When I was a little girl I often have witnessed my dear father see and give great value and acknowledge every little good that is or happens, however small they may seem to others . It could be a with a gentle word , a kind word of appreciation or a little compliment.
He taught me one of most important lesson for a lifetime ….to notice, respect and reflect on the good in and around us … and to live positively and think of life always as Plus++++es.
Life is a beautiful gift as it is and it is in us to see it so.”
For Gifts are best appreciated in deep gratitude.
Bidding adieu to 2018
In Gratitude for the year that was
And in Hope for the year 2019
And many more that will be…
Let the light of joy in our hearts carry us through
Towards Happier Healthier and Healing times
For the world in and around us !
Does karma affect destiny?
And whether we can change our destiny?
What are your thoughts I would love to hear… also as the meaning, the interconnects and interpretation of karma and destiny can be manifold. To each their own.
Our paths are preordained
But we create our karma in every moment.
I simply believe that there is always more than we know and can even begin to fathom
And yet things occur for our own evolution.
While the laws of nature
Take its course
The karmic cycles and destiny
Are juxtaposed in their own way.
The question a life may ask
In deepest turmoils
Is how are we to overcome karma
Or can destiny be changed at all.
Then intelligent life may ascertain
In search and knowing
Of the power of will and choice
To overcome the thorns of agony
It may project positivity
It may sense equanimity
It may become non judgemental
It may learn to value moments.
Yet can it change what is to be endured?
Can it prevent pain altogether?
Karma is linked into past present and future…
Through cause and effects, action and reaction.
And well, destiny is the way it was meant to be
You may transform your karmic status in every response.
And Destiny is not necessarily changed
Yet it can be transcended.
Simple ways to transform karma
To bring about a space between the steps
To respond than react. Simple ways to transcend destiny
To choose goodwill in and around you.
To ask but less for the self and more for the good of others around you.
To practice thinking beyond ones limited self.
To remember to let go, to give more than you receive.
For only if what we are ready to give can transcend limitations, can we see abundance within and around us.
Such is the way of life and living.
Dance is a lot like life . Here I bring forth a few simple pointers on Partner Dancing.
Important lessons in leadership are easily learned, on the dance floor…as you lead and as you follow.
They are very simple lessons and yet very powerful and contribute in making one a better dancer immediately. But more importantly it helps to know how to be a better leader in life too.
About two decades or more, Social dancing workshops and lessons in India were rarely common. We decided to do something about it and the Dance Concepts Latin &ballroom dance workshops began . We started with the basics :a Foxtrot , a Waltz , Jive , Rock n Roll and of course a Cha Cha Cha.
The idea was to teach as naturally and as simply as possible, so that the students made quick progress in learning the concepts of dancing rather than just a routine. Having had the privilege of sharing our social dancing skills with so many eager learners over the years we made a few observations … when the learners were learning the footwork side by side they would find it a breeze. But when we instructed them to join hands and dance together in an open hold some of them felt as if they were wrestling more than dancing with the lady pulling one way, while the man was pushing her another way Each had their ideas about how they should move and how it would look.
Social Dancing is a partnership, a partnership where there is a leader and a follower. Even if you don’t like to follow, to dance well together it is wise to respect the partnership rules. Learning to follow is a skill that one needs to develop and is not necessarily easy. It’s difficult as you have to do the same thing your partner is doing, except backward.
Just as important, you have to follow his lead even if it seems as if he’s going the wrong way. And thus if one learns to lead well, the partner may actually enjoy the feeling of being led than feeling yanked and shoved around.
Traditionally the man takes the lead on the dance floor. Yes, in ballroom dancing – even in these days -mostly the man leads. But roles can be and are reversed as well. After all it takes two to tango… if one leads the other follows.
Being a leader is more about sensitivity and definitely not about pushing your partner around, but to lead well, it is necessary to develop spatial awareness so you know exactly where your partner is at every moment, which foot their weight is balanced on without looking. You have to be aware of their pacing, and be mindful of the strengths, and weaknesses. And you have to take all that into consideration every time you move with a partner in your arms.
A good leader connects than controls.
Savvy
Sense what you are going to do before you do it. Just be aware of what your next step is going to be, and give your partner the signal at the right time so they can follow you gracefully. Like so in life: Having some foresight of what your life should become is like knowing what type of dance you want to do. But being a good leader requires more of you than that. It demands that you also have good ideas about the medium- and short-term tasks that are required to achieve that vision. And it means you have to communicate those ideas to your partners – those who are working closely with you to achieve your vision.
When dancing together it is very important to …
Signal your intentions with clarity. To lead well, and the way to avoid using force is to give strong, clear signals. The clearer your signals are, the easier it is to follow you. And the easier it is for your partner to follow you, the better you will look and feel together and the better they will like dancing with you.
