Geeta, I have absolutely no idea