THE MONTHLY E-MAGAZINE
August 2012 ISSUE
KOSMIC JOURNEY For Mind, Body and Soul
Soul speaks
POWER OF SILENCE Bonding with Nature
ON A SPIRITUAL TRAIL Seven keys to
HUMILITY
Words of Wisdom with Dada J. P. Vaswani
Founder’s Note
Dear Friends, Sometimes nature throws so many surprises at us, that we can’t stop wondering at it’s shear vastness. This happens specially when we are really close to nature during activities such as nature walks, trekking, hiking etc. We start feeling that we are as much a part of this vastness, as the other things around us such as trees, animals, wind, water, rocks, soil…. And that’s what we are.. “just a part”. However, most of the times we take this being for granted, and start exploiting this pristine nature itself for our commercial gains… as if we are not a part, but the creator and the owner. In the process do not realize the ecological impact we are leaving on the mother earth, or in today’s parlance, our Carbon Foot-print. It is difficult to measure, but can be explained as the CO2 equivalent of all the activities we are undertaking which are against the ecological system. From the mother earth, we also learn an extremely important quality… perhaps the most important quality a human being should possess. And that is Humility. Have you ever seen the planet earth saying or bragging about all the things she has been providing to us earthlings since times immemorial..? She does it unconditionally, never expecting anything in return. Humility is probably the one of the main common factors among all great people who have walked on this planet. Whatever greatness we achieve in our lives, in terms of wealth, possessions, properties, name, fame, position, social status…. If that does not lead us to humility, then these achievements have no value at all. We all need to be humble, and need to always remember the fact that ‘whatever goes around, comes around’. If we are good, kind hearted, helping to others, without being judgmental about their status, wealth etc., then that’s what we will receive from the universe. So come, let’s all take the pledge to be Humble, and Kind to ourselves, others and mother nature. Remember to meditate, exercise and have healthy diet on a regular basis. I wish you all the best. Love and Peace, Santosh Joshi
~ Saint Augustine ~ © Copyright 2011, “All Rights Reserved*
www.anewlifefoundation.com, www.kosmicjourney.com
The Monthly E-Magazine
August 2012 issue
For Mind, Body and Soul
Editor’s Note
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On a Spiritual Trail………13 By Jyotsna Nair
Power of Scilence ……….5 By Priyanka Ghode
Humility Personified…….7 By Aruna Joshi
The Science of Mudras …16 By Nalini Jethwani
Everywhere I Go…………21 By Aekta Kapoor Inspirational stories……24
My workshop Experience………………..17 Words of Wisdom……….10 An Interview with Dada JP Vaswani
By Poonam Tandon
Food for Body, Mind and soul……….……………….25
Wind in the Willows…….18 By Soni Somarajan
7Keys To Humility………19 By Rangana Rupavi Choudhouri
Disclaimer : The contents of this E-Magazine are the thoughts / views of the contributors / writers herein. Any similarity with contents of any other magazines or books is purely coincidental, unless stated otherwise. Those thoughts / views are not necessarily the views of the owners of this e-magazine. Copyright : All the content, intellectual ideas and graphics of this E-Magazine is the sole property of the owners of www.kosmicjourney.com. Any copying or transferring or outside using of this material, unless authorised by the owners, will be seen as a breach of this Copyright and will be treated accordingly.
© Copyright 2011, “All Rights Reserved*
www.anewlifefoundation.com, www.kosmicjourney.com
Editor’s Note
Dear Friends, Pleasure connecting with you all again. This month we are featuring an interview with Dada JP Vaswani who is a universally acclaimed humanitarian, philosopher, educator, acclaimed writer, powerful orator and non-sectarian spiritual leader. In was an honour to meet him in Pune at the Sadhu Vaswani mission when we went their recently. His gave us time for the interview despite his keeping not so well. Dadaji, as he is lovingly addressed by everyone, and who celebrated his 94th birthday on 2nd of August is an epitome of Humility. During the interview when we asked Dadaji, “what is the most important quality a human being should posses according to him? “ and immediately the reply was, “Humility”. Undoubtly this virtue was exhibited by each and every person around, in the campus. This probably creates a sense of belonging in every person who visits there. As a small gesture from our side, we decided to centre this issue of Kosmic Journey on Humility. Hope you all friends like it. An important workshop we had this month was on SKY Healing. This is a wonderful healing technique found by Santosh. The beauty of SKY Healing is that it is short, easy to practice anywhere, anytime and by anyone. It is a very powerful and a potent healing technique. It also heals you at physical, emotional and mental level. SKY Healing instantly reduces stress and the thereby takes care of the problems caused by stress. Worth a try, isn’t it ? The highlight of the month was a spiritual trail in the laps of nature organized by NEW LIFE FOUNDATION. It was a unique combination of Adventure, Fun and spirituality. All of us felt so many invisible barriers and blocks that we had created around us ourselves just melting away in the midst of nature. The whole experience was completely refreshing and rejuvenating and all of us have now decided to experience such trails more often. We are carrying a first person account of this trip to Kondana caves, by one of our edi-mates, Jyotsna Nair. Enjoy the read. And do join us next time. Love, Peace and Light
Edi – Team Mates Aruna Preeti Jyotsna
FOUNDER
: Santosh Joshi
EDITOR
: Aruna Joshi
EDITORIAL COMMITTEE
: : : :
Madhu
Jyotsna Madhu Preeti Santa
PUBLISHED By : New Life Foundation DESIGN BY
: New Life Foundation
Santa Santosh
It would be great to hear from you or receive your feedback or comments on this effort. Please feel free to contact us through my email id editor@kosmicjourney.com if you have any suggestions to improve this e-magazine. We really hope that you find this of some value towards improving and enriching your journey of life.
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POWER OF SCILENCE Priyanka Ghode Pune, India
“In silence, we can hear our soul speak”. So goes the saying. Getting in touch with our inner self is truly the way to attain joy and contentment. A silent mind, freed from the constant onslaught of thoughts and thought processes, is vital for personal as well as spiritual evolution. Many religions profess that inner silence can bring us in contact with the divine or the ultimate reality.
It can bring a sense of deep awareness and a sense of “being” rather than a sense of always trying to “become” this or that. Above all, we can experience a profound sense of inner peace and natural happiness. What we think of as happiness is usually materialistic joy and sense gratification.
I am sure each one of us has at sometime in life observed an infant sleeping. The sleep is extremely peaceful and calm, free from the outer disturbances. The primary reason of such settled down sleep is the infant has no knowledge of the outer noises and is unaware of the hustle bustle he is surrounded with. His mind is at peace as he enjoys a divine inner silence thus paving way for a detached sleep. As the infant slowly grows the sleep becomes dependent on the noises around him. His sleep lessens and he slowly gets addicted to the outside noises. As adults most of us have a superficial sleep as our subconscious seems to be active most of the time.
But the kind of deep and rich happiness we experience when we are in touch with our true self, the consciousness within us is a natural, spiritual happiness, which does not depend on anything external, and does not evaporate as soon as the object or stimulation which produced it is removed. It is a happiness which comes from experiencing the divinity inside us.
The constant need of the modern world is to hear voices and be totally dependent on external sounds. The most serious consequence of both this inner chattering and the noise and activity of the modern world is that they separate us from our true-selves. Whether it is the silence of contemplative prayer, silent worship rituals or meditation, descriptions of silence and allowing the mind to become silent are implied as a feature of spiritual enlightenment, inner growth and a time to allow the divine to speak in the heart and mind. Getting to know our true self can have a liberating effect on us.
