Tension Free Life for 2018 -Part1

Year Twenty Eighteen has begun now. Let us target to have a tension free life. Next few blogs help you in mastering your mind for a stress free life.

In the modern days, there is an emerging trend that has a cyclic “accumulate and release” pattern for stress. We accumulate stress during the weekdays and dump the stress during weekends. We take a bunch of holiday breaks to release the stress when the volume of accumulation becomes seemingly more.  Is this the right way to manage stress?

We all uniformly accept that stress is part of our life. Somehow, we are sold to the idea that stress is part and parcel of our life. Here is simple evidence. Just look around and listen to the common folk conversations, social media and TV channels related to this subject matter. As the social animals, we follow this trend and eventually become the owners of the stress. Now stress becomes a reality in this game. Are we designed to born and live in stress?

In this game, there are two significant hazardous side effects. Firstly, the body responses to the stress and eventually it alters the physiology of the body to a degree where one may be subjected to the entire array of lifestyle diseases such as hypertension, diabetes, back pain, migraine, hyperacidity etc. Secondly, as the owners of stress, we tend to freely distribute and multiply this effect to the people who come in contact with us.

Honestly speaking, there is no such thing called stress management. Yes, one cannot manage stress as stress response circuit is an evolutionary design developed and perfected by billion years of human evolution. Result will be futile if one attempts to play with this circuit. Next few blogs help to establish this truth and to provide set of practical tools to handle optimally ourselves in the stressful situations.

This is my attempt to provide the readers the rightful education and practical techniques that relinquish one the ownership of stress and eventually not to expose himself to the entire gamut of those lifestyle diseases.

Happy New Year Twenty Eighteen!!

Power within – 12 Strategies -

The previous 12 posts describe the 12 strategies!!

What is the key for the happiness in life? Now, you would have in your possession of all those things that you desired few years before. Now, you would have bought your dream house, car, fancy gadgets, farmhouse etc. but somewhere deep inside you, you might be experiencing emptiness, a craving to get more in the pursuit of your happiness.

My personal transformation has taught me some valuable lessons that drive my direction for a meaningful & purposeful life. Here is the formula that gives a solution to your present problem. First, understand your physical, mental & emotional energies & align those energies in identifying your true resource capabilities. Once that is done, you will see a proportionate growth in all the dimensions of the life i.e. your Health, Wealth, Relationships & spiritual development. This is what you might be lacking right now. For example, you may be good in generating wealth but not in your Health or other two dimensions & so on.

Here is my attempt in compiling twelve mental, emotional & physical strategies that give the desired alignment that you sought in understanding your Power within.

Achieve Active life beyond 50s,60s &above

Physical Strategies

1 Art of listening to the body

2  Physical Exercises: Basis

3  Consistency: Success

Mental Strategies

4   Mind Pendulum

5  Mind Centre Point

6  Mind Persistence

7  Mind: Wandering

8  Thoughts:Effects

9  Mind:Comfort Zone

Emotional Strategies

10  React vs Response

11  External Reality

12 Emotions:Memory

WISH A HEALTHY & PROSPEROUS YEAR 2018

EMOTION & THINKING BRAINS

The stress response is based on the trigger which occurs in the form of fear, doubt or worry. Hence, the stress response is emotion-centric. The problem of the emotion-centric response is that it is so well automated that it hijacks the thinking brain. That is the reason one can’t think straight while he is in stress. The clarity of the situation and taking appropriate action is not possible in the automated centric process. Thinking brain intervention is a must in the stressed out situation. But, in reality, in most of the cases, this is not happening.

But, it is possible to bring the thinking brain into the picture while in stress. The stress response can be altered with the thinking brain. This requires brain training and it is a learnable skill. Obviously, this cannot be practiced in the peak of the stressed out situation. This should be practiced when one is a normal state.

Stress is an emotion-centric response that hijacks the thinking brain

STRESS CIRCUIT

Our brain triggers stress response based on the threats. It is an automation triggered by the emotion. It is carried out by the ANS (autonomous nervous system) and the response is completely involuntary. It is an activation of the sympathetic nervous system to provide the right source of energy and prepares the body to face the threats. Once out of threat, the parasympathetic nervous system kicks in and the energy level is pulled back to normal state.

Certain hormones such as adrenaline, cortisol, and noradrenaline are secreted with the triggers and sympathetic nervous system activation. These hormones initiate certain physiological changes notably increased blood flow, increased blood pressure, increased heart rate, increased breathing, dilation of pupil and relaxation of the bladder.

