Petals!

We are all crazy busy these days.  But guess what? It's not good for creativity or for the brain. [READ: How to Work, Love and Play like the Danes ] This is what scientists say: 1. Your brain can stay focused on anything, even an unpleasant task, if it knows it will last only 30 minutes. [TIP: Learn to stretch it to 90 mins?] 2. A positive mood heightens the chances for creative insight , as does taking out time to relax. [Do read: Five Easy Ways to Boost Your Confidence Every Day ] 3. Scientists have found that people who take time to daydream score higher on tests of creativity . [These posts will be useful too: How to find peace within  and How these Game Changers CHOSE to overcome their pain ]                                                [Image: Picjumbo] Great Performers Work More Intensely, Take More Breaks Florida State Universit...

In my previous blog post, I shared a conversation that I had with a colleague who asked me a thought-provoking question: " Have you ever experienced anguish? How have you dealt with it? " And in case you missed reading it earlier, this was my response to it. Do read it here. The second question she asked me was, " What's the best spiritual lesson you have learned from dealing with your anguish? " [ Do read my post on Karma] That got me in a bit of a fix.  In my mind, I could picture all the terrific ups and terrible downs that I have been through - and I asked myself very intensely what I had learned from the toughest test that was put to me.    The answer doesn't feel very pretty to share....I can tell you that much. This was my answer: The best lesson I have learned is this -  I am full of ego - attachment to the body consciousness. This needs a powerful spiritual hammer to destroy it completely. I always thought myself to ...

This morning, a colleague asked me an interesting question, "You always come across as a very composed person. In all this time, I have never seen you become angry or disturbed about anything. I have to ask you a personal question. Have you ever experienced anguish? How have you dealt with it? " [ Do read: Can we empathize with our friends instead of being judgemental? ] This is what I told her, " Our life is a series of experiences that can teach us a lot about ourselves and how we behave in an environment of constant uncertainties , often these are negative and not always in our control. I do my best to take every experience as a lesson to improve myself as a person and strengthen my faith in my God and Guru - Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba.  To answer your question, yes - I have my experienced deep anguish, not jus once or twice, but throughout the different phases of my life . What I have observed is that the more I evolve spiritually, the tougher...

When you go through heart-wrenching pain and you feel tempted to give up on life, remember this: God is your Light and being strong is the new beautiful. DO READ: ASK MORE, FEAR LESS. Discover your Light. It's part of this Life.

Long before sitting in meditation became something fashionable as it is today, meditation was a way of life for spiritual souls who longed  to still the restless mind. The Rishis sat in meditation for hundreds and thousands of years so that they could listen to the Word of God from within them. From the Word of God they heard, we received priceless gems of spiritual treasures in the form of Vedas, Upanishads, mantras. It is said that even Lord Buddha had experimented with over ten thousand techniques in meditation! Okay, I must say that I don't have any "proof" but that's the buzz in the spiritual realm. While many of us struggle with it, it helps to understand what happens inside us when we meditate.  Whenever I meditate, my experience varies from day to day. There is just one exception though. I always see a lotus with baby pink  petals  blossom in my heart region and as I meditate, the petals turn a pale, beautiful gold. Following this, I se...

You think you have all that it takes to reach the most important milestones that you have set for yourself. You have planned everything, done the work that is needed to get you (in the logical scheme of things) to reach exactly where you want to be in life and yet, surprise! Your plans go for a toss!  You feel that every relationship you worked hard at has also flown out of the window before you could even say, "Hey, what's happening?"  It happens all the time. So, does it help to cry, scream, shout names and tear your hair out over it? Not really. But there's one thing that helps - stay calm, don't panic. Nothing that has happened was ever in your control. There is always a greater force that tosses our carefully laid out plans into some wild, remote place. Not your fault. Not your failure. Tell yourself constantly, "I am at peace." Say it a hundred times if you have to. Maybe more.  The more you say th...

Who can forget Lord Krishna as portrayed by  Nitish Bharadwaj in the famous Mahabharata series that used to be shown on national television?  And most people still say that he is an ideal choice as Krishna. Nitish Bharadwaj also starred in a Malayalam movie called ‘Njaan Gandharvan’ which created ripples in the film industry right from the time its much acclaimed director Padmarajan announced it. I believe that the director could pull it off mostly because of one person’s amazing presence and acting – Nitish Bharadwaj. And so, it happens that after a gap of 25 years Nitish Bharadwaj acted in a play titled ‘Chakravyuh’ written and directed by Atul Satya Kaushik. Of course, i was excited and thrilled to get an opportunity to watch him! Counted every minute to the play!  And when I got there, it turned out that I was in the third row! Could see 'Lord Krishna' real close!!! Okay, stop, stop, I am getting goosebumps on my skin! About the Play ‘Chakravyuh...