LIVE LARGE - Traps -Part2

Our thinking & action are based on the individual belief & faith structures. These faith & belief structures are constructed and developed over years. Majority of the beliefs were imprinted at the earlier young stages of the life by parents, society, teachers, friends etc. Some are developed by his own past experiences to certain situations.

Since, our behaviour pattern determines the result of our action, is it not important to scrutinise the faith & belief structures which form the foundation for our behaviour pattern?

The behaviour pattern is completely an automated process that we don’t even aware at a given situation in order for us to take conscious favourable action. If the automation of our behaviour aids in our growth path then it is alright. But, what happens to the pattern that does not aid in our growth path?

We can’t change the automation but we have the liberty to change the components of the automation. If one wants to change the result then he has to change his action & thinking and that in turn calls for the change in the faith& belief components. Most of the programming of the faith & belief were done at a very young age especially in a situation when one did not have the maturity and power to control this programming. But, now as a grownup adult, we have the choice and hence, it is the right time to work on the programming of ours imprinted by someone else. The simple strategy is to eradicate those faith and belief which are not serving us anymore & add new components that aid in our growth.

Early childhood programming is a deep rooted pattern & hence, one need right tool to work at the deep subconscious level. There are well developed tools & techniques available to reprogram the belief & faith structure.

It is up to us to change the faith and Behaviour pattern automation which uses the above flowchart.

LIVE LARGE - Traps -Part1

Traps: We are invariably caught in three different traps. For growth and successful transformation, it is not only important to become aware of these traps but also to know the rightful means to come out these webs.

1.            Information overload

2.            Autopilot mode

3.            Mass copying

Information overload: We live in the information age where the science and technology advancement is rapid. The new technology such as Facebook, twitter, whatsapp, mobile and internet are overwhelming enough and expose anyone to the abundance of information. We are constantly bombarded with plentiful of information on a daily basis. The brain has not been trained by evolution to handle such massive information leading one to distract very easily.

To become successful, there is a demand to stay focussed but we are easily distracted by the external world very easily especially in the presence of the gadgets around us. The mandate here is to stay focussed but the situation is causing one to get distracted & this is completely a contradiction. Even few decades before, we did not have this web of information in the form of distraction. The attention faculty of the brain has deteriorated in the last few decades. People cannot stay attentive for an extended period of time. The brain has not evolved for this kind of this new external situation and it is a challenge now to deal with this new circumstances. Research says that on an average fifty percentage of the time, our mind roams and moves out of task in hand. This is a real trap & one needs special skills to train the brain to develop his attention span. These are learnable skills and the brain can be trained within a span of few months to come out this trap.

Autopilot mode: We lead our life in a kind of autopilot mode. This means, we do things without the involvement of our conscious mind. In fact, ninety percent of our daily activities such as brushing the teeth, taking bath, the way how we communicate & the way how we perceive the external situations are governed by the autopilot mode. There are two levels to this autopilot mode.

a.            Behaviour pattern

b.            Inbuilt Intelligence

Inbuilt intelligence is the one which we have discussed in our earlier chapter. These are the involuntary automated systems such as our heart beat, blood circulation, digestive systems etc. All these systems function by themselves without our conscious presence.

Let us understand the behaviour pattern, a level above the inbuilt intelligence. This is yet another pattern that runs on autopilot mode. Behaviour pattern is the specific way we think & act to the numerous situations. Our thinking & action to a given situation is not the same as that of the others. Each one thinks & acts differently for the same situation. Hence, the results are always different for different people even though the situation presented is the same. .......................cont....

LIVE LARGE - Power within

Evolutionary energy: With time, we have evolved and transformed. Billion years of human evolution has generated two significant powers within. There have been multiple challenges faced by the human race in the process of evolution. Somehow, they have overcome those challenges. They have mastered those situations which presented those challenges. These challenges & the solutions are very well etched as neural pathways in each and every one of us now.

This is like a memory imprint that is stored within us. This we call us the evolutionary energy.

Let me cite one example just to understand this evolutionary energy. Our brain weighs one and half kilograms now. The same brain, it just weighed five hundred grams few million years before. So, the brain now has increased his volume by threefold. Majority of the weight comes from the thinking brain i.e. the prefrontal cortex that has evolved in the recent years.

So, evolutionary energy is an upward trend. As human, we need to evolve & that is a norm. We are supposed to progress & there should be a constant upward growth. It is a universal law.

Inbuilt intelligence: The second source of power comes from the inbuilt intelligence. This is a completely involuntary automated system working deep underneath. This system is beyond our voluntary control & most of the time, we are not even aware of this intelligence operating within us.

