MAY 2021 LP MAGAZINE

tree. Like this, the natural flow of love from our previous generations starts to flow freely into us and the generations after us.
During the workshop, there will be five to seven constellations which will be picked intuitively by the facilitators, which will be followed by group processes, individual processes, and guided meditations and visualisations to heal generational patterns.
About the facilitators
Hitesh and Shubhangi are a seasoned and sought-after couple in the field of mind- body-energy work. They are trained in many alternative healing modalities like past life regression, inner child work, life between lives regression, family constellation, ancestral healing, and rebirthing breathwork, to name a few. With more than 100 workshops under their belt, they have worked together with more than 20,000 people, helping them find balance in their lives.
Hitesh, is the founder of Life Here and Now, a venture aimed to support and coach people through the vicissitudes of life. He is an award- winning coach and the author of the best- selling book Sundaram Speaks—Conversations to Awaken Your Soul’s Wisdom.
Hitesh and Shubhangi Vashishtha
Shubhangi is the co-founder of Life Here and Now, a powerful intuitive expert, and co-presenter with Hitesh in workshops focussed on mind-body-energy healing. She is also the force behind Life Here and Now’s social initiatives—A Bowl of Love and Death Midwives.
Both of them are eternally grateful to their teachers, Dr Newton Kondaveti and Dr Lakshmi GV (Founder, Quantum Life University) who have fine-tuned them to live a life of devotion and friendship.
We welcome your comments and suggestions on this article. Mail us at [email protected]
Healing in the hills 51


LEARNING
A Dog’s Tale
Man’s best friend can teach man a thing or two about living and loving, feels Nikita Mukherjee
52 LifePositive | MAY 2021


B eing a dog lover, I always had several Even though I was born in the harshest of
questions on my mind: What do dogs
think? How do they feel? How are they so human-like? As I spend more and more time with them, I realise that they are just like us. They might not have the intelligence and the higher level of consciousness that we have, but one thing that makes us alike is LOVE. And as I spend more time with these lovely, four- legged, cute creatures, I realise that there’s no one else who loves better than them.
A dog is a man’s best friend. This beautiful friendship started around 20,000 years ago when wolves, from whom dogs have descended, started living in a symbiotic way with humans, protecting them in the wild in return for food and shelter. Since then, a dog’s love and friendship with human beings has been pure and unconditional.
This article is an attempt at understanding the world from a dog’s perspective and how we humans can learn some valuable virtues from them in order to become better individuals and, most importantly, compassionate beings. So, sit back, and enjoy this journey from a dog’s eye view.
Chapter 1: Gratitude
Hello everyone! My name is Whiskey. Why ‘Whiskey’ you may ask? Because I am a golden retriever, coloured like whiskey. I was the last- born in a litter of six puppies, on a beautiful, bright day—February 02, 2011. My siblings and I were not born in a comfortable atmosphere; my mother gave birth to us on the roadside. She was abandoned by her owner when she was pregnant, just because he didn’t want to take responsibility for her offspring. Nevertheless, our initial days went by in eating and sleeping. My siblings and I used to sleep the whole day while my mother went in search of food.
environments with a very difficult start, I always had a feeling of gratitude and felt somewhat thankful for being born. It seemed like some gift had been given to me by God, and I needed to utilise it to the fullest.
I have always been a firm believer in hope. From the time I started understanding the mechanics of this world, I started hoping for better days and a good life ahead. And God surely listened to my prayers! Our lives changed on a fateful Sunday when some animal rescuers came and took us with them to their beautiful shelter.
Chapter 2: Acceptance
All of us were taken to a place which humans commonly refer to as ‘animal shelter.’ Coming from a filthy roadside, this place seemed like heaven at first glance! Other than us, there were a lot of other young ones and adults of all shapes, sizes, colours and even types.
My first encounter at the shelter was with this beautiful, peach-coloured cat whom everyone called Hazel. Hazel was a bit distant at first, but soon, we became the best of friends. We used to play, eat, roam, and even sleep together. Soon enough, everyone started wondering if I was even a dog or not! Funny as it sounds, I was closer to Hazel than to my own brothers and sisters. This fact didn’t make me love them any less, but I was always the social butterfly of the animal shelter. I loved making new friends irrespective of how they looked, how much hair they had on their body, what shape and size they possessed, or what creature they were. I never judged them on the basis of their appearance or which breed they belonged to. As long as I connected with them and loved spending time with them, all these trivial issues didn’t matter to me.
Learning 53