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POWER OF SCILENCE Cont…. in stopping the inner noise pure consciousness immerses us and we become our true selves. That is the true power of silence. The practice of silence is like fasting of speech. Many who undertake a food-fast do not at the same time control the other function of the mouth, speech. Spiritually, the speech-fast is even more beneficial than the food-fast. It is possible to undertake this speech-fast only by keeping a meditative mood to bring a degree of calmness to the mind. Watching TV and not speaking, is not silence. After half a day of silence, talking on the phone for a two-hour gossip session does not make one a practitioner of silence.
There needs to be a sankalpa, or mental resolution to silence before starting; an affirmation, “I shall keep my speech silent, mind meditative and body relaxed.” Then, keeping the meditative mood, mantra-japa, and breath awareness, continue such practices during the period of silence. Make a further promise to yourself that after the intended period of silence you will not try to make up for this ‘deprivation’ by eating or speaking a lot.
Therefore to get in touch with our inner, true self, we have to gradually withdraw our attention from those things that cause these noises—both external and internal. Meditation does exactly this. First we need to sit in a quiet place with our eyes closed and remove all the external stimuli. Then we need to silence the inner noise by watching our breathing pattern or by chanting a mantra. When we succeed
A swami often hears statements like, “I live alone, so I am always in silence.” That is not practice of silence, not unless one does the sankalpa, and keeps the mind in a meditative mode. Communicating verbally and then being silent are both vitally important. They form two parts of a whole that we dance between. The verbal communication expresses to the world what is going on inside us. The silence, the gap between our talking, if it is valued, will allow us to digest what we just said and to discover what we want to say next as it emerges in the present moment. Our communication becomes a forum to explore new territory in ourselves by listening to what we just said rather than talking about what we already know. Does it fit, is it true, is it really how I feel, are some of the questions we can ask ourselves in those reflective moments of silence. This allows us to move from the unknown into self-discovery thereby paving way for a silent mind and a highly evolved thought generation.
MYSTIC MUSINGS THROUGH
TAROT If you have any questions pertaining to the issues you are going through, you can send your question (one at a time) to editor@kosmicjourney.com and we will be happy to answer that through tarot card reading. It is absolutely FREE. Please mention in your mail your date of birth and if it is ok to publish your question in the e-magazine, or if we can publish by changing your name. We will publish a few general questions with their answers in our next issue with the consent of the sender.
FOR PERSONAL TAROT SESSIONS CONTACT ARUNA JOSHI ON +91 9820500427 ~ 6 ~
HUMILITY PERSONIFIED Aruna Joshi Mumbai, India
person of his stature to call me personally. He continued “I called to say that we are getting delayed as we are stuck in traffic due to heavy rains. We will be there as early as possible. I am sorry for the delay.”
Humility does not mean thinking less of yourself than of other people, nor does it mean having a low opinion of your own gifts. It means freedom from thinking about yourself at all. ~ William Temple, Archbishop (1881-1944) ~ Humility- is often a misunderstood virtue. In today’s world where success is defined by how well, you market yourself and prove yourself superior to others, humility is a lost virtue. A humble person is often misunderstood as weak and inferior. As we go up the ladder of success, humility forms a very important part of us.
I was deeply touched by his humility and it remained engraved on my mind for ever. A few days later, I received a hand written letter from Dutt sahab, as he was fondly called, thanking me for inviting him for the inauguration and praising my work. I cherish the letter even today. The humility that he showed in such a brief encounter with me created a lasting impression and formed an emotional bond. Later When I heard the news of his demise in 2005, I could not hold back my tears.
Humility or humbleness is a quality of being courteously respectful of others. It is the opposite of aggressiveness, arrogance, boastfulness, and vanity. Rather than, "Me first," humility allows us to say, "No, you first, my friend." Humility is the quality that lets us go more than halfway to meet the needs and demands of others. As I sit to write this article on Humility, I am instantly taken down memory lane to the time when I had my first painting exhibition in June 2002. The erstwhile MP and veteran actor Sunil Duttji had courteously accepted my invitation to be the chief guest and inaugurate the exhibition. I was very excited about this and eagerly waiting for the D-day. The inauguration was scheduled at 6.30 pm, but unfortunately it started pouring that day. All the other invitees, including the media, had already arrived at the venue, expect Sunil Duttji. My anxiety started mounting up with every passing minute as all of us waited for the chief guest to arrive. At 6.30 my cell phone rang, and it was an unknown number. Reluctantly I answered the call. The voice on the other side said, “Am I speaking to Arunaji?” “Yes” I said a little restless, not too keen to speak to anyone at that time. “Good Evening Arunaji, this is Sunil Dutt here.” My cell phone almost slipped out of my hands as I could not believe my own ears. Well, because I did not expect a
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HUMILITY PERSONIFIED contd…….. Nair, we were working together in ISRO.” This statement from APJ left him completely numb. Humility means understanding that the joy, pain and needs of others are as important as our own, even though we may not relate to it. When we are humble, we can laugh at our self importance and sometimes, even, set it aside. We can see our own faults and the strengths of others, and we recognize how much we have been given, unearned. Humility makes us aware of our personal limitations and the limitations humanity has more broadly. We acknowledge that there is much we do not know, that certainty is impossible, and that our understanding of the world is provisional at best. Humility opens us to growth and love.
Mr. Sunil Dutt Just one small gesture from a person can touch someone’s life and can teach life’s greatest lessons. Humility is an important virtue which every human being should possess. It is also important for a person to become more humble as he climbs the ladder of success in life, because humility keeps a person grounded as and does not let him fall down. A humble person can teach many things through his actions and deeds. Truly great people are an example of humility. They live in complete oblivion of their greatness. Humility is the understanding that we are all one, that we are a part of the same divine energy source. So no one is one up than the other. Absence of ego is a sign of humility. A person with humility treats every other living being with the same love and respect, irrespective of whether it is an animal or a human, king or a beggar.
It is said that our past president APJ Abdul Kalam had stood in the queue for voting during the elections. It is also said that he had asked for his air ticket when he was travelling abroad. While President, he was one of the most approachable persons at his stature and replied to all his mails by himself. No wonder, everyone is so fond of him.
Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam Once my friend Jyo narrated an incidence which totally left me in admiration of the president. Jyo’s dad and APJ were colleagues. After APJ became the president of India, Jyo’s dad met him in one of the gatherings. Not sure whether the president will recognize him, he chose to stay back and sit in the audience. Somehow when APJ was giving a press conference, he spotted Jyo’s Dad. He got up from his seat and went up to Jyo’s Dad and asked him, “Didn’t you recognize me
Mr. George Washington Many years ago, a rider came across some soldiers who were trying to move a heavy log without success. The corporal was standing by as the men struggled. The rider asked the corporal why he wasn't helping. The corporal replied, "I am the corporal I give orders." The rider dismounted, went up and stood by the soldiers and as they were lifting the log, he helped them. With his help, the log got moved. The rider quietly mounted his horse and went to the corporal and said, "The next time your men need help, send for the Commander-in-Chief." After he left, the corporal and his men found out that the rider was George Washington. The message is pretty clear; Success and humility go hand in hand as simplicity and humility are two hallmarks of greatness. Humility does not mean selfdemeaning behaviour. Humility is a quality that helps keep oneself under control. It is the opposite of being pound. A person who possesses this quality is humble. A humble person is the master of himself. He is not stubborn and is ready to accept other people’s advice and learn from their experience. He admits his mistakes and short-comings politely. He is does not get annoyed with anybody whereas a proud person gets angry easily, when someone offends him. A proud person does not admit to his faults easily. He gets annoyed and blames others for his own mistakes. A proud person is stubborn and angry and does not value others’ suggestions and ideas either. Pride, anger, meekness and humility are all human attitude and these are the expressions of a person which are developed or cultivated slowly over a number of years. They indicate the mental makeup of a person.