A good example is our heart beat. We do not have control of the heartbeat. It beats by itself in an automated basis. Also, automatically, it fluctuates the heart beats based on the various load conditions such as running, cycling etc.

One can do wonders in life, if he experiences these two powers. At a mastery level, one can even gain access to these two powers. Certain mind-body exercises when performed on consistent basis allow one to experience the evolutionary energy & the inbuilt intelligence.

Remember, these energies have evolved over a period of billion years. On an average, human life expectancy is just eighty years. This is really a short period comparing to the billion years. So, every minute of our time becomes precious when we are given just eighty years of quota. This is the reason why a person who realised these powers will not waste even a single minute of his life in doing mundane activities.

One can do wonders in life, if he simply experiences these two powers. At a mastery level, one can even gain access to these two powers. 

LIVE LARGE - Pattern of life

Two reasons for the monotonous pattern of life.

 a.           Living in the comfort zone

 b.           Not clear of what exactly one wants to do in life.

Now, we know the start point of the transformation, it is time to perform a small test. Compare the present state of the life with that of your life three months before. You must able to see the changes, achievements, failures in these three months duration. Let us call the differences as delta. If you are satisfied with this delta then it is alright. If the life is the same as it was three months before then it is time to understand this monotonous pattern.

Reasons for the monotonous pattern of life

1.            One living in his own comfort zone

2.            Not clear of what exactly one wants to do in life.

Both are not in favour of the universal law. Anything against the universal law is nothing but inviting trouble. Largely in this case, a person is not happy with himself, with his life. There is an inner voice telling him to do something but in reality he is doing something different. This internal conflict is the cause of the lifestyle diseases.

Live Large - RIGHT ALIGNMENT

What is the force within us that generates the powerful result in the physical world? This is the force of alignment.

Let us dissect the result pattern. A person has an idea in his mind (mental energy) .He is emotionally connected with the idea & he feels good whenever he thinks or executes the idea (emotional energy). He is thoroughly & deeply connected with the idea (spiritual energy). When all these energies are real & aligned together, he becomes unstoppable & fires resembling the sun rays converged through the lens to generate fire at a single focussed point.

A simultaneous, perfect alignment and convergence of these three internal energies generate the external result.

The result becomes futile when all of those energies are not in equal proportions. 

Live Large -Part1

For self-transformation journey, one needs to identify clearly the right start point.

But, let us first understand a very basic but important point. Today, we use mobile, computer and other items. These items are real and exist in the physical world now. But, few decades before, those existed simply as the ideas in someone heads. So, the items that we see now are the results in the physical world. So, the result that is conceivable in the physical world is simply a reflection and the amalgamation of the mental, emotional & spiritual energies of the internal world.

In other words, a combination of our mindset, emotional state & spiritual energy of this moment manifest themselves into result in the near future.

The question now is: Should we need to work on the result? Or should we need to work on the causes that generate result. Follow this simple Cause-Effect formula.

External world is difficult to control. Internal world is within your control. It is then wise to work on the internal variables than working on the external variable factors.

So, we know now clearly our good start point for the transformation.

Change the meaning:Change the experience

Automation: We assign a meaning to our experience. Based on the meaning, we judge that experience. In general, assigning meaning is an automated process. This automation is carried out based on the database that one accumulates over the years. This database is nothing but our faith, belief, values & the experiences that we have gathered in life so far.

Examples: Consider two scenarios. In scene one, we are waiting at the traffic signal. Imagine that all of a sudden a man cut the traffic in red. In this instant, our immediate reaction is going to be offensive. Either we scold him or feel bad of him. This is natural automated response.

On the other hand, consider scene two, where we are witnessing the same incident in the traffic but this time we have our friend with us in the car. This friend has noticed a girl in the violated car & feels that the man has cut the traffic because the girl seems to be bleeding and the person seems to be in a urgency to take her to the hospital. In this context, our entire perception of the situation changes & we suddenly feel empathetic to the person. Now, our response is completely different than the automated response of scene one.

Third Person view: Our meaning to the experience changes when we look at the experience from the third person point of view. Our experience to the event will change with the change in the way how we assign a meaning. This is really powerful, given the fact that we don’t have control of the external events that happen in our daily life. But, certainly we have one hundred percent control in the way of we assign a meaning to the event. This changes our perception & hence, the experience in itself.

This is such a powerful nice technique in overruling the automated reaction thereby we change the perception & our experiences.

Summary: Event may be the same but the MEANING to the event varies from person to person. Meaning to an event comes well within. By mindful of the meaning that you assign, you can change the very experience of the event.

