Comparison

I have found “c’est la vie” to be a wonderful way to live. “So be it!” Imagine, if we could use this in our daily lives! How much stress and strife we could avoid in matters which are really beyond our control!

But, oh no! We will fight every inch of the way to turn the circumstances and people in our favor and kill ourselves in the bargain, while God has the last laugh at our silly egos!

We always get “enough” for our sustenance. There is a reason for everything. Cursing is not going to help. Comparisons are going to help even less. A raging battle within us will kill our positivity and our initiatives.

Sometimes, life is as clear as the sun shining brightly. And sometimes, it is a cloudy sky. C’est la vie. Unnatural circumstances like Covid forced us indoors. Did grumbling / crying help? Ultimately, we had to buckle down to the lifestyle demanded by those times. Something will happen against your wishes often. These are challenges to see how we respond / react. The aura is our space and to keep a clean aura, without letting negativity in, is the sanest thing we can do for ourselves.

So, let go! Let it be! So be it! These are miracle phrases if we can practice them. We all have a rightful place in this world, just not necessarily where WE want to be.

Surekha Kothari

www.BodyMindSoulCentre.com

surekhakothari.wordpress.com

Speakingtree Blog: www.speakingtree.in/public/surekhakothari

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Practice

Somehow, when you meditate daily, some clarity about things you have been mulling over for a while, suddenly happens.

The mind starts reining in and does not go haywire with confusion, indecision and imbalance.

Answers bubble up from somewhere within, almost as if someone is talking to you and answering you. It is an amazing experience every time.

I don’t know why such an important practice in our lives is neglected by schools which is where it should originate, as important, or more important than other subjects.

Surekha Kothari

www.BodyMindSoulCentre.com

surekhakothari.wordpress.com

Speakingtree Blog: www.speakingtree.in/public/surekhakothari

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Creation

The ultimate reality is that all creation is one. All humans are therefore, one.

So, are we always going to be working from our ignorance and separating from each other through what appears to be but is an error of perception at best? And not what IS? Because we never focused on what IS!

We are so superficial that we only judge through our habits and cultural differences! So, wearing a certain garb gives an identity to one but is seen as different from what another wears … and merely on such outward appearances, we distance ourselves.

And religion does a lot of this. Little differences become huge and reasons to actually kill because of a complete intolerance of people who APPEAR different.

I wonder why we cannot focus on the inner similarities and find it in our hearts to love each other! Plenty of similarities….

The colour of blood

The body parts and organs

The mind

An intellect

Memories

Breath

Consciousness

Awareness

… and so much else!

So then, why are we so separatist in our thinking?

And we talk about it ad nauseum

But do nothing about it! Just some topic for conversation? And that’s it?

Why? Because each of us is wanting change outside first. Right?

Surekha Kothari

www.BodyMindSoulCentre.com

surekhakothari.wordpress.com

Speakingtree Blog: www.speakingtree.in/public/surekhakothari

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Virtuous life

Who knows the ways of God ? Atleast, we can know about our own ways. We constantly fail in our “human” ways and expect the Divine to work for us.

There is a witness consciousness that watches us act against ourselves day after day, making the same mistakes again and again . No one is exempt !

The one that works hard towards becoming purer in mind sees results. And no one said it was an easy process. But then, in any effort, there are bound to be slips due to force of habit. But we break those habits that don’t serve us over a period of time. So, judgements of people may be odious and avoidable.

Turning away from the world is not required if we can start turning towards a virtuous life.

Today, it is considered stupidity to be honest, truthful , simple and loyal . Why ? The reason given is that we live in a diabolical world and success will elude us if we are virtuous all the time.

We fail to realise the impact and consequences of our non virtuous actions that accumulate to cause grief . But this is for each one of us to realise.

Surekha Kothari

www.BodyMindSoulCentre.com

surekhakothari.wordpress.com

Speakingtree Blog: www.speakingtree.in/public/surekhakothari

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Compromise

I have realised that we aught not to ever compromise the lightness of our being. For anyone or anything.

We tend to become heavy whenever we deal with emotions , triggered by our love concern for others or even by our own experiences based on our perceptions of ourselves… which trigger our own reactions. At such times, it is important to step back immediately and examine the quality of those incoming thoughts.

Yes, we are mostly reacting. Not responding. A response is a thoughtfully created effect to a cause. This is what we need. We don’t need a trigger for our negativity to show . We should know that THAT does not come from a good place. It is in fact, an indication for which spaces we need to clean up within us.

Like, our constant need to be judgemental about others when we need that finger pointed towards ourselves. Clean ourselves to better our image in our own mirror. It’s a single point agenda.