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HUMILITY PERSONIFIED contd…….. I recently read a story on the internet about Ferdinand de Lesseps, the famous engineer who planned and executed the construction of the Suez Canal. His plan was successful and the execution of the canal was successfully completed. He was very proud of his engineering competence and skill. He boasted about it and showed it to others. Next he was asked to plan and execute the construction of Panama Canal. He was so proud of his ability and engineering competence that he ignored the suggestions of the other young engineers. He would laugh at their valuable suggestions. The young engineers suggested to him to use the system of locks and gates which were necessary, keeping in view the inclination of the terrain, but Ferdinand was haughty and proud, not humble and meek. He considered his knowledge and experience superior to those of the others and followed his own plant in the construction of the canal. His plan was a failure. It has to be abandoned resulting in a colossal loss of labour and money in the execution of his plan. Later the suggestion of the young engineers was implemented and it was a great success. Ferdinand-de-Lesseps had to eat his humble pie, because he did not accept the advice of the young engineers and local people with humility. Humility or meekness embodies gentleness and kindness. You treat others as your equals and see their worth and give importance and consideration to the views of the others. In contrary a proud person is selfish and self-centred. He does not care for the views of others because he is inclined to thrust his own point of view on them. He considers others’ views and ideas as a threat to himself and thus reacts violently or angrily. A proud or haughty person becomes unpleasant and unapproachable whereas a humble person is calm and can be approached easily. I have a friend who is at the topmost position in his career, working as a CEO in a company. Even today he makes it a point to call each one of his school friends once a month. They belong to the same village. One of his friends is a rickshaw driver while the other one owns a small shop in the village. Needless to say his friends eagerly wait to speak to him every
month. Success can make one egotistic, as was the case with Ferdinand-de-Lessepes. Then, there is no humility no restraint and no admitting of faults. One becomes haughty and believes that he can make no mistake. People dislike such a person. When a proud person makes a mistake he covers it up with lies or thrusts his own faults on others or his juniors. A proud person wants to be the centre of attraction. He becomes irrational, insulting, imposing and overbearing. A humble or meek person avoids attracting the attention of others. He is thoughtful because he is not self-centered. He has consideration for other’s views and is even tempered. He consults others and seeks their advice. He is not over-ridden by others’ views and draws his own conclusions. A humble person is not a puppet in the hands of others. He is considerate for others and he does not hurt anybody’s feelings. He is gentle and well-mannered. Very often your temperament influences your attitude. To be calm or angry, cool or excited depends on your attitude. If you inculcate an attitude of humility in the other person, he will become humble. Not to say sorry for your lapses will mean to the other person that you are proud and don’t care for him. Suppose you dash into some person by mistake. The other person will be hurt and take it ill. If you humbly say, “I am sorry”. The other person will be moved. He will smile away and won’t mind it. He will be ready to pardon you. You have shown humility and the other person will also be humble and modest. Every one of us desires to achieve the best in life. When this finally comes our way, the common tendency is to forget where we have come from. This is the real test for a person’s character. Finally, being humble places one in a better position to win other people’s trust, friendship and loyalty. It enables us to view other people as possessing skills and knowledge that we lack; and we can combine our strengths to add value to humanity.
Sunday Group Meditation What : 1 hour group meditation When : Every Sunday At 8.30 Am Where : At Kandivali (East), Mumbai Please let us know on the following contact details if you would like to join Mobile : +91 9820401670 / 9820500427 Email : santosh@anewlifefoundation.com ~ 9 ~
WORDS OF
WISDOM With Dada J. P. Vaswani Dada JP Vaswani, is a universally acclaimed humanitarian, philosopher, educator, acclaimed writer, powerful orator and non-sectarian spiritual leader. He is the present head of the Sadhu Vaswani Mission in Pune, India and has captivated the hearts of millions worldwide. Kosmic Journey had the honour of meeting Dadaji as he is fondly called, and we present here the wisdom he shared ,with our readers. KJ : What is your vision for the people? How do you see them? Dadaji : I see them as so many images of the highest, of the Lord. The word personality is derived from Latin word persona. Persona means the mask. So this is the mask which each one of us is wearing. Within this mask is hidden, the divine spark. Each one of us is a divine spark. This mask drops down, we call it a death. But the divine spark doesn't die. That is ever alive. The Gita tells us; the thieves cannot steal it, waters cannot drown it, fires cannot burn it, the winds cannot dry it… it is that… it is that… and the ancient rishis… they have a mahavakya… Tat Tvam Asi… Tat is that, Tvam – you, Asi – are : You are not that you take yourself to be… ‘You’ are that… ‘You’ are that… ‘You’ are that…. A man may be fallen in sin, yet he has that divine spark. That is the eternal hope of man. Therefore, as our Gurudev, our beloved Sadhu Vaswani ji said… Sadhu Vaswani said “the sinner of today, can be a saint of tomorrow. Because he carries that divinity within him. KJ : What is the most important quality a human being must possess? Dadaji : The most important quality in a human being…. According to me, there are many important qualities. But the most important quality according to me is Humility. I may know many things… but there are… there are infinite things that I may not know. I may have earned a little money, but there is a vast treasure that I have to unfold. Therefore according to me
the most important quality is humility. KJ : How do you perceive the divine? Dadaji : To me the divine is everything. I breathe the divine, I eat the divine, I am in fellowship with the divine, I walk with the divine, I talk to the divine. I do not have to perceive the divine. But I have to live in the consciousness of the divine. To perceive the divine is to live with the divine. To give the divine a thought is to limit the divine. To give the divine a definition is to limit the divine. Because, the divine is limitless. It is beyond words. No words, no dictionary can tell you what the divinity is. To be divine is to be alive. You can feel the divine. It is this feeling that is man’s rich heritage. KJ : These days there is immense competition amongst everyone and which gives rise to one-upmanship & tremendous stress to everyone around us day in and day out. How can one cope with this stresses and competition around us through this wisdom? Dadaji : Just get out of the rat race. After all, if you win, you are still a rat. The best thing is to withdraw. Therefore, the advice which we receive from our Gurudev… he said… withdraw yourself from the rat race and sit in a silent corner and do your spiritual thinking. Repeat the name divine… engage yourself in loving and intimate conversation with yourself. But withdraw yourself, don't be a part of this rat race. If you win the rat race, you are after all a rat. You are no better than a rat.
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KJ : Do you think that now a days, there has been a rise in awareness about spirituality in our society in recent times?
KJ : What is the difference between philosophy, religion and spirituality?
light. All is enlightenment. But we cling to the ego as though it were our best friend. We don't let go off the ego. We have to let go off the ego. The sufi’s call it ‘fanaah’. Fanaah means extinction. Its extinction not of the self , but of the ego. Within us, there are two self’s. There is a lower self with which we are familiar. It is the self of passion, pride, ill-will, jealousy and all those negative thoughts. This lower self is just point of a point of a point of a point. But because it sits on the threshold of our consciousness, it catches us immediately. It captures us. It leads us astray. We magnify it out of all proportions. It is really nothing. You just put it aside. There is a higher self. But with this self we are not yet familiar. Spirituality is identifying yourself with that higher self.
Dadaji : Philosophy is like a menu. It tells you what food you can get. But it will not give you even a grain of food. Religion at its best can show you the way to the spirit. But spirituality is getting the spirit, is becoming that.
KJ : This question actually came during the Darshan, when someone told us about your by-pass, which you called sky-pass. Can you tell us more about that skypass?
Dadaji : Not society as a whole, but more and more individuals are getting tired of materialism. They have not got what they thought what they would get out of materials. So more and more people are coming out of what you referred to earlier as ‘the rat race’. But as a whole, society as a whole has not yet become spiritual. But wherever I go, I meet a number of people who have this hunger for the spirituality. That is increased.
