Skip to main content

Posts

Breath: An anchor to the present moment

Breath is the essence and elixir of human life. As long as we breathe, we are alive. Breathing is fundamental to our existence. In today’s fast-paced, busy world, we are often unconscious of our “breath.’’ Our minds tend to be more active in the present age when there are plenty of distractions around us. We all experience our minds racing amidst the memories of events in the past and towards the uncertainties and anxieties of the future. Our breath can play a crucial role in aligning us back to the present moment when we get astray in the spiral of thoughts. In both Buddhist traditions and contemporary meditation, focusing on the breath is recommended as a key technique for gaining mental serenity. When was the last time we took a deep breath and connected to something that was lurking so close? “Breathing mindfully” can be a great stress buster and mood booster. This practice will gradually eliminate mental distractions and make us focused individuals. A small step can bring a great
Read article »
Recent posts

For Perfectionists

Let us pause for a moment and reflect on our tendencies towards perfectionism. Most of us  carry traits of perfectionism. We often pressurize ourselves with stratospheric standards and in  an attempt to be correct always. Of course in working environments, especially if our work  involves dealing with numbers, we do need precision and diligence. Being in the shoes of  perfectionist all the time could be too much leading to build of chronic stress, anxiety and even  depression when our standards are not confirmed to. Take a moment of pause and: • Breathe slowly and deeply. Observe the movement of your breath. • Let go of the need to judge the movement of your mind. Be gentle with your mind and  bring back the focus on your breath. • Bring your hand on your heart and feel you are doing good enough. • It is acceptable to err. • Allow yourself to be a human with mistakes. • We shall improvise ourselves with patience. Rome was not built in a day! To gain  mastery over something requires a l
Read article »

A moment of Self-love

In the fast paced world where we are busier than the bee, let’s take a pause and connect with ourselves. Let us fill our heart with love for our own self. We often seek comfort and love from outside. Our seeking may or may not be fulfilled. So let’s give our self a hug, a comforting moment of tenderness. A moment of inner comfort can go a long way in the journey of inner healing. We can express self-love in many different ways:     • Treat yourself with your favorite food.     • Listen to your preferred music.     • Take a warm shower with essential oils.     • Thank yourself for coming so far in life.     • Pause, reflect and love yourself! Wish my dear readers a moment of love and comfort.  Feel the love within your heart. Read the previous articles on this blog: Embracing the transitions in life with faith Boundaries: An act of self-love, Part 2 Boundaries, an act of self-love
Read article »

Embracing the transitions in life with faith

“Change is the only thing that is constant in life.” We, as humans, undergo changes in our day-to-day lives. We experience change as a moment of unsettling and transition into something new. The intensity of change could be a major one whereby we undergo structural and systemic change transforming from one phase of life to another. This pushes us out from a static state of existence to a dynamic ever-changing being. We do feel a certain level of discomfort while going through these transitions, but having faith and hope in our hearts does make a great difference.  Let's take a moment to consider the underlying reasons why a change might be uncomfortable. Changes can represent transience and mortality. One significant transition in human existence that we all go through is death. Every change is a small death in itself, whereby the old dies and the new is born. As humans, we have a tendency to cling to life and have attachment to the existing state, I suppose this is one of the root
Read article »

Boundaries: An act of self-love, Part 2

In the last article, we learned about boundaries and understood the significance of their implementation in our personal and professional lives. In this article, we shall dive deep into this subject. For our reminder, let’s reflect on the definition of personal boundaries again. They are guidelines, rules, or limits that a person creates to identify for himself what are safe and reasonable ways to behave around him and how he shall respond when someone steps outside those limits. Let’s reflect on these signals in our lives, which may be an indication of sloppy boundaries.     • Difficulty saying no when required     • Failing to stand up for yourself when mistreated     • Feeling taken for granted in relationships     • Living in constant fear about other people’s opinions     • Attracting people who have a controlling tendency     • Oversharing details about your personal life     • Disregarding your own needs These are some signs that we may observe ourselves experiencing. It would h
Read article »

