Positive Mindspace

When the garden is clean, blooming and full of life, the snakes of anger have no place to hide; the thorns of greed get cleared away. Adbuta, or wonder, is one of the positive navarasas—the nine emotions. It heals and energises. To stand in wonder before the splendour of God’s creation is to be rejuvenated. The body and bloodstream are bathed in endorphins and serotonins which are Nature’s tranquillisers.’ Enjoy the nature - the chirping of the birds, the wind through the fluttering leaves, the murmuring river. The harmonious fabric of nature enfolds us in a blanket of pure beauty. The colours and shapes that flowed from the hands of the great Architect of the universe soothe us in positive emotions.

Life’s Greatest Gift

Happiness is a life’s greatest gift. There is joy to be found in the small things. Go peacefully amidst the noise and the haste. Enjoy the sweetness of everyday things. Events or people around us are not under our control. But our reactions, our responses to them are. Respond with love and peace. Focus on happiness and on cultivating happy people. Build protective walls against toxic events that threaten your tranquillity. Let the cells of your body be gently bathed in happiness, positive thoughts and healing energies. The Vedas speak of the self as a beautiful lotus growing in the muddy waters of life. With its roots in the muck the lotus rises above it, in perfect beauty and bliss.

Nurturing Life-Force

Prana is the life-force that flows in all living things. When prana leaves the body, the body dies. When prana is in full flow, the person is full of vitality, energy and enthusiasm. Prana creates a field of possibilities where the seed of any idea develops rapidly, where our activities proceed smoothly and bear rich dividends. To develop prana, meditation, pranayama and a calm attitude are key. Freshly-cooked healthy food, pure fresh air and yogic exercise nurture and enhance prana. Eating too much, consuming stale food, exercising till you are ready to drop dead, constant arguments, overworking, getting emotionally upset, breathing polluted air, all interfere with the smooth flow of prana.

Work to Win

‘Work hard and you will succeed’ said our elders. But what happens when you work hard, but are facing in the wrong direction. Today, research shows that working long hours, does not mean better work. Time to think, creates better ideas. Time to be still and be inspired is the secret of great work. Productivity reduces sharply after concentrated and sustained effort. Many writers do their best work in short, concentrated bursts. Charles Dickens worked for 5 hours a day from 8.00am till 2.00pm, with a break for lunch. Many focus on 3 hours a day. Antony Trollope published 47 novels writing between 5am and 8am. Today many worship the 80 hour week. But does this really lead to true productivity? Research shows that the best work emerges in researchers, from working 20 hours a week. Over 60 hours researchers say, were the least productive. Many workers in Japan, work for 100 hours a week and some of them die due to over work. Some of them are driven to extreme measures like alcoholism, violent anti-social behaviour and even suicide. So the Government of Japan is trying to urge industry and business to restrict the number of hours. Someone can work up to 60 hours a week and also make the taking annual vacation compulsory, for everyone. No one is allowed to accumulate his leave and cash it. You cannot get reimbursed by cash for forgoing your leave. You have to compulsorily use your leave, go on holiday and not report for work. This is having a major statutory and sobering effect on Japanese society. Practice is important. Practicing 10,000 hours can make you an expert in any field. But practice in a way that enables you to recover on a daily basis. Top performers rest and sleep better than others. Maybe the 10,000 hours of work should be taken gradually, allowing for atleast 4 times the amount of rest and sleep. To be a real winner, practice silence and deep contentment, alternating with intense effort.

Live in Peace

‘Rest in Peace’ (RIP) they say in an obituary. It would serve a much better to purpose to say to everyone, ‘Live in Peace’. As we celebrate the international day of peace on September 21st , we need to devote ourselves to strengthening peace and togetherness among families, people and nations. The practice of peace starts within oneself. To be happy and satisfied within oneself, is to plant the first seed of peace. We all know that the greatest destroyer of resources and lives is war. The UN identifies several challenges standing in the way of peace: poverty, hunger, diminishing natural resources, water scarcity, social inequality, environmental degradation, diseases, corruption, racism and xenophobia, among others, pose challenges to peace. If these challenges are met, the causes for conflict can be eliminated and the global architecture of peace can be built. Each of us must strive to resolve these issues in our own lives. Then next step is to reduce their impact in the families we live in. We then need to reach out to our communities. The practice of peace starts with building an attitude of collaboration and cooperation in our own lives. Research has proved that the regular practice of meditation can positively affect at least 200 people in our environment. To be peaceful at home, on the roads and in the market place, releases and liberates resources that can be used for societies to develop and prosper. So let us declare, practice peace in our own lives this year and resolve: • To focus on avoiding conflict in our families and building togetherness • To practice friendliness and collaboration with our neighbours to build happy streets. • To reach out to all those who work for us and help them to overcome poverty and need. • To practice and spread the art of meditation and kindness. • To practice fairness, high ethical and quality standards at work. So this year, let us live and practice the art of peace and happiness.