Dadaji : It is like your consciousness being raised to higher level. When they give the anesthesia, then you are not aware of what is around you. Your consciousness travels to higher realms. That is sky-pass. And that experience can not be described in words. You can taste a mango but you can not tell me what its taste is. So it is very much like that. each one has to taste it for himself.
KJ : Dadaji, what is enlightenment? Dadaji : Enlightenment is very simple. It is the dropping of the ego. When the ego grows, God goes. The curtain between me and the God is the veil of ego. The ego drops down and all is
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KJ : We would like you to give a message to the readers of this magazine.. Dadaji : I am not qualified to give a message because I am a tiny person. But the message which I give to myself each day, I can give to everyone who wish to hear it. That message is very simple. It is in four words. The four words are ‘turn back to GOD’. All these complications occur because we have thrown God out of our lives, out of our schools, out of our educational institutions, out of our homes. And the vacuum that has been created by throwing God out of our lives, that has been filled in by the devil. So today it is the devil who presides, over so many of our educational institutions and so many of our homes. In our homes, the son fighting with the father, brother fighting with the brother, we never had it earlier. But the devil presides over the whole world. The devil of greed, most importantly the devil of the ego. Our ego’s have become too strong. There is ego of the husband, there is ego of the wife, there is a clash, they don't agree, therefore divorces are increasing. There are people who don't even want to marry. They don't want to pass through the heavenly gateway of marriage. KJ : What would you say to the parents ? Dadaji : For a child, there is a period in which the mind of the child is plastic. He is ready to receive what the parents can give. Say after the age of 8, or roundabout, the little child is able to receive. Now, that is the period when it is neglected. It doesn't get the attention of the parent, it does not get the love of the parents. Without love, no child can grow the right way. You may call me a person who belongs to an ancient period, but I strongly believe that the mother’s job is 24 hours job. If the mother gives her time, and attention, to the child, the child will grow in a different way. Now, we don’t do that. So by the time the child has become 9,10 or 11 year old, he refuses to listen to the parents, he refuses to listen. I have learnt, there was a teenager, who went to a shoe shop. He wanted to purchase a pair of shoes. Many shoes were shown to him by the salesman. He chose one of them and he told the salesman that I am going to purchase this shoe. I will take it home. I will show this shoe to my parents. If my parents like these shoes, I will not buy, I will not wear it, I will come and return it. That is the reaction. Why because, children don't receive that attention, which we receive. The time which we receive and the training which we receive from our parents. My age, now they
tell me and I don't believe it, is 94. 94 years ago, conditions were different, now it is all TV, TV. TV is the mother, TV is the father, TV is the teacher. There are so many good things that TV teaches. But there are so many awful things which the children must not see. And those things have a greater and quicker effect on the minds of children. I was in America 2 years ago. There they had taken a report for elementary school children. In that report, they wrote that by the time the child is out of the elementary stage, and goes to the secondary stage, he has witnessed over 4000 murders on the TV screen. Now 4000 murders if a child sees, sure it will get an effect on his mind. Now we hear, children carrying pistols and just going to the school and shooting the fellow students. KJ : What would your advice be to someone who is spiritually inclined but living in a family where others are not so inclined? Dadaji : To be spiritual, you must first do your duties. Whatever according to the karmic law is your duty, you must fulfill. Nothing beyond that. KJ : Even if the family doesn't support? Dadaji : Yes, but the individual must do his duty. He cannot grow on the spiritual path until he has fulfilled his duties. On the spiritual path, the first step is duty. The second step is a little more. That is you must do your duty and you must serve some people who are in need. That is spiritual life. Spiritual life is not turning the rosary beads, the hands that help. We at the Sadhu Vaswani mission have a youth group, they are known as the bridge builders. Their motto used to be “the hands that help are holier than the hands that turn the rosary beads”. You have to do your duty, the rule of spiritual life is “tu apni to nibhaye, uski wo jaane” (you must do your part well; let the others do what they like). Your family, friends, your acquaintances, your neighbors, let them do what they like. You cannot say why are they doing this. It is because of this that I am doing this. No no… you have to do your duty. KJ : What if the wife says my husband doesn't support me, or the husband says my wife doesn't support me? How do I go ahead in spirituality? Dadaji : Karmic involvement has made that person your husband or wife. You must pay off the karmic debt, otherwise you will not be able to advance on the spiritual path.
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ON A SPIRITUAL TRAIL…..
Jyotsna Nair Green hills covered by dark clouds, lush landscapes, innumerable gushing streams, an abundance of colors, exotic flowers and pure unadulterated fresh air, some soul searching, hot vada pav, friendly banter, antakshari, gleeful raindrops drenching us to the soul, piety, wet and wetter clothes, a feeling of being one with nature, being one with the world, sighting a beautiful ancient Buddhist cave, discovering a path that leads to heaven, water rappelling, trekking through falling and slippery moss-covered rocks, getting lost on the way, silent prayers to stay safe, muddy shoes getting stuck in the slush, a waterfall that seemed to fall from heaven, a group meditation, wonder-struck eyes. All in all, a divine experience. That’s been my experience of a ‘trekking – rock-climbing– rappelling – meditation trip’ organised by Kosmic Journey. The Kondana Caves are a popular destination for rappelling and trekking in Karjat, in the outskirts of Mumbai. The spot is famous for its ancient Buddhist caves where monks would meditate in the 200 BC .
We began the trek accompanied by the mooing of village cows, the chirping of birds, and village kids asking us to click their pictures. Our mud track began to ascend gradually. On the way, we came across a small shack with water, chips and kokum water for sale. A word of caution – if you are trekking in Kondana, carry with you enough drinking water and snacks or else you’ll have to drink water from the waterfalls or the various rivers that criss-cross the trek route! The route was wet and in parts slippery as well. But the stones wedged strategically by nature help the trekkers get a grip. The climb was fairly easy and it took us about an hour to reach the steps that led us to the caves and the waterfall. Most of us ran up the stairs ecstatically – either happy to see the caves and waterfall, or just with plain relief to have finally completed the trek.
We started off at 6.30 am from Mumbai in a brand new bus (just arrived from the showroom the previous night!). Ours was a group of enthusiastic, eager, like-minded people and a team of rappellers from the DhumKetu group. After three hours of travel, we reached a quaint little village called Kodivade, which is the base camp for the trek. We were taken to a village house to keep our belongings and to have a breakfast of steaming hot vada pavs and poha. What a satisfying way to start the day. The villagers opened their homes and hearts to us. The joy of their easy and happy banter, the infectiousness of their smiles, their awesome cooking and their shy friendship made all our shared moments truly memorable.
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ON A SPIRITUAL TRAIL…..contd. The waterfall cascades in all its glory as it curtains the caves, enveloping it and piquing the spectators’ curiosity about what secret lies behind the veil of water, or perhaps in their hearts. The Kondana caves are cut out of a single rock and are carved with Buddhist stupas, viharas and ancient architecture. A severe earthquake in the 1990s left them severely devastated. Nevertheless, whatever remains is hauntingly beautiful, with a mesmerizing amount of carved detail still visible on the rock. Heavy with the smell of water and must, the caves are serene and almost ethereal. Part of the waterfall sprays at the corner of the cave, adding to its beauty.
our journey to the top of the giant rock for rappelling. After wheezing, puffing and panting in short spurts of climbing, we took increasingly longer breaks. These pauses made us reflect on our unhealthy living and I am sure each of us made several silent resolutions to get back to health – which, of course, would melt away as soon we got back into the routine of our lives. We trekked like disciplined kids on the gravelly, slippery rocks and narrow paths, our thoughts mingling with nature’s delights. It started to rain and we happily soaked it up! What’s the point of carrying extra clothes if you do not get wet on a monsoon trek? Everyone was in good spirits. That is precisely the beauty of a nature trail; everyone is at peace. Along the way, someone hummed a song, we drank the last bit of water that was left. Beside the waterfall, on a rock overlooking the valley, on the path, he clicked away, not sparing even the stray caterpillar!
