MANTHAN (Inner churning)

         

        Suffering or Inner churning is an essential part of our journey towards growth.  Its a signal of transformation to happen. First poison will be spilled out of any kind of turmoil, it is for us to let it be and accept as a part of process of transformation to begin with. Nothing goes waste. There is a meaning to everything... even if we can question why. This wisdom works like an antidote to whatever bitterness has cropped up within us.... not to just question or resist any unpleasant thing but to simply accept with grace and then take action or rather respond. If we can accept the bitter part of medicine having a strong faith that it is going to cure us, then only we are able to receive it and see the results of recovery. Likewise only if we are willing to accept the "Vish" poison coming out of some turmoil or churning(manthan) then can we be worthy to receive "Amrit" Ambrosia 

         After every night, however dark it might be, there is a dawn...every morning lit up by sunrays. Similarly after the worst experience, comes the magical moment only if we don't give up & wait till the end with grace. Its our vision how we perceive. Its the only way to reach destination of keeping up high spirits of hope and determination. The way we tell our stories makes all the difference. Its our outlook which gives a positive turn to our narratives going in our mind and make our life look brighter. If we are in victim mode we need to do a reality check is it real or is it our mindset. We can shift with one thought from this to taking in charge of our lives. 

        However tough the situation may be, we can be winners and come out of this vicious circle of guilt, shame or darkness with grit, determination, self worth and patience. We can steer our direction from lack towards abundance with feeling of gratitude and surrender knowing that we are taken care of. 

        Our version of ourselves is entirely in our hands as long as we take the full responsibility of handling ourselves from complaining mode to creative mode giving results. There is always a lesson to be learnt, hence the earlier we learn, and bring reforms in our lives, the sooner we are able to perform in our growth. 

Hidden roots

         It is said however tall the tree is or robust the branches are, the secret behind its majestic growth lies in its roots which are not always visible. There is a reason for Nature to be so because the foundation which is laying ground should be  underground.

 

        This is the  science how it works. In this world, whatever is noticeable is often mistaken as everything and honored for its credit.  What remains invisible, often goes ignored without recognition. One such example is our internal growth. 

        Whenever a person is working on inner strength building or immune system, the results are not immediately visible by outside world till a situation comes where inner wisdom plays its role and returns with good results by right decision and action thereupon. 

        A child may be trained & guided to pursue career in the best possible way but if he is not made to learn to introspect or contemplate upon his own thought process, his foundation may be shaky and can be uprooted at unknown crisis he could not handle. He can be in grave danger when such crisis strikes. 

        So failure helps us to be grounded and makes us internalize  where things might have gone wrong. This way we can take corrective action which will save in future. 

        Working on our core values and concepts gets revisited and thereby helps us to review whether we are on the path of progress or are we getting stuck in vicious circle of following the rest without having a pause button to introspect & see the entire scenario in a broader way. It does not make sense to keep running without knowing where you are heading to , if at all is it your destination willfully or we are just chasing some other's dream. We need to take a break and listen to our heart sometimes what is it that we are creating. Are we over working ourselves like a robot to run after success, money, fame, then certainly you will be missing out the simplicity of life to live. To rest and enjoy nature or simply being. You need not seek any validation or tag or approvals from the world to feel worthy. Your self worth is self found with inner fulfillment and bliss. Ask yourself what makes you happy. What keeps you at ease and have the courage to move in that direction.

        Most courageous people think differently and act like themselves without the care of pleasing others. Does not mean you have to be mean but certainly you will be your genuine self without getting fit into other's definition of being Perfect. Your  roots may be way deep inside and still your outer growth is not commendable to the world. At times of storm, all the tall trees will be vanquished except for those who are grounded to the deepest core of their roots. 

ख्वाशियों के दौर

 ऊँची अभिलाषाओं के दम पे 

जब भी लम्बी उड़ान भड़ती हूँ 

बड़ी बारीकी से,

 खुद को जान पाती हूँ | 

हज़ारों  ख्वाईशें, हज़ारों उम्मीदेँ लेकर 

अपने जीवन को संजोती हूँ 

मानो कल की ही बात है 

परियों  के देश में

अब भी सपने बुनती हूँ 

 

