Where do thoughts arise ,can we control them or are they controlling me?I was just thinking of my work ,then I realise that I am thinking of my son in the midst of the stream of thoughts. Yesterday he had fallen and hurt himself on the head by hitting directly on the forehead to the cemented step..it was so heart breaking.I could not see him cry ,i could have stopped him from falling ,when he tripped . Should I not be concentrating on my work than divert my mind ? Some people have great concentration and I admire them,is it a God given gift?? There are many ways to improve concentration and lessen thoughts.

“Men fear thought as they fear nothing else on earth - more than ruin - more even than death… Thought is subversive and revolutionary, destructive and terrible, thought is merciless to privilege, established institutions, and comfortable habit. Thought looks into the pit of hell and is not afraid. Thought is great and swift and free, the light of the world, and the chief glory of man.”

Betrand Russell

The mind is the man, and knowledge mind; a man is but what he knoweth.”
Francis Bacon

Shivali’s marraige began with a simple ceremony of mehendi with a few close friends ,and then there was the engagement where Kapil had looked very formal sherwani which was a light blue with sequins  . Shivali looked at her engagement ring ..the rays that the tiny solitaire reflected danced on the wall. She twirled her finger ..Kapil had hugged her when he slid the ring into her finger ..He had kissed away the little droplet which had appeared in her eye and smudging her mascara..The marraige had been a one hour ceremony “Simple and Sweet” . Everything had changed after their marraige ,maybe she had changed  or Kapil was different . ..

Shivali just tapped her head ..why was she slipping into these …well she would just wait a few more minutes for the call and then just drop off to sleep. Her stomach rumbled ,her breakfast was in the sink..she could not even make a proper breakfast. Shivali took her crossword puzzle and decide to finish it …just then came a ding in her msn messenger it was her coworker asking why she had not shown up ..she just updated the status message to “Busy”..

Kapil used to chat often with her during office hours in messenger ..often disturbing even at meetings..the ding sound often made her boss sit up ..she chuckled ..but a tear rolled down her cheek..Life…will it ever get easier.

If she ignored him during meetings then he would keep ringing her mobile ..and make her even more uneasy. When she had completely ignored him he had not called up for the next two days ..making her feel sick ….

I often feel like there is just not enough time in the day to get everything done.My life is so hectic and I sometimes need to unwind fro this busy world . The  stress and tiredness make us unhappy, impatient and frustrated. It can even affect our health.

We are often so busy we feel there is no time to stop and meditate! But meditation actually gives you more time by making your mind calmer and more focused. A simple ten or fifteen minute breathing meditation as explained below can help you to overcome your stress and find some inner peace and balance.

Meditation can also help us to understand your own mind. …We can learn how to transform our mind from negative to the positive, from disturbed to peaceful, from unhappy to happy. Overcoming negative minds and cultivating constructive thoughts is the purpose of the transforming meditations found in the Buddhist tradition. This is spiritual practice you can enjoy throughout the day, not just while seated in meditation.

Please try http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ghrq8e_LIos&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7_2lCcVMVvo&feature=related

http://www.dhamma.org/en/art.shtml

The beginning step of meditation according to most books is to stop distractions and make our mind clearer . This can be done by practising a simple breathing meditation. We choose a quiet place to meditate and sit in a comfortable position. We can sit in the traditional cross-legged posture or in any other position that is comfortable. If we wish, we can sit in a chair or with support of a wall. The most important thing is to keep our back straight to prevent our mind from becoming tired or sleepy.

We sit with our eyes partially closed and turn our attention to our breathing. We breathe naturally, preferably through the nostrils, without attempting to control our breath, and we try to become aware of the sensation of the breath as it enters and leaves the nostrils. This sensation is our object of meditation. We should try to concentrate on it to the exclude everything else.