We sat down to meditate and Santosh guided us through the meditation in his somber, soothing, calm voice. The silence and the tranquility of the place enamoured us. In a single moment, a million thoughts passed through our minds. This is a place of grace. The meditation helped me in erasing all my thoughts and bringing a smile to my face and peace to my soul. After the meditation, we wore our harnesses and started off on
~ 14 ~
ON A SPIRITUAL TRAIL…..contd. We reached the top of the rock and were ready to rappel. Rappelling is a means of descending a steep vertical height with the help of a rope, a harness and specialized equipment. Imagine how exciting it would be to descend through a waterfall! I felt such a range of emotions on the descent that I was close to tears. I collapsed on my knees when I landed on the ground and sent up prayers of gratitude in my own private, emotional way. Why am I here? I don’t have an answer. To many, the act of jumping off a cliff tied to a rope may seem irrationally eccentric. It is difficult to comprehend what it means without experiencing it. I believe Walt Whitman caught the emotion right on: “I went to the woods because I wanted to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life. And not, when I come to die, discover that I had not lived.” In a metaphoric sense, for those brief intense moments in my life, I was emulating the eagle – its enviable freedom and its grace.
We began our descent from the hills drenched. When we’d come all the way down, I spotted a high gauze fence, a gate that was locked, and caught a glimpse of an ostrich-like bird. It turned out to be an emu farm. The emus are apparently exported and their eggs are used to make medicines (this information could not be separately verified, though). After a delicious lunch and a quick change of clothes, it was time for us to head back to Mumbai. We were all a little sleepy and tired by then. It was a heartful, mindful, soulful, handful, fruitful, visionful experience. I realize that I have made a great stride towards developing the ‘adventurous’ side of me, a little progress on the ‘wisdom’ side and a wee little step towards discovering a ‘larger purpose’. This trip will stay in my memory for long. I smile into the warm sunshine and forget my various aches and pains. Life is beautiful.
~ 15 ~
SCIENCE OF MUDRAS MUDRA OF THE MONTH
Nalini Jethwani Gyan Mudra
Join the tip of thumb with the tip of the index finger and keep other three fingers straight. Do this mudra while sitting straight in lotus pose or padmasan. This mudra is most widely practiced.
Major Benefits: This mudra activates the Pineal gland, pituitary gland and hypothalamus part of brain. All these points are located at the tip of thumb and pressure point of mind is located in index finger. This mudra energizes the mind and brain and increases concentration, memory and intellect. Pituitary gland is master gland od body, similarly, this mudra is master mudra. It removes negativity from mind and promotes positivity or positive thoughts. By promoting positivity, this mudra has calming effect on mind and thus reduces anger and STRESS. This mudra serves as STRESS BUSTER
. This mudra opens up third eye and improves intuition. This relieves stress related diseases such as hypertension, heart diseases, depression etc. In case of headache and migraine, it is recommended that you do this mudra along with Pran mudra (discussed in previous issue). Do Pran mudra for 15 minutes followed by Gyan mudra for 15 minutes. It cures toothache. This mudra purifies the mind and removes all negative thoughts and is of great help in spiritual field, in meditation. Its regular practice can lead to de-addiction like removing addiction of alcohol, smoking etc.
Vayu Mudra Just like Gyan mudra, here also we use thumb and index finger. Fold the index finger and place its tip at the base of thumb and thereafter slightly press this finger with thumb. Keep other three fingers straight.
Major Benefits: Index finger is related to Air. When Air element increases in our body, it affects movement of our joints, muscles and limbs and this might result in pain in feet, joints, heels, back etc. This is commonly known as VAAT ROG in ayurveda, which occurs due to imbalance of Air element in body. By doing Vayu mudra, one can reduce the air element in body and eventually get rid of these pains. In joint pains the Vayu mudra should be done for atleast 45 mins a day. This mudra is considered as natural pain killer. This mudra also helps in gastric problems such as acidity, nausea, vomiting, heart-burn. It regulates the blood circulation in body. This improves the blood circulation and facilitates the flow of oxygen to all cells and organs of body. Improved blood circulation removes all pain and blockages from blood vessles. Vayu Mudra is useful in ARTERIO-SCLEROSIS. Excess of air dries up the blood vessels and arteries and they start shrinking and getting narrower and harder, losing elasticity. Vayu mudra removes excess of air in blood vessels and saves from heart diseases. Do vayu mudra regularly in Backache and Cervical Spondylysis Vayu mudra also helps in getting relief from VARICOSE VEINS which is painful disease of veins of legs. CAUTION: Stop doing this mudra when pain is relieved. Source: Mudra Healing by Osho Siddhartha and Dr. Romesh Puri
~ 16 ~
My Workshop Experience
Poonam Tandon Mumbai, India I attended the PLRT workshop in March 2012. Although I had read Brian Weiss and Laws of the Spirtual World and other such books- there was no first hand experience – or anyone I knew who went for this kind of a workshop. I spoke to Santosh regarding the course and I liked the course content and found it quite exciting. I went with a positive mind and somehow had the feeling that it will be a great session and it was!
number of spiritual courses but now the search has ended. The astral travel was also a very good exercise and also other creative activities. In addition, the interactions with other group members was fantastic and I made a number of friends as a result. The meditation CD is great and helps me to stay calm and relaxed.
Santosh explained the theory of reincarnation very well and also what we would be doing in the PLRT. We were around 20 participants and it was great to know that there were so many like me – who were searching for answers. The theta level meditations were great but the best was the “meeting the masters “session- where I had the best experience of my life.. I found my master- He answered all my questions and since then I have realized the true purpose of my life. I, also feel reassured that there is someone to look after me and guide me through my most challenging moments. Earlier, I would go for a
2 Days Intensive Workshop on
Past Life Regression Therapy On 1st & 2nd sept. 2012 with
Santosh Joshi A renowned Past Life Regression Therapist, Motivational Speaker and a Life Coach
Personal Regression & Counseling Session If you would like to experience a personal Regression Session or a Healing / Counseling Session, please contact on the below given contact details for charges, and to fix-up a date and time.
Mobile Email
Time for a regression session 2 – 3 hours approx. : +91 9820401670 / 9820500427 : santosh@anewlifefoundation.com ~ 17 ~
WIND IN THE WILLOWS
Soni Somarajan Trivandrum, India
You could epitomize it as a woman, one who serenades her changing mood, shades of which coincidentally reflects the state of soul the onlooker experiences in the length of a day. From the brilliance of a mid-day sun to the porcelain hide-andseek of a gentle May moon, the backwaters resolutely reflects the time in an ever-lasting ballet of waves, emphasizing the ongoing greater conversations habitual of Nature; of course, much of it oblivious to a world fascinated by material pursuits.
The waters are dark and ominous; unflinching in its effort not to give up her secrets whilst throwing your mind into a tizzy as if faced by a woman with a threatening intelligence; drawing you closer but wary of what awaits you. The waves are coils of heaving black as if poised to strike – the gnawing fear a reminder of the hidden depths. Sabu is just going to be so much right. The waiter, probably sensing my mood, asks me if I would like to have my lunch served. I go for it.
