Recently, I finished my first 10-day Vipassana retreat which is a full silent retreat and based on the principles of self-purification by self-observation, originally taught by Gautam Buddha, the tradition which was later spread all over the world by S.N. Goenka. This technique is taught in the centers all over the world. I did mine... Continue Reading →
Last month, I completed my 8 wks -MBSR (Mindfulness bases stress reduction) course from UCSD Center for Mindfulness. (UCSD CFM) I joined this course, to know more about mindfulness based living, and to my surprise, there are several other attendees in this course who joined it because their doctors, psychologists or therapists have advised them... Continue Reading →
Imagine you are on a boat which is flowing all over the sea on a high tide day. And then suddenly, you find an anchor which can balance the boat. Even if you cannot control the tide, the anchor gives you the necessary control of the boat. And you know you are safe, until your... Continue Reading →
Below are some of my favorite quotes from Zen and mindfulness teachers : Read, practice and feel the bliss of Zen. "Awareness is the greatest agent for change." - Eckhart Tolle "My experience is that the teachers we need most are the people we're living with right now." - Byron Katie "Self-realization is effortless. What... Continue Reading →
What is your happiness index? What makes you happy? Really really happy!! You could answer this question by saying - A lot of money in my bank makes me happy!! Or a great relationship, a house, another job, another vacation etc etc. makes me happy. There is no problem in seeing all the above things... Continue Reading →
In this age of doing 1000 things at a time, it's a fact that we are living in distracted times. Our phones are buzzing all the time with messages and notifications and our mind is programed to read and reply all the messages, the moment they arrive. We have simply forgotten how to be mindful... Continue Reading →
Creativity is a blessing. We all are creative, beyond our imaginations. Let's ponder on some ways to stay in touch with our creative sides: Surround yourself with creative people. Make a creativity journal to note down your ideas. Get lots of rest. Be open to compliments or criticism. Sing in the shower. Meditate (my favorite).... Continue Reading →
There is no doubt that these are the times of anxiety. Everywhere you look, is one or the other appalling news waiting to grab your attention. Be it - the recommendations on the side of the webpage, long advertisements of all sort of medicines in middle of your favorite TV shows or conversation among some... Continue Reading →
After going through mindfulness meditation in my older blog post, I decided to write a step-by-step method, explaining the 'body scan meditation'. I touched very briefly on scanning the body in the first step of mindfulness meditation post. If you want to go deep into body-scanning, before you move into the concentration of breath or... Continue Reading →
Moving from doing......to being. 