FOMO(Fear of missing out) is a fear that all of us have in varying degrees. Consequently, we try to fill our days with many things that we think we need to do, wish to do or simply have to do since situation demands… We get so used to living in this manner that simply sitting down and doing nothing seems to be quite a task for most and still people who have had the courage to let go of the to-dos for some time and sit quietly have been enriched by the experience.

Meditation is a practice that we must incorporate in our daily lives. The Sanskrit word for meditation is Dhyana and by the time the technique reached the Japanese shores, it was pronounced as Zen. Meditation is not only for monks, it is very much essential for busy city people who are overwhelmed with the life around them.

There are many forms of meditation, whichever you adopt is upto you. The simplest is observing the natural process of breathing which is also called “So-Hum” japa. This japa not only indicates the sound associated with the breathing in (So) and with breathing out (Hum) but also indicates the meaning So(that power which runs the universe) Hum(is me). So you have to focus on the process of breathing as well as the auto-suggestion. This is also called the ajapa japa and is a very simple yet effective method of meditating. You could meditate sitting down with eyes closed or even be aware of the ajapa japa whilst performing any activity -that is also meditation…

Over time, you will find yourself calming down and start experiencing the benefits of meditation. Try it…Silence isn’t empty, its full of answers…

It is said that empty space occupies almost 99% of the creation and just 1% is creation(Matter). This Space is Shiva – That which is not (Shi-Va).

All spiritual pursuits are aimed at transcending matter (seen/perceived through senses) to experience what cannot be seen (Shiva). However we are so much enamoured with the seen that we forget about what lies beyond the senses…

Each one of us has to deal with two aspects of experiencing life. One is external – when we are dealing with the physical dimensions and the other is internal when we are dealing with the Spiritual Dimension.

When we deal with the external, love is the dominant emotion to have. This will bring joy and wellbeing in the society.

When you deal with the internal, silence, humility and the realisation that you are nothing are the dominant emotions to have – this will unfold spiritual realisation

You are nothing and yet everything is the paradox of life which is understood only when you walk the spiritual path and experience Shi-va when you will also get the answer to the question where do you come from, where do you go…

It doesn’t take intelligence of a high order to notice that people, things around you are constantly changing and that nothing is or will be as it used to be and yet people crave for permanence and get stressed if things and/or people change…

The sooner we accept the point that life itself is a temporary phenomena that we are experiencing, the better for us. In this fast changing world, it is difficult to get a grip of what you actually want out of life. There are so many things being thrown at you that you tend to get overwhelmed by all of it – societal expectations, family expectations, your own desires, etc. Take a moment to think what if you were to live for just a year more, or just a month more, would you still do the same things that you are doing?

List out the things that are meaningful to you and put them on your calendar. You don’t have to live up to other peoples values, goals or meaning of life, you have been provided with intelligence to figure out what are your own values, goals and what gives you meaning. Don’t get sucked into being monkeys in other peoples circuses(goals), instead create your own circus (goal). Remember life by itself has no meaning other than the one you assign to it…When you finally close your eyes the only question you will ask yourself is – was it worth it? Let the answer be a resounding YES!

So have you found your circus (goal)?

International Yoga Day is being celebrated on 21st June and it is something that everyone should practice so that life itself becomes a celebration.

Yoga is most commonly identified with the Asana aspect all over the world. However Yoga is actually “the cessation of mental modifications” as defined by Mahrshi Patanjali. It is a path followed by people who wish to get the experience of being one with the Absolute/ Divinity. This state is called Samadhi by Mahrshi Patanjali whilst it could be referred to as Nirvana, Zen, Self Realisation, Satori etc by others. Yoga is not a religion, it is a path chosen by those who wish to seek this enlightenment and the only way you can know Yoga is by experiencing it – it is an experiential path.

There are different approaches to yoga: Karma yoga, Hatha yoga, Kriya Yoga, Bhakti yoga, Gnana yoga. Karma Yoga lays emphasis on working without expectations, Hatha Yoga lays emphasis on control of Body, Diet, mind; Kriya Yoga focusses on Prana Shakti; Bhakti Yoga involves total surrender to the Divine and Gnana Yoga uses the sharp intellect to negate everything till you reach the stage of enlightenment. You could start with whichever path suits you but know that ultimately all the paths merge into one.

A combination of all approaches is Raja Yoga also called as Ashtanga Yoga as codified by Mahrshi Patanjali for people who really wish to experience Samadhi. This approach is comprehensive and deals with training all the aspects of your existence: your physical body, prana, emotions and intellect. You have to regularly and consistently practice the 7 steps of Yama (self-restraints), Niyama (fixed rules), Asana (postures), Pranayama (Breath control), Pratyahara(sense withdrawal), Dharana (concentration), Dhyana(Meditation) in order to ultimately reach the eighth level of Samadhi.

Wish you a great journey in Yoga and pray that you are graced with the ultimate experience of Yoga…

As they say, an ounce of experience is worth a ton of theory. Many people believe that reading books on spirituality written by Masters makes them Spiritually Advanced. Nothing could be far from truth than this. Unless the assimilated knowledge is put into action in transforming your personality and for well being of all, such assimilated knowledge would only inflate your ego which is actually spiritually regressive than progressive…

Whilst reading spiritual literature is a way of communing with the Masters and the free souls that walked the face of the earth but that by itself is just an inspiration for you to make the necessary changes in your life and get on with your spiritual evolution. Don’t get stuck with gathering such ‘knowledge’, move on.