Animals are way less complicated than humans. They don’t have the ego or the intelligence to make judgements on the basis of trivial matters. They are simple creatures who love and accept anyone who is good to them.
Honestly, animals are way less complicated than humans. We don’t have the ego or the intelligence to make judgements on the basis of trivial matters. We are simple creatures who love and accept anyone who is good to us. So, it didn’t matter to me that Hazel was a peach- coloured fat cat who had her own personality and loved her space, or that my rescuers were tall and dark humans who looked very different from us and just had two legs, or that Tony was a dark-coloured, serious horse who just kept to himself and didn’t talk at all. I loved and accepted all of them equally as each one of them played a huge role in my character development and contributed their bit in making me the dog I am today.
Chapter 3: Forever
In my initial days, I used to think that I would spend the rest of my life with my loving mother and my crazy siblings. Our days would be spent in eating, sleeping, playing, and just experiencing life. But as I grew up and started to see my friends go away, never to return, I began realising the purpose of my existence.
You see, we all have some purpose in our life. Somebody’s purpose is to serve humanity, while someone else’s purpose is to educate and enlighten the world regarding certain things. Similarly, every dog has a purpose, and it is very simple—to love and spread love. In a
world, where human emotions are complicated, conflicting, and fickle, a dog’s purpose is to fill the necessary void with love and happiness.
Although I speak of love as something which only we know how to provide, I first understood the meaning of unconditional love from my human. My forever.
Dressed in a floral dress, with her hair tied up in a messy ponytail, Tara came to the animal shelter, jumping and laughing all the way. She was accompanied by her parents who seemed to be equally excited. I was mesmerised by Tara’s innocence and wanted to be friends with her right away. Finally, after strolling around and interacting with everyone in the shelter, she came up to where I and my siblings stayed. All my brothers and sisters hopped towards her with their tiny legs and started licking her. Except me. I was just there, looking at them and Tara having their blissful moment. Finally, she looked at me and held me up in her arms. Our eyes connected. For the first time in so many days, I felt I was home. After a few seconds, she spoke, “Mamma! Papa! I want this one!”
Oh! The sheer bliss I felt when Tara took this decision! It seemed as though I had gotten everything I had ever wanted. I suddenly realised the purpose of my life which was
54 LifePositive | MAY 2021


loving Tara and filling her heart and life with happiness and joy. It was certainly the best day of my life.
Chapter 4: Being a True Friend
Tara was in her teens when she suffered her first major heartbreak. Her boyfriend broke up with her as he had to leave the town due to his father’s transferable job. Tara was all alone and lost, as if she had lost a part of herself. She wouldn’t get out of her bed for days or eat properly, had stopped talking to everyone (including her parents), and wouldn’t even pet me anymore! Typical teenager issues. Looking at her miserable face every day took a toll on my mental health. But I was certainly not among the ones to give up easily.
I started pushing Tara off her bed and dragging her to the washroom. She used to get very
pissed and would shout at me, but I was also very persistent. I used to get her food, clothes to wear, played with her from dawn till dusk, and even slept beside her when she didn’t even have even the slightest energy to move her body. Gradually, after a few months, Tara started getting up. That was her first step. She took a look at herself in the mirror and told herself, “Move on and love yourself.”
Since then, she has never looked back. Tara went on to top her higher secondary examinations at the state level. She also won numerous competitions and accolades for her school and got her favourite Science stream! She always wanted to be an astronaut and go on these intergalactic space missions. After passing from school, she got admitted into the prestigious Massachusetts Institute of Technology, from where she went on to fulfil
NAVEL AWAKENING® Initiation by Founder, Enlightened Healer Mother Rabiya
HEAL YOUR NAVEL WOUND
Your Navel is the root of your consciousness.
Your navel wound holds stuck energies of fear, lack & confusion.
Your Navel is your cosmic anchor that got lost at your birth.
Navel Awakening Initiation by Maa invokes your whole intuitive circuit Navel-Heart-Mind.
Navel Awakening initiation by Maa is to shift from effort to ease,
scarcity to abundance, & illness to health.
Done only by Maa. The only spiritual initiation for the navel, on this planet. Only at her Healing Village, Pune, India.
Don't be fooled by fake 'experts' copying our public material. We've NO representatives, facilitators, branches or centres across the world.
www.motherrabiya.com + 91-9819780809
@motherrabiya
Learning 55


