water stress, according to the World Resources Institute’s Aqueduct Atlas. The country, ranked 13th on the list, has more than three times the population (1.4 billion) of the other 16 countries combined. And the crisis isn’t limited to the southern states anymore: Northern India also faces severe groundwater depletion. Earlier, a WWF study showed that Chennai and Kolkata were the world’s most water-vulnerable metros due to mismanagement of river systems and shrinking of wetlands.
What can we as citizens of this glorious generous land do to help? There are many ways to help conserve water and make a difference.
Here are a few easy checks
Close taps when you are brushing/ shaving. Fix leaking pipes and taps. Stop throwing garbage in nature and contaminating water resources. Check your water usage in bathrooms. Fix water-saving showers. Stop wasting water. Every drop counts!
Being human is about caring for the world. So do remember if we save water today, we are ensuring there is water left for the future. Let us all make a difference from where ever we are. Save water.
The colour purple symbolizes many things like mystery creativity, romance, royalty, luxury, pride and peace. It is the colour artists are often fond of. Spiritually, colour purple and violet assist in the expansion of awareness and in connection of deeper consciousness.
How many shades of purple have you heard of... Here are some variations of Colour purple… many of which you can find in the beautiful picture above.
Saw this the other day… I don’t know who originally wrote it but it’s brilliant
”Every minute someone leaves this world behind.
We are all in “the line” without knowing it.
We never know how many people are before us.
We can not move to the back of the line.
We can not step out of the line.
We can not avoid the line.
So while we wait in line –
Make moments count.
Make priorities.
Make the time.
Make your gifts known.
Make a nobody feel like a somebody.
Make your voice heard.
Make the small things big.
Make someone smile.
Make the change.
Make love.
Make up.
Make peace.
Make sure to tell your people they are loved.
Make sure to have no regrets.
Make sure you are ready.”
“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.
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.
Stillness within
The whirling wisdom
Centers within
The search for being
In a knowing balance
Of within and without.
The gaze is never a stare
The moves are never a dare
In fact the flow is sublime
One leads unto another
Nothing marked nothing missed
Nothing focused nothing lost.
In such a state of flow
Where wholeness of being
Is the strength of a circle
That creates unto itself
There is a knowing
Of a space within
An inward glance
Into the souls calling
Springing forth
The sounds of Silence.
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
In such a state of flow
An inward glance
Savvy Raj 
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