All the physiological changes prepare the body to provide the additional energy to face the threats. But, these are temporary and stay as long as the threat is present. Once out of threat, the parasympathetic nervous system kicks in which withdraws the hormones secretions and bring the physiological changes to normalcy. These, in turn, bring the body back to the normal state.

The response is a cycle of turning on the sympathetic nervous system, bring up the energy level, turning on the parasympathetic nervous system and bring down the energy level to normalcy. This is a temporary process and stays only in the presence of the threat.

"Stress is a cyclic pattern of turning on/off the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems."

Virtual tigers -Stress

Unlike our primitive ancestors, we live in a very safer world now. We have proper shelters, food, and other basic necessities which the ancestors were deprived of. Modern-day men are completely out of threats from the wild animals. Modern day needs/problems such as financial situation, children education, office work, house renovation, road traffics, income tax etc now turn out to be the virtual tigers. Any of the above-listed necessities might kick in the stress response because of the two causes of the stress that we mentioned above.

The stress circuit which worked in the primitive times and the one that works now in the modern days are one and the same. Only the big difference between these two scenarios is that the time duration of the threats. In the wilds, threat stays as along as the tiger is in your vicinity. Threat vanishes the moment tiger disappears from the scene. In this case, the thread amplification is larger but the duration is lesser. But, now these virtual tigers are not as big as the threats of the wild but constant nagging troublesome issues always sitting in the back of your mind. So, the threat amplification is smaller but the duration of the thread is longer now.

When the virtual tigers (threats) are repeated very often then there will be multiple stress responses leading to chronic stress. Chronic stress is the cause for multiple lifestyle diseases such as migraine, hypertension, anxiety disorder etc.

The stress circuit which worked in the primitive times and the one that works now in the modern days are one and the same.

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. 

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.  "

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”

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”

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”

Physiological Actions:

Imagine that your anger is really at its peak. There is a natural reaction of the body corresponding to this psychological change. In this changed state, your blood pressure increases, your face becomes red, your body becomes stiff and your heart beats faster. All these reactions happen so involuntarily and automatically without even your conscious control. In the same way, when you are in a state of extreme happiness, you will have great smile in your face, the cheeks blush, your eyes brightens & the whole body becomes radiant. This is also a natural reaction to your internal psychic state and you may not even aware of these changes as all of these happen involuntarily and so automatically.

Reverse effect: If one voluntarily and consciously changes his physiological state then his internal psychological state changes because of the change in the physiology. This is a powerful way to stay happy & confident in life. But, this requires a bit of self-practice & training.

For example, a simple smile on your face induces a state of joy. Keeping the chest up & with little shoulder drooped down increases the level of confidence. Keeping our eyes stable and looking into the eyes of the person standing opposite to you generates a powerful bonding. Having a stable posture with the spine straight adds stability to our mental state. Long deep breathing induces calmness in our thought process.

Changing the physiological state to change the internal psychological state is a voluntary action. Whereas, the internal psychological state that changes the physiology of the body is an involuntary reaction. So, train the body to drill your internal psychic state voluntarily.

Summary: A Change in the external physiological state reciprocates a corresponding change in the internal psychic state. An upright "chest up" posture induces an instantaneous confidence in you. Long deep breathing induces calmness.

Here is the simple strategy:

Alter your physiological body posture to get the required instant confidence in a weird situation such as meeting your boss/stranger.

"EXTERNAL PHYSIOLOGICAL STATE RECIPROCATES THE INTERNAL PSYCHIC STATE"

Tune the mind for the growth

In general, conditioned mind is trained to pull you in the comfort zone. Here, you live and do things which are familiar to you. This way your safety is ensured. Security is of primarily significant for the survival. It is pretty much etched in our DNAs.

Monotony is established when we start to live in the comfort zone for a prolonged period of time. This is because, we perform the same actions and lead the same kind of life that we lived a month/year before. We stagnate and that we don’t establish a path for our growth.

Step out: To see growth, it is important to recondition the conditioned mind. Or otherwise, it is important to come out the conditioned mind to see our own pattern of the conditioned mind. Yes!! Stepping out the conditioned mind gives us an opportunity to see our own construct of the conditioned mind. After all, the conditioned mind operates based on the already stored database that has been accumulated by you as your experiences. It cannot think and act beyond this database.