her dream of becoming an astronaut and a scientist at NASA. One heartbreak surely changed her life.
As for the boy? He came back begging for reconciliation, but thankfully, Tara refused.
Chapter 5: Loyalty
After Tara went off to the United States, I was left alone with Ma and Pa (Tara’s parents). Although I was very close to both of them, it was Tara with whom I spent most of my time. So when she went away, I started feeling a bit lonely. However, it didn’t affect my relationship with Ma and Pa. They didn’t leave any stone unturned in pampering and loving me and spoilt me with treats and adventures.
However, troubles started arising in paradise. With Ma and Pa spending most of their money on Tara’s education, we started facing financial difficulties. It was getting difficult for both of them to keep me. Soon enough, they both started having constant fights due to their personal issues and filed for a divorce. This broke me up. I could see my whole world shattering into pieces. Ma and Pa both decided to give me up for adoption as they were not financially able to take care of me individually.
Gradually, the day came when my new family came to receive me. I didn’t want to go. I was barking, howling, shouting, and crying, but nobody could understand my pain, my anguish. I was forced to sit in the car, and when I looked outside the car window to take one final look at Ma and Pa, they were gone. My whole life was plunged into darkness.
I was depressed and alone in my new home. Even though my new family, which consisted of two cheerful kids and their parents, loved and pampered me to the best of their abilities,
I wasn’t happy. I liked my new family, but I just couldn’t connect with them. I missed Tara, Ma, and Pa every day. I used to sit in the garden of my new home, waiting for them to come and take me back. But my prayers were never answered.
A few months went by. Finally, one fateful day, I decided to take the plunge which would change my life forever. On a cold December morning, I left my new house and started running towards my old home which was 20 kilometres away. I didn’t stop till I reached my destination, and when I finally did, I saw the house locked. Ma and Pa had left the house immediately after sending me away. I was lost and shattered. I didn’t know what to do. Nevertheless, I decided to stay back there and wait for them.
Chapter 6: Happily ever after
My decision to stay back and wait for Ma and Pa was the toughest one I had made in my life. With no food and no one to take care of me, I was left all alone in the big bad world. My days went in waiting for Ma and Pa’s return and eating leftover food from the streets. I prayed to God to send back Tara too. It was the wait of a lifetime. As days, nights, and months passed, my health started deteriorating. Still, I waited for them. Waited for my forever. Waited for my home.
Finally, one fine day, my prayers were answered. I heard footsteps approaching me. Initially, I got scared, but when I looked up, I felt as if I had seen God himself!
It was Tara.
She looked beautiful and radiant just like the first day I had seen her. Tears welled up in our eyes as we hugged each other. My happiness
56 LifePositive | MAY 2021


