Experience a better life with daily two questions daily

Life is one complete learning experience. Learning experiences become limited when we do the same things in routine each day. To have wider variations of the life experiences, it is important to try new things and do the existing routine work differently. It is our mistake to expect the results to be different while we go on with the same things in life. We have to do things differently to get different results.

Resistance to change: The tendency of human is to show resistance to the changes. We take the shortest and least resistant path in life. Due to this characteristic, we eventually fall back to the normal routine of life even though we take up new challenges initially.

Way to go: There should be a motivational factor to try something differently. Our goals in life act as strong motivational factors. Whatever things we wish to try differently should be in alignment with our goals. Say for example, if our intention is to lose weight to become healthy then losing weight becomes our motivational factor to try some new physical exercises. Here, the new changes will become effective only when we develop the ability to capture the minute details of the developmental changes. Again, our tendency is to expect bigger and grosser results and when we fail to see the minute developmental changes, we tend to lose the interest and we fallback to our routine life. So, the key point here is to look for the small delta differences (minute developmental changes) for the new change to become effective.

Daily Two questions: Daily, make it as practice to ask the following two questions. A) What did I do differently in life today? B) What did I learn from today’s life experiences? The first question is related to our conscious effort whereas the second one is the effect of our conscious effort. This is similar to throwing a fishing net (our conscious effort) and our catch (different color fishes, different sizes etc) in the fishing net is the effect of our conscious effort which we can call as our life experiences.

Areas to focus: Once we decide to do things differently, it is important to focus in all the dimensions of life or at least, those areas where we have our weakness. In general, one can focus on health, fitness, material wealth, finances, relationships, skill development and spiritual development. Instead of focusing on all the different dimensions of the life, it is better to start with the areas where we have our weakness. If one asks the above two questions very specific to the areas where we have weakness then one notices a remarkable twist in those specific areas of life.

Journaling the points: When one practices, it is important to register in writing all the points related to the two questions: What did I do differently and what did I learn from today’s life experiences. Writing of the experiences triggers the higher center of the brain, the so-called thinking brain. This directs our awareness to certain explicit activities.

Open up your world: Non judgmental practice

The power of NOW is immense. To live in the present moment ‘Here & Now’ is an art. A practice that gives an opportunity to live in the present is called mindfulness practice. A mindfulness practice is one that allows us to experience and become aware of the present moment by becoming nonjudgmental of our experiences.

In general, when we experience an event, we first observe following which we pass a judgment on the event as to whether it’s  a bad or good, pleasant or unpleasant etc so that we assign a definition/meaning to the event. But, to become aware of the events and experience the events without passing on judgment is something new to us.

Easy Practice: At any given point of time, majority of us live either in the future or the past due to the influence of the mind. Both the past and the future are neither true nor real. The truth of the moment happens in the present and even the past and future manifests itself ONLY in the present moment. If you are unable to stop yourself from being judgmental of your experiences, I would like to suggest an easier practice. The easiest way to practice present moment awareness is to become aware of the judgments that we make this moment. This practice is in itself is very powerful. In a way, awareness of the judgment gives us a glance of the programming of our internal world. It gives us an idea of our mind’s behavioral pattern.

Assumption: The assumptions that we make based on the events in our lives are very dangerous. This results in spoiling of our relationship with the people and it directs our life in the wrong way. In fact, assumptions are also a kind of judgment which arises due to insufficient information’s related to the events of our lives.

After practicing the above exercise for certain period of time, eventually, we will develop and begin to experience the events in the present moment without becoming judgmental.

External World experience: Our external world experiences are nothing but the reflection of our own definition of our internal world. Now by practicing the above technique we not only become aware of our internal world but we will get an opportunity to change the landscape of our internal world. Becoming aware of our judgment brings a different perspective into our mindset or thinking. It changes the scope and widens our internal world. Our external experiences change with the opening up of our internal world and that in turn defines the direction of our life.

So, in a nutshell, the greater expression of life happens when the scope of the internal world is redefined and that happens once we become aware of the present moment and start to experience life without becoming judgmental of our experiences with the events.

Positive expression of life with one simple habit

Habit-Subconscious program: There is a power in practice. Regular practice is a true delight. It is our conscious choice that plays a major role during the initial days of our practice. Our actions during the initial days were deliberate and intentional. After certain period of time, the effect of our practice slowly takes a shape as our habits. Habit is our subconscious programming our conscious choice. As known to you, our habits play a major role in governing our life. To a large extent, our behavioral pattern is also decided by our habits.