We need to have new experiences & new learning to move forward. For this, step above the conditioned mind.

Awareness: Awareness plays a key role in reconditioning the conditioned mind. Once the reconditioning has happened, the mind starts to work in your favour for your own growth. Yes, the same mind that pulled you in the comfort zone earlier ,now pushes you to the discomfort zone.

In other words, to win this game, it is important to keep the strength of your awareness far bigger than the strength of the conditioned mind. If the strength of our awareness is bigger & stronger then it gives an opportunity to mindfully step into the unknown zone. There is always a risk to move here and this is where many fail to develop the gradient in progressing through this zone. If you take a wide step then you will be thrown back to your start point because you exceed your resource capability. If you take a small step then that is not good enough to take you to your higher level. Mindful moderate steps are the key for the success and that can be achieved by heightening your awareness level.

Summary: Mind is a protective mechanism that keeps you in the comfort zone. Growth means stepping into your discomfort zone. To see growth in our life, we may need to work against our conditioned mind & mindfully step into our discomfort zone.

FOR YOUR GROWTH, STEP ABOVE THE MIND TO STEP INTO THE DISCOMFORT ZONE

Thought & its effects

Energy: Every thought is a form of energy. In fact, modern science has proved beyond doubt that thought generates electrical impulse. This energy can be utilised productively or else it may get wasted. So, what do you think right now? It does matter a lot!!

Feeling: Thought generates an associated feeling. Positive thought generates a positive feeling & negative thought generates a negative feeling. The emotion associated with a feeling creates a physical reaction in the body. One may experiences this as a bodily sensation. Also, every thought, every feeling and every associated reaction has a form of chemical reaction in the body.

Chemical reaction: A thought that generates anger has an acidic effect in the body. This chemical reaction pumps up your heart beat & increases the blood pressure. In the extreme case, it creates even ulcer, an extreme acidic nature of the body. A serene thought with an associated positive emotion changes the chemical reaction in such a way that improves the immunity system of the body.

Balance: PH is the balance of the alkalinity to the acidic nature of the body. The thought & the associated feeling changes the balance of the system. Thoughts based on fear, worries, frustration enhance the acidity of the body. Thoughts based on joy, love, compassion, happiness set your body in the alkalinity. So, it important to maintain the PH balance of the body. our body becomes the breeding ground for many diseases when it is dominated by its acidic nature.

Factors: There are obviously many other factors such the food, environment etc that determine the body chemical composition. But, the way we think about ourselves as well as our perception of our surroundings play a major role in deciding the balanced chemical composition for a healthy body.

So, remember that the body is simply and purely a chemical factory. Do not pollute with the thoughts that have negative emotions. Instead, sanitise the body by generating the positive thoughts with the positive emotions.

React vs. Response : Outdate to Update

Design: If you open up the books of neuroscience, you’ll come to know at a very abstract level that we have three layers in the brain namely the brain stem, limbic & prefrontal cortex. In simple terms, these are called as the lower, mid & upper brains. Each section of the brain has a unique function. The lower brain is called the survival brain, mid brain is called as the emotional brain & the upper brain is called as the thinking brain.

Evolution: Brain has evolved in few billion years. It starts with the survival first then with the emotions followed by the thinking ability. Considering the rate of growth of the brain, the brain has evolved very rapidly in the recent few million years. The size of the brain has increased to three fold during this period. The brain was five hundred grams few million years before and now it weighs one thousand five hundred grams. Most of this rapid development has happened in the upper section of the brain i.e. the thinking brain.

Living condition: All these neurological systems in our brain are pretty much intact even in today’s living condition. We survive, we become emotional & we think and accordingly the respective brain section gets activated. Unlike other animals, Human is a weak animal by nature. We can’t fly; we can’t run fast & so on. We always live in the dangerous situations & hence, our brain is evolved to look for the potential threads.

But in today’s scenario, we live in a very safe world in comparison to the living condition few million years before. So, the survival & emotional centres are slightly out dated mechanisms. The smartness rests in the way of how we utilise the recent development of the brain i.e. the thinking section of the brain.

React: If I react to a situation or to an experience then it is a spontaneous action from my brain which uses the lower & mid sections of the brain. So, we react emotionally out of fear, worry & anxiety for the given situation & hence, we engage the survival & emotional centres of the brain. This is an out dated mechanism in today’s safe world.