संतोष तो है, पर अंत नहीं ख्वाईशों का  

एक पूरी होने से पहले दूसरी की मांग शुरू हो जाती हैं 

मानो अंतहीन रेल के पटरी जैसे 

यह सिलसिला जारी है | 

इस ख्वाशियों के दौर में 

खुद को गुमसुम, कमसिन  पाती हूँ 

एक नए सिरे से

जब  अपनी इच्छाओं को टटोलती हूँ 

तो अपने वजूद से जुदा होकर

खुद में सीमित रह जाती हूँ  | 

चाहे कितनी बातें करलो, 

मनको सेहलाके चुप्पी भरलो 

दिल तो नासमझ है, दिल का करार भर लो 

 मन की सुनना जायज़ है  कुछ हद तक 

आखिर ईमान की कदर करना 

अपनी सीमाओं के भीतर

 शालीनता को करार रखना 

अपने मौलिकता के देहलीज़ को 

भूल  के भी न पार करना 

जिंदगी को खुल के जीना 

हर पल में रहके जीवन संजोना 

न कल की फ़िक्र, न कोई भ्रम

मौत आए तो भी क्या गम 

यह चोला तो उतर ही जाना है 

अपने अंतरात्मा से परिचय जो  हुआ 

अब काहे का डर  

अपनी अंतिम यात्रा तक 

ब्रह्माण्ड में घुल जाने तक  

मुझमे मैं  छूट जाने तक

आओ,  हम तुम यह दूरी  तय करले 

अनंत की और रुख बदल ले !

 

 

 

সমর্পণে পূর্ণতা

 কৃপা করো হে প্রভু 

সংশয় যদি আসে  কভু 

 চুড় করে দিও ভ্রান্তি যত 

মায়াময়ী জগতের চর্চা গত

সহিবো  না দূরত্ব এতই  আহত 

তোমার চরণে  রাখিও 

 স্পর্শে  হয়  জীবন সংযত 

অন্তরঙ্গে তুমি পারশমণির মতন 

আবির্ভূত হও রক্ষা কবচ সম  

জনম মরণের এ খেলার ছলে

সকল দোষ পাপ কর্মকান্ড কৃত 

ক্লান্ত শরীর, মন বিষন্ন  

তুমি কর্তা আমি সেবক

তোমার করুণা  অপরম্পার

 পূর্ণ সমর্পন ভাব নিয়ে

 তোমার কাছে নত

বিসর্জন দিলাম সর্বস্ব 

কেবল তোমায় ধরে রেখেছি 

 আমার  অগাধ বিশ্বাস 

তুমি সর্বদা  আমার মঙ্গল করছ 

এই দিব্য দৃষ্টি তোমার ই  দেওয়া

 আমার শুধু  ভক্তি ও শ্রদ্ধা 

আমায় পরম পূর্ণতার পথে নিয়ে যাচ্ছ !

 

 

 

 

 

FORBIDDEN BITE

 

In secret gardens, hidden from sight,

A forbidden fruit, a tempting delight.

The serpent's whisper, a subtle guide,

Lures the heart to take a fateful stride.

A single bite, a moment's sweet thrill,

Unleashes knowledge, and a fatal will.

The taste of freedom, mixed with pain,

A choice made, and paradise in vain.

The crunch of teeth, a sound so bold,

A doorway opens, to a world to mold.

Ambrosial bliss, now lost in time,

A legacy born, of human prime.

In the fall's shadow, a glimmer stays,

A chance for redemption, in endless ways.

For in the heart, a spark remains,

A longing for love, and heaven's sweet refrains.

Library of ideas

 LIBRARY of ideas

Words connect, words create,
A world of wonder, a world of tale.
Books are hubs of great ideas born,
From writers' visions, beautifully sworn.

Libraries, warehouses of the mind,
Zillions of ideas, intertwined.
A river of thoughts, a flow of might,
Ecstasy of feelings, emotions bright.

The entrance opens, imagination soars,
Beyond the horizon, freedom explores.
The silence whispers, a gentle hush,
Music of words, in joyful rush.

In this dreamlike world, possibilities abound,
Beyond measure, without a sound.
The tune of words, an orchestra grand,
Echoes through silence, across the land.

Stressfree Mind

 

STRESS FREE MIND with breathing techniques

Pointers towards how to boost a stress-free mind

1.      ENERGY – To combat stress, we need more energy. Inhaling long deep breaths helps us to enhance our life energy levels. Filling up our lungs with maximum oxygen helps us to increase the functional capacity of our internal organs. Just like better blood circulation improves overall health, higher oxygen levels boosts our energy levels. Bhastrika is one powerful breathing technique to shake off nervousness and fill up with newfound energy and enthusiasm.