“Your MEANING to an experience is more important than the experience in itself”

Get your stability

Change is constant & hence, we live on a platform which is dynamic in nature. But, we seek stability in this dynamism of life. This seeking is quite natural & it is possible. All you need to do is to induce forcefully slowness that creates clarity & stillness. These in turn build stability.

Perception: Clarity is a change in the perception. The way how perceive everyday events changes by the slowness. The fan that rotates, the wings of the fan gradually disappear with the speed of rotation. With Slowness, one can gradually see the shape of the wings. Shape of the wing can be evidently and completely seen when the fan comes to a halt. So, our perception of the shape of the wing in the fan varies with the speed. Similarly, everyday events that we perceive change with the speed of the mind. A deeper perception is possible with the slower mind.

Slowness of mind: Intentionally slowing the mind is a learnable skill. There is a direct correlation to the physical stillness to the mental stillness. Stillness of mind can be achieved easily with the still body. Physical stillness can be achieved by training the spine to stay in the neutral position. Keeping the spine adds stillness in the mind.

Optimal result: In the present day scenario, life runs at a fast paced routine. The smartness remains in how one handles himself optimally with the speed. This becomes possible by gaining deeper perception and that is possible by inducing slowness. So intentional slowdown in you directly influence your performance when the situations demand speed.

Summary: The arms of the fan disappear with the speed. Reducing the speed of the fan gives the visibility of the arms. Physically, keeping the spine stable adds stillness in the mind.

“To perform optimally in a fast phased life, make a deliberate effort at times to induce “slowness” that creates “clarity” & “stillness” that builds “stability” in you.  "

Self Introduction : Centring Process

In the fast paced life pattern, mostly we tend to get carried away by the external forces. It is a good practice to pay attention to oneself at regular intervals in order for him to stay rooted. Otherwise, months & years pass by quickly & in no time one may get lost in the crowd very quickly. This is where one’s self-identity plays a crucial role in centring him to his true values &faiths.

The Masks: We take responsibilities as father, son, office colleague, client, neighbour etc based upon the kind of people to whom deal with. Accordingly, we wear different masks based on the needs of the occasions. Those identities are valid only in those contexts but not our true identities. One needs to peel off these masks to get to know his true identity. This is a self introduction process. This is vital and significant in order for you to play the game of life working from your roots.

Any one identity is a mixed bag of strength & weakness. There is no need to take pride for the strength & let down by the weakness. Let these things stay as they are. Staying open to the strength & weakness is a powerful way of dealing the life. One doesn’t need to manipulate or tamper these characteristics of him for the needs of others. Accepting things as they are needs training & courage. But, it is a powerhouse.

True Identity: Here is a simple technique to get to know your true identity. Naturally, one gets worries, fears & doubts especially when he deals life during his bad phase. With time, things will automatically set into normality and the person is out from the clutches of the bad phase. If one watches carefully, he would notice that there is a small fragment of him which acts as a guiding force that fights against those fears, worries & doubts. The key here is to identify this fragment of you. This is your true identity. You are well defined once when you start to identify to this fragment.

Summary: Our true colour is exposed only in our low time. Otherwise, we wear a mask that covers our true identity. There is a fragment of you that fight against those fears, worries & doubts during your bad phase. You are well defined once when you start to identify yourself to that fragment.

“Your true identity is this invisible force that gets you cross your worst situation fighting against those naturally occurring fears & worries while moving towards your goal.  "

Healthy Eating: A different approach

Value:  You are what you eat. This is absolutely true without any argument. Also, I would like to given another dimension to the method of eating. You are HOW you eat. This is also equally significant. The way how you eat the food and how one values the food are also critical in developing healthy lifestyle.

Our attention to what goes inside our mouth is highly critical. Many times, our attention is somewhere else and not on the food that goes in. Since, eating is a habitual process; we eat without having our consciousness on the food. At the dining table, we have all sets of distractions such as reading newspaper, watching TV & chatting with friends, attending calls etc. With all these distractions, our awareness of food goes in the background.

It is not only that we don’t feel, taste & enjoy the food but diminish the value that we give to the food with the distractions. In general, if we don’t value a system/process then the value from the very system/process will not come to us. This is a universal law & it also applies to the value that assign to the food that you eat.

If you devalue the food then the energy that you get from the food gets devalued.

Body: Body is subjected to change. We can build a healthy body with proper nourishment. For this, let us understand the basic principle of the body that is in making. Body is a form of earth element. We accumulate the body from the earth elements in the form of food. Depending on this accumulation, we can easily weigh few kilos more or few kilos. Ultimately, this body in making goes back to its origin, i.e. earth after death. So, remember that the food that we eat comes from the earth element and that we call it as body.

