From the point of saturation Emerges a point of co relation To ponder afresh on a point of connection. The saturation plays a role In the game of life and living
In breaking dawn and dusk The twilight fills the day and night With a hope and bliss of something new Just as day breaks from Evening dusks into a blissful night The breaking point signifies a new start
The twilight confuses and confounds The wisest of beings, as it is meant to do For in that point of no return There is the chaos of completion. Only to begin afresh and anew.
In the passage of painful times into pleasurable moments In the eras of darkness to deliverance In the moments of night to day! Lights seeps in and saturation sublimes The dark clouds shifting perspectives. Birthing a new breaking point Of a brand new dawn!
Sharing a beautiful story that will make us sense and acknowledge our inner feelings and help channelize its expression in a more evolved way with deeper understanding.
*The Empty Boat -A Story of Anger.*
A monk decides to meditate alone, away from his monastery. He takes his boat out to the middle of the lake, moors it there, closes his eyes and begins his meditation. After a few hours of undisturbed silence, he suddenly feels the bump of another boat colliding with his own. With his eyes still closed, he senses his anger rising, and by the time he opens his eyes, he is ready to scream at the boatman who dared disturb his meditation. But when he opens his eyes, he sees it is an empty boat that had probably got untethered and floated to the middle of the lake. At that moment, the monk achieves self-realization, and understands that the anger is within him; it merely needs the bump of an external object to provoke it out of him.
From then on, whenever he came across someone who irritated him or provoked him to anger, he reminded himself: ”The other person is merely an empty boat. The anger is within me……” In reality, we all have the anger within us, all the time, All it needs is someone, like the empty boat, to provoke it.
This story makes us think on many levels especially so on anger management.
Is our anger innate?How deep does it delve?
How much is our responsibility in acknowledging our true selves.
Acknowledgement is a step towards a response than reaction .
Acceptance leads to greater self-awareness.
Savvy
The question is not only why feel provoked with anger but how to manage it. How can it be circumvented? Is there a way to do so?
Every time we recognize where the anger resides we will learn to accept the source is the self than others. And then make an effort to not suppress or repress but channelize it in more productive ways.
In our wheel of human behaviour and emotions, Anger sits in the opposite spectrum of joyousness. It is a negative emotion that propels further negative thoughts. There arises the backlash of discontent and disorientation in various degrees depending on the level of anger that manifests.
Anger truly serves no purpose than destruction
For true peace, it can be a bone of contention
So let go of all anger and false pretensions
And value the calm that you actually are.
Savvy
On a lighter note here are a few reflections towards channelling arising negative emotions in awareness
and some amazing quotes from the great souls to go with it !:))
Think Humorously:’ If red is the colour of anger it is the colour of love too!’
Think Happy: ‘For every minute of anger you are losing 60 seconds of happiness ..’.Ralph Waldo Emerson
Think Creatively:’The Greatest remedy for anger is delay!’
Think Practically: ‘He who angers you conquers you’.
Think Logically: ‘You will not be punished for your anger but by your anger…’ Buddha
Think Peacefully: ‘Anger is the ultimate destroyer of your own peace of mind’. Dalai Lama
Think Kindly: ‘Bless those who curse you and pray for those who mistreat you…’ Bible
Think of changing the wavelengths:’ Anger makes you smaller while forgiveness forces you to grow
beyond what you are!’
Paying attention to your breath: Breath in the now…to release resentment
In the inhale and exhale.: Pause to respond and delay a reaction
Express Positivism: Let your past make you better, not bitter
Express Humility: ‘Angry people are not always wise…’ Jane Austen
Express Gratitude: ‘ Anger won’t make your problems easier but gratitude will make you stronger.’
Nurturing is an integrated spectrum of experience and it is highly recommended in todays times of survival of the fittest to embalm the body spirit and soul.
What can be nurtured … well almost everything…
From a thought to an idea to a habit to a passion and more . When nurtured , in hope and goodwill there can be transformations in the transitioning of time .
Nurturing is a very vast ocean of unconditional love and support which can perhaps make the nurturer extremely compassionate and even exacting for the good of the nurtured . But perhaps the concept of nurturing needs to change as well with the changing sensibilities of time.
In such scenario as it presents itself nurturing needs a relook like a time stamp and check on where it is heading often keeping the iterations going to evolve further.
There is a dignity in nurturing
With understanding that arises
In patience tolerance and perseverance
Beyond an attitude of indifference
Nurture in trusting
Heart over mind
Or mind over heart
Is not the question at all …
Nurture in spirit and soul
With all of your being
In every communication
Or crisis confrontation
Nurture in conscious awareness
Accepting the interconnects
Acknowledging the interdependence
Arising to evolve in life and living.
Nurture knowing truth is eternal
In Spirit, knowing it is for you to kindle
In Empathy knowing you are because they are
In compassion sensing the suffering and pain.
Nurturing is not an on off act
It is a never ending journey
It is a lesson in unconditional love
It is a life time of learning in the caring.