Keep some time aside for learning but keep a majority of time for implementing the learning by incorporating the good practices in your daily life…

As Abu Bakr puts it: without knowledge action is useless, knowledge without action is futile…

In Buddhism you are taught to experience the law of impermanence called Annijja through observation of your own breathing and sensations. It is only when you observe in silence that you realise that everything is changing, including yourself. This is the simple basis for buddhist meditation, the deeper your observation so would be your experience. It is a negation of all impermanent things that ultimately brings you before the ultimate reality which is permanent and unchangeable…

Cultivate this habit of silent observation and perhaps it would take you closer to divinity than all prayers and rituals put together…As they say in Zen: You never enter the same river twice since both the river and you have changed since the last time you have entered it.

In life we keep praying for pleasant experiences to come our way and the unpleasant ones to be taken away but unfortunately thats not how things are… Life happens, time is ticking, how are you engaged with it is the question. If you are blissful during the engagement by accepting whatever comes your way and doing your best immaterial of whether you like it or not, then possibly it would be a life well lived…

It is not easy to lead life in total acceptance. For that you have to dissolve your attachments to the various roles, duties and desires. It doesn’t mean that you run away from them, it simply means that you perform them with utmost love and in a detached manner. That is Karma Yoga.

There are ways in Yoga available to transform yourself, you should be open to trying them out. As Swami Satyananda Saraswati puts it – Yoga is not an ancient myth buried in oblivion. It is the most valuable inheritance of the present. It is the essential need of today and the culture of tomorrow…

We were at the fag end of the day at a Yoga Retreat that I recently attended and tired of doing all the Asana’s and Pranayamas from 6 am onwards and that was the time that we were told to go out on the ground and start playing games – essentially picnic games like dog and the bone or frisbee. Teams were created and people in their teens were playing the game as enthusiastically as were people in their 50’s and 60’s. The tiredness was gone, everyone played in a childlike manner, people forgot who they were for that time and had the energy to play for an hour and return rejuvenated & refreshed for another 2 hours of Yoga and Meditation.

What this indicated was that enthusiasm (and energy) is essentially our response to a situation. If we are given a sport/art we respond to it enthusiastically(and energy is provided for the activity) but if we are given work or performing duties then we don’t respond enthusiastically(and energy is not provided for the activity).

Understanding that enthusiasm is an individual response 100% under our control and not choosing to relinquish it to an external activity, event or person is 100% in our control. Unfortunately we have conditioned ourselves to respond with enthusiasm only to things that we like. So to be 100% joyful we try to include as many activities that we like in a day and avoid the activities that we dislike, but that is the wrong way. We must instead work on re-conditioning ourselves to respond to every situation/person with equal enthusiasm. It is possible if we use the power of auto – suggestion and tell ourselves that we will respond enthusiastically every moment then in time, it will happen. As with all things, it would be difficult to practice in the beginning but would be a habit over a period of time.

If you are able to do this then not only would the quality of your life improve but also you would have made considerable progress on the spiritual path… As Swami Vivekananda puts it – Don’t look back—forward, infinite energy, infinite enthusiasm, infinite daring, and infinite patience—then alone can great deeds be accomplished.

There are 2 P’s in everyone’s life: Prarabdha and Purushartha. 

Prarabdha is “fate”: what you are born with, what situations you would face in life and what kind of people you would come in contact with. This part is uncontrollable and there is no use in getting frustrated or bothered with what comes your way.

What is controllable is your response to it, which is Purushartha: which is the “response-ability” of each person. This is broadly divided in 4 categories: Dharma, Artha, Kama and Moksha. Dharma is nothing but responsibility towards self and all sentient beings. Artha is the pursuit of a meaningful purpose in life that gives the person the ability to make a living, Kama is recreation and moksha is the path towards spiritual liberation. If all aspects are aligned towards Sattva (upholding the well being of all sentient beings) then your life would be meaningful and fulfilling… Purushartha shapes your future prarabdha; so destiny is actually in our hands as well, if we so choose…

Unfortunately, people consider earning wealth, power, fame are the only ends in life and hence the sorry state of our society. Purushartha is a concept that has been buried under such ambitions. To resurrect the concept is upto us…

If you do not do what you cannot do, thats no problem. But if you do not do what you can do, you are a tragedy: Sadhguru

To be worried about doing something of value in life or wondering where all this is headed, is such a waste of time. All you have is the moment now, nothing more, nothing less. If you can’t be joyful in this moment what makes you think you’ll be joyful in life?

It’s not the designation you’re eyeing, nor is it the dream house/car or for that matter any event, person or thing that would bring you joy. Joy always comes from within and nowhere else.The only way of finding this joy is in losing everything that you have perceived to be yours or are seeking. Nothing is yours, not your body, not your mind, not even your will (you may fancy it to be yours but sorry to break the bubble). Once you experientially realise this, you start living a detached life and start living in the moment without worries. Nothing of your external situation or relationship needs to change for this realisation to dawn on you but an effort of meditating is required till the time you reach the point of experiencing this detachment. 

Once you reach this point life suddenly becomes beautiful and lovely without there being any external stimulus for the state to be triggered. You’re on a permanent high.
Freedom is non dependence on anything external to bring you joy.

I pray that you may find your freedom…