knew no limits. I started jumping and running around in excitement, wagging my tail and leaping over her to show how much I had missed her. She instantly called Ma and Pa, and my excitement knew no bounds! They immediately came over and then, we finally did what I had been waiting for so many months— group hug!
Chapter 7: All’s well that ends well
Tara, Ma, and Pa got to know from our old neighbours how I had waited for them for close to a year. They all became emotional while listening to my story. Consequently, they decided to reunite. Tara came back from the States while Ma and Pa decided to give their marriage a second shot. We celebrated Ma and Pa’s 25th anniversary a few days later, where everyone was their happiest selves. It was the second happiest day of my life.
However, I believe that life always has a bitter- sweet ending. Due to the time I had spent alone waiting for everyone’s return, I had become malnourished and developed some serious illnesses which were not curable at this age (I am currently 11 years old).
As I recall my life journey from my deathbed, I can proudly say that I have lived a fulfilling life. From going on adventures, meeting people and creatures from all walks of life, and contributing my bit in making Tara, Ma, and Pa’s journey a memorable one, to loving unconditionally, it was all worth it. I utilised the gift given to me by God to my maximum
potential. Maybe that’s what we all are supposed to do on this journey. To fulfil our sole and soul purpose in life. To bask in love, to love, and to be loved.
And so, I shall rest in peace.
Yours lovingly, Whiskey
Epilogue: As I finish this journey of a dog from a dog’s perspective, I want to highlight the fact that dogs have souls too. For that matter, every animal and living creature on this planet has a soul, and all of them come with a purpose. Everyone’s purpose is different, but there’s one thing, one universal feeling which underlies everyone’s narrative, and that is Love.
Dogs might not have the intellectual prowess to seek knowledge and perform various complex actions performed by humans, but what they surely know is how to love and spread that love, which is the primary need on this planet.
Maybe that’s what we need to learn from dogs—the strength to love unconditionally and heal this world through the power of love. If we could learn how to love from dogs, we can create the utopia we have always wanted.
“A dog has no use for fancy cars, big homes, or designer clothes. A dog doesn’t care if you’re rich or poor, clever or dull, smart or dumb. Give him your heart and he’ll give you his.”
—Marley & Me
We welcome your comments and suggestions on this article. Mail us at [email protected]
Learning 57


MUDRAS
Keep your hair on!
Abhay Kumar Shah shows how mudras can help us maintain healthy hair.
Varun Mudra Jnana Mudra Pran Mudra Prithvi Mudra Forget not that the earth delights to feel your bare feet and the winds long to play with your hair.
W e are blessed by nature with a crown of hair on our head.
A mane of thick and lustrous hair adds to a person’s looks, be they male or female. Conversely, thin, dull hair undermines
one’s personality. It also indicates ill health.
Let us understand how Mudra Therapy views hair health. The strength of the Prithvi (Earth) Element decides the health of the hair. If it is strong, our hair will be strong, thick, shiny, and black. Growth of the hair will also be faster and will be healthier for a longer duration.
Hairs have their roots in the skin of the scalp. If that skin is not healthy, it loses its grip on the roots of the hair. If it becomes dry and, eventually, dead, dandruff occurs. Dandruff is nothing but particles of dead skin. Dandruff,
- Khalil Gibran
in itself, is not a disease but just a symptom of dry scalp skin. Weakening of the Earth Element and an undernourished scalp are the major reasons for unhealthy hair. Loss of hair, dandruff, splitting of hair ends, slow growth of hair, greying of hair, and dry and wire-hard hair are the problems that one commonly faces.
It is often seen that a person who has hyperacidity faces problems of hair loss or greying hair not in accordance with their age. Also, a person who drinks an insufficient amount of water gets dandruff, and the one who doesn’t get enough sleep suffers from a lack of blood circulation to the head and, consequently, unhealthy hair.
Now let us address these issues with the help of Mudra Therapy.
58 LifePositive | MAY 2021


Greying
To avoid the untimely greying of hair, the best combination of mudras is as follows:
Jnana Mudra, 16 minutes a day.
Prithvi Mudra, 30 minutes + Prana Mudra, 10 minutes, thrice a day.
Practising Prithvi Mudra, 48 minutes + Prana Mudra, 16 minutes, twice a day can result in turning recently greyed hair to black. Old greyed hair may take a longer time. It prevents greying too.
Dry and dull hair
Prithvi Mudra, 30 minutes + Prana Mudra, 10 minutes, along with Varun Mudra, 16 minutes, twice or thrice a day. This will make dry and dull hair silky and shiny.
For good hair growth
Prithvi Mudra, 30 minutes + Prana Mudra, 16 minutes a day.
Dandruff
Varun Mudra, 30 minutes, Prana Mudra, 16 minutes, and Prithvi Mudra, 16 minutes, twice or thrice a day. This combination majorly helps in the treatment of dandruff.
Hair fall
Prithvi Mudra, 48 minutes + Prana Mudra, 16 minutes a day. This is a proven formula to stop falling hair.
You can see that the army to fight hair issues
consists of only four soldiers: Prithvi Mudra, Varun Mudra, Prana Mudra, and Jnana Mudra. Anyone practising these four mudras even for other reasons can benefit in the hair department too.
Formation
Prithvi Mudra: Touch the tip of the ring finger to the tip of the thumb, keeping the remaining three fingers comfortably straight. Place the back of your palms on your knees or thighs.
Varun Mudra: Touch the tip of the little finger to the tip of the thumb, keeping the remaining three fingers comfortably straight. Place the back of your palms on your knees or thighs.
Prana Mudra: Touch the tips of the ring finger and the little finger to the tip of the thumb, keeping the remaining two fingers comfortably straight. Place the back of your palms on your knees or thighs.
Jnana Mudra: Touch the tip of the index finger to the tip of the thumb, keeping the remaining three fingers comfortably straight. Place the back of your palms on your knees or thighs.
Other recommendations
Drink lots of water and other liquids. Keep stress at bay and get enough sleep.
Consume leafy vegetables and fruits. Avoid late nights, eating and late night shopping. All this will go a long way in promoting the growth of healthy hair.
Abhay Kumar Shah is a mechanical engineer, who has learnt Mudra Shastra from experts and established his own method of using this science correctly, and in the modern context. He can be reached at: [email protected]
We welcome your comments and suggestions on this article. Mail us at [email protected]
Mudras 59


