There was a saint, who was never affected or angry at anyone, how much ever anyone ill treated or insulted him.
His disciple was intrigued by this nature and wanted to know the secret of his calmth.
When he asked the saint, the saint patiently explains how he conquered his anger.
“I had this long time habit of meditating while sitting in an empty boat on a lake. While doing so, once when I was in deep meditation suddenly another boat hit my boat . I was so angry to know who was so careless to disturb my meditation. But when I opened my eyes in anger I saw an empty boat which was moved by the blowing wind and hit my boat. I realised my anger was unaimed as it was an empty boat .
So when ever I get angry I remembered it n think this is an empty boat too and became quiet.
The truly strong person is not the one who controls others by physical strength, but the one who can control himself from his anger.
This simple story elucidates the necessity of self reflection and awareness of the negative effects of anger on oneself as much as others. Anger is often a result of frustration and feeling blocked . The reactions can escalate out of control in time.
Uncontrolled Anger ruins life and living.
Anger is damaging and destructive.
It is important to break free from its vicious cycle.
Here are 5 tips for breaking free of Anger cycle.
1. Taking some ‘ me time out ‘ everyday.
2.Thinking before Speaking
3 Practicing Forgiveness & Letting go.
4 Using Humor to Diffuse Tension
5 Using Relaxation Methods for Calming
There is a need to acknowledge anger patterns and work on the triggers that affect. So more than prevention by suppression it is better to understand the loss of control of words and actions and channelize it well. Like a little time out for self could be about engaging in physical exercise, dancing , music gardening, any hobby or reading a book, regular meditation or simply witnessing nature . All are very helpful in bringing back a sense of balance in our perspectives of thinking and creating a space between our steps.🙂
Always remember, it is important to know it is completely ok to seek professional help to manage anger when it is affecting our life and the lives around us.
Years of conditioning
May often bring the habit of self criticism
Avoid self sabotaging the self
Often times we try to be too self righteous for our own good!
This makes way for a certain self doubt and self denial that disrupts our growth.
We are human and truly let us be so
We have our foibles and our feats to own up to.
We can accept the applause with dignity of being in a simple thank you!
We have no necessity to act small, helpless or defensive in every moment.
We are best serving ourselves
When we begin to express the potential in our being
Often we cover down in fear of being judged or criticized
Know this world is large enough for us all and more
Each of us must play our part in living here
We are all entitled to a life of dignity and we need to sense that in our being.
So let us change our song
From criticism to approval
And watch the change this single act of deliberation
Can bring about in your own life as well as in others around you
Watch the positive transformations
Through these three simple acts Approve Appreciate and Applaud!
Savvy
To all the women out there… when you see yourself in good light,
Creativity is innate potential. Deeply entwined in humility In every realisation of potential infinite. Creation manifests itself time and again. Savvy
It is actually simpler to be yourself. There is something that each of us can do better than any other. So important then to listen to the inner voice and bravely obey that.
Mindfulness is always a work in progress… It is a continuous journey in awareness, not just a destination.
It is a cultivation of appreciation for life and living in every moment…
To meet & see things as they are
To have an awareness of the self and another.
To integrate the mind and body
To know all is deeply connected
To acknowledge the arising perspectives as part of the flow.
To value the spaces between the steps
To respond than react.
To create a habit to be in a witness mode.
To have patience in waiting.
To sense the awareness of the oneness.
To feel safe and supported
To develop space to be content and connected.
To be glad for no particular reason.
To live with awareness than simply exist in the moment.
Interesting set of reflections , I just had to share…
Hardly the day started and … it is already six o’clock in the evening.
Barely arrived on Monday and it’s already Friday.
… and the month is already over.
… and the year is almost up.
… and already 40, 50 … years of our lives have passed.
… and we realize that we lost our parents, friends.
and we realize that it is too late to go back …
So … Let’s try, however, to take full advantage of the time we have left …
Let’s not stop looking for activities that we like …
Let’s put color in our greyness …
Let’s smile at the little things in life that put balm in our hearts.
And yet, we must continue to enjoy serenely the time that remains.
Let’s try to eliminate the “after” …
I do it after …
I will say after …
I will think about it after …
We leave everything for ‘later’ as if “after” was ours.
Because what we do not understand is that:
after, the coffee cools …
after, priorities change …
after, the charm is broken …
after, health passes …
after, the children grow up …
after, the parents get older …
after, the promises are forgotten …
after, the day becomes the night …
after, life ends …
And after that it’s often too late ….
