Leisure management

Leisure is a bane in our modern, 9 to 5 busy world. It's like a taboo to sit for a few minutes and do nothing.

And of course, it is us who have suggested our minds to work that way.

Think before you blame anybody else in this world.

Break the chain. Give your brain some real, fresh food – unless you want a crash due to system overload. 

You only need a few minutes a day to go back to your natural state. Try these time tested methods.

Breathe
Most of all breathe in the wrong way. No wonder diseases prosper in our bodies.  Focus on your breath and imagine you are in a calm place in nature. In moments, you will become more aware of your body and mind.

Here is an excellent breathing exercise. Take slow and deep breaths in counting from one to four, hold it for one to four. Now exhale counting one to eight. This helps to focus and calm in amazing ways.

Express gratitude

Say thanks. Not later. Now. For the reason that you can see and read this. Because you have a computer or phone where you are reading this.Be thankful for each and every little thing around you.

Watch the people around you

Watch the street and the people. Watch how they walk and talk and react. Don’t react or judge. You will see the panorama of life with a detachment. It’s a fun way to see all the activity around you and also to gain insights on human behaviour.

See the leaves playing with the wind  

Watch the ones fallen on the ground or still on the tree. At the traffic lights. While sipping coffee. While wondering what to do. If you watch closely, it’s beautiful.

Smell a flower

One with a nice smell, of course. It will reactivate your brain cells and make you relaxed. Nice natural smells are great for mind and body.

Hum a song
Hum a song you love. Don’t worry about the correct tune and words. You are singing it for yourself. It will definitely make you feel better. If you don’t like to sing, paint. Or write. Click photographs.

Go for a walk. Fix a Rubik cube. Whatever suits you.

So the next time when you wait at the traffic signal, stop whining and start breathing.

Note: The images and text are under copyright. Please ask for permission before use.

Get dirty this Season

For the ones who love gardens and flowers, there is no greater joy in getting downright dirty with mud around your fingers, plant the saplings and watch it grow!

Having your garden to tender can give you a wide range of benefits. Research shows it can lower your blood pressure, alleviate worry and insecurity and make you feel happily content.

So whether you want to dig up the soil or buy pots for your apartment, here are some wonders for the garden.

Roses

Beauty. Pure beauty.

Easily and widely available. A must for any garden. Easy to tend to. Available in various colours – white , yellow, red, pink, orange or multi-coloured. Choose your own rose, the one that suits your personality.

Dahlia

The attention grabber of your garden. If you live in a tropical country, this is the one for the winters. Blooms big and stays long. Enlivens your garden like no other. Various colours available in saplings and seeds.

Marigold

Not the gorgeous one after the roses and dahlias but definitely has its own style. Very easy to grow and requires almost zero effort. Comes in amazing shades of single and multi-colour. It wards off mosquitoes too- so definitely invaluable.

Aloe Vera

Here’s an herbaceous one without any flashy flowers. Aloe Vera juice is amazing for skin care. A very handy plant for those interested in nature healing and care. This is also a quite non- hassle plant which stays in your garden for many years.

The holy Basil (Tulsi)

A wonderful plant grown mainly in the Indian subcontinent. It acts amazingly against cough & cold. Makes the body strong and immune to germs if taken regularly. It is considered holy and a must-grow in many Indian homes.

And Tomatoes!

Go organic. Grow your own veggies. Stay healthy. It’s easy to grow tomatoes. Just throw over some tomato seeds and water regularly. Use your kitchen leftovers for manure like boiled tea leaves. Within a few months, you will see your own green tomatoes appearing. Marvel as they take on the red hue. Home grown veggies are not only good for health but also taste more delicious.

So go ahead and get your hands dirty in the holy mud.



Note: The images and text are under copyright. Please ask for permission before use.

Aboard the Red Crab Island

There is an inexplicable joy in doing something out of the ordinary. Some exciting unplanned act that is out of routine.

Like going after a bright red crab bare foot!