At first, our mind will be very busy, and we might even feel that the meditation is making our mind busier; but in reality we are just becoming more aware of how busy our mind actually is. There will be a great temptation to follow the different thoughts as they arise, but we should resist this and remain focused single-pointedly on the sensation of the breath. If we discover that our mind is wandered and is following our thoughts, we should immediately return it to the breath. We should repeat this as many times as necessary until the mind settles on the breath.

Benefits :

If we practise patiently in this way, gradually our distracting thoughts will go down and we will experience a sense of inner peace and relaxation. Our mind will feel  we will feel refreshed.  We should stay with this state of mental calm for a while.
Even though breathing meditation is only a beginning stage of meditation, it can be quite powerful. We can see from this practice that it is possible to experience inner peace and contentment just by controlling the mind, without having to depend at all upon external conditions.

 Good Luck with this y’all…….

Dieting may help people lose weight, but once the weight battle is won, diets low in saturated fat are the healthy choice.With temptation all around us, dieting is probably the toughest part of your resolution. Some of the food around is soo tempting ..how do you avoid it? For eg ,Cheese burgers,Fries,Sugary juice like frooty,Sweets like kaju badam barfi’s,rosogollas..I think just writing them has made me want to eat them.Any suggestions also would help …

Some of the suggestions given by my friend who regularly works out is..Start with small steps like increasing your water intake or keeping an eye on portions (make them smaller). Pick whole, natural foods (fruits, veggies, whole grains) versus processed, prepared meals/snacks. Skip that second helping and get moving any way you can. If you are a regular soda drinker, limit it or switch to water .Moving is the way to loose all the calories,just move to your fav song,or take the steps  to your workplace ,play with your kids… Mainly we need Motivation…

The Breakfast was scrumptious at the “Muffin corner”,but her toast she had made was burnt and she spit up the rest of it in the cluttered sink. Shivali looked at the the sink ,she had numerous dishes to clean . She glanced at the small clock which looked like a red ball ,it was given on valentine day to her .

Valentines day …hmmmm…they celebrated only that year when they had met each other ,Kapil never seemed to remember Valentines day after marraige.The day began with cloudy morning ,and the smog just covered the roads .Kapil had sent a cute puppy with a red rose and the helper gave it to her saying “Saab ne diya..”!!

She cuddled the little puppy,and it slobbered her face. Well ,thats quite a face wash..she thought..She picked the rose and smelt ,it smelt so perfumey.She met Kapil in the evening at the Lakeside ,they walked holding hands.It was evening to remember….

Her heart stood still…

She wondered ..maybe Kapil had come much earlier and was miffed by her coming very late. Shivali then made up her mind she would never make a promise which she would not be able to fulfill. She then took her bus home.

She tried calling Kapil on his mobile ,the first two rings just rang indicating he was still a bit angry..in the third ring he picked up and said a hollow ..”Kapil here”….Shivali swallowed and said “sorry” ..Kapil then murmured “thats ok”.

Shivali was shaken by a loud ring ..which brought her to this world ..it was her dad wondering if everything was fine.Her eyes welled up and she said “sab theek papa”.She wondered does love fade after marraige ..why does it have to change ..why Kapil had changed ?

Her toast had just popped up ,she smeared some blackberry jelly and peanut butter which she had purchased from the new supermarket which had opened near the bus stand. The market assosciates had told that peanut butter would taste just great with the jelly. Each bottle had cost about Rs.100 each ,a hole in her already empty pockets.

She bit into the crunchy toast ..it reminded her of the beautiful brunch Kapil and she had ,in the funky place called “Muffin Corner “. It was Kapil’s discovery ,the menu had some of the items she had never heard before in her 27 years of her life. There was something called Croissants pronounced Crosaaaanth said the waiter,and then there was blueberry Muffin with orange jelly,Molten lava Cake which just looked heavenly.Kapil was looking at her and was glad she had liked the place. After 20 minutes of arguing they decided to share the Molten Lava choclate cake,toast with blackberry jelly with peanut butter ,and Hot chocolate with whipping cream. There was funky blaring music which drew the teenagers , lovers ,husband -wives with little tots.

They ate their gooey ,butter laden brunch …..