So … leave nothing for ‘later’ …
Because always waiting for later, we can lose the best moments,
the best experiences,
the best friends,
the best family …
The day is today … The moment is now …
The above post is replete with the wisdom of Now. It resonates so much, especially with two of my earlier share of verses… one penned by my mother…This moment!
This note above has a true story that happened with me…. I have published it in my earlier article called the Magic of Movements. This is one of those moments when writing and sharing stories from our lives bring us a deep sense of connection… with our readers and ourselves in gratitude for the learnings. And there is that sense of magic through words. This is an old story but to me, but sharing it evokes the same poignant feeling of fond memories of the people that are attached to it
Here is the story if you would like to read.
The Magic of Movements
‘Life is a dance’….A painting by Savvy Raj
As a Dance Educator and a Creative MovementTrainer using Ballroom and Latin dances to improve health and well-being through various Dance for Wellness programs, it has been an enriching experience watching the learners revel in the simple joys of movement.
I have witnessed complete shifts in self esteem, confidence and agility among learners of all ages.But to cite a very recent instance …there is a small group of senior learners at one of my workshops who are gradually changing their mental makeup to being extremely enthusiastic about life and learning to dance. I still remember that Sunday morning about four years ago when I was almost through with teaching a Waltz class and I saw this slender, elderly elegant woman walking in and standing quietly, keenly watching the students who were practicing their steps from the sidelines. She was waiting to speak to me ….In that first moment of contact instinctively I knew there was an instant connection.. I gave her a listening ear and noticed she spoke softly and clearly . She said she was heading a group of Senior citizens she would like me to come over and meet the group and also teach them to dance . Her request seemed just right up my alley as I had been intending to conduct some workshops for seniors myself but hadn’t had the opportunity yet . This seemed as if my intentions were slowly finding a way to fulfillment . We fixed up that I would come over and meet them the following Monday at the local church where they all meet up for their weekly meeting . This I came to know later,was the only activity they had together every week .
Soon enough in a week or so I got a call from the lady who initiated it all saying that they need some time for permissions to use the same space of the church for the dance lessons . And that was that … nothing happened . Meanwhile I continued with my Dance workshops , and facilitated training’s of corporate clients . I would remember that meeting once in a while but left it to time to decide the outcome of that meeting.
A few years passed and I was returning back after finishing a children’s workshop in Chennai when I received her call again . Her clear and determined voice was cheerful and hopeful . She said she had two things to say , the seniors have agreed to join in and the church had given them the space to go ahead with the classes . Fantastic …. I knew in my heart it was no coincidence that it happened at all . After all the connects that we established that day were just moving to affirming itself !Well I got Godspeed on my side this time around … things moved on smoothly and we were well into rolling out the first class of Swing Dancing and more .
When I had first met up with them, I remember them huddled in chairs, quite apprehensive and some of them unsure about their ability to learn dancing . But today they have a spring in their step , glint in their eyes and a smile on their lips as they Swing and Cha Cha to their hearts content . And guess what… they love to dance the Merengue and Bachata too and are waiting to learn some more.So happy to have had the opportunity to make a difference in their lives.
The first time I met them they were a group with lots of concerns. They heard me patiently and asked a lot of questions , ranging from whether they would be able to learn at all as most of them were well over sixties and seventies or so .They also mentioned that though they have danced earlier in their lives, they don’t remember much. Some said they know all there is to know, a few others brought out their health issues which were bothering them so much that they cant possibly exercise let alone dance, some questioned what is the point of learning to dance …
Well to be frank I had an interesting and enjoyable time clearing their doubts and addressing their concerns . I knew most of their concerns were common to most people at their age in India.I spoke to them addressing each of their concerns and finally mentioning instances of my own intention of wanting to work with a group of Seniors.
The initially reluctant let their defenses down and an interactive session followed, where I got some understanding of them and they of me . It was one of those fulfilling days a wonderful memory now which I hold close to my heart .Though at the end all they said was that they will get back to me in some time…. somehow as I drove back home that evening I knew in my heart we were all certainly going to meet again in time .