We met this tiny island on our way back from the Chilka Lake. More of a sand mound which is there when the high tides have receded. A home to innumerable bright red crabs.

We banked the boat nearby. Rolled our cargo till the knees and pushed through thigh high waters to the island. Afraid at first what might be in the water, we soon lost our concerns to the joy in the cool waters.

Our friendly boatman and our guide now pointed to a tiny red crab and started chasing it.

But the crab sensed our intentions and went underground. Then we spotted others and ran around the island like excited children eager to spot and photograph them.

This island was the crab’s turf. It dug through the sand leaving just a hole on top.

So to catch one, our boatman did something scary. He dug through the sand hole and pulled one out with his bare hands. Then he offered us to hold it.

A lot of things went through my mind- it might bite, it could be painful and it can tear my flesh off. The boatman told me that if I know how to hold it in the right manner, the crab’s powerless.

Gathered a li’l courage and held it. It was now a bright red toy in my hands. After a little photography I let it return to its home, unharmed and relieved.

That day was one of the best days one could have in life. That was a day when I let go of those fears that crawl in our brains like tiny red crabs.

All we need to do is get out of boredom, gather a little courage and have some fun.

Note: The images and text are under copyright. Please ask for permission before use.

A few good celebrities – attitudes that make us love them

Oprah Winfrey

Wikipedia calls her the ‘greatest black philanthropist in American history, for a time the world's only black billionaire.......... the most influential woman in the world.’

What we truly love about her is the way she talks. How she presents. Her attitude is amazing and rise to success legendary. You can see the sincerity in her dark eyes. More than hosting shows, she has brought people’s attentions to issues like none other. Leads by example, a fantastic role model for any woman or man alike.

Sushmita Sen

A true, original individual. Hats off to this lovely lady who has the courage to become single mom to orphaned kids.

Wondering how much courage; how much passion and infinite love you must have in your heart to take such decisions. How many celebrities are out there like her?

A woman a hundred years ahead of us in attitude.

Bill Gates

Bill Gates was already a legend because of his super rich, yet simple guy image. Here’s a bigger reason to love this guy.

He slipped from the top spot of billionaires’ list because – he was giving it away! Gates wants to give half of his wealth to worthy causes.

I don’t know many people who are ready to give away 50% of their wealth to make this world a better place – lesser who can influence others to do the same.

Sidney Poitier

A pioneer and a gentleman. Many records to pen down. A man who broke the shackles of race, belief and mental frontiers.

His movies are still a delight to watch.

We still love you, Sir.

Best Things to Tell Yourself

Self talk is more powerful than you can imagine. It is the fuel you give to your sub-conscious mind.

A self fulfilling prophecy works in the same way. What you give to your body, mind and spirit, so it comes forth. It all depends upon your perception.

Medically, it is called the Placebo. In Business Management, the Pygmalion Effect. The gist is the same; your perception rules your physical body, relationships and material success.

Say good things to yourself. Doesn’t have to be elaborate.

Say ‘Thank you’ at every morning, every meal and every thing that happens to you.

Repeat 50 times a day ‘I have enough money to buy all that I want’ and sure you will get abundance to start fulfilling those desires. The universe will show you the way.

‘I am at peace of mind and peak of physical perfection’ – this will raise your self esteem and happiness beyond your imagination.

Tell yourself ‘I am joyful’ and you will forget to complain.

Say anything else you want to be.

I am beautiful, I have a great body, I attract great people around me, I am complete, I am successful, I got a great job and boss......................the list is infinite just like your wishes. 

Like a great author has said, you are free to choose what you want to have or be right now.

This is the wonderful truth of life. Love your existence. You are very precious.

Note: The images and text are under copyright. Please ask for permission before use.

The Best Books to gift Yourself

One of the most beautiful times of my life is spent on lazy afternoons on the XXL bean bag clutching my favourite book.  Add a cup of tea and a few cookies to it and I wouldn’t exchange my place with the Queen of England.

It is on these perfect times, I enjoyed a date with my favourite books.