Natural food: We process the food in many different ways before we consume. We get higher nourishment of the food when the food is more natural. If we add chemicals, preservatives then we make the food devoid of its natural elements. So, keep the processing to the minimum & give due respect to the nature.

As a thumb rule, the amount of heat that we use for cooking converts the food into another form that is distant away from its original content. We do this processing for enhancing taste & easy digestion. Instead, I suggest you to increase your digestive power to consume the type of food that is more close to the earth element. In other words, heighten your digestive power in proportion to the amount of heat energy that you spent in the cooking. This can be achieved by enhancing the fire element inside you which in yogic term is called as Agni.

With increase in your Agni power, you will get the ability to digest even stronger food and hence, get the ability to consume raw food. For example, Agni Sara Kriya is one such technique that improves the digestive juice that optimises the digestive system.

Summary: How you eat is more important than what you eat. The food that we eat comes from the earth element & we accumulate that in the form as the body. Respect the nature by striking a healthy balanced eating habit.

“Heighten your digestive fire in exact proportion to that of the fire used for the cooking.  "

Move forward: Inward Journey

Default State: We experience the external world by our senses. The senses then feed the data to the mind and meaning of the event is honoured. Naturally, we are in concurrence to the five senses and develop these sense faculties. Over the years, we tune completely externally and our desire is focused to the needs such owning a nice house, car, dress etc. But, we always long for something more even though that all our desires are met. This process continues as long as we follow the five senses which keep our focus to the external world. This becomes our default state. In this default state, we have a longing to get more and it continues always.

Evolutionary State: When we tune in internally then we witness/observe our own internal world. How our mind works, the drive of emotion etc. When our awareness is shifted in this direction, mind tends to recede over a period of time. This calming down of mind gives an opportunity to witness the inbuilt evolutionary energy within. This evolutionary energy has an age over period of billion years. This is really a massive energy. You will witness this inbuilt intelligence in each and every part of your body.

Your awareness is now watching the events/experiences of this internal world which you were not previously aware of. Your internal sensitivity can be developed and sharpen with the consistent practice. You will be exposed to a new dimension of you. This is really splendid.

This energy is huge. If you develop an awareness capability then you can dig in the entire energy accumulated over billion years within this one life time period. The question is whether you have the real ability to handle such a massive source of energy.

The initial symptoms of this internal journey are the clear sensations /feelings of all the involuntary automatized systems such as your heart beat, neural communications, blood circulations etc. Remember, all these systems have been developed over million years of evolution and each of these systems has its own inbuilt intelligence.

Inside-out strategy: Our external world is simply a mirror image our internal world. When we tune in to our internal world, we are exposed this wide spectrum of the evolutionary energy that changes our belief structures, perceptions and how we deal our life. This is the time; you will see the quantum leap of transformation in your life.

So, move from the default state of living to the evolutionary state of life.

Summary: In default State, we live & survive by tuning into the five external sensations. This is okay for your survival. In evolutionary State, we live & thrive by turning on the internal sensation. Increasing the internal sensitivity provides an opportunity to tap the evolutionary energy.

“Make a choice to move from the default state to the evolutionary state to thrive in life.”

Leadership Skills: Self Awareness

A good leader is considered as a person who is sensible to others. This in turn calls for a sensibility within himself in order for him to become sensible to others. Sensibility is a nature of awareness: Awareness of the sensations. Bodily sensation is nothing but the language of the feeling. The feelings are the outcome of our own emotions.

So, a self-awareness of your own internal world is a prerequisite of a good leader. A person cannot manage himself when he does not have the ability of what is happening within himself. So, self-management calls for the self-awareness. For any given experience/event, one should have the ability to capture in real time the associated emotions that run beneath. A person, who has the higher sensitivity, captures the bodily sensations in finer details. A person cannot manage others when he can’t self-mange.

So, here is the flow. Self Awareness -->Self management-->Awareness of others -->Management of others.

Mirror: External reality is majorly determined by our own internal mental & emotional state. Others, they simply act as a mirror/reflection of you. When you are calm, you radiate calmness and generate calmness in others. In this case.calmness is the reflection that you see in others. A good leader is completely aware of this process & he naturally performs his behaviour in tune with the process.

Bodily sensations: Bodily sensations and the feelings are the outcomes of your emotions. There is an entire gamut of level to this sensory perception that varies from gross to the subtle levels. Your emotion appears in the form of bodily sensation. Your ability to perceive this sensation gives full access to your internal world. Good leader enhances his sensory perception to an extent of even picking up the subtlest bodily sensations so that he is well self-centred. He somehow knows the means to connect to himself in finder details.