As per the brain science, regular practice has the ability to program certain neural paths in the nervous system. The wiring of the neural circuits becomes stronger and over period of time, the practice becomes our second nature and as a result a habit is formed.

An Ideal Day: A day has its own composition. It operates in a cyclic manner. It is composed of three different states: a) a holistic ( sattvic) balanced state b) active state ( rajasic) and c) inert state ( tamasic). We experience these three states in a day. When we get up from bed, we experience a balanced state where we sense a state of calmness and freshness that gives rise to a free mind. It is a powerful state where one experiences the inherent powers within him. This happens typically 4-6AM in the early hours of the day. During most of the day time, we usually become active doing our work. This is a stimulating state. As the day comes to an end, we move on to the third state, the state of inertness. We take rest and go to bed at night. This is a state of relaxation.

We can also define these three states with a different perspective. An active stimulating state followed by a relaxing state yields a balanced holistic state. Yoga by definition is an alternating state of relaxation and stimulation which yields a balanced state.

A day of a modern man: Most of the men in the modern day keep their active state longer. They tend to work until late and go to bed late at night. Eventually, they get up late in the morning and hence they miss the opportunity to experience the balanced holistic state. In this case, they experience a high and long active state followed by a short relaxing state with minimal or no experience of the balanced state. In the absence of a free mind, they do not get fresh ideas and a fresh lease of life and they get trapped in a vicious circle. They tend to do the same thing in life everyday that yields the same kind of results, resulting in a monotonous life.

Develop the habit: To transform this monotonous life, the first thing we need to do is to experience this sattvic holistic balanced state. When we have a free mind in this state, we get fresh ideas and hence we do things differently and hence we experience life differently. To experience this balanced holistic state, practice getting up early in the morning. If you practice for a few weeks then it will automatically become a habit. It is an ideal way of creating your ‘ME’ time. This new habit changes the life, the way how you experience right now.

So, develop this new habit and see how it has a positive influence in your life.

How to get the things that you need in life?

There are four major areas in life namely health, fitness, wealth, relationship and self development that need to be balanced. We have a fulfilling life when we live at our peak in all the major areas of our life. You may want to build a great healthy lifestyle. But, in spite of your genuine efforts, you may witness low progress in meeting the end result. This blog is written to provide you with a clear answer in achieving easily the result which you desire.

Strong Desire: Whatever your intention may be. It might be to have a fitter body, to achieve a wealthier life or to have a better relationship. The intention when converted into a burning strong desire then easily the end result can be achieved. If the intention is just a part of our wish list then it stays inert at that level without significant progress. If someone shows us a path to achieve a wealthier life and if we simply wish to a have wealthier life then it is just an addition to our existing wish list and we won’t see progress in that area of life. Intention without a strong desire just means that we fancy the result of that intention but we don’t have true bond with it. When there is no bonding, there is a distance and there is no connectedness to our intention and to our inner self.

Difference between Love & Like: Love is different than our liking. Liking is similar to have a wishlist.It is just a wish & we fancy something. Whereas love is bonding our intention to our inner self. We love our intention when we care for it, give due respect to it and offer high value to it. If we respect our desires then the respect comes to us in multifold. This is a powerful law of nature. So, all we need to do is to respect our intentions if we would like to achieve the desired result.

Test with your own experience: Now, to test and validate the above two points, let us pick two areas of your life. One in which you have become happy and successful and the other in which you have experienced some failure. Say for example, you have bad heath but great relationships with family & friends. In this example, if you observe the area of relationships, you naturally would have exhibited a strong bonding, strong desire, great care, respect and high value to your relationships. You will also able to observe the exact opposite in the area of health. You will be experiencing a sense of disconnectedness, lack of bonding, lack of value and respect when it comes to health.

If you want to get the things that you need in life then it is important to first develop genuine respect and bonding to the things that you desire. Once this foundation is established then the rest is taken care by the law of nature to reach the desired outcome.

Understanding the unexpected results:

It is natural for us to have certain expectations from the actions that we undertake. It is quite possible that sometimes the results of our actions do not match our expected results. In such a case, it is quite natural that we feel disappointed. We should know clearly why the results obtained do not match the expected results. Why should the result be so unexpected in the very first place? If you would like to get an answer for this question, it is important for you to grasp the two ideas presented below.