Surekha Kothari

www.BodyMindSoulCentre.com

surekhakothari.wordpress.com

Speakingtree Blog: www.speakingtree.in/public/surekhakothari

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Meditation

Watch your breath ! It takes some training but if you watch your breath or keep your breath within your awareness , whatever else you are doing at that moment, something miraculous happens.

You just never let go of your control . The breath regulates your thoughts, your reactions and your emotions.

If you notice, the pattern of your breath changes with the quality of your emotions. When you are angry, your breath is shallow and fast. In meditation, your breath slows down .

People get confused about what exactly meditation is. Constant breath awareness is nothing short of meditation. There is no need to sit down specially, and close your eyes and try to remove your thoughts. Many people find this frustrating and they drop meditation completely. For these people, I would really recommend watching your breath and experiencing beautiful changes.

Surekha Kothari

www.BodyMindSoulCentre.com

surekhakothari.wordpress.com

Speakingtree Blog: www.speakingtree.in/public/surekhakothari

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The Freedom Movement

Our generation, which was born around the freedom movement, much idealism , patriotism, the spirit of sacrifice, of honour and integrity, has more than its share of emotions. Emotions were our ammunition to deal with injustice and for a strike for independence from colonialism.

We were also taught to give more than take. We respected morality, ethics and principles. We were loyal to family, to social ethics, to senior citizens and prided ourselves in being the way we were.

Today, we are gradually beginning to realise that these are the values to imbibe. Standing tall is in fashion, thanks to our PM, who is as humane as he is a no nonsense Indian, proud and self respecting not only on his behalf but on behalf of the nation. He exudes an exemplary and inspiring persona. You want to emulate him.

It strikes a chord within my generation and sparks a hope that we can salvage the traditional and cultural heritage that keep our heads held high. Proud to be an Indian , especially from the earlier generation.

Surekha Kothari

www.BodyMindSoulCentre.com

surekhakothari.wordpress.com

Speakingtree Blog: www.speakingtree.in/public/surekhakothari

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Time to change

Everything takes time. Like, you fall ill. You rest, and rest and medicate yourself and one fine day, you are fine the same way when you hurt and keep hurting about the same or similar issues over and over again. As if a raw wound is being touched repeatedly. And you cry, you vent, ask why many times over … but nothing changes. And one day, hey presto, you feel enough is enough. You sit up and start moving on. And you feel well again.

Life will always make us imbalanced because our reactions to it are imbalanced. But to get up, hopefully sooner than later, and move on, is the only solution. People won’t change. Situations may take time to change. But we don’t have to keep wallowing till they do.

Surekha Kothari

www.BodyMindSoulCentre.com

surekhakothari.wordpress.com

Speakingtree Blog: www.speakingtree.in/public/surekhakothari

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Nature of happiness

What is the nature of happiness? Someone called it an idea the other day and I was intrigued. It was quite a thought. Is it merely an idea then? So, does one make a difference between being happy and feeling happy? Are they the same thing or not?

If happiness is an idea, then it disappears if and when the idea disappears. If I feel happy, feelings can be transient and that status can therefore, change anytime.

Being happy seems to be a longer lasting concept. The “being” happy is a state of being that is not dependent on external factors. You just ARE happy. No one and nothing was responsible for that state of happiness. Evidently then, it comes from within. And that is the coveted state which all humans search for but in the wrong way.

If happiness were on sale, people would buy it in a heartbeat. But if they were offered just being happy, for no reason, the price would be too heavy to pay because it requires some difficult measures that might spill over to many lives.

Surekha Kothari

www.BodyMindSoulCentre.com

surekhakothari.wordpress.com

Speakingtree Blog: www.speakingtree.in/public/surekhakothari

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A Nomadic life

A nomadic life is such a free life in so many ways. They have little opportunity to get attached to places because they never stay long enough . And even the few days are spent mostly amidst nature. In tents. Yes, they seem to be a close knit community and therefore, attached to and protective of their own . Lifestyle diseases elude them at the best of times and worst of times. Happiness is not a special acquisition.

City bred folks have all kinds of issues. For sunlight , they have to specially go into the sunlight. For exercise to the gym. There is little informal meeting and more meeting friends with appointments. What happened to the word “spontaneity”? Not to mention the artifice that seems to set in , often as a part of the survival kit, among other pretensions.

Simple pleasures are simply not sought. Those days are gone when small town life also made frequent inroads into nature . And the five star culture has deprived people of the wonderful experience of living on farms and rustic life. Even farms have five star homes now.

Spoilt, aren’t we ? But more than that , we have lost out on the beauty of being one with nature. I guess, what you have never experienced, you don’t miss.

Surekha Kothari

www.BodyMindSoulCentre.com

surekhakothari.wordpress.com

Speakingtree Blog: www.speakingtree.in/public/surekhakothari

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