There are techniques available in most of the mind-body practices such as Yoga, taichi etc. One needs to invest considerable effort to master these techniques. It is a learnable skill.

Summary: You can’t manage others when you don’t have the ability to manage yourself. Self-awareness & self-management are the key leadership skills. Your emotion appears in the form of bodily sensation. Your ability to perceive this sensation gives full access to your internal world. Enhance your sensory perception to an extent of even picking up the subtlest bodily sensations.

“Higher the sensory perception better the level of self-awareness "

Learn to unlearn

Growth: Out growth in life is directly proportional to our new learning’s. The time when we stop learning, we cease to nurture. Learning gives an opportunity to expand. It broadens our perception. It has the ability to change our viewpoint. It allows us to transform to the greater goodness.

New Learning: Definitely, new learning involves new ideas, new concepts that were not identified to us earlier. But, there is also another dimension to the learning i.e. learning to unlearn. Whatever that we have learned earlier may not be perfect existential model and may not be serving the purpose. We should know how to unlearn the already learned clutters in our possessions.

Database: You are a collection of a huge mass of database forced and stored upon you by others. The programming of the database happens at the earliest stage of our life when we don’t have any control of life and our life is dictated by various sources such as the elders, parents, school & society. This program is strongly hardwired even as grownup adult in the present day. Subconsciously, these habits, database are highly engrained that we behave and live in an autopilot mode governed by the ideas, beliefs of others. This is a real problem for every one of us.

But, now as a grownup adult, you have the freedom and control to make conscious choices to create your own new set of database that serves the purpose. Creating a new database includes eliminating the old database not serving the life purpose. This is what I call it as ‘Learn to Unlearn’.

Learn to Unlearn: It is consciously eliminating the old stored data that do not serve the purpose. There are proven techniques to perform this sort of the exercise. Once you are into the practice of this exercise, you will come to know how much more you have to unlearn on day-to-day basis. This is a fresh realisation that puts you in the success path.

Summary: We have been programmed by our experiences & surroundings since childhood. Some of these databases do not serve the purpose now. As a mature adult, you have the conscious choice of discarding such kinds that were learned in the past. As we go on and on, we come to know how much more we have to unlearn.

“You are definitely in the path of success, when you learn to know how much more you have to unlearn on day-to-day basis”

Breath: Fibre of Life

Life Force: Let us recollect the 9/11 incident at pentagon. Certain wings of the pentagon building were hit by the aircraft & the building was raging with flames & fumes everywhere. One of the trapped officers managed to come out the building just to hear the shocking news that there was another flight targeting pentagon to hit in few more minutes. He was emotionally drained and in utter shock when he heard the rumbling sound of the approaching flight. I was in complete disbelief that his life was coming to an end & the pictures of his family loved ones were flashing in his mind while the sound of the approaching flight became louder and louder. In the neck of this moment and at the brink of his death, all of a sudden he heard the sound of the flight fading away. The next thing that he noticed was the sound of his breath & yes, he was delighted to know that he was still alive. This incident narrates the significance of the breath. Breath is a reminder that we are alive right now, in this moment. But, the question is how much are you aware of your breath in your day today life?

Foundation: Any form of physical exercises such aerobics, swimming, gym workouts, yoga involve the systematic movement of the body. But, the very basic fundamental movement for all of the above starts from the respiratory system. Every breath involves the rhythmic movement of the thoracic muscle & diaphragm. So, it is essential to optimise this engine in order to supply the optimal energy inflow into the body.

Flow: Life is a cyclic pattern of stimulation and relaxation. It is our natural desire to stay relaxed in every possible life conditions. The basic fibre of life is breathing that follows exactly the same cyclic pattern. Each breath alternates with inhalation (stimulation) and exhalation (relaxation). Breathing pattern gets effected by the emotional state. Also, the pattern of breathing varies from person to person.

If one consciously practice breathing sequence that involves prolonging the duration of the exhalation in comparison to that of the inhalation then over a period of time, there is a very good probability that his auto piloted automatic rhythm of the breathing follows the practiced pattern. This style of breathing keeps him more relaxed. So, it makes sense to prolong the duration of exhalation than that of the inhalation.

Personally, the above breathing technique brought down my resting heart rate from 90s to 48. I have noticed such distinguished effect with many of my clients too.

Summary: To move to a state of relaxation, practice the above breathing technique consciously for at least five minutes/day to see the profound effect on your psychic as well as your physiology.