Part of a bigger system: First, we need to understand that we, human beings are a part of a bigger universal system. There is a connectedness between the different parts of this system. For example, we have lungs which are located in our body which help us breathe. But we need to understand that our lungs are functional only due to the oxygen, which is present in the precisely adequate amount outside and thanks to the process of photosynthesis. The lungs would cease to function without such a conducive ambiance. So, the lungs cannot exist alone but their existence extends to the atmosphere beyond the boundaries of the body. There is a connectedness between the lungs and the atmosphere. Similarly, there is a connectedness between the earth element and our body. Always, we are continually in direct contact with the earth element irrespective of whether we are sitting, standing or sleeping. Also, we are connected with the space. The point here is that we can’t be alone at any given moment of time and we are in constant contact with the atmosphere, space and earth. So, believe in the concept of connectedness and that we have one part which is internal to us and another part that extends externally beyond the boundaries of the body.

Characteristics of the system: This bigger universal system has just two main characteristics. They are a) balance & b) expansion. As per the big bang theory, even today the universe is expanding continuously while still maintaining the balance. As we are a part of this bigger universal system, we also exhibit these two characteristics.

a)      Growth: We refer to our growth as expansion. Each one of us is at a different level of growth and that is determined by the level of awareness in the individual. A person with a very well expanded level of awareness has a higher growth path in life.

b)      Balance: With the level of awareness, we select a particular growth path. A right growth can be achieved only when the balance is maintained. A feedback mechanism is required to establish balance. The unexpected results are such feedback mechanisms that provide the right amount of corrections to set the balance. The results are just part of our extension to the external world.

By getting the above bigger picture, it becomes obvious that the unexpected results are nothing but the correction parameters which help in establishing the balance in life. In fact, the results are time dependent. What we think of as bad often becomes good at another point of time in our life.

So, next time, when you are puzzled with an unexpected result out of your action, do not get disappointed. Understand that the results are just the feedback mechanism to maintain the balance as you grow in life. So, it is not just growth but a balanced growth.

Build your RHYTHM

It is easy to craft our life and live everyday to our highest potential if we learn certain secretes from nature. There is no doubt that nature is the best teacher. There is a synergy in the universe. The effect of interaction of multiple galaxies in the universe gave rise to a balanced state as well as universe expansion or simply a state of balanced growth. There is a rhythm built in the universe. There is a beautiful coordination that exists in the universe. We will have better understanding of our life, better fulfillment in life and we will find our own identity a lot more easily once we discover our own internal rhythm that gives rise to the path of our balanced growth. What is more powerful state to lead our life than to become aware that we are balanced and we are set in path of our growth?

Universe Big bang theory: As known to you, the universe is formed from the dark space with a sudden burst of energy which eventually over period of time become matter that gave rise to galaxies. The universe has billions of galaxies an innumerable number of planets. There is a synergy that exists between the planets and galaxies. There is a force of attraction and repulsion between the planets that provides a balanced ecosystem. Also, this highly coordinated system has a rhythm built in it that allows the universe to expand every moment. In fact, the universe that started to expand at the time of the big bang which occurred billions of years ago continues to expand even as we read this blog.

Definition of Rhythm: Any system, the components of which are highly organized and the movements of the components are very well coordinated & offer a periodicity in the system is said to be in a state of rhythm. The periodicity has some up/down movement as in a sine wave or attraction/repulsion as seen between the planets.

Human System: The Human system is highly complicated and the complexity of the system is as good as the universe itself. Each individual has the universe within him and it is highly coordinated in its functions. Say, for example, if one pinches his own hand, the sensation is transmitted through the neurotransmitters and the receivers in the neural path in a coordinated fashion. It is transmitted in the form of action potential before the signal reaches the brain to interpret as pain sensation. This pain sensation allows us to take further action to subdue the pain as one can’t live in pain forever. Even, if we consider our blood glucose level, blood pressure, heart beat or for that matter any physiological parameters, we can see a highly coordinated, orderly and rhythmic system within us. This leads to a balanced state called Homeostasis. There is a growth component attached to it based on the synergy of the system.

Why Rhythm? : The mind likes the rhythm. This is one of the characteristics of the mind. This is the reason that we like to listen to pleasant music and that it helps us feel relaxed. If we allow our awareness to track the rhythm then the mind loses its strength as the rhythm acts like a mattress for the mind to sleep. We stay aware of the present moment as long as the mind rests. This is a powerful state where we become closer to our originality. The action that originates from this state of awareness is very well balanced and sets us in the path of expansion.