Couple of hours ride by car from Thiruvanathapuram, much easily recognizable as erstwhile Trivandrum, I watch the ominous dark clouds gather as we near Allapuzha, oh yes! Alleppey – Venice of the East, home to Nature’s love child- the Backwaters. The last few days have been affected by a sudden depression in the Arabian Sea and the eventual rainstorm had lashed through the length of the state of Kerala. Fortunately, it had sent the mercury plummeting a few notches at the height of the searing tropical summer.
The engines settle into a clunky mode as the giant barge drags its huge frame inching its way through the palm-hugged canal. I dig into the Aviyal, a local delicacy that is a mixture of all local vegetables you can imagine, cooked in their own juices with a wise dash of Indian masala and a generous touch of coconut garnish. There’s steaming rice to go with it, while a round steel platter is decorated with a whole fried pearl-spot, a much sought after fish common to the backwaters, the size roughly that of a large human palm and firmly jacketed in fiery spices, not to mention popadum and rasam, the latter a thin, watery but misleading character quite capable of raping your sensitive innards in the first instance yet much acclaimed to be a tummysoother after a typical local meal, replete with the usual spices and oil.
“Sir, I don’t think you are going to get the best of it. It’s always better if the rains weren’t there. It’s bad.” Sabu, my driver, for the last few days just about comes up with pithy comments in the nick of time; it makes you smile most often but, sometimes, it frustrates immensely. He couldn’t have made my day today. I am hardly smiling when the car pulls into the pier. Blotches of rain start painting the pier the moment I set my foot on it. I really try not to bump into Sabu’s meaningful grin as I watch the pitter-patter on the engine-oil thickened waters. It’s a jostling cackle of boats as far as the eye can see, these converted rice-boats of yore now carefully catering to the luxurious whims of tourists like me. Let not the metaphors fool you into complacency about these gentle giants- a skilful demonstration of timber and coir on the outside and everything in luxury that you could possibly command on the inside. Even as my wayfarer’s soul prays for that picture-perfect day, despair is just beginning to consume me. Do I sense a hint of apprehension behind the smiles on the sun-tanned faces of the boat crew, as I sink into the relative comfort of the cane chairs in the living room? The room yawns onto the bow ahead, its little copper fittings polished to sheen, almost imparting a royal character to the boat. I am told that the boat crew consisting of the driver, cook and the waiter can stand in for each other, multi-skilled to control the boat through the narrowest canals that form the backwater’s arteries. The driver’s eyebrows furrow when he hurriedly glances into the sky as the boat crew, with the help of long bamboo bargepoles, maneuvers the heavy boat into position so that they can rev up the powerful engines that will power the boat’s glide through the canal into the backwaters ahead. Nature puts on her grey countenance and sends in a waft of rain-tinged breeze into my face.
I am finishing off the meal just when the ambience suddenly begins to change – the crestfallen grey giving way to a luminous green; as if honouring a truthful prayer, the sun begins to peep and the ecosystem explodes in the sudden transfusion of energy, the wet coconut palms acquiring a bold sheen and reflecting the verdant spirit into everything else around. It is as if this place’s soul has woken up, touched by the sceptre of an angel who has somehow heard me – though consciously, much scarred by harsh realities of life, I never quite answered the urge to ask for a better experience on this very inclement day. I resist the meal-induced drowsiness and drag myself onto the outer deck, right behind the driver. Murali’s face is now a mixture of confidence and anticipation and he winks at me as I settle on the cushion and stretch my legs. Tonight, when I sleep in the comfort of my floating bedroom, as much as I wander in my dreams rocked by the gentle wind in the willows lining the banks, one part of my subconscious that belongs to a traveller will begin to believe in that one simple fact – Each journey we make is as individual as we are; it’s a fallacy if we think that it is governed by laws common to all, simply because each journey is not about getting from here to there but rather, it’s an intrinsic urge of the soul to chart a different course, a different journey that will be true to itself. It is the only way we will see the truth, our own personal truth.
7 KEYS TO HUMILITY Dr. Rangana Rupavi Choudhuri (PhD) Bengaluru, India hurts and frustrations. I personally use meditation, emotional freedom techniques and journey work for self-healing. Use the method that works for you.
Humility is the quality of being modest and respectful. In many spiritual traditions it is considered a virtue and connected with egolessness. The 7 Keys to humility are as follows: 1. Gratitude – Be grateful for each and every moment. Start a daily gratitude journal and write down everything you are grateful for – in your life, career, profession, relationships, spirituality and health. An attitude of gratitude keeps the ego and “I” at bay. 2. Surrender - Know yourself to be an instrument. Notice yourself as an empty vessel ready to be used by the Universe/Source. The body is a vessel through which the divine is able to act. Surrender everything and allow yourself to be a puppet in the hands of God.
6. Forgiveness - Forgive yourself and others. Breathe in love and breathe out forgiveness. Once you have processed the negative emotions and empties out the past pain or upset of what happened forgive the others concerned and most importantly forgive yourself. Love is FORgiving. Say these phrases out loud: I forgive anyone I blamed for this, including GOD/Source and myself I forgive anyone who blamed me for this, including GOD/Source and myself I forgive anyone I hurt related to this, Including GOD/Source and myself I forgive anyone that hurt me related to this, including GOD/Source and myself Then close with the statements from Ho’oponopono I love you. I am so sorry. Thank you. Please forgive me. 7. Become the change you seek in the world. Point the finger within first and what needs to change on the inside before pointing the finger to anyone else and what someone else needs to change or should change.
3. Be of service - Help others with acts of kindness. These can be simple and small from opening the door for someone, smiling and saying hello to feeding and sheltering those in need. Science has shown acts of kindness increases Oxytocin levels, which also lowers stress and increases health and happiness. 4. Become self-aware – Notice when you get triggered. Proactively become aware of external triggers that create negative emotions and behaviours. When you get triggered take a moment to stop, breathe and feel the emotion first. Feel Dr Rangana Rupavi Choudhuri was brought to her knees in 2000 when the emotion free from any story and ego. Allow the emotion to she was diagnosed with a chronic hormonal condition and abnormal be free. On clearing all the negative emotions you will notice all cells. On diagnosis she went on an inner journey of self development and that is left is divine potential. self healing peeling away the layers of arrogance, ego, need for 5. Heal Emotional hooks. Pro-actively process negative emotions. Use alternative therapy techniques to process and heal negative emotions and come to peace with past events,
significance and low self-esteem which lead to complete healing, surrender and never ending humility and gratitude. Download her free books on heal your emotions to heal your life http://www.vitality-living.com/freeresources.html
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PROTECT YOUR HEART, PROTECT YOUR DREAMS By Anjani Prabhu, Mumbai Normally when we hear someone is ruled by heart, we tend to think they are weak, emotional rather irrational. Strangely, we only associate our minds to being rational, strong etc. But surprisingly, the most powerful inner voice within each of us is from the heart(soul) and not from the so-called practical mind. The gut-feeling that we talk about is from the heart, not the mind. The immense faith that we restore in the Almighty or ourselves during the rough patch, testing times is again from our heart, not the mind. George Seaton quotes, 'faith is believing in things when common sense tells you not to', so obviously in other words it means when our rational minds don't see it, our heart does(faith). Hey, don't get me wrong. I don't mean that all power to heart, I only stress upon the heart a powerful engine than just the pumping machine or the beating organ. Strangely history proves that most successful people had dreams beyond anyone's wildest imagination i.e. when rationality failed to justify their dreams. Eg. Despite myriad failures, Abraham Lincoln succeeded. How do you think his confidence didn't wane out? Simple, again the faith he had in his piece of work survived him through all that failures. As I view my own life I realize that heart is definitely much stronger than to the contrary belief that if ruled by heart it makes you weak. Bigger Dreams, higher aspirations is what the heart conceives, believes in much before it's realized. So, no matter how bad circumstances are, no matter what people say, dream big, believe in your dreams, have faith in God and oneself and you'll get there in the future... Remember, your dream is your baby. So, protect your heart, protect your dreams........! Keep dreaming & keep twinkling!
