Learning to dance is indeed a labor of love and I cherish every moment . How privileged are we to share this indescribable Magic of Dance.
Hoping to continue to take this beautiful art of Dance to empower more and more people to sense and love the beauty of every movement in the moments called Life.
Savvy
Happy Fathers Day! God Bless Dads!
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 sensed in our hearts which evokes poignant feeling of fond memories of the people that are attached to it.
Yesterday was my mother’s birthday. And I came across this reflection of hers by chance and started reading it, Although she is living far away in another city, I deeply connected with her in every moment as I was reading this. Wishing her a beautiful blessed day!
Finding peace
Happiness is an abstract state which gives us high,
makes us feel positive about everything,
makes us forgive peoples faults, brings a smile in our face n laughter in our mind,
gives us strength,
brings love to our heart,
makes our surroundings beautiful, makes life worth living,
radiates our being irrespective of the outside effects.
Happiness is the real state we are born with. That is our real form, shrouded by the clouds of acquired and induced qualities as we walk along this long path of life. In due course, it gets overshadowed by outside influences that we forget how to be really happy. We start seeking happiness from outside sources forgetting our own storehouse inside us.
Thus starts our dependence. Whether material, emotional, physical, or spiritual, for everything we start seeking help from other people or substances which gradually grow from need-based to the necessity which we cannot live without. In the long run, the very source we think gives us happiness adds nothing but misery. The more u seek outside the more ur inner light dims.
How to come out of this self-induced predicament. Really very hard as the acquired dirt must have become layers of solid sediments. A little Viveka n Vairagya are the tools God has provided us with, to unearth the hidden treasure, of Happiness Within.
Viveka means right understanding, discriminating knowledge n true wisdom.
Vairagya means detachment, dispassion, maintaining a state of mental equilibrium.
Developing both these qualities help us to be in a peaceful happy state irrespective of outer influences knowing their transient nature. The more we delve in these, the nearer we go to our inner self which is the abode of ultimate BLISS.
The ever-changing face of the sky
The dancing flames of the fire,
The soothing flow of the air,
The flowing waves of the water,
The surface of Mother Earth
All just set to put in our mind the transience of Nature.
The rising and setting of the Sun,
The waning and waxing of the
Moon,
The revolution and rotation of the earth,
The cycle of the changing seasons
Just to remind us nothing is forever to stay.
The karmic cycle of birth and death,
The changing phases of lives,
The changing moods of the mind,
The swaying patterns of wealth
Aren’t enough to teach the human mind equanimity and humility?
How many more lessons does one need?
Anjana.
This piece ‘ Finding Peace’ resonates deeply. Especially so in these chaotic times.
Every thought sets a pattern
In fact in a loop
Of interwoven scenes
Some that seem relatively strange
And some unidentifiable
Every loop jumps and lights up another
In the intersection
Is thought quantifiable at all?
Thoughts come and go
But what if we reflect on our thoughts
Like witnessing our breath, as it goes on
Thoughts may manifest on their own.
When we are mindful of our thoughts.
May be just for a bit of time every now and then
We flow along and cultivate an awareness of its nature
We become gradually mindful of the now.
In time, a sense of connect develops
In conscious awareness of our intentions.
We are creating spaces between our thoughts
And pauses in our reflections.
When shift is known by the mind
And felt in the heart
Then every thing moves
In conscious awareness.
When can you give and share with joy? And what happens when you give and share …
When your cup is overflowing !
A state of abundance
This is an extreme state where you are having so much to give. You are overflowing with possibilities in the potential.
When you give from here,
You may not miss anything.
You may not know the joy of sharing and giving as you have so much more.
Maybe you are giving because you want to get rid of whatever you are giving.
Maybe you want to self balance.
Maybe you want to share with those unfortunate.
Sharing the good always helps.
But do u know if the one you share it with truly wants it or uses it well.
Or do you give no matter
Even if it goes to waste
Because you are overwhelmed. Then that is not giving but discarding.
When your cup is half full!
When you are having some and then you share some, then you are sharing from your heart and brain.
Youunderstand and feel for those in need.
You share because you have something to share, may be not much but you know in your heart
That as you keep sharing you create space for more to come. You are balancing yourself between needs and wants.
You are careful in what you give but you give from your heart, from a space of love.
Such a giving arises from equanimity.
When your cup is almost empty!
When you give from nothing much to give maybe you are hyper extended already.
You may know but choose to ignore it
Else you may be unaware that there is not much left.
In both these cases the giving takes more out of the giver, so much so that it may soon cease.
What can u give when there is nothing to give?
You will give may be beyond your ability but then you will tire soon, feel used and exhausted.
This is a state of tilted balance not a great way to give.
We all may have experienced this at some point or other in our lives.
While giving from a place of love and trust it never goes wrong. We do need to feel the joy in giving. As long as your heart says go on, you must, else notice what’s making your hearts feel different and pay attention. You may learn something more on it!
When the giving & receiving complement each other it is truly ideal. But most often that is not the case.
However, giving is best shared when it comes from a place of trust faith & confidence in the giving that there is always going to be something to give.
When giving is mutual there is a flow and there is abundance.