The theory about life
Is not life
It’s words strung together
That quieten the questioning mind A philosophy
That attempts to make sense
Of our mysterious existence
The mind seeks meaning
To justify our life
The past
The present
And the possible future
Stringing together events
To create a character and her story Why something happened
What she achieved
Why she suffered
Our meaning making changes over time To accommodate new events
Life moves on
Oblivious to philosophy
The theory about life
Is not Life
Just words strung together
60 LifePositive | MAY 2021
Theory Of Life
- Ajay Kalra


ubscribe &
ave
up to
10% Discount on Books & Events
A Valuable Resource for
• Mind-body Wellness • Accelarated Self-growth • Amazing Insights • Living Abundantly • Healing Modalities
Year(s)
Issues
Cover Price
Save (Rs)
You Pay (Rs)
Plus Free Gift
5
60
6000
2301
3699
Free books worth Rs.1355 OR Gift your dear ones 12 issues (1 year) free subscription worth Rs. 1200
3
36
3600
1101
2499
Free books worth Rs.965 OR Gift your dear ones 6 issues (6 months) free subscription worth Rs. 600
2
24
2400
701
1799
Free books worth Rs.590 OR Yoga Mat (5mm) worth Rs. 500
1
SELF HEALING
Sanjiv Ranjan
` 275 
More Teaching Stories (Color Pages)
Jamuna Rangachari
` 395 
I can heal myself in 7 days
Dr BK Chandra Shekhar
` 295 
The house of 100 stories
Mariam Karim-Ahlawat
` 195 
Talking Tales
Bharat Shekhar
` 195 
12
1200
201
999
Name______________________________Address_________________________________________________________ _____________________Phone No.___________________E-mail____________________________________________
You may send the photocopy of this form “OFFER VALID TILL MAY 31ST, 2021”
Yes! I would like to subscribe/gift Life Positive for .....................................................Year(s)
All the fields are mandatory to fill in CAPITAL LETTERS
Recipient Name (Dr/Mr/Mrs/Ms)__________________________________________ Age__________ Occupation_____________________________________ Address ________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ City____________________________Pin__________________ State____________________ Tel(R)_____________________________________________ (O)________________________ Mobile__________________________________E-mail_________________________________
TERMS & CONDITIONS FOR DOMESTIC SUBSCRIPTIONS
RenewaloFresho Payment Details:
CH/MO/DD No.___________________ for Rs_________________________ Dated_________________________ Bank__________________________
8527290282
9971088870
Free books worth Rs.395 OR Yoga Mat (4mm) worth Rs. 399
Payment by DEMAND DRAFT, MONEY ORDER & CHEQUES only Favouring “LIFE POSITIVE PVT. LTD.”
Standard delivery mode is ordinary post. If you want to receive your copy by courier, please add 1yr - ` 240, 2 yrs - ` 480, 3 yrs - ` 720, 5yrs - ` 1200
• Please allow 4-6 weeks for processing your subscription request. • Life Positive Pvt. Ltd. reserves all rights to terminate or extend this offer or any part thereof at any time or to accept or reject any or all forms received at their absolute discretion without assigning any reason. • All disputes will be subject to New Delhi jurisdiction only.
F-1/9, 1st Floor, Okhla Industrial (011) 49563777, 49563713 [email protected] Area Phase 1, New Delhi – 110020 08527290282, 09971088870 www.lifepositive.com
GIFT 1


DISPLAY ADS
HAVEN'T RECEIVED A COPY OF YOUR FAVOURITE MAGAZINE?
We will send you a copy immediately, and take steps to make sure it does not happen again. Your patronage ma ers to us.
And so does your growth!