New Life Foundation presents 2 Days Intensive Workshop on
Past Life Regression Therapy With
Santosh Joshi A renowned Past Life Regression Therapist, Motivational Speaker and a Life Coach This workshop is designed to help you in the following ways: • It helps in your quest of inner transformation and spiritual growth • It helps you in experiencing the deepest realms of your consciousness where memories of your past lives are stored • It helps in understanding your role in the Cosmic Creation and how you can actively participate in your evolution process • It helps in understanding your individual journey and finding your Life’s Purpose • It helps in making you understand how you can live life completely and heal your past emotions or traumas The workshop covers the following : • Brief information about Theory of Reincarnation/Evolution, Theory of Karma, Life after Life • Knowing How to find the Purpose of Life, What is Rebirthing Breathwork, Importance of Forgiving and Gratitude Experiencing – Past Life Regressions, Astral Travel, Meeting your Master, Theta level meditations
For registration contact : +91 9820401670 / 9820500427
Email : santosh@anewlifefoundation.com
EVERYWHERE I GO…. Aekta Kapoor New Delhi, India
Someone asked me what my religion was. I said my Hindu religion allows me the openness to practice anything I want, and that I am more spiritual than religious. I choose to see divinity in just about everything, the God in the details, the miracles in everyday life. And so on a 10-day trip to Canada, I found God in millions of places.
first time in my life, I saw snow through my bus window. We alighted a few moments later at the ethereal Lake Moraine, where everything was covered with snow, and I could make snowballs to my heart’s content. It was an off-the-itinerary diversion, so I definitely saw God through the viewfinder of my camera as I clicked away at the frozen lake set amidst tall, tall rocky peaks.
I found God in the strange midnight sun in the Yukon. In the placid Yukon River besides which I sat and ate M&Ms (with almonds) to celebrate my birthday. In the friendly locals and easygoing wildlife of the region. In the incredible vastness of the landscape that felt like another planet when compared with my own crowded country. I found God in the history of the peoples of Yukon. In their drive to overcome all boundaries and test the limits of their own endurance and nature’s fury. In their curiosity to keep exploring all corners of the earth no matter what the price. I found God in the variety of people I met, the easy and the difficult, the bright and the beautiful.
I clearly found God on my journey to Banff the day after my birthday. I found God in the gorgeous landscapes and scenic little town there. In the canoe ride that demonstrated my own tenacity to me. In the hike through Fenland Walk, where I chatted up two free-spirited souls who clicked the right buttons in my heart with their love of travel and their respect for every place they’d lived in. I found God all through our trip to Lake Louise, where for the
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EVERYWHERE I GO….contd. I found God in the horseback ride later that day – oh, and how. My horse would burst into a trot every now and then, and I’d break into laughter initially and pat it with love. But as the ride went on and on, my bum and knees began to groan and each bounce unleashed a fresh wave of pain. At one point, my right leg cramped and I had to take it out of the stirrup to flex my ankle. Almost instantaneously, my horse, named ‘Little Boy’, actually stopped and turned its face around to our right, as if asking me, “Is everything alright?” I was touched beyond belief. Little Boy even stopped trotting after that, walking sanely all the way to the end, waiting patiently for me to stretch my knees before clambering down his side.
reminding me of my limitations and my strengths.
It was that hike UP that pushed my ‘sense of achievement’ button when I’d got back down and sat, exhausted but exhilarated, in the bus.
I found even more of God the next day, when we hiked 3.5 km up 500 m into the Rocky Mountains. My fitness level is only good enough for a medium-paced walk, not one at a steep incline, and though yoga has more or less cured my asthma, I was puffing and panting pretty soon. I had to stop every 50 metres or so, and slowed down the entire group. My knees were already sore from the riding I’d done the previous day. The strain of going up with a bag and a big coat in the chilly mountain air made them phenomenally worse. Yes, the view up there was great. Yes, the freshly cooked ‘fondue with a view’ was a special treat. Yes, the walk back down was easier and shorter. But it was that terrible walk UP that showed me Krishna’s wicked smiling face – teasing me along, pinching me in the soft spots,
I found God the next day when – after some fake yoga in the park at Princess Island in Calgary and a fake Lebanese lunch – I had a fake Thai foot massage at an upmarket spa. There, lying quietly with the masseur gently pressing my feet, I observed my own judgemental nature in finding fault with the yoga, the cuisine, and even the whole spa experience – none of which could match up to my own ‘rich historical Indian’ standards. And so, in keeping with my own ‘rich historical Indian’ philosophy of respecting the ‘100 paths to enlightenment’, I corrected my vision to ‘gratitude and joy’, and left the spa feeling relaxed, happy and at peace. So much so that one of my companions immediately noticed it on seeing me at dinner later and said I looked radiant. I found God in my conversations with people from varied backgrounds, who’d never even believed in God but believed in themselves. In men and women who felt free enough to choose where they wanted to live and what they wanted to do with their lives. In mothers who didn’t fear when the next meal would come from but instead just followed their hearts, and their kids followed them! Oh yes, it was a heavenly trip – finding my religion. Aekta Kapoor is the Editor of Atelier, Wedding Wows
The seeker after truth should be humbler than the dust. The world crushes the dust under its feet, but the seeker after truth should so humble himself that even the dust could crush him. Only then, and not till then, will he have a glimpse of truth. ~ Mahatma Gandhi ~ The Story of My Experiments With Truth ~ 22 ~
I have three precious things which I hold fast and prize. The first is gentleness; the second is frugality; the third is humility, which keeps me from putting myself before others. Be gentle and you can be bold; be frugal and you can be liberal; avoid putting yourself before others and you can become a leader among men.
~ Lao Tzu ~
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Do you like this e-magazine..? Then write to us at editor@kosmicjourney.com Please feel free to write to us with your comments or suggestions on this e-magazine on email id editor@kosmicjourney.com Please send in your experiences or articles which you would like to share with our ever growing Kosmic Journey family through this e-magazine. If you are not already a subscriber of this e-magazine and would like to subscribe, please send an e-mail to subscription@kosmicjourney.com or log on to our website www.anewlifefoundation.com and fill in your details in the subscription form. If you wish to attend or organise any of our workshops in your city, please write to us. We will be happy to reach you for the same. ~ 23 ~
INSPIRATIONAL STORIES
Contributed by Editorial Team
What is True Humility? Here's a wonderful inspirational story of what humility really is. One day, a young monk visited an older monk and asked, “Master, what is the secret of humility?” The older monk said, “Let’s take a walk…” The two men walked down to the river. The older monk led the younger monk in the water. When the river reached their chests, without warning, the older monk held the head of the younger monk, and dunked him into the water! The younger monk struggled, his arms splashing wildly, but the older monk held his head under the water. When the younger man was almost blacking out, an inch away from death, the older monk pulled him up—and the young monk sucked in air like he was an industrial vacuum cleaner. In between breaths, he asked in a frantic voice, “Why the heck did you do that for?” The older man smiled and said, “The secret of humility is to seek for God the way you’re seeking for oxygen now.” I repeat: Humility is being empty.
The King’s Humility One day a sage came to a King for an interview. The sage had to wait for a long time because the King was very busy. Finally, the King said he could come in. When the sage entered the hall, the first thing he did was to take off his hat and bow to the King. Immediately the King took off his crown and bowed to the sage. The ministers and others who were around the King asked, “What are you doing? He took off his hat because he is an ordinary man. But you are the King. Why should you have to take off your crown?” The King said to his ministers, “You fools, do you think I wish to remain inferior to an ordinary man? He is humble and modest. His humility is a peerless virtue’. He showed his respect to me. If I did not take off my crown, then I would be showing less humility than an ordinary man, an d I would be defeated by him. I f I am the King, I should be better than everybody in everything. That is why I took off my crown and bowed to him!”