Real Good Morning

Getting up early in the morning!! It is a harsh call for majority of us. I was part of this tribe few years before. Then, my modest reason for not getting up early in the morning was I had gone to bed very late in the night previous day. I was busy for the whole day and hence, I spent more time late night completing my task. But, in spite of such busy schedule day in and day out, still my end result was not as I expected. Also, I did not know the value of this powerful empowering habit of early rising. I am sure the above reasons resonate in your day today life too!

Now, after years of developing this habit, I knew exactly why I was busy the whole day. The reason being I was not having the focussed sharp mind to see the clarity of the tasks that I was trying to execute. Because of this ambiguity, I ended up spending more time and sub optimal in my performance. I do not want to describe in detail the emotional commotion associated with the execution & the subsequent effect of my sleep pattern.

Solution: If you are in similar situation (as how I was few years before) then here is the solution. Solution is simple!! Getup early in the morning. This is one of the secret habits of the successful people such as Obama, Modi, Sachin and many others.

Distraction: We live in the information age. We are bombarded with billions of information from many different sources during the day. Most of the information acts as distraction and causing to stay unfocussed. The finest time to avoid distraction is the early morning time. Majority of people are still in the bed in sound sleep. So, you are already out from the man made noises such as the shout of your neighbour, honking of the car etc. Early morning sets the ambience that has minimum distraction than the rest of the daytime.

Universe influence: The universal energy has its own influence on you during the period of 4-6am in the morning. If you go for an early morning walking at 4AM then you will appreciate the effect of the cosmic energy that influences you. It is pure source of energy that keeps you centred the rest of the day.

ME time: You need to self-introspect yourself to see the journey & direction of your life. Every day, one needs to revive his own situation in certain predefined period of the day as his ME time. Morning time is an ideal ME time.

This simple habit, if it is inculcated in your daily life then you will see the change in the pattern of your own perception of yourself & the world around you.

Summary: The universal energy is at its peak in the earlier phase (4- 6AM) of the morning. You become part of this energy during this time. Develop a habit of getting up early in the morning without any external support to build the right kind of energy to start a day fresh. To create this habit, one may use the aided means such as setting up the alarm to get up at early. Once your biorhythm is set, you will get up automatically without any support.

“As an unaided early morning raiser, you setup a platform that stages the universal cosmic dance”

Life Goodness : Excuses of the mind

Goodness of life originates from your good habits. Forming a new habit requires an effort irrespective of whether a habit is good or bad. One needs to repeat the action/task related to the habit over certain period of time in order for the action to become second nature of him. Recurrence is the key in generating a new habit.

In this blog, we are focussing on activities such as regular exercises, getting up early morning, yoga & meditation. These are the daily activities that are good to form as habits for a healthy life style. Without doubt, every one of us knows clearly the benefits of these activities. In spite of that innumerable list of benefits, only a handsome of people put an effort in generating these new habits. WHY??

Inherent nature: Evolutionarily, human are designed to live in the comfort zone. It is the characteristic of the mind which restricts us & makes a choice to stay in the comfort zone. No extra effort is required to stay in this comfort zone. But, forming a new habit such as getting up early morning or doing regular exercises demands for an additional effort. This means, one has to work against his inherent nature.

Contradictory Mind: Mind plays a vital role in making the choices. The same mind that motivates you to put an effort to form a new habit also withdraws you form the very effort where you transfer your energy into. Such is the conflicting nature of the mind. It gives excuses for you to stay in your safer familiar mode.

It is up to the individual to overcome this inherent force while forming a new habit. Unlike the western world, daily dose of physical exercises is not part of our culture at all. So, if one goes by the mass psychology, he will derive some good excuses to skip the daily routine. But, in the recent years, a new trend is getting in place where people spent considerable time out in the sun.

Summary:  New habits demand new activities. All those activities demand regularity. The inherent nature & the contradictory mind give excuses that evade you to perform the activities. So, you miss the goodness. Think twice before passing judgement on those excuses of the mind which hinder your progress.

"GOODNESS IN LIFE GETS HIJACKED BY THE EXCUSES OF THE MIND”. Be aware!!

Art of Living in the Present moment

Living in the present moment is bliss. It is a complete integration of you into your experiences and experiencing the very integration as it transpires. Experience this from moment to moment, on and on is harmony. Time transpires as one abides into this present moment reality.

Reality: what you have right now is this present moment. As known to you, a person cumulative past experiences, good or bad shape him as a character. Individual perception to a large extent is shaped by the individual definition of his own character moulded over many years. A person neither has control of those past experiences that have given him his definition nor his future. If one becomes aware of this fact then that gives him an opportunity to change his experience /perception right now, this very moment. This is liberation, a start point of his new transformation.