My Rhythm: After many years of practicing yoga, I have developed great sensitivity to the signals that come out of my body. Now, I have come to a state where I can feel so easily the internal sensations of my natural, automatic and spontaneous breath. At any given moment, I can slip into this state of awareness and watch my internal rhythm. To demonstrate the benefit of this state of awareness, let me explain my recent performance in TCS 10K run. I registered for this 10KM run hardly two weeks before the event & I was left with just a few days of training before the event. During my training, I managed to run a distance of 10km a couple of times before the actual event. In the race, I managed to run at the speed of 10KM/hour consistently for 10KM. Certainly, it is nowhere close to what a peak performer can do. But, given the fact that I had never run in my life before the event, my age factor & lack of training, I considered it a great performance with a ranking of 2500 out of 11,000 participants. All I did was to become aware of my breathing and develop a pattern of running which matched to my internal rhythm of my breathing.

So, it is important to identify our internal rhythm to strike a balance in life as well as to set a path of  growth in our life. This state gives us better self identity, higher meaning in life, greater self confidence and better meaningful & fulfilling life. So, please identify your state of internal rhythm and dwell upon it to have a better balanced path of growth in your life.

Emotion: The Universal Energy

We, human are the emotional beings. The word emotion can be split into E- Motion. Emotion is the energy in motion that affects the psycho-physiological aspects of the human. Yes, our emotions affect our moods as well as our body. 

Emotion-Universal energy: Emotion is the energy which is not confined within our body but extends itself beyond the boundaries of the body. This is the reason that we laugh without a reason when we see someone else laugh. Laughing is contagious & so is our emotion. We meet and develop conversation with people and sometimes, we avoid people too. All these happen because of the emotion that we have associated with these people. It is not only with the people but equally applied to any kind of situation or event that we encounter. Such is the part played by the emotion in our life.

Classification: Emotion can be positive or negative. Positive emotions like joy & love generate positive energy within us and negative emotions like fear & anger generate negative energy within us. Since, emotions affect our moods (psychic) and the body (physic) and in general our health, it is important to have positive emotions. It is an art and skill that one can develop to deal with the positive emotions in most of his life.

Our Evolution & Design of our brain:  By evolution, human are weak animal in nature. We don’t’ have the powers like running at a faster speed as wild animals or flying ability of birds. Due to our weak nature, we always have the tendency to look for potential dangers around us and our brain is designed to look for the potential threats around us. In other words, we are designed to look the potential danger or fear around us first when we encounter an event/situation.  This is the wiring of our brain in a negative way that has its influence on our health. Again, it is an art and skill to rewire the brain to think and act in a positive way.

Sources of emotions: When we encounter an event/situation, we make certain judgment of the event based on the feel that we get from the event. Either, we stay with the event or move away from the event and it is decided based on the feel that we have with the event. This is an external source of emotion. Even, our own thoughts based on the past experiences or future plans also generate emotions. So, our thoughts are the internal sources of emotions. Imagine a situation where there is no thought and no experience of the external events .In this case, what happens to your emotional state? This is similar to a meditative state where one is completely detached from the external world and there is no thought in his mind. This is the time where the already stored emotions start to surface out from the body as feelings and sensations. In fact, these are the subtle body sensations which are nothing but the already stored emotions.

Basis of emotions: When we encounter an event, we decide to stay or move away from the event and it is primarily decided by the feel that is associated with the event. This feel is originated based on the individual belief that he holds. There is a possibility that the same event may be good for one person but bad for another. It is mainly because of the belief that the individual holds with the experience of the event. So, if we want to deal with most of our life with the positive emotions then it is important to look at the belief system that we hold.

Manage emotions: It is possible to manage emotions to have a better life. In actual reality, most of us ignore our emotions. We sometimes, even hide and suppress the emotions. In fact, this is the cause for the most of the health related issues that lead us to an unbalanced life. The first and the foremost thing to manage the emotions is to watch/observe the emotions in real time. So, next time when you experience a bad or good event, just watch the emotions that could be in the form of body sensations, your feelings and your moods. As a next step, try to label the emotions with words. Try this practice for a few weeks and see the change that happens in your life. Remember that emotions are the powerful means by which one can connect to his inner self.

So, in nutshell, emotion is a universal energy and by design, we are programmed to think and act with the negative emotions. But, negative emotions are bad for our health and lead to an unbalanced state. To deal with the positive emotions is a skill that one can develop. Irrespective of the sources of emotions, our belief system plays a big role in shaping up our emotion. The first step is to become aware of the emotions if at all we want to manage our emotions.

More to come soon….