In life: knowing what you want from your partners, colleagues etc is not enough. You have to let them know what you want them to do by communicating it to them with clarity. And most of all you have to develop the art of patience.
Lead to demonstrate your partner’s strengths.In dancing, the purpose of the leader is to lead – but the purpose of the dance itself is to enjoy the moment with your partner, each focusing on the bringing the best of each others strengths than the weaknesses…
Wise leaders hardly blame the follower when things go haphazard , which it might at times! After all exhilaration and excitement are a stones throw away from comfort zones that one might trespass at times , yet when ever the leader and the follower work in harmony … it is magnetic and mesmerizing indeed! It is then a dance beyond all expectations!
In your growing years, many emotional fluctuations of belief and disbelief will arise from curiosity to concern, from doubt to belief, questioning the purpose of our existence, questioning the powers undefined , the supremeness of it all ..!!!!
May my thoughts be well scrutinized by you in your quest to answers that resonate to your being . But hope to pass on a share of my simple understanding of the complexities of the undefinable ‘Faith’ in the name of God!
To me faith is the hope and strength of divinity in each of us …Without which we cease to exist as living beings .
Acknowledging the presence of divine compassion in our lives is about being able to receive as much easily as much as being able to give.
When we are focused on evolving deeper into our spiritual path of awareness , very often the body is neglected … it could be physically neglected, abused, deprived in more ways than one ,either out of sheer ignorance or due to assumption that austerity and overt practices of discipline over our body will only lead to salvation .
When the very dwelling place of our being is neglected how are the roots going to dig deeper… wisdom is not intellectual understanding alone.
True wisdom is acknowledgement of the divinity in every living being … being able to understand the union of the heart and the mind , and in the awakening of the wisdom one finds the balance in the union of action and thoughts.
Caring for our body,is a prerequisite to spiritual growth .. if you don’t love yourself, how can you love others .Eastern philosophies extoll the virtues of equanimity and the consciousness of the intuitive intellect, a sense intelligence than just rational thoughts … And when we learn that you and I are simply one… the connectedness of consciousness becomes easy to unravel . We are also able see and to accept the reality of the shades of grey in between the black and white of human behavior .
When we are able to do so , the so called negative traits of reaction , rebuttal to an action converts itself to a mindful response with equanimity .
This method invokes a sense of balance in the living being .
Simply adding an element of gratitude to all that we are blessed with will only let us ingrain a spirit of gratefulness in whatever we do …as we learn to respect and love another being as part of the same source … AND THAT TO ME IS ….
BEING HAPPY WHERE YOU ARE, AS YOU ARE, WITH ALL THAT YOU ARE …. LOVING THE SELF …AND CARING ENOUGH TO LOVE THE WORLD AROUND YOU !
AND THEN THE FAITH IN THE GOD -NESS IN YOU AND ME IS ONE !
Love
Mom
Savvy
This is an excerpt from a few reflections written to my daughter in her growing years.
To my loving child.
The Bond
Who says the umbilical card is severed.
Never, it can be so.
The bond of blood,
Sculpting every day
With ur flesh and blood.
Never a moment
In those nine months
Was careless or thoughtless
Of the growing life inside.
The miracle of life energies
To continue its cycle on earth Seeps in every cell in its own synergy
A bond that lasts a lifetime.
Age, time and distance doesn’t matter,
A child will ever be a child in the eyes of a Mother,
A continuation of her life
A source of her joy for ever.
A child’s misery bleeds her heart
All the foibles are erased without effort
How nice this world would be
If all have a mother’s outlook towards others.
Putting her child first comes natural, not by intention,
The only love that expects nothing in return.
Everything else becomes a shadow
When the child comes in a Mother’s vision.
A mother is a messenger of God
Not confined to humans alone
Look around to see this motherhood
In all the Species of Nature around.
Selfless and pure ,unconditional love
Caring and sharing comes untold.
The bond is in the senses and soul
Who says this cord is severed at birth.
Anjana
I am touched by the above verses that my mother has penned. I share this here with all my heart and soul, knowing every mother andchildout there will relate to this beautiful poem from the heart of my dear mother Anjana.
My recent poem ‘The Middle Path of Peace‘ evoked many responses. The following verses are my musings to a comment … Especially the one by a reader on the necessity of war.
I propose here a moment in peace
Through the following verses…
Hate is never meaningful, love is
War is never meaningful, peace is.
To confuse war to be the answer for peace
Is the greatest fallacy of mankind
For the war never truly ends once begun
It sprouts the seeds of hate before it is over.
Yes, wars are fought
When equality and freedom are forfeited
As a privilege of a few,
When oppression and chaos reign,
When pushed beyond resilience,
When backing down is not an option,
For it is, then, a matter of self-preservation and survival.
Savvy Raj 
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