Response: Response is a simply a mechanism of giving a slight PAUSE before reacting during an experience. This pause brings the thinking brain into the equation. Once thinking brain comes into the play, it changes the way how you assign a meaning to an event and hence changes the very nature of our experience itself. This is the new way of leading the life using the newly developed part of the brain i.e the thinking brain.

This habit if it developed then it changes the way one experiences the life. So, learn to “Pause” gives an opportunity to “Respond” instead of “React” during adversity.

Keep life Simple & Easy!!

Broader outlook of Wellbeing

Source of energy: Look at the planetary system!! Earth floats in the space and it moves along the predefined orbit & rotates along its own axis. All the planets of the solar system follow such highly coordinated movements & rotations displaying a mega orchestra in the space.

Where does the source of energy originate for this mechanics of earth? Earth does not use a power generator to propel its movement. It is simply the very nature of directional movement & alignment that generate the energy for the earth. The wide spectrum of orchestra of the planets happens simply because of the systematic directional movement & geometrical alignment. The direction of movement is so perfectly systematised & perfectly aligned that display the planetary positions.

Basis of wellbeing: Health is not simply about fitness. Health is a balanced state where your body & inner engineering systems such as circulatory, hormonal, metabolism etc work in an optimal state. Wellbeing is more than a healthy state where your mental & emotional states are well balanced. Wellbeing is achieved by allowing my consciousness to work by viewing the wider spectrum of life.

I am an entity of nature. For my wellbeing, all I need to is to mimic the patterns of the earth i.e systematic directional movement & alignment. Exercise is a set of defined movements. It is necessary to satisfy these two boundary conditions irrespective of the form of exercises that one performs. In simple definition, alignment can be equated to the posture of the body. Random movement of the body leads to slipup. So, a systematic predefined movement is a must to enhance my wellbeing.

Download Cosmic Data: The cosmic data can be downloaded upon me when I perfectly aligned to the geometry of the earth. This is similar to the alignment of the TV antenna dish. When the dish is perfectly aligned, all the channels are flashed on the screen like a magic. A small misalignment of the dish instantaneously makes all the channels dead. When I know how to position myself with respective gravity then I get the ability to download the cosmic data which is available for free all the time.

Physiology: For human, the axis for energy generation is his spine. All the electrical communications from the brain to the different centres of the body pass through the spine. The alignment refers to retaining the spine in the neutral vertical position. This is the very basic need for me to get aligned to the bigger orchestra that I mentioned earlier. I practice yoga as my daily rituals. This practice has given me the ability to consciously keep my spine in perfect alignment.

Exercises: I practice yoga for the systematic directional movement. By doing so, I can generate energy within, on will. The best way to do this by practising asana, the so called static postures. In simple words, the spine is subjected to movements in different directions such as forward, backward, left side, right side and twist. One can do any form of exercises but please be ensured that it follows the basis of the wellbeing i.e. the directional movement.

Let your daily exercise regime might be anything. But, it is good to verify whether it follows the two basic needs of the wellbeing. ALIGNMENT & DIRECTIONAL MOVEMENT!!

What you do first thing in the morning?

Your first conscious activity of the day sets the tone for the rest of the day. Your first activity programs your mind and develops the right kind of mind-set for the rest of the day to progress well. When you consciously pick up the right kind of your first activity of the day, over a period of time, say in a month or two, you will develop a new habit.

Technology influence: As per the research, our ability to stay attentive and focussed has diminished drastically in the last two decades. One of the prime reasons is the amount of distractions that we encounter in the form of information overload on day today basis. Many of us have developed the habit of watching whatsApp, Facebook status, emails and other social media as their first activity of the day. What it started as a simple activity few years before has now become your inborn habit. The moment one opens up the mobile, he will be bombarded with millions of information in a short duration of time. Brain tries to process all the information simultaneously but without any productive result. In that short duration itself, we tend to jump from Facebook to email to whatsapp etc.

First activity of the day: If you have seen your first activity as one of the above then it is good to relinquish your mobile at least for an hour when you get from the bed. In the worst case scenario, we sleep with the mobile by the side. This is one such activity that really degrading your ability to focus. It is good to consciously select your first activity of the day that aids in your development. Some of those activities are mind-body practice, reading good wisdoms, morning walking, collecting your role model attributes etc, meditation etc.

