Since childhood, we have been taught to #plan every thing in our life ! What if our destiny is already set and planned, and we just need to listen and see to it, what is in the moment. Every moment has infinite number of possibilities and a lot of depth in it. The moment is not linear but spherical, it does not have a beginning and an end.

Having faith in the innocence of the present moment, lets us be free from the past and be 100% in the moment. Forgiving yourself for whatever happened in the past is very important. Understanding that some impressions were responsible for your actions and made someone else grow, and was all conducive in some way.

I grew up in India and diwali is the biggest festival like Christmas in the west. Few things I associate myself with this festival is lighting the lamps, sharing sweets, firecrackers and rangoli (patterns on floor created with color).

I have always believed that ancient practices have a significance to them. For me, lamps signify removing darkness or spreading wisdom, sweets sharing is a symbol of removing bitterness, firecrackers relates to diffusing the explosive tendencies inside and rangoli reminds you to make your life colorful.

Its an annual reminder of restarting the lamps of wisdom in or life, letting go of the past differences we have with our friends and family, growing the sweetness in our life and others, letting go of our negative emotions filling it with vibrant possibilities that life has to offer.

Diwali is the time when Goddess of Wealth – Lakshmi (“Lakshya” = Goal + “Mi” = that takes you;  “Lakshmi” – that takes you to the goal – liberation)  is worshipped. The Wealth signifies abundance. There are eight types of Lakshmi called Ashtalakshmi which is remembered.

Wish you a “Happy Diwali” and may your lives be filled with all of the above !

Having moved to Los Angeles last year, I started becoming more conscious of my physical fitness. With Ayurvedic food as a discipline and committed exercise and yoga, I was able to reduce 35 lbs in a few months.

But being between jobs, I started to loose the discipline and took the freedom to start eating junk food as I took job search as an excuse. While giving interviews I realized the state of mind which changed drastically and the heaviness in the body.

It made me think what is true freedom ? Is it at the physical level, following the senses which gives real comfort or having discipline in habits that gives the real comfort in the mind and being ! I realized true “Freedom comes with discipline”.

Many a times, there are lot of events happening that are not favorable and everything seems to go wrong. Then when we generalize it and tell everyone that nothing is favorable
for me and things are going wrong, that is the reality we create. The source of action is thought and when we say the above, we are sowing its seed in our minds and others mind to fruition. But rather than cribbing about the situation, if we take acceptance of it, be grateful for what we have and move in a positive direction with a vision and an intention for a positive change, then that is the reality we create. So lets choose wisely for ourselves of what we create in our lives !

I have been in between jobs recently and initially there was a feverishness about the next job and what if I don’t get one in time. But then I had a realization as I have been on my own that these sudden changes or turning points of life are an opportunity to go inwards.

Dispassion usually sounds like a term for aged people who have given up everything in life or have gone into the forests meditation but I found that it is such an important tool in our lives. It does not mean that you don’t own anything but nothings own you. Usually these goals in life in terms of money, power and fame acts as a carrot dangling in front of you but the moment you drop the feverishness and take the plunge with acceptance into the unknown they run after you.

So, once you are comfortable and content with yourself and grateful for the abundance in life, you feel powerful and unaffected by the external circumstances. You are more centered and can work effectively taking decisions from abundance and not lack.

Life is short and what matters at the end is how much you have learnt about it.  This wisdom gives us the strength to work passionately living every moment and at times be dispassionate, not letting the passion make you feverish and as you move along life, have the compassion to give. The more you give the more it will grow with abundance in life.

Despite being less popular than brown rice or wild rice, black rice, known as forbidden rice, is an ancient grain that has even more impressive health benefits than most other closely related rice varieties.

Not only is it the type of rice that is richest in powerful disease-fighting antioxidants, but it also contains dietary fiber, anti-inflammatory properties, and has the ability to help stop the development of diabetes, cancer, heart disease and even weight gain.

Black rice has been eaten in regions of Asia for thousands of years; in fact for centuries it was reserved for only Chinese royalty. Today this type of rice is picking up in popularity and popping up in more health food stores across the US, Australia, and Europe, as people discover the numerous health benefits that whole grain black rice has to offer.

More info @ https://srisriayurvedaproducts.blogspot.com/2016/09/why-sri-sri-ayurveda-black-rice-is-good.html

” Achieving goals is not the means to our happiness.
Our happiness is the means to achieving goals.”                                                                                                                                  – Prashant Rajore

Most of the times in my life I feel I have been running from one goal to the other to be happy and once that goal is achieved, it looks for another goal. All along, the mind postpones happiness and attaches it to things, people and situations, conditions imposed by myself.  Once I removed those conditions, understanding that happiness is a state of mind and “I am happy” without them, Life becomes an expression of happiness rather than a pursuit. 

This blog is to share my experiences of  life and its learnings, introspecting it and sharing with the world  !  I will also be share some interesting wisdom, stories, articles, healthy lifestyle and fun experiences.