Daddy Long Legs

Sweet, adventurous and lovely Jerusha Abbott. This is a story of an orphan girl which is just too good. A must read. Written by Jean Webster, a scion of Mark Twain.

Illusions – The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah

Another masterpiece from the master of practical spiritualism. Straightforward, no- nonsense answers to the most difficult questions of your life.

 A memorable quote “Here is a test to find whether your mission on earth is finished.

If you’re alive, it isn’t.”

Think and Grow Rich

Half a century has passed, yet Napoleon Hill’s book  still inspires thousands. This book was written after interviewing many millionaires and richest people alive at that time. Valuable insights galore in here. Earning money is easy folks, not the struggle that you always imagined.

Human Devolution

This is another non fiction here. If you have a really open mind and unquenchable quest to know the truth, try this. Michael Cremo is a researcher on ancient Vedic texts. He tells you how we humans came, the mystery of this universe and a lot more you will love to discover. Brace yourself for enlightening adventure.

Sherlock Holmes

My all time favourite. Conan Doyle’s immortal creation, the classic that still makes readers dream of becoming a detective! He never gets too old for us, does he?

Fly with Jonathan Livingston Seagull

Once in a while out of the innumerable books and articles that we read each year, you come across one which changes your life. Penned by Richard Bach, this book is one of those.

Jonathan Livingston Seagull has sold huge since its launch years ago. Bach spins his magic here in the form of words in such a simple manner that it becomes ‘unputdownable’.

Spiritualism for most of us is a wee bit out of the way. No wonder it’s so easy to get lost in our lives. If you look very carefully, the solutions to our problems lie within us.




The Seagull is a metaphor for any Jonathan Livingston in our society. Like most great books and epics, the teachings are there when you look into the book for it. For the more logical, you can find interesting descriptions of the art of flight, social behaviour and maverick-ism. For the more right-brained folks, check out what happens when you follow your path and the truth about teleporting or ‘quantum’ jumping.

In a nutshell, if you are ready to take the next step into your consciousness and looking for some serious inspiration, this is it.

PS. Being an extremely popular book, you can get it in most major bookstores like Amazon, Flipkart etc.

Shine that Rainbow

A beautiful rainbow. Arch of heavens , beauty of nature. But it is also a clue, a message from the universe.

Look how.

Research suggests that diseases can be unbelivably psychosomatic in nature. That would mean that the disease is manifested through stress and negative thinking, whether consciously or unconsciously by us and us, alone.

Happily what we can do we can also undo.

The seat of our physical, mental and spiritual health is the chakra. The chakra, in Vedic culture would mean a wheel or alternately, a vortex.

The chakras are the energy centres in our physical body. Any physical pain, discomfort or disease arises when the energy flow into the body is restricted. As a result, the chakra gets misbalanced.

Root Chakra – This is situated at the base of our spine. Seat of personalality and success. Lack of energy, anemia, fatigue and many other ailments are related to this. Colour associated is red.





Sacral Chakra - Situated just below the navel, this governs creativity and sexual energy. Colour orange.

Solar plexus Chakra – Situated at the place as the name suggests. A balanced solar plexus chakra will give you ample confidence and self esteem that makes you look like the shining sun. Colour is yellow.


Heart Chakra- Situated in the middle of the chest, this is chakra helps you love and give unconditionally. Washing away jealousy, envy and violence, a balance heart chakra is the answer to disarmament and world peace. Colour is green.

Throat Chakra- Expression. Communication. With us and the world outside. Lack of energy here could result in sinus, migraine, cough and cold. The colour of the chakra is the colour of the blue sky.

Third eye- Mysticised in mythology, it truly is the point of a tremendous power within you. Makes you complete and powerful. Colour is indigo blue of the rainbow.


Crown Chakra- The point of enlightenment. A complete human, in well alignment with the universe. Knows his body and mind which is at his complete command. Completing the rainbow, its colour is violet.

So the message is - for every bodily or mental issue lies a malnourished chakra. Feed it with positive thoughts. Laugh. Be happy. Live life.