Two dynamics: What is the definition of living in the present moment? There are two distinct features to the present moment experience. The time perception & space perception take a new meaning. In other words, you will get lost in time & space dimensions while you live in the present moment awareness. For example, when you read an interesting book, you would have noticed hours fly in minutes. Such is the change in the time perception when you are into this present moment integration. Similarly, when you experience a beautiful sunset and when you are completely into this integration of this tranquil scene unfolds in front of you that dent you with a different perception of the space.

So the key for you to experience your life to the fullest is to understand the above reality & the two dynamics and learn the art of living in the present moment continually or at least, very often as achievable.

“You will get lost in the space & time dimensions in your present moment experience”

Life purpose & Living process

We have an opportunity to live in two different spheres. Eventually, whatever the energy & time that spent in your life on daily basis go to either one of these spheres. It is important to become mindful of these spheres and see how one diverts his energy towards these spheres.

Two Spheres:  The two spheres are the “Life purpose” sphere & the “Living process” sphere. Your existence in this world is not simply an accident. There is a well-defined reason of your existence. In other words, you are here for a reason. This reason becomes your life purpose. If you spend your energy for this reason then you are directing your energy into the life purpose sphere.

Also, every one of us spend energy in our regular responsibilities such as our professional & career development, children education, marriage, wealth management etc. These are the living means. More and more energy spent in enhancing these resources direct our energy to the living process sphere.

The key here is to clearly identify how you spend your energy in diverting your energy to these spheres on a day today basis. If your life energy is utilised for your life purpose then you will see a clear trend in your life. On the other hand, if your life energy is completely engulfed in the living process then you will see distress in life in certain period of your lifespan.

Misinterpret: Where you focus on & that gets magnified. Say, for example if you emphasis on your child education then the details associated with your child education get magnified. When one starts to spend more of his focus on the living process, all of the details relevant to that get magnified to an extend where one lose the sight of the life. In other words, the living process takes such a bigger shape that it overshadows the visibility of the life. So, we end up spending energy in the living process on a daily basis and we start to falsely assume that sum of all these living processes as Life. So, many miss their life in their living process because of this false assumption.

Delink: So, make a clear distinction between these two spheres & delink the overlapping of these two spheres by doing a simple exercise of auditing your daily activities. If you spend your entire day in uplifting your child education, taking care of their welfare, upgrading your house, managing your wealth, improving your job opportunity etc. without knowing the reason & purpose of your existence then you are into this false assumption.

So, delink this association Life= Living process & direct more of your life force towards the life purpose. By doing so, your life gets SIMPLIFIED!!

Summary:

Life purpose: You exist in this world for a reason. That reason becomes your life purpose.

Living Process: Your regular responsibilities such as your professional development, marriage, children, wealth management etc.

Simple strategy: Many miss their life in the living process because they falsely assume. Life =Living process. Delink this association.

LIFE GETS SIMPLIFIED WHEN YOU DISTINGUISH CLEARLY YOUR LIFE PURPOSE & THE LIVING PROCESS AND DIRECTING YOUR LIFE ENERGY MORE TOWARDS THE LIFE PURPOS

Art of Listening to the body

If you are into the endurance sports such as marathon running then you must be well aware of the level of injuries that the beginners agonize. It is a overwhelming 65% injury rate for the novices. The early enthusiasm that one has in developing the endurance skill diminishes at the later stage due to the injury factor. One of the main reasons for the cause of injury is the inability to focus and listen to the warning signals that spring out from the body. Yes, body has an inbuilt intelligence that breeds warning signals when one surpasses his own resource capabilities.

Mechanism: So, it is a common recommendation in this arena to “listen to the body”. What exactly does it mean listening to the body? For example, you are trying to run much faster than what your limits are. Your breathing is the one that distresses first. You may start to breathe faster. Since, you consume lot of energy in the faster running; your body naturally calls for more of oxygen to burn. As a consequence, Lactic acid forms in the body when there is depletion of oxygen. This lactic acid induces fatigue & hence, the brain generates pain signal in order for you to stop or slow down the running process.

When the distress occurs, the signals can be picked up at various levels such as breathing sensation, faster heart beat sensation, pain signals, heat sensations etc. These are the combinations of signals varying from the subtle to the gross sensations. Some of us feel the signals at the subtle level whereas others feel at the gross level. Some even ignores the signals.

This process is not only transpires during the process of running but it is always there and can be witnessed for every normal happenings such as walking, sitting & sleeping.

Levels: Ignoring the warning signals is the worst thing and one can cause harm to himself. Pain, heaviness, warmness are gross sensations. One should able to acknowledge & honour these gross sensations. Throbbing, tickling, pulsating feelings are the subtle sensations. These are the finer signals that keep you in close proximity to yourself.

