Watch and listen to this story….

Jill Bolte Taylor: My stroke of insight 

“Neuroanatomist Jill Bolte Taylor had an opportunity few brain scientists would wish for: One morning, she realized she was having a massive stroke. As it happened — as she felt her brain functions slip away one by one, speech, movement, understanding — she studied and remembered every moment.. This is a powerful story of recovery and awareness — of how our brains define us and connect us to the world and to one another.”  

(Recorded February 2008 in Monterey, California. Duration: 18:44.)

Enjoy!

Your mind as a garden…

 Garden

“Always think of your mind as a garden, and keep it beautiful and fragrant with Divine thoughts;

let it not become a mud pond, rank with malodorous hateful moods.

If you cultivate the heavenly scented blooms of peace and love,  

the bee of Christ Consciousness will steal into your garden.

Flower bee

As the bee seeks out only those flowers that are sweet with honey,

so God comes only when your life is sweet with honeyed thoughts.” 

— Paramahansa Yogananda –

Service and being on Fire for God!

“Don’t go to work. Go to service.” Dr Joshua David Stone 

The time came around again to listen to this annual customer satisfaction survey results findings presentation – and I found myself preparing for this at work for the organization. This was about 2 weeks back when as usual I sat and listened to the presentation. 

The one thing that impressed me about the speaker was that he appeared as enthusiastic as ever each year he presented. I observed the drive and motivation that showed in the way he presented. Each year, towards the end of the presentation, he would provide words of encouragement. This time he said that it is always possible to find some way to change the perception of customers for the better by going the extra mile and doing simple little things. It goes a long way…and he emphasized that one can succeed in making a difference if one does it with true sincerity, from the heart. He highlighted that one needs to have the passion to serve and serve with a genuine smile from the heart! 

Those were the words that caught my attention and immediately I reflected back on self. The thought on serving from the heart and with passion reminded me of being on fire for God! If that fire has died, I think one can set it aflame again by changing one’s thinking and attitude. It is a matter of correcting one’s thinking and setting it right again and reclaiming one’s personal power.It is necessary to rekindle the fire of desire to serve to one’s best ability in the way one is called to serve. It is not about doing great and important deeds but simple little things that is done with true sincerity because one will find true pleasure – “true pleasure is serving God” and being on fire for God! 

“Work of any kind, if done in the right spirit, give you victory over yourself…The attitude with which you work is what counts. Inwardly, I am all the time with God.” – Paramhansa Yogananda

Healthy mind..healthy body…

A month ago, I attended a half-day mind/body meditation workshop which was meant to teach people how to relieve stress and achieve a state of calm and relaxation both mentally and physically. It was facilitated by a psychologist /psychotherapist and counsellor who practices mind-body medicine. I was curious to find out what this mind/body medicine method of stress reduction or management approach was about and how it could help achieve its purpose.

Prior to attending the workshop, I found some bit of information on this - it was an approach to healing that uses the power of thoughts and emotions to positively influence physical health. Part of the process involves relaxation techniques such as Autogenic training (which uses visual imagery and body awareness to move into a deep state of relaxation), Progressive muscle relaxation and Meditation (the popular forms used are mindfulness meditation and transcendental meditation). Other mind/body medicine techniques include biofeedback, hypnosis, cognitive behavioural therapy and spirituality. There is also mention that numerous clinics and hospitals in the U. S. have integrated relaxation techniques into their healthcare programs. 

During the workshop, the main topic of focus was on breathing, how to breathe properly to help one relax physically as well as mentally – the introduction of the practice of mindfulness meditation. We were taught and guided on the practice of several breathing techniques that culminated in the final technique of raising one’s energy level. All through the process I was aware that my degree of concentration, focus and attention on the practice exercise was increasing and when it came to the final stage, it was a really wonderful experience – mind clarity, and a sense of lightness and calm. Breathing came to a still and the “inner smile” radiates from within. There was no way during those moments that I could feel stressed, tensed or depressed because the mind was in a state of calm and stillness - fear-based and negative ego thoughts were pushed out and kept away.

Reflecting on the experience, the reminder for me is that one can train self through daily practice of keeping one’s mind free from negative and fear-based thinking even if it means for just some moments. Over time, regardless of how long it may take, with determination, perseverance and patience, one will gradually be able to master one’s thoughts by consciously choosing to think positively and keeping one’s mind in the light - one way to help self master one’s thoughts and mind properly and what’s more, it helps reduce stress, tension and anxiety and will have positive effects on one’s physical body as well. 

“The negative ego in your own subconscious mind is like a thoughtform virus or thoughtform bacteria. If you let the negative thoughtforms into your mind you will be mentally and emotionally sick and hence have a weakened psychological immune system. If this continues to happen over time, this is the initial cause for actual physical viruses and bacteria to form as well.” – Dr Joshua David Stone.

Examining intention and motive…

“God will not ask you when and where you did service.  He will ask, with what motive did you do it? What was the intention that prompted you? You may weigh the service and boast of its quantity. But God seeks quality - the quality of heart, the purity of mind, the holiness of motive.” — Sai Baba — 

I pondered on this quotation and thought this is something one needs to be aware of. I was chatting and sharing with a colleague on being of service to other colleagues at work. We agreed that it is certainly better for one to work harmoniously with others and not with a lack of trust in others, always suspecting that others have an ulterior motive in whatever they say or do. This was what we had observed in another who has this tendency to think negatively of others and as such whenever this individual decided to give or help others, there was this expectation of something that must be received in return. The individual would be asking what benefit would I get out of this? There was always a motive behind the “act of service” or giving and it was obvious that the person was indulging in negative ego and fear-based thinking and building it all up in the mind. Very often, one can see that the individual tends to get angry, upset and emotional, moaning and groaning that there is no appreciation and /or reward received. Interestingly, recently I also observed that the individual wanted to claim credit when another received an award for some competition he participated in.

This came to me as a reminder and a learning observation that one must constantly check self – one’s intent and purpose and what motivates one to do something whatever it maybe. The negative ego is always ready to stir one’s thoughts and work hard at justifying its negative, fear-based, separative reasons. It can be so convincing that one can easily fall into its trap without realizing it if one is not alert and vigilant with one’s own thinking. The moment one is aware and catches such thoughts, it is necessary to release and drop them as quickly as possible and replace them with positive, Christed thoughts. Positive, Christed thoughts will create positive attitudes and feelings such as peace, happiness and joy, harmony, open-mindedness, patience, accepting, humility, etc.

How would one know if one is trapped by the negative ego within one’s mind – it is easy, it’s the exact opposite of the positive when one begins to feel negative ego created emotions and adopt negative ego attitudes such as anger, unhappiness, dissatisfaction, hurt, pride, judgementalness, critical, boastful, disappointment, anxious, aggressive, defensive, etc. All these will cloud one’s mind and heart and one’s intent. To set one’s thinking and one right with self, and with others, one needs to examine and correct one’s intent and motive.

This is all a learning process if one is awake, aware and willing to make the adjustments in one’s thinking process within one’s mind and consciousness. One will gradually be able to see and think with more clarity of mind and serve with purity of heart and compassion.

“Selfless service alone gives the needed strength and courage to awaken the sleeping humanity in one’s heart.” – Sai Baba –