Resource... Take Home #586

Every resource is useful, unless we are not skilled enough to know how to use.

Integrity... Take Home #585

Competence lets us win. Integrity lets us play.

Close loop... Take Home #584

Doing followed by learning and learning followed by doing are equally important. That's the most efficient and effective close loop in life.

"Namaskaram" - The Indian way of greeting- @Isha Yoga Center #6

Every culture has something unique in itself. So as the Indian.

When people come across, greeting each other is undeniably important. It gives each other a feeling of being bonded, in some way or other. Every time it's done, it enhances the relationship between the two people in a nourishing way! Greeting each other can be done in a few possible ways. A simple smile is an informal way. Adding some kind of a physical gesture to it is being formal. Either informal or formal way of getting is one's choice. Different geographic regions, based on their ancestral habits, have adopted different physical gestures to greet each other, while the smile stayed common among all.

The Indian way of greeting is by uttering  "Namaskaram" word with head bowed slightly, both the palms meeting and facing each other in front of chest. Not in front of face, like the way politicians do! There have been many reasons quoted as the advantages of this way of greeting. While I believe them, as far as I'm concerned, everything could have an advantage if only can be perceived.

At the Isha Yoga Center, "Namaskaram" is the regular way people greet each other. Does not matter if you are an Indian or  foreigner. Over the past few days of my stay here I saw a few times when people greet each other. Particularly today, while I was walking down from the cottages, I saw two foreign nationals come across each other. I, based on my previous experiences, was imaging a big hug between the ladies. Interestingly, they greeted each other with a broad smile and "Namaskaram". That was the moment I realized once again that, the importance of the place that we are in, the important of the circumstances around us, the importance of the way people around us is invaluable and immeasurable in the way we behave, we live, and we perceive.

Being conscious in what we do is being great. When the surroundings enhance the consciousness in us, it only adds to the bliss.

Signing off,

Namaskaram

Escape to an unfamiliar place - @Isha Yoga Center #5

Once in an year, we must escape to a place which we are not familiar with and also where no one knows us. By doing that, we give ourselves a few chances to let the life happen in and around us in a very different way.

The place where no one knows us is the place where we can be ourselves truly and completely. Also that's the place to try never-before things with ourselves, which otherwise get shelved everytime we think of doing them, because of whatever the reason! Basically, we can experiment with ourselves effortlessly. The results can be analysed being unbiased. And thereafter, certain things can be adapted to, with confidence and experience.

The place which we are not familiar with is the place to explore. Explore the 'unknown'. Discovering what's in and around is one easy thing we can do. Apart from that, exploring a new place, by just wandering aimlessly, at times gives us a complete different perspective of 'traveling'. The cultures, including the way people handle people and cattle, we come across while wandering around let us know the innumerable possibilities of handling the living beings, in respect, in anonymity, in love. That's an experience to go through to understand in a better way and also to realise the essence of social living.

Try at least once in a while to escape to an unfamiliar place. Believe me, you will only gain experience and lose literally NOTHING valuable, including time. The experience that you gain could let you experience a few other things, people, surroundings, in your familiar place in an unfamiliar way! If reading a book can change the way mind cells interact with each other, as now proven scientifically, traveling to a new place and staying for a while definitely can have bigger impact. I'm looking forward to do it again and again, whenever I get time and opportunity.

Walking bare foot - @Isha Yoga Center #4

It does not happen every day that we get to walk bare foot. Especially in the corporate culture, we often try to find a way to avoid shoes and try to walk with chappal. Taking the chappal off and walking must be better forgotten. Here at the Isha Yoga Center, for me, it's been three days now to have wore chappal. The day we arrived in here, we walked in the campus with chappal and thereafter until now the chappal have not been used at least once. That has not made any difference to my feet physically but emotionally and psychologically yes, it's been good experience of sand, stones, mud, wet floor, and even hot floor at times.

Today morning while I was coming out of the cottage, I almost forgot that I did not wear chappal. It felt just normal unlike the last two days when I had to convince myself to leave the chappal at the cottage. May be that's the flexibility our body and mind have, which we often do not try experiencing.

This reminds me of an incident. Couple of years back, while traveling in train from my home town to Pune, I lost over of my chappals through the toilet's hole while the train was on the move. I had to let it go and I also had to let the other chappal go and join it's counterpart. From then and until I reached Pune, it felt so awkward to walk bare foot. I consciously felt different as if the world did not have any other job than minding about me walking bare foot. I knew at the back of my mind that it would not bother anybody. But I kind of failed to take that thought off my mind.

Well, may be it would have felt the same here as well when I had to walk bare foot. Since everybody around was walking without chappal, I felt normal about it and got used to it quickly.

Where is the difference? In my bare foot? or in the way I think others think of me? Undoubtedly in the later. It's a fact that different situations make us take the same thing in different ways. But it's also a fact that situations are nothing but the inhibitions or beliefs we usually have in our minds. Once they are handled, we will not be handled by our minds. Rather we handle ourselves in a better way for a better future.