Power: Do increase the level of awareness & stay closer to you by tuning into the subtle sensations. By doing so, you will have the power to tap the whole gamut of the involuntary systems such as your respiratory, cardiovascular, nervous system etc. It is magical. It is the body intelligence that runs in an autopilot mode for which we have no control. Now , you get this power.This power changes the way you perceive your internal world. Obviously because of this same power, you start to experience your external world very differently.

Techniques: There are multiple levels of techniques defined in the yoga culture that gives you an opportunity to tap this power. The art of listening to the body gets enhanced by the practice of these techniques mindfully.

Summary: Pain, heaviness, warmness are gross sensations. Throbbing, tickling, pulsating feelings are the subtle sensations. Art of listening is simply tuning to the subtle sensations in the body by which you will gain access to your involuntary system (autopilot mode). Simple strategy: The art of listening to the body gets enhanced by the practice of yoga mindfully.

"LISTEN TO YOUR BODY FIRST IN ORDER FOR THE BODY TO LISTEN TO YOU”

Consistency creates you

Our Definition: An action when it is repeated on regular basis becomes our habit. Our habit drives our behaviour. Our own definition is based on our behaviour. Such is the power of repetition and thus consistent actions when done on regular basis have the potential to give a new definition of you on long run.

Wiring: We are automatically driven by our habits in an autopilot mode. It is subconsciously etched in our neural network and doesn’t require the association of our thinking brain. Habits are spontaneous & automatic. It is the easiest path in the neural network that can be activated without our conscious effort.

Problem: Our own programming and hence our own definition is the net results of consistent repeated actions that were executed in the past knowingly or unknowingly. In fact, we are a slave to our own old habits. All our old habits work in our comfort zone. We strive for a comfortable life & hence, we tend to live in the comfort zone driven by the old habits.

It now becomes difficult to change the old habits or form a new habit as we are engulfed within the framework of the old habits. Your new actions that you want to follow have to be consistent. This is not going to be easy as we need to come out our own comfort zone and that requires effort & determination.

This is where practicing yoga, or going to the gym on regular basis becomes offstage activity. It is simply because, it is new neural network that we need to form but the stronger old network is called upon automatically and restraining us to stay within our comfort zone.

But, remember your consistency that shapes your new definition. If we need to change for good then we need to be consistent in our actions.

Success pattern: Sole reason for not getting the desired result is the lack of the regularity in repeating an action. This is significantly true when it comes to the subject of lifestyle modification. Simple strategy: Constantly repeating a new action on regular basis creates a new habit. New good Habits create a NEW of you.

Physical exercises: Basis

To have your ideal health & fitness level, you might be training your body using some exercise formats such as weight training, aerobics, running, swimming, cycling, yoga training etc. All these of trainings help in adding up your flexibility, agility, endurance level, stamina, strengthening your body etc.

Energy Flow: Any format of exercise calls for the energy consumption and hence, there is a need to generate a proportionate energy for you to sustain through the different phases of an exercise. In other words, you have to become a medium for the energy transference to happen in this simulated condition effortlessly. Smartness lies in acting as a perfect medium that retains this equilibrium state throughout the phases of the simulated condition. Otherwise, we will burn out as we progress the different phases of the exercise. Our inability in gradually building resource to matchup to the requirement that is called upon is the key element for our failure in any format of exercise.

Energy Generation: Energy generation is the source of your resource. The basis for the energy generation comprises of two elements.

Directional movement

Alignment

Yes!!  Directional movement & alignment during the physical exercise are the basis for the energy generation. Remember, earth rotates in an orbit and revolves on its axis. These movements require lot of energy.  But, earth is not drawing energy from any external source. It is simply drawing the energy from its own directional movement & alignment along its axis.

Human Body: Here are the two important elements of the body. Navel is the centre of mass for the body. Consider this as a centre point for the body. Spine is the axis and the entire central nervous system operates upon this axis. Consider this axis as a centre line.

Any directional movement with respect to the centre point and /or centre line generates energy. For example, a forward & backward movement of the body generates energy, twisting the body along the spine generates energy & so on.

Earth aligns by a degree along its axis as it revolves. Same way, for us the spine is the axis. How one stays in the neutral spine position determines the seamless flow of energy in the body. The perfect posture with the awareness to the spine plays crucial role in the generation of energy. This is absolutely true in all sorts of exercises such as running, horse riding, yoga, swimming etc.

"DIRECTIONAL MOVEMENT & ALIGNMENT IN THE EXERCISES ARE THE BASIS FOR THE GENERATION OF ENERGY”