The whole universe wants you to be abundant and joyful no matter how many tears you have shed. Shine that wonderful rainbow inside you.




Note: The images and text are under copyright. Please ask for permission before use.

A way to look Slim

One of my acquaintances recently came to me quite flustered. Asking what was bothering her, she told me that she is 'fat'. I looked at her, she was neither overweight or flabby. Upon telling her that she pointed to her belly and told me to notice the layers of  fat belt bulging through her V-neck cotton top.  She had gone to the mall with her friend, tried a dress she liked and it didn't quite fit through her shoulders. Her friend told she should try XL. And that's what troubled her. I sighed and realized that she is going through that which many women regularly suffer from, and some men too. 

It is low self esteem.

Most women want to have the most slender, curvy body. Beauty magazines sell. Men trend towards metro-sexuality. It is not wrong, but you are dearly missing a point here.

You ALREADY have innate ability to be what YOU want to be. You already have the perfect body and a beautiful nose. It means you can look as good as Angelina Jolie but you don’t have to be her. You stay YOU.

Feel comfortable with your body first of all.

However you are right now you must feel good in your body. Feel comfortable with everything that is there, even if you don’t want it. You may not like that bulge in your belly and your thighs. You may not like how your teeth look. You may not have the right height. Or maybe you are suffering from some kind of sickness and disease which is holding you back. Whatever it may be, remember it’s YOU. You are the one who is the master of your body and not otherwise. 

Your face and body is unique and your features are especially suited for you. The  beautiful eyes of the supermodel may not look good on your face. Because you are meant to look most gorgeous in your own skin. Focus on your inner self and discover your true beauty.

Absolutely, fully, completely love yourself . After that it doesn't take long for the world to fall in love with you.

So relax. A wise man once said , "Enjoy the power and beauty of your youth." 

I told my acquaintance to relax and breathe deep. We talked. She had big, beautiful shoulders. I told her that.  This changed her perception about her body and made her her feel good. The next day she went shopping and bought a dress which beautifully flaunted her big wide shoulders.

Note: The images and text are under copyright. Please ask for permission before use.

A Better Start

Murder. Corruption. Terrorists. And a cup of tea. 

Is that how your day starts with the newspaper on your hand?

Think for a moment what makes headlines in a newspaper, or rather, the news which media thinks you should see in bold big fonts.

 What if the headlines in the front becomes the inside page news and the ones which really matter stand out?

• ‘Another bomb blast....’ substituted by ‘A great day for world peace’
• ‘Terrorist kills soldiers’ becomes ‘A soldier saves a life’
• How about ‘Black buck hunted again’ turns to ‘Poacher turns into Preserver’
• “Man kills wife and child’ replaced by ‘Father who works 18 hours and still has time to play with his kids’
• What if ‘Politician held for corruption’ is substituted with a news how the ‘Police officer stands up to honesty’
• What if ‘Poison found in baby food’ gets replaced by ‘Woman keep fit and wins the race at the age of 40’
• Turning ‘Money robbed from bank’ into ‘How the homeless man earned his millions’

Doesn’t seem realistic, does it. Ever wondered why?

 It doesn’t look normal not to get the news that report of murder, corruption and gun shattering terrorist at top. You might need to get informed so that you can protect your wallet, your family, your job and survive this world. 

In other words, living in fear.

This is not called pessimism. This is also not remaining informed of the world. This is called self- sabotage. Don’t blame the media for posting headlines that don’t make you feel very positive. It sells what we buy.

But you have a Choice. 

Focus on what to look for. Look inside your heart. The world is as bad or good as you think it is. 

Focusing on the better half of the news will keep your blood pressure down, moods brighter and will give all the inspiration you need for the day. And when you raise your feeling-good vibrations, you make others feel better too. 

It has been a proven fact that the right attitude increases salary and promotion in office and improves your relationships at home.

So tomorrow morning, when you sit with that morning tea and open your newspaper, wish that you see the big bold headline that screams ‘Man follows his heart’.

Note: The images and text are under copyright. Please ask for permission before use.