Today as I write this its been six months and more.Dancing together they say they have realized the values of the human connection and the strength of community . They mention to me how they eagerly wait for their dance workshops .They speak of how dance steps into their lives , in moments of loneliness and makes them positive and alive again. They know dancing now is so much more about valuing that equal partnership between the leader and the follower and that the bonds of the dance floor leaves lasting and empowering impressions in their hearts and lives .
This experience as well as many similar incidents has left me even more confident about my beliefs …C ultivate Patience. Dream selflessly. Positive things are waiting to unfold if only we continue to dream our unique dream and believe in it !All you need is the strength of intention and the dreams realizes itself , just trust in the process!Do what you do with all your heart !Like minded people will arrive somehow and help you actualize it !
In this endeavor I take this opportunity to express my deep sense of appreciation to some of my dear students who assisted me at the workshops who took time out to be with me at these sessions and I know they shared with me equally the joys of making a positive difference in people’s lives.
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
My Dedication in Celebration of the World Kindness Day yesterday.
Kindness in words creates confidence. Kindness in thinking creates profoundness. Kindness in giving creates love. – LAO-TZU
Such profound words of wisdom from the great master Lao Tzu!
Always believe that when you share kindness with another, more kindness springs up, whether it’s in your thoughts, in your deeds, or in stillness too. Whenever you give with a compassionate heart and the receiver accepts with gratitude and appreciation, you have both made a foray, knowingly or unknowingly, into the dimension of empathic living.
There is a great abundance of learning to share.
Learning is never limited, it is endless and ever regenerating in itself. What I perceive to understand and to confidently and gratefully share with the world in my unique way, will in itself become known in the hearts of the ones I shared it with. This is the power of positive change. They will eventually distribute their own interpretation of that knowledge in their own creative way with another, and so on.
Then the incredible happens! With every distribution, there will be depth and dimensions a new, which in turn will pave the path for greater clarity and wisdom. However, the choice of walking the path is one’s own!
When one person shares 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 fulfillment.
A few things to keep in mind are:
Share without motive.
Share without ego.
Share with gratitude.
The ones who bestow with acceptance writ in their hearts are the ones who know the value of letting go to reap its rewards.
Rewards that cannot be measured by time or days, as they abound in the infinite wisdom; a circle of conscious connections.
Weathered and worn
I lie here today
In this moment
That you look at me
I know so many thoughts
May pass your way
Memories that only can fathom
Of a time passed long by
You and I
Have lived through
Those days protecting
Your dear child
Through rough weather
Your mother’s affection
I can sense till today
As you would lovingly
Clothe your precious baby
With me
I know we are privy
To those special times
When you child lived in me
Played and fed with me on
How many times
You would carefully wash dry
And iron me out
And keep me clean and warm
All ready for your baby to wear
Your baby may never know me
But you and I
We have a special bond
A recall of those memorable times
That we shared
Until one fine day
She outgrew me.
Today you found me
As you left me
Deep in the closet
Among the old and discarded
But am I glad to be caressed with love
And photographed with joy
And reminisced about…
For in this moment
Your little gesture
Touches my being
For I feel I have served my purpose well
Thank you as well
For choosing me
And caring to keep me with you
All these years and maybe more!!!
With love
❤An old baby dress ❤
Found my daughter’s old baby dress and I was suddenly transported back in time…
Today my daughter is indeed all grown up. I took a picture of this little dress and shared it with my daughter who studies in a land far away…
The nurturing years of her childhood flashed by and I sat down to pen my reflections…
There was a time when the day started with a greeting at the light of dawn
Now it all starts with the light of mobile screen
There was a time when travellers used to chat with one another.
Now traveling is to update status and post photos.
There was a time when writing meant using a pen and paper.
Now all it mean, is clicking of buttons on a keyboard.
There was a time, when postman were eagerly awaited.
Now that is all a thing of the past.
There was a time when movies were a family affair.
Now Netflix on phone makes everyone watch on their own.
There was a time when children learned from parents.
Now it is children who teach it all to their parents.
There was a time when holidays at home meant board games & conversations
Now all the catching up is on What app and Facebook.
There was a time when life had time to catch up with one another.
Now life runs after time to catch up with time.
With the advent of times,
The sense of family is fast disappearing.
Each lives for themselves and prefers their own company.
Each spends and cares more for their gadgets than people around them.
With the apathy and indifference that abounds,
The Social recluses we are all becoming confounds.
Such is the time we live in today…
Wonder what future we have, to reckon with?
Savvy Raj 
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