To nurture is to arise to any occasion
In hope and goodwill
In strength of positivity
In light beyond passions.
Nurturing is an art of living
In bringing to light the hidden good
In surfacing with dignity and grace
In knowing the infinite truth of being.
Nurturing is in the unfolding resurrection
In transpiring to regeneration
As in such an reviving emergence
Life begets the vital resurgence.
To nurture is allow hope to permeate in all
To nurture is choose to better from before
To nurture is to raise the bar of accomodation
To nurture is to instill faith and bond in trust
To nurture is an emergence of a boundless bond.
A nurturing heart supports and nourishes
A nurturing nature provides care and comfort
A nurturer cultivates and lays the foundation for roots to grow strong and spread .
In the giving, we find our self
In the receiving, we understand our self.
In learning to give and receive well we learn about our own nature. How we feel in accepting a gift or compliment or reward or title… For many, it is a task that is confusing, to say the least, especially how to accept a gift in a graceful dignified way.
Even more so, however, is how we learn to reciprocate what we receive and how to do so.
It truly is about reflecting gratitude. A gift well received is a gift in the truest sense or else it can be perceived in many other ways. How do you receive the gift you are given and how you care to express it back can make all the difference. Although subjective to the giver and the occasion the way you acknowledge it is very important to the giver.
I remember this incident from my childhood…
Many years ago as a young kid at school, I used to carefully collect and save my pocket money so as to be able to buy small gifts for my family and friends on their birthdays. I would forgo my little sweet treats at lunch break and put it all in a little purse.
Once it was one of my dear relatives birthdays and I managed to joyfully search and buy a beautiful bracelet, a trinket actually from the saved money and happily gifted it to her. But to my dismay …in a few days she went and exchanged my gift for something else and I felt a little disappointed for a while when she told me casually about it only much later. But then gradually I let it go and accepted it as every person is entitled to their own taste of things. And I also felt, what may appeal to one may not suit the other. To each his or her own!
All is a matter of a shift in perspectives.
As soon as you adjust the way you see things the so-called issues that irk disappear on their own… but the question is are we ready to see beyond the niggling bits.
Lessons in life and living indeed!
A few more reflections on Giving and Receiving
Give with all of your heart
whenever and wherever you can
Because you truly can.
Receive by expressing the value
In heartfelt appreciation
of what you have got
Because it truly matters.
For then in the giving and receiving
Is established a full circle
of a contented connection.
And that will pave the path of grace
For more to follow along.
Give generously without any expectation
Receive generously in true appreciation.
Both are the core of human nature in action.
And all is well in the circle of interconnection.
When you give heartfully forget about it.
When you receive gratefully, remember it
Savvy
Tell me have you ever had a similar experience
What do you think about it? How would you feel if your gift was exchanged… or have you exchanged a gift for another?
Would love to hear from you, do share your thoughts…
It is beautiful to reflect and revel in joyfulness
Cos it does your body mind and spirit
A whole deal of good.
Contrary to opinion of what mindfulness is … being in the now is also about being able to witness the joys of your life in the sensing but without dependence.
Your own lifes better moments are deeply healing experience for your state of being.
The neurons that fire in the rememberance of positive experiences can bring association of memory banks long long forgotten in time. And suddenly you find yourself recharged, reinvigourated and regenerated in the wake of such moments.
Mindfulness comes to play in the simple witnessing and letting the memory move on in time naturally as it would rather than wallowing in the wake of and in the aftermath of happy memories.
So next time you find yourself in the beautiful times of the then, dont worry, a lot of healing is taking place sub consciously. Just take care to cross the bridge of the then to the now, steering away consciously and gradually from any self remorse and self pity.
This is where cultivation of gratitude comes in to help simply feeling grateful to have had some very blessed moments, and that creates space for abundance to move into your present moment.
Have a blessed day and blessed life!
You are your deepest intention.
Intend well. Live well.
Savvy Raj
Although I am no medical expert this reflection has come simply from many of my personal observations in life and living. As a dance educator and trainer, and having facilitated workshops for many seniors I have been blessed with many beautiful memories . But more specifically have been a witness to how fond recollections can be for them of a take back in time when I play music of 40s and 60s with dances from that era. Suddenly their faces light up with smiles and there is a spring in their steps.
There are so many incidents of positive reflections that come to mind and touch my heart….I particularly remember one of my senior most student at a glorious 89, mentioning to me excitedly how even a single class on a Monday evening would have them charged up with positivity for the whole week ahead . I know it is not just about the dance form but about the triggered recollections of the joyous times of the then and its associations that made their day ! The goodwill and cheer was almost palpable. Life is truly to live than just exist!
Savvy Raj
It is not necessarily age that makes one lonely, it is the apparent disconnect with the self. And it can catch one off guard at any point of life and living.
Here is a share of my thoughts on this…
For anyone feeling a tad bit lonely in this now.
Loneliness is a difficult road to travel.
If it makes it any easier, remember
You are never truly alone
Neither in your grief or your glory.