When giving is from contentment there is gratitude and vis versa.
When giving feels enough it’s best to assess why it feels so!
In greater understanding, the giving flows…
Life is never stagnant
Its meant to flow
Be a giver Giving always finds itself receiving
Life is a circle.
These reflections are my heartfelt effort at sending some positive words of hope and resurrection to so many daring entrepreneurs who risk so much in these difficult times.
Every enterprise finds a crossroad
With unexpected constraints
When the narrative gets disrupted
Innovate to overcome Inflections
Change is the law of nature
Life is meant to evolve
But often change can overwhelm
As it shows up unexpectedly!
Inflections can be challenging
But it opens new vistas of thought
When enterprise and effort kicks in
The resolutions become crucial
At the point of inflection
Identify a pivot to circumvent the situation.
With a purposeful drive to beat the odds.
The systems need an innovative rethink
To adapt to changes realistically
To identify the key drivers of change
Instilling agility in teams to deliver.
No business is risk-free
Yet forewarned is forearmed
To smoothen critical transitions
At unexpected events such as now.
Choose to envision the bigger frame
Adopt an eagles eye view
Seek to identify values and you will find pathways.
To lead you to develop & innovate.
A few tips along the way
Listen to your teams.
Schedule a brainstorming sessions
At different intervals.
Use the collective intelligence of teams.
Allow people to pitch in, it creates cooperation, trust and builds solidarity.
Be informed and innovate.
Every milestone is a learning curve. Reinvent ideas& strategies Expand your vision and allow your life experiences to guide you. You did not just go through them for nothing! You are meant to flow!
An interesting story share that conveys the importance of making the most of lifes difficult situations…. do read.
After 60 years of ideal married life , they had no secrets between each other. The wife’s only request was not to ask anything or open the wooden box she had kept in the attic. The husband respected that.
On her deathbed the wife told the husband ok. I want to tell u everything. Pl. Bring the box on the attic.
When he opened the box, there were 2 woollen dolls, his wife made and 10 lakhs. in cash.
The wife explained,when I came newly married to your house my grandmother gave a wise advice. She told never to argue with you for anything. If I’m angry she told me make a woolen doll which I was good at. I practiced that all these years.
Only 2 dolls. The husband was so happy he made his wife angry with him on only 2 occasions in theses 60 years.
What about the 10 lakhs? he asked.
Oh! That is the money I got by selling the other dolls I made.
Every life is uniquely endowed with perspectives and experiences. A living book is a human who shares his life’s stories and wisdom with willingness with another interested individual.
If the conversation is interesting the living book is read some more but if it does not meet the requirements of the individual reader, he is free to get up and find another living book to meet and connect.
Living books library concept is an interesting way to bring together learnings from life experiences directly on a one to one basis and a group setting. The conversation depends on what you want to understand and turn it towards.
Life teaches us much and every human can benefit from unedited direct soul to soulful connects where words flow at the moment. In such connection is the transparency of truth that is glaringly stark from a book of prewritten words arranged in a format predesigned to sell in the market.
Life is so much than being a business. In these discussions, the reader or the learner and the living book are both free to direct the course of the conversation without constraints.
Unlike a regular library of books, the human library is a gathering of humans and is event-based.
There are many functioning human book libraries all around the world today.
The concept began in Copenhagen Denmark in 2000. The idea is to be nonjudgemental and engage in a dialogue that helps break barriers and social prejudices. The human book could be anyone who has a story to tell and is ready to share it. Or someone who has gone through any kind of discrimination and wants to share their experiences openly. So next time you want to explore the idea of reading a book, consider and lookout for opportunities to connect with a human book!
3Are you feeling you are giving more than you are receiving?
4Are you trying to do more than you actually can?
5Are you feeling criticized for everything good you do?
6Are your kind and benevolent intentions disrespected by your loved ones?
7Are you feeling threatened into submission?
8Are you feeling tightened by your own net of people whom you love?
9Are you gasping to breathe free?
10 Are you feeling a loss of control and confidence in daily life?
If you have answered more yes than no then chances are you are truly enmeshed and need help.
You need to redefine boundaries and clarify your stance.
Often creating boundaries is confused with being unapproachable and seen to be controlling and limiting.
But often it is about creating a space for the self, as much as to draw a line for others so that they dont tread all over you.
Caring for the self matters and one can be empowering and empathetic at the same time.
So it is important to know your needs matters and that it is not necessary to say yes to every thing and every one. You need to to learn to take a stance and set your boundary that allows another to respect your being.
Only when you establish your stance you create healthy boundaries for others to take you seriously and not take advantage of your kindness.
It is important to know where you end and another begins.Then you learn to be in relationships and yet be yourself fully as you are and not full of yourself.
Expanding your sense of self can be challenging as well. Simply understand all of life is valuable in it’s own special way including you . In respecting life and living you convey the value and responsibility of mutual coexistence.
5 Steps to gaining control of your life begins with you.
1.Know you are alive and not simply existing.
2. Be assertive but not arrogant
3. Be confident and speak with clarity.
4. Remember your purpose in life and communicate intently
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.
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.”