To know more about SKY Healing, or to attend a workshop, please contact New Life Foundation, Phone : +91 9820401670 / 9820500427 ~ 24 ~
Food for Body, Mind and Soul LEMON GRASS FROM THE EDITORIAL DESK Lemongrass is a stalky plant with a lemony scent that grows in many tropical climates, most notably in Southeast-Asia. It is cherished for its aroma and citrus-cum-ginger taste. It is also known as citronella and its botanical name is cymbopogon ciatrus. It is widely used in Asian cuisines, especially Thai, Malaysian and Vietnamese. Besides culinary purposes, lemongrass possesses a lot of medical and health benefits. Lemon grass just looks like grass and is famous as "gawti chaha" in Maharashtra. “ Gawti “ means 'grassy' and “ chaha”means tea Lemon grass is a perennial, which means once you plant it, the grass comes back year after year. Lemongrass is easy to grow in a pot, when you buy it in the market, look for the bulb with some roots on it and plant it - then you can have fresh lemon grass every day! Depending on the area you live in the plant will go dormant in the winter. In harsh climates the plant will need to be potted and wintered indoors. Health Benefits of Lemon Grass -Helps reduce blood pressure and improve blood circulation - Helps reduce cellulite - Act as sedative for the central nervous system. - May help prevent color cancer. - Helps in reducing fevers - Help in flatulence and colic - Relieves arthritic pain and rheumatism
-It contains an antibacterial and antifungal properties - It helps to detoxify the liver, pancreas, kidney, bladder and the digestive tract. - Helps boost the immune system - Helps reduce uric acid, cholesterol, excess fats - It helps alleviate indigestion and gastroenteritis. - Helps improve the skin by reducing acne and pimples - It helps tone the muscle and tissues. - Helps in menstrual troubles
Lemon grass for Cooking: The leaves and base of lemon grass are used as a food flavoring especially in Southeast Asian dishes. The long thin grey-green leaves are tough and fibrous, the outside leaves and the tips are usually chopped very finely or discarded from the dish before it is served. How to Use Essential Oil: Apply 2 drops of concentrated lemongrass oil per ounce of organic unrefined almond oil, olive oil or any of you favorite oil. You can use the mixture to your skin as massage oil, lotion and moisturizer. As a relaxing scent add 1 – 2 drops in a cloth and inhale to relax your senses.
Some Recipes using lemongrass
Pistou soup
Lemongrass Iced Tea
A light, spicy twist on a traditional summer vegetable soup. French ‘pistou’ is a distant relative of the Italian pesto, but this version reflects the Vietnamese influence on modern French food. 4 garlic cloves, crushed to a paste 2 carrots, diced Ingredients 2 courgettes, diced For the pistou 200g green beans, cut into small pieces 1 bunch of basil, chopped 2 litres pints boiling water 1 stalk of lemongrass, roughly chopped 100g dried pasta ½ small red chilli, seeds removed 400g white beans 5 tbsp sunflower oil 200g fresh or frozen peas For the soup 1 tbsp salt 3 tbsp olive oil pinch sugar 2 onions, diced freshly ground black pepper 2 sprigs thyme 3 bay leaves 4 tbsp tomato purée Preparation Method
Ingredients 5 stalks lemongrass 4 cups water 3 green tea bags sugar ice cube lemon wedge Preparation Method 1. Coarsely chop the bottom 4 inches of the lemongrass stalks. 2. Trim the tops, remove the outside leaves, and save for garnish. 3. In a small saucepan, bring to water to a boil. 4. Add in tea bags and chopped lemongrass; remove from heat and let steep for 10 minutes. 5. Strain; sweeten to taste with sugar, refrigerate until ready to serve. 6. Fill tall chilled glasses with ice; pour the tea over the ice. 7. Garnish each glass with a lemongrass top and a lemon wedge.
For the pistou, crush the ingredients to a smooth paste in a pestle and mortar (or use a food processor). For the soup, heat the olive oil in a large pot. Add the onions and garlic and cook gently, stirring occasionally, until soft and translucent. Add the thyme, bay leaves, tomato purée, carrots and, then cook for 15-20 minutes or until the vegetables are al dente (tender but still a little crunchy). Add the green beans with the boiling water and bring to a boil, then add the pasta. Cook for 10 minutes or until the pasta is al dente. Add the white beans and peas. Remove the sprig of thyme and the bay leaves, then add the salt, sugar and pepper to taste. Serve immediately in bowls, with a dollop of pistou on top of the soup.
The home remedies given above are proven to generally work for most of these conditions, however in case of severe symptoms it is advisable to consult your doctor before experimenting with these remedies.
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Books & Movies The Five People You Meet in Heaven By Mitch Albom From the author of the phenomenal #1 New York Times bestseller Tuesdays with Morrie, a novel that explores the unexpected connections of our lives, and the idea that heaven is more than a place; it's an answer. Eddie is a wounded war veteran, an old man who has lived, in his mind, an uninspired life. His job is fixing rides at a seaside amusement park. On his 83rd birthday, a tragic accident kills him as he tries to save a little girl from a falling cart. He awakes in the afterlife, where he learns that heaven is not a destination. It's a place where your life is explained to you by five people, some of whom you knew, others who may have been strangers. One by one, from childhood to soldier to old age, Eddie's five people revisit their connections to him on earth, illuminating the mysteries of his "meaningless" life, and revealing the haunting secret behind the eternal question: "Why was I here?"
90 Minutes in Heaven: A True Story of Death & Life By Don Piper, Cecil Murphey
As he is driving home from a minister's conference, Baptist minister Don Piper collides with a semi-truck that crosses into his lane. He is pronounced dead at the scene. For the next 90 minutes, Piper experiences heaven where he is greeted by those who had influenced him spiritually. He hears beautiful music and feels true peace. Back on earth, a passing minister who had also been at the conference is led to pray for Don even though he knows the man is dead. Piper miraculously comes back to life and the bliss of heaven is replaced by a long and painful recovery. For years Piper kept his heavenly experience to himself. Finally, however, friends and family convinced him to share his remarkable story.
Pay It Forward Pay It Forward is about a young boy who creates a good-will movement, where he helps 3 people with something they can’t do themselves. The recipient cannot return the favor and must “pay it forward” by helping 3 other people. The film starts off a little slow, but does pick up mid-way. 3/4s through the film, everything starts to fall into place and the ending is a tearinducing one. I like how the things unexpectedly reconnect throughout the film. It’s a film of kindness, generosity, warmth and gratitude.
The Family Man The Family Man is a comedy drama about a highly successful, single investment banker who gets to experience how his life would have been if he made a different decision 13 years ago (i.e. choosing to stay with his girlfriend over a fast-lane career). It’s a movie with a ‘what if I had done this instead?’ experience and contrasts the life of one with great wealth and success vs. a quiet family life. It’s a great movie to that sparks thoughts about your life, though I’m not exactly in agreement with the indirect message the movie sends that life has to be an either/or scenario (in this case, wealth vs. family). It encourages people to justify not pursuing career / wealth goals because they have a family, or that they shouldn’t pursue love / have a family because they’re busy with their career. Both are achievable (else top business people/CEOs/the best performers in their fields would all be singletons, which isn’t the case) – it’s a matter of growing and expanding our capacity.
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SKY Healing Workshop, Mumbai 15th July 2012
SKY Healing Workshop, Mumbai 12th August 2012
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