Strong base: By starting with your development activity as a first thing in the morning, you will get clarity and proceed the day productively and efficiently. That 15 or 30 minutes which you spent yields ten times equivalent time during the day. So, do not see the duration purely from the perception of time.

So, consciously pick up the right kind of the activity that aids in the development rather than distracting your growth.

A simple trick: Stay at the peak of your Health

Intelligence: Body & mind are two important elements of the human engineering system. Both of them are equipped with their respective built in intelligences. In order to master the body and mind, it is important first to develop our listening capability to these two elements. The general rule is that we should listen to the body and the mind first. Then, over a period of time, the body & mind will start to listen to us. Also, the body & mind work on the principle of average of the sum effect. In other words, body & mind remember only what you do maximum to them on day today basis (or) simply those repeated daily actions.

Based on the above principles, it is clear that regularity plays a vital role in training the body & mind for your better wellness.

 Priority: We know that we need to set priority to do mind body practices on daily basis to gain the good health. Naturally, body & mind understand your intention once you perform the practices on regular basis. Body & mind will tune nicely to your intention to yield the right result.

Those who have done the practices as daily rituals hit the end result pleasantly. But, some of us do not get the required result. The main reason for them is the decline in the level of commitment from the initial days to the later days. Irregularity in practice is the reason for the failure.

Smart Trick: Here is this simple trick to put you in the good wellness roadmap.

Priority à Periodicity

The thumb rule is not to become lenient with your priority. Your non leniency to your priority makes you to perform your practices periodically. With periodicity, you are giving the opportunity to train the body & mind in a systematic way. This allows the body & mind attuned to your intention.

One can stay selfish in not compromising his priority under any given situations. So, work on your priority and convert the priority into periodicity. Periodicity means regularity & it equates to your discipline. Your discipline now helps in disciplining the body & mind.

Work smartly in converting Priority into Periodicity!!

Mumbai Marathon 2016– My experience

In the process of my own personal transformation, I have noticed my body physiological parameters such as respiration rate, heart rate, blood pressure etc. have continuously undergone changes. These physiological changes have influenced the psychic state of my mind. This on-going interplay of psychic as well as physiology keeps me vigilant and monitor the entire change process that is happening for good.

Test Platform: In due course of my life, I have created various test platforms to monitor these on-going physiological changes and put them under test. Participating marathons is one way to check my endurance level & it is a good test platform to check the respiratory & cardiovascular systems. I have started & moved into this running habit with the maiden participation of TCS 10K in 2014.  

Goal: It is good to set the goals in life. I also do that on periodic basis. Instead of aiming to achieve the set goals, I am always more inclined in enjoying the experiences while moving towards the goals. I have my own roadmap set for the marathon goals. My immediate target is to have a sub 2hours half marathon run which I yet to achieve. I need to cut 11 more minutes to reach that point.

Experience: I would like to share couple of experiences in the recent Mumbai run held on 17^th January 2016.

Running Injuries:  I heard about the frequent injuries caused due to running from my running buddies. Fortunately, I never ever experience any such injuries due to long distance running. In my opinion, free movement of the body (muscular skeletal system) and the way how one connects with his own body& mind during running are two important elements that help in avoiding the potential injuries during running. In other words, the flexibility of the body as well as the ability to listen to the body are the key elements to overcome injuries.

 My regular practices of yogic exercises help in a greater extend in developing these two key skills that in turn avoid the injuries. I have not formally trained myself before any such running events but yet I could able to finish decently in the top first 35% bracket. Yoga is playing a very big role and for me, it is acting like a training ground for the running events.

Inspiration: Also, this time @ 6KM mark, I crossed a gentleman without realising that he was the TCS CEO N Chandrasekaran.After couple of minutes, I came to this realisation by overhearing the conversation by the fellow runners. Later on, at the finish line, I was told by a fellow runner that there were many more business leaders who participated in this event. The whole group of business leaders names include Anil Ambani, Gagan Banga,MD of Indiabulls, Sanjay reddy, GVK group, Sajjan Jindal of JSW and others. They are not simply the regular runners but real performers with pretty decent performance in the top first 10% bracket.

This is for sure an incredible display by the business leaders in showcasing the importance of wellness & health. Being in the wellness industry & with my close association and service to the corporates, they made my job easier by becoming great references for the potential business leaders who want to take up this path. At a personal level, on seeing their personal performances, I have decided to go for a formal training before the start of the next running event. Thank you leaders!!