My uncle DM’d me recently: “Did 6 Suryanamaskarams just now. Thanks for motivating me.” For someone in his early-seventies and who moves very little, this is a big deal. He had gotten inspired by a 1-min time-lapse video of Janaki and me practicing Yoga. The good news? Sharing the 1-min video had helped my uncle….
A new year gift
New year’s day, 2024. Celebration? Wishes? Joy? Not exactly. Resolution? Launch new goals? Kickstart the new year with a bang? Nope. Well, there was a bang. Just not the kind I was looking forward to. — The day started well. I woke up early. I was going to sit down and write a few words, to…
Enough? No way!
Kurt Vonnegut and Joseph Heller, were at a party hosted by a billionaire. During the event, Vonnegut remarked to Heller that their billionaire host might have made more money in a single day than Heller had earned from his popular novel “Catch-22” over its whole history. Heller’s response: “Yes, but I have something he will…
Going beyond Sonder
I had a…let’s call it…a “minor” difference of opinion with my mother. Rather, we were in total agreement: I felt that she was totally out of her mind. And she felt the same about me. I felt she was being unreasonable, impractical, immature, myopic and egotistic. And oddly enough, she felt exactly the same thing…
Chemistry
At a recent spiritual retreat I attended, Mahatria shared the following anecdote. It was the last day of a workshop that Mahatria had conducted for a group of business leaders. Each of the workshop attendees took turns to share their experiences. They would go up on stage, speak a few words and then step down….
This *and* That
[The following story and lesson were taught by Mahatria at a recent spiritual retreat I attended.] There’s a famous story – about Alexander and Diogenes. Alexander (the conquerer) wants to take Diogenes (the Philosopher) back to his hometown, as a gift for his teacher (Aristotle). There’s a large battalion along with him, constantly shouting “Alexander…
“On top of the world”
“Good” “Fine” Those are two words that we usually respond with, to the question “How are you doing?” When things are normal, it’s a spontaneous response, with almost no thought given to it. When things aren’t so good, we still respond with “Fine”, because we feel pressured to do it. Either way, this initial exchange…
Whatever happens….
We had done it. A difficult project. Finally launched. Not after days or weeks of toiling. But after more than 12 months of trial and error. We had found and solved countless problems. Not only were we proud of our new product, but we also had a few delighted customers to vouch for it. —-…
Komal Dubey shows us how to be “responsible”
Duty vs Responsibility. There’s a distinction. You’re doing your duty when you’re satisfying what the world expects from you. But you’re being responsible when you’re listening to your conscience and doing whatever it tells you to do. Or in other words, whenever you’re following your heart. —- Let’s say you’re a great student, always getting…
Grow…like a plant
My teacher Vikas, shared a beautiful gardening analogy to help us understand the value of Pranayama and Meditation better: There are 3 things needed for a plant to grow well: 1. The quality of the soil should be very good 2. The soil needs to be prepared and ploughed well 3. The quality of the…