Coins thrown away! - @Isha Yoga Center #3

Coins are usually never thrown away, especially rupee coins. They are kept in the pockets, hand bags, and if they are too many, they are accumulated and kept at one place at home. On the contrary, in India, at some holistic places the coins are thrown as if they are not made to be kept with. Rather, they are thrown as if they are made to go down the waters! By the way, coins are usually thrown in waters.

Holy rivers and holy waters are the spots to see the coins thrown in large number. Last year we had been to Mahabaleshwar. Over there, at the Krishna river starting point as they say, water is seen flowing out of the mouth of Nandi. The water is collected in a square shaped small construction and from there probably they are sent out! In the square shaped water collection point, I saw people throwing a few coins, a few in number! I wonder what must be happening to the coins thrown in the water everyday, after the tourists are left. I obviously don't wonder about the coins thrown into the waters of Hussein Sagar, Hyderabad.

Here at the Isha yoga center, there is beautiful pond with a few lotus flowers of white, pink, lavender etc colours. I saw few people carrying the culture, of throwing coins,  from the so called holy waters to the waters of the pond at the Isha Yoga Center. I could see the coins that were successfully thrown into the lotus leaves floating over the pond and no need to guess what must have happened to the rest of the coins which failed to make it there. Whatsoever, some of the coins must have inhumanly hit the fishes in the pond! Who cares! Everyone wants to try their hand at something the result of which is majorly anticipated, minutely perceived and never seen!

Pollution-free in-campus transport - @Isha Yoga Center #2

The vehicles used inside the Isha yoga center for in-campus transport of material, guests, luggage and residents are purely electric ones. They make no sound absolutely. They include two wheeler, three wheeler autos, three wheeler transport vans etc. Important ones to be noted are the bicycles. A few cycle stands are available for inmates to park the cycles once they are done with moving around.

This culture of using electric vehicles and bicycles is important to be adopted everywhere possible, amidst the growing pollution and hence the threat to the human species on earth. Keeping the environment clean to the possible extent is important not just for the ongoing generations but also for the generations to come. Acknowledging this is appreciable and those who do this must be encouraged in all possible ways.

Another interesting thing is that the electric vehicles used to transport guests and luggage is mostly seen driven by women. They do it with a smile that makes you feel like doing their job at least once! Not many end up doing though, I'm not an exception either.

Staying on the mountains' side - @Isha Yoga Center #1

Being a 'Puneite', mountains are not new to me. But these mountains are a bit different. They are the Velliangiri foothills, 30 km away from Coimbatore city. They are part of the Western Ghats of India, look amazingly beautiful and breathtakingly serene. When the clouds pass on top of them is the scene one must at least witness once live. One can observe the rain coming over the mountains and that can be one of the memorable moments with the mountains.

Rain ensures a green carpet over them. Broad sun light makes them shine. Moon light highlights their curvature with the background of night sky. Sunrise and sunset, mesmerizing indeed from anywhere, mesmerize from up above them too.

They stand tall to the passing wind, making it go a whirlpool at their foot. Whereas the gentle breeze is soothing, the whirlpool of wind all of a sudden can storm through anything coming it's way. Yet, adorable. The complete night went with a storming wind, with no fan and no lights inside the room we stayed, the incessant sounds of the wind could be heard in every bit of clarity. Awesome they sounded, though fearsome in some ways at times.

As the whirlpool continued, the next day morning when I stepped out into the corridor, I observed couple interesting things. One, when I looked at the mountains, the trees on top of the mountains made no moment amidst the heavy wind that had been trying it's best to displace the big trees next to our cottage. Two, when I looked at the sky, there was absolutely no moment in the clouds up there. Usually in Pune, when I look up to sky on a windy day, the clouds would move here and there, generally in the direction of the wind. It used to feel as if I was sending some clouds to my friends and family stayed away. Now, it's surprised me when the clouds did not move a bit despite of the heavy wind! Interesting! Well, the reason was that they were at a particular height that the wind could not impact. So was the case with the trees on the hill top.

While the reason is simple, observing all this is not. Observation is one of the best teachers. Observing the nature, which is again one of the best teachers, can make us learn rather realise how beautifully life happens within and around us.

Going a bit more spiritual or philosophical, staying right next to the mountains is a bliss. Whatever happens in daily life, mountains stand the way they have always been, to let us know that certain things in life do not change quickly. That certain things can be ever beautiful and ever relaxing. Amazing simply.

The sling-shot... Take Hone #583

Out of all those who can perceive your capabilities, only few 'can' appreciate. Be glad to them. Also be humble to the rest, because they are the sources of the "sling-shot motivation" for you at times.

So as you... Take Home #582

Rather than expecting people to stop saying demotivating things to you, better start learning to ignore demotivating things said to you. And for that, it's important to build confidence from your own strengths.

No one knows everything; so as you. No one can be perfect; so as you. No one can be right always, so as you. But there have been great achievers; so can be you.