 

2.     FLEXIBILITY – When stress happens, because of our rigidness, we either break or fail without being flexible.  These breathing exercises allows us to be in flexible mode – ready to adapt to any situation, person or task. Our brain muscles are toned so that they function with agility and become shock absorbers to bear shattering news and we become more resilient to trauma or loss. Our emotions are directly connected to our breath. If we are not careful, the emotions can rule our life ending up with wrong decisions and a messy life. Instead, if we know how to deal with these emotions, we can be in charge of our life. For example, on a hill station we get a WOW moment opening our breath in full flow as we are mesmerized in awe of the scenic beauty. We can get back this wow moment anytime we take fuller deeper breaths. When we are sad, we usually have shallow breath and by using breathing techniques we can come out of sadness promptly. This is the power of breath which make us in charge of our emotions and enables us to be in response mode rather than in reaction mode. Our resilience power increases and we can forebear any bad situation staying calm and stable. This is the secret of becoming rock solid. Your will power escalates tremendously as you are in charge of your life.

 

3.     BALANCE – Our brain has two aspects, left connected with analytical part and right connected with emotional part. Both are important for our functioning. However in most of the cases, if we are not very alert or aware, our mind tends to be lopsided to either the emotional or analytical half. The right balance is required to have a clear perspective and hence our thought process will be steered in the right direction. Here also through Nadi shodhan Pranayam or Breath purification breathwork, we can activate both sides of the brain and maintain the right balance.

 

4.    RHYTHM – By default, our biological system has a rhythm as a part of Nature. As we move from our childhood to maturity, we are getting influenced by outside conditioning and our inner tendencies also interrupt the rhythm, resulting in abnormalities like stress and diseases. The natural rhythm is reflection of our body-mind synchronicity and breath is the link between our mind and body. Practicing breathing techniques helps us to align our mind body in one harmony.

 

5.     COMFORT ZONE – Most of the times, we get stressed when we deal with people, situations, or tasks that fall outside our comfort zone. We can get over this phobia or myth that comfort keeps us safe, once we know how many opportunities we are missing out on by not stepping out of our comfort zone. What is comfort… that which we are used to or we think it will provide pleasure and safety. But the fact is in long term, comfort only limits us and if we prepare ourself for discomfort we can face anything and everything. If we can embrace embarrassment, we conquer half the battle with our readiness, “Be it, so what!’’ Here also breathwork releases the tension and with new found relaxed rested mode, with upgraded energy levels, we move on to next level of growth crossing our comfort zone barriers. We learn new things, ready to bear more risk for a brighter future. We move on from no mind to YES mind.

 

6.    UNDERSTANDING NATURE OF MIND – One of the major reasons of stress is that we cannot let go of past pain, loss or regrets or anything negative. The nature of our mind is such that it clings on to negativity and doubts only positive thoughts. For instance, if we are praised by 10 people, we will be overwhelmed and can’t take the appreciation in full spirit, we shy away thinking that they are only praising us out of courtesy, we doubt good things. But when 1 person insults us, we are not able to dismiss it the same way we dismiss the praise. We will believe and react immediately.  The other propensity of our mind is to oscillate between past and future and hence we fail to focus on the present moment. Our mind is scattered all over and to bring it back to a one pointedness, breath can be instrumental.

   Once we are aware of the tendencies of our mind, we watch out not to fall in its trap. The mind plays tricky games and lures us into more easy tasks and instant results but with breathing techniques, our awareness improves. With breathwork we are in witness mode, separating ourselves from our mind. Our mind automatically gets quietened like a good obedient child as we are directing our mind as a master to follow a particular technique. When the chattering mind is silenced, it is automatically rested. It returns to a stable position, in the present moment. FLUSHING OUT TOXIC THOUGHTS – The last but not the least is mental hygiene. If we don’t know how to dispose of our toxic thougts, we are going to fall sick both mentally and physically. Breathwork helps us to flush out these negative emotions and thoughts through proper exhalation. Kapalbhati is such powerful breath technique of forceful exhalations from the naval area. Bhanwari is another way to clear the cobwebs of brain through nozzle of one pointed forceful hmming sound of a bee keeping all windows of your senses closed. The blocked up areas will open up with jerks from forceful breaths at every level of our body be in naval area, heart region or top of the head.  

 

We can bridge the gap between a stressed chaotic mind and a stable stress-free mind with mindfulness, following these breathing techniques.