Every beat of your heart is the work of the divine will…
Sense the divine presence reflecting in every beat that keeps you alive to the rhythms of life and living. Savvy
A few practical tips to beat the blues if you ever find yourself on the lonely road…
1. Get moving… engage in any activity that involves all of you. Or simply take a walk!
2.Share some kindness, speak kindly, think better of yourself and others, focus on positive reflections.
3. Join a group activity or start one on your own. There are always some ways to find yourself a hobby that you may enjoy.
For example if you enjoy reading books out aloud…You can offer to start a weekend story reading session for young children in your area. That way you will find yourself looking forward to spending some fun filled weekends of laughter.
4.Start seeing the world with wonder, than merely looking with lack. Often the feeling of loneliness comes tied along in a bundle with strings of sadness. Bouts of loneliness is best tackled one step in time by learning to shift perspectives of how we envision the world around us .
Loneliness expresses the pain of being alone and solitude expresses the glory of being alone. Paul Tillich
So convert your pangs of loneliness to the sensation of solitude. Start out by observing the good in the world . Learn to unconfine your thoughts of seclusion and be inclusive and expansive. Accept your vulnerabilities. Cultivate a sense of belonging to the world and steer clear of feeling unwanted or indifferent. If you see nature surrounding you, at different times of the day you can sense how it changes, and yet balances itself, quite likewise to human nature with its many phases.
5. If you still find yourself a little lost, then care to consciously shift your attention from the self to the bigger picture. Think of how you can contribute yourself to the cause of improving your community to begin with in your free time.
Personally speaking I have always found that whenever pangs of loneliness strikes, writing, walking or working out either by dancing to some favourite songs or even listening to some happy upbeat tunes are wonderful ways to get back to balance.
As a dance trainer I have conducted and facilitated dance workshops for the marginalised sections of society as well as for senior citizens to spread joy and well being in their hearts through movements. What motivated me? Well! The biggest takebacks were the goodwill of shared laughter and a love loaded heart I would reach home with.😍
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.
It is interactions such as these that leave us touched beyond words in the circle of life and living and propels us to do more. Savvy
So go ahead and build your life in every moment. Start now, let go loneliness & load in love.💚💙💚
What does it take to accept everything that is happening in life as an unfolding mystery?
All of you!
And when that happens,
No storm is unsurmountable,
No pain is unmanageable,
No hurt is unforgivable.
Yes, it takes all of you
To complete this circle of life and living.
And in every step you take towards realization
You are only another step closer to home.
To decide not to stress and focus on things that you may not be in control of is a step towards understanding the meaning of true acceptance as not resigning the self to fate but to accept it as part of the phase in the ebb and flow of tides in life.
A few reflections:
Acceptance is the key when life happens beyond your comprehension.
Action is the key when there is something you sense you understand enough.
Acknowledgement is the key while sharing goodwill in trust and hope.
Appreciation is the key to manifesting abundance.
Accept life as a mystery that will dawn.
All else is history that has gone in the dusk.
All is well in time, always.
This post has come as an afterthought when I came across a particularly poignant story shared by a good friend caught in turmoils of time and yet being brave enough to ease into acceptance and appreciate the good happening around by sending goodwill and hope to those around him in thoughts words and deeds.
I know there are many who put out ‘All of themselves ‘ to brave out the odds every single day …. My salute to such inspiring souls. Stay ever blessed!
I wrote this as a self reflective piece, on what it is to be a teacher, trainer or educator and its varied perspectives in life and living.
There is always more than what meets the eye…
# Behind the scenes
When I say I am a Ballroom and Latin dance form trainer… there is this natural association with everything glamorous, high heels, fancy bare all clothes, svelte tanned bodies , hairdos and glitter, there is youth, shows and events galore, a fancy personal life filled with parties and a fabulous nightlife life may be .
Far from it is the truth, actually it’s so much more than just that, it’s about raising your conscious awareness in harmony and balance of the mind and body .
It’s about empowering your mind and heart with care and understanding of the relative nonverbal communication sensed through the medium of movement as patterns.
It’s about taking time to internalize at times complicated moves yet being able to be at ease with your own self so much that the strain of practice never shows.
It’s about making friends with your mental physical and spiritual body and creating a dimension of composure and gratitude for another to be inspired enough to want to learn from you.
It’s a huge responsibility, to make a connection with a human being and sustain it gratefully whether it is for a class a, a dance or a lifetime. Savvy Raj
It’s a huge juggling act more so, if you have other interests as well, professionally and even personally, being a mother, a wife, a daughter and most of all a free spirit. Its about understanding the perspective of the space in between all that you are and all that you want to be and managing your creative resources the best you can.
As one fine tunes the self to understand and accept the value of the pauses between our moves we reach to our potential heights gradually and learn to be at peace within and around us.
In the truest realm when we focus on any art form it’s about bringing discipline and dedication in every aspect of one‘s life , learning and growing all the way .In the journey that‘s ever enriching, with experiences that must be savored along the way.
Savvy Raj 
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