SPIRIT
The power of blessings
Blessings are the most powerful gifts you can ever receive from anyone, says Suma Varughese
W hen I was editor of we must acknowledge that God’s of appreciation and gratitude.
Society magazine,
we carried a story about a man whose family puja (worship) room had some rough- hewn black stone idols of deities. These idols had been passed down from generations as a sacred trust. On a whim, this man took one of the idols to a jeweller for cleaning and valuation. The rough black colour gave way to a scintillating light. Under its unprepossessing appearance was a diamond of exceptional size and clarity. The man tried to sell the stone and the other idols too. But he could not because few on earth possessed enough money to buy them. And in the meantime, he was filled with fear that someone would steal these priceless diamonds from
him.
To me, this is a good allegory of the times we live in. The sacred is rejected for the mundane. Spirit is mined in pursuit of the material. In the battle between God and Mammon, Mammon holds the trump card. I wondered to myself, how many blessings those deities may have silently bestowed upon the family, unbeknown to him, all of which he forsook in pursuit of money.
There truly is nothing more powerful than blessings. When we think of the innumerable things that can go wrong in our lives,
grace is a very real thing. Every moment of life lived healthily and happily is a gift that may have made its way through the blessings of our elders, ancestors, or divine souls. We must actively solicit and value the blessings that come our way. Be grateful when you get the opportunity to serve someone, perhaps someone poor or old, and gratefully accept the blessings they give you. How valuable they may be, you will have no idea, but they could well protect you from disease and disasters.
On the occasion of a marriage, wise are the families or couples who refuse gifts and ask only for blessings. They know that these are far more valuable than even the fanciest of dinner sets or crystal glasses.
When my mother died in 2012 after being paralysed for two and a half years during which I was her chief caregiver, I truly felt I had earned her blessings because my life opened up thereafter. My financial situation improved hugely, my spiritual evolution increased, and I became much happier. My life has only expanded since then. Despite being diagnosed with arthritis and asthma, I am barely afflicted by these two ailments. I have always put it down to the many blessings of LP readers who have, over the years, sent me letters
Earn the blessings of the poor, the sick, the shelterless, and the abandoned by serving them. Who knows what they may protect you from? We are not meant to take care of our wants and needs alone. We are meant to look after the needs and wants of those who do not have enough. In the ancient scriptures, it was established that the householder was to look after all those who, for whatever reason, were unable to fend for themselves financially. This included widows, orphans, sadhus (holy people), (religious mendicants), beggars, and others of that ilk. In Kerala, upper-class households cultivated the habit of issuing a cry to those going to bed hungry, before closing their doors for the night.
The more we align ourselves to the laws of the Universe and free ourselves of our ego, the more blessings we will naturally earn not just from others but from life itself. And only these blessings will help us thrive and flourish. Make no mistake about it.
Suma Varughese is a thinker, writer, and former Editor-in- Chief of Life Positive. She also holds writer’s workshops. Write to her at sumavarughese@ hotmail.com.
We welcome your comments and suggestions on this article. Mail us at [email protected]
Spirit 63


