Balance your desires to avoid suffering (1 of 2)

Good morning friends. There is a saying that … “Never be satisfied with what you have, always wish for more”. This is true. Don’t just be contented for what you have. You have to aim more and struggle a lot to be able to have your wishes come true. Materialism and consumerism assume that fulfilling desires and the enjoyment of pleasures are all that is required to make us happy and contented.

We should live happily because once the body is dead and is reduced to ashes; it can never come back to life.

One must enjoy life to the core. What is enjoyment? It is to eat delicious food, seeking the company of the beautiful and young, wearing good clothes and accessories, decorating oneself and experiencing instant gratification wherever possible. Indian tradition takes a holistic view of human nature. It argues that material aspects, may be for human existence, do not exhaust the whole of the personality of a human being. It recognizes that besides having physical needs and cravings, we have spiritual aspirations also. Why limit human aspiration to only the physical plane?

The spiritual goal alone differentiate the human being from other forms of life. A man does not aspire for just artha and kama or the economic and the emotional; he also wishes for dharma and moksha , the moral and the spiritual. So it’s not as though we only seek the ephemeral and fleeting, we are inclined also to look for what could be eternal and enduring.

Happiness comes after unhappiness

Good morning friends. Do you believe that happiness comes after unhappiness? Many said thein all our sad moments of life there is always a happy times afterwards. I did proved of that in my own experience.

God is in the small things. In the smile of a new-born baby and in the gaze of my grandmother whose face is lined with a smile. I can’t see God everywhere. I feel Her in spaces small and large.

What stops us from being sexy, as well as religious; materialistic, as well as spiritual; happy, as well as sad? We’ve forgotten that our Gods, Rama and Krishna, were princes and wealthy. They lived in luxury and their women, Sita, Kausalya, and Urmila were regal. Jewels, personal maids, expensive wardrobes and luxe living surrounded them. Ayodhya was a kingdom encouraging masculinity and war; Mithila, Sita’s home, encouraged education, world philosophy and equality between the sexes.

We can hold on to faith and still live in luxury. We have a warped notion of spirituality and truth as being states of deprivation. In a society that’s aspirational, like middle-class India, one is seemingly from the West (material wealth) and the other homegrown (spirituality). We’re caught in this mire and coagulated confusion.

Hanuman on my crotch makes me uncomfortable. Maybe Durga on my kurta or my sari pallu works for me. My body is my personal space and even God doesn’t need to validate my sexuality. To be open to adventure, to hold on to the bubble of laughter; never to despair and to remember anger and darkness — these are emotions cut from the same cloth from which beauty and harmony are woven. To be conscious of my breath and the feel of my feet on the pavement anywhere in the world.

To be happy means that one has to also experience unhappiness. I can’t be happy anywhere like the yogis and gurus. I need my home, room, garden and rhythm to find my inner flame. I’m easily distracted and need to consciously focus and withdraw from external stimuli to remember that I have every right to be happy every minute of my life. – The Times of India

timeslife@timesgroup.com

Food for Thought – 2

Eat Set Portions of Nutrient-Rich Foods

Make your calories count. You may want to buy less food and eat less food—but improve the quantity of your food. For instance, fresh juices and soups are extremely nourishing and easy to digest. They also hydrate your body. Fiber-rich fruits, veggie sticks, and whole-grain crackers topped with tahini or almond butter make nutritious snacks. In small quantities, nuts and seeds are also great energizers. At mealtimes, choose strengthening whole grains such as brown rice, variety, or quinoa, and eat more legumes, tofu, and seasonal vegetables. These foods will satisfy your body’s hunger for nutrients.

Swap Coffee for Juice

Always your nerves, may curb your appetite and give you a temporary burst of energy, it ultimately saps your energy, frays your nerves, dull your complexion, and flushes nutrients from your body. Try swapping caffeine for fresh juice or smoothies, which will nourish hungry cells, strengthen the systems of your body, enliven your skin, and give you real energy.

Say a Prayer Before You Eat

Throughout history, it’s been customary in many cultures to pray before eating. Some people five thanks for their food. Some ask that the food nourish their bodies and bestow them with good health. Others offer their food to God and then eat the remnants. Such prayer makes eating a calming, meditative and spiritually beneficial activity. It makes us conscientious and thankful for the nourishing fits of local food. It also helps us remember a power far greater than ourselves.

ref: fityoga