Boundaries, an act of self-love

"Boundaries are the separations that humans need—mentally, emotionally, and physically—to feel safe, valued, and respected," explains Carla Marie Manly. Boundaries are an important act of self-care and self-love to be paid heed to in our daily lives. In this article, we will understand the importance of drawing personal boundaries in our lives. The term ‘boundary’ is defined as a real or imagined line that marks the edge or limit of something. In the case of personal boundaries, we can imagine a line between what we are comfortable with and what we are not comfortable with in regards to our tolerance threshold, personal space, emotions, and relationships.  An important aspect of human life is interpersonal relationships. Humans are subject to behavioural errors and are unconscious of others comfort and space. Also, different cultures have different innate values governing how people interact with each other, which may be uncomfortable for somebody from a different culture. Fo
Read article »

Meditation commentary

Hello friends, Sharing a simple guided commentary for moving inwards into a meditative state. Let’s pause and take out some time for this quiet, inward journey. You can play a soft instrumental music in the background and slowly read these words, trying to feel them deeply. Begin by sitting in a comfortable posture, and allowing your eyes to close. Put your hands on the lap and let your shoulders drop. Keep your back straight. Now, begin by taking a few slow, long, deep breaths. Breathe in fully, and breathe out fully through your nose. Allow your breath to settle into its own rhythm. Pay close attention to your breathing cycle. Notice each breath, as it enters through your nostrils, travels down your lungs, and makes your belly expand. Notice your breath flowing outside through your nostrils, contracting your belly inwards. Observe and accept your experience in this moment without judgement. Now, we shall do a gradual relaxation of our body muscles. Bring your awareness to your body.
Read article »

Durga Puja Festival: Spiritual Significance

Durga Puja is an annual festival celebrated in India for paying homage and reverence to the Indian goddess, Durga. It is celebrated across India but is particularly famous in the Indian states of West Bengal, Bihar, Assam and Tripura, popularly in the eastern parts of India. This festival is observed in the Indian calendar in the month of Ashvin, which corresponds to September-October in the Gregorian calendar. Durga Puja has significant social and religious importance since it symbolizes the universal victory of virtue over evil. It is also a spiritual metaphor for one’s eternal journey towards self- realisation. The rituals carried out during this festival have profound spiritual meaning worth inner contemplation. It represents the triumph of universal life force over the individual ego and upholding the cosmic cause over the malevolent interests of the indomitable ego. According to Hindu mythology, Durga is the manifestation of divine powers of the Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva combined
Read article »

People pleasing – Solutions to amend this tendency

In this article, we shall understand and reflect on the possible ways to break the pattern of people pleasing. In our last post , we learned about the causes of this tendency. People pleasing is a form of self-abandonment, whereby we lose our identity in order to win the approval of others or to make them happy. We must comprehend the distinction between pleasing people and being kind. Kindness is a virtue that denotes strength, but people pleasing is a weakness that arises from fear, anxiety, and low-esteem. There is a significant difference between a nice guy and an authentic and kind individual. Thus, there is a dire need to delve deep into the root cause of this trait. Let’s examine some approaches to decondition ourselves from this pattern. “No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.” ~ Eleanor Roosevelt     • Developing high self-esteem: We need to develop a high level of self- esteem and self-confidence. We need to realize our self -worth and have a clear awareness
Read article »

People Pleasing: A trait to be understood and reflected upon

A “people pleaser” means a person who feels a strong need to please others, even at their own cost. They may feel that their wants and needs are unimportant, so they alter their personalities in order to make others happy. Often, we engage in people pleasing unconsciously or witness people around us doing that, but we often fail to comprehend the underlying causes of this tendency. Let’s analyze and understand the reasons behind it, and give it some contemplation. Some common factors behind it are:     • Low self- esteem     • A childhood trauma     • Avoidance of conflict      • Low self esteem:  People who have low self-esteem are dependent on the external validation, and approval of others to feel confident. They feel good, when others shower them with compliments. They unconsciously base their esteem on outer appreciation, and seek reinforcement of value from others. They also feel they are less worthy and deserve less in comparison to others, holding onto fears of rejection. They
Read article »