BANYAN TREE
TEACHING STORY
THE INERTIA OF MIND OR THE MANTRA TO MOVE
Once there lived a cowardly man who was very fearful of making any decisions. He lived his life on autopilot and always chose only what was readily available. This gave him a life full of misery, sorrow, failure, and poverty. He saw absolutely no way to overcome it. So he approached the wise village priest to seek some answers and told him his life story. The priest, on hearing everything, said, “Courage is not always doing something big and dramatic all at once. Courage begins with taking small steps, one at a time. It starts with taking action. You have not yet overcome the inertia and laziness of your mind, which always poses hurdles in front of you and keeps you from taking up challenges in life that might have brought you real progress and humongous personal development. Get over your mental sloth, and you will be just fine. A sluggish mind can’t think or act out of stagnancy. Do what you are supposed to do. Take action. Make it your mantra to MOVE, even physically, as then the mind too will follow and comply with the body, especially when you feel stuck somewhere.”
The man followed this valuable advice given to him by the priest, and within the first six months of applying it daily in his practice, he could see tremendous growth in almost all aspects of his life. He was finally full of happiness and gratitude towards everyone and everything.
THIS, I KNOW
SRI SRI RAVI SHANKAR
• In life, every moment is an act of letting go.
• Whenever you get so confused analysing your own feelings, just drop it.
• Grace dawns when we are devoted, calm, centred, and when our consciousness is like a flower.
• Having an attitude of gratefulness for all that we have received in life resolves karma.
• When you face different situations in Life, the peace and stability you have depend upon the amount of faith you have.
• Passion for transformation and dispassion for momentary pleasure can make you a strong and sincere person.
• Don’t be stuck with words; your worries are words, your ideas are words, but wisdom is beyond the words.
• The best form of worship is to be happy, to be grateful.
• There is freedom when you realise that you are just a witness to all that is happening.
64 LifePositive | MAY 2021


INSPIRATION
SILENCE
A day of Silence
Can be a pilgrimage in itself.
A day of Silence
Can help you listen
To the Soul play
In marvellous lute and drum.
Is not most talking
A crazed defence of a crumbling fort?
I thought we came here
To surrender in Silence,
To yield to Light and Happiness, To dance within
In celebration of love's victory!
—Hafiz
Translation from I Heard God Laughing by Daniel Ladinsky
ONE-MINUTE WISDOM
STILLNESS WITHIN
A man would always bring questions and
problems to his guru and the latter would advise him to stay silent and go within to find solutions. The man never understood this. His guru tried to explain to him about the nature of mind by drawing an example: “The storm- churned sea is silent and still, twenty feet below the surface. So also is the mind. To achieve equanimity and wisdom in life, dive into your mind. Be still. All that you need to know will reveal itself to you.” The man goes back home with clarity and peace.
QUOTE
“You can either be a host to God or a hostage to your ego.”
—Dr Wayne Dyer, PhD
JUST FOR LAUGHS
QUICK PICK
Once an author and parenting coach is asked what he would like to say about all his work over the years. He answers, “I have eight children. Before I had eight children, I had eight theories on how to raise children, and now I have eight children and no theories about how to raise children.” He also shares about his eleven-year-old daughter who always complained about his fathering skills. He was so fed up with listening to her complaints all the time, that one day, he told her, “Listen, if you don’t like the kind of father I am then you shouldn’t be blaming me but asking yourself why in the world you would pick me to be your father.” His daughter rolled her eyes back and said, “You are telling me that I actually picked you to be my father!” and he answered, “Yes, in the subtle world, our consciousness actually chooses who our parents are going to be before we show up in the world of form. When you are making important decisions like that, you should be really careful.” She responds, “Well, then I must have been in a hurry.”
Banyan Tree
65


Anouchka Blessed
A free-spirited woman, an advocate of healthy living, and traditional yogic teachings, Anouchka Blessed works as a transformational coach, guiding people on their personal life path and through their shadows.
Pradeep Krishnan
Pradeep Krishnan is a student of consciousness, based in Kerala. A seeker by nature, he is deeply attracted to the teachings of Sri Ramana Maharshi and Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj.
Jamuna Rangachari
Former assistant editor of Life Positive, Jamuna Rangachari has authored two books for children, and compiled and interpreted Teaching Stories-I and II for Life Positive.
Ajay Kalra
Ajay Kalra is a life coach, psychologist, yoga teacher and an author. He teaches principles of mindful living through his monthly online classes, workshops, writing and YouTube videos. He can be reached at [email protected]
Naini Setalvad
Naini Setalvad is a nutritionist, specialising in lifestyle and immunity disorders. Her foundation, Health For You, throws light on healthy food habits.
66 LifePositive | MAY 2021