New Everyday Happiness Mantras

Happiness Mantra 1: Each new day holds out a chance to create a whole new beginning, a sparkling new field of possibilities. Seize the day. Enjoy! Happiness Mantra 2: The ecology, the geography of your inner mindspace, is in your hands. Create a mindspace full of positive emotions. Happiness Mantra 3: 'Swayambhu' is a word that describes happiness welling out of you, like an underground stream in the mountains. Be still and allow joy to find you. Happiness Mantra 4: Focus on stress and unhappiness should be turned upside down. Instead of attacking unhappiness, we should plant a garden of happiness, by welcoming the positive emotions into our lives - love, compassion, wonder, courage, laughter and peace. Happiness Mantra 5: Focusing on our unhappiness by attacking it only helps to magnetize more power and attention to the negative person, event or object that causes it. Hence focus on cultivating happy people and avoid toxic people. Happiness Mantra 6: When the garden is clean and blooming and full of life, the snakes of anger have no place to hide; the thorns of greed get cleared away. When the clutter of old hatreds is replaced by order, the flowers of friendship bloom. The scorpions of revenge and jealousy slither away and the butterflies of laughter return to celebrate the flowers. Happiness Mantra 7: Too much television is ‘Tele-visham’ – (Tele poison). Too much stimulation, a mindspace crowded by fantasy people and events, distracts you from focusing on your own mindspace, your home, your backyard. Happiness Mantra 8: Some days we seem to live a fantasy life dominated by day dreams, while reality tugs at our heartstrings for attention, like a neglected child. Take care of what is yours and enjoy it. Happiness Mantra 9: Let the cells of your body be gently bathed in happiness, positive thoughts and healing energies. Happiness Mantra 10: ‘Physical fitness is the most important thing in life. The capacity to attain perfection of mind and soul depends on your physical health. Take care of yourself as no one else can do it for you.’ Happiness Mantra 11: All the ancients believed that no attempt should be made to cure the body without treating the soul. Invest in an oil massage. Happiness Mantra 12: To be healthy is to have the ability, despite an occasional bout of illness, to live with full use of your faculties and to be vigorous, alert and happy to be alive, even in old age. This concept of operational health has been termed ‘wellness’. Take a peaceful mental health holiday

The Poetry of Life!

Poetry, music, dance, theatre and free speech capture the happiness capsule that Life has provided mankind. Even the most tragic of events hold forth in their arms a sheaf of poems, a collection of literature. This is the month we celebrate world poetry day. Poetry captures the deepest feelings of the human spirit – its joy, its wisdom, its failures, its deepest terrors. "By paying tribute to the men and women whose only instrument is free speech..... By giving form and words to that which has none – such as the unfathomable beauty that surrounds us, the immense suffering and misery of the world – poetry contributes to the expansion of our common humanity, helping to increase its strength, solidarity and self-awareness," says Irina Bokova, Director General of UNESCO. World poetry day is celebrated on March 21st as declared by UNESCO. The purpose of the day is to promote reading, writing publishing and teaching of poetry throughout the world. The Romans celebrated poetry on the birthday of the great poet Virgil. Poetry preserves the authentic feelings of people by creating an oral tradition, which often mingles with theatre. Many languages which have no script, like Tulu, my own language, is preserved in the oral tradition. Endangered languages are thus saved for posterity. Poetry breaks down barriers created by conflict. It makes us realize that as human beings, our innermost desires and feelings are the same. More translations into commonly read languages like English can bring about better understanding and peace in the world. Each celebrates Poetry Day in his own way. An Austrian coffee company offers a deal for coffee drinkers to pay with a poem. Last year, 1,00,000 coffee drinkers in 27 countries paid for their coffee with a poem. As a creative art often set to music, poetry makes us capture the most beautiful and elevated thoughts of our time on earth. So get involved in poetry recitals. Publish poetry promote the synthesis of poetry with other arts – theatre, dance, music and painting. And why not start writing poetry? Dr. Rekha Shetty Author of “Everyday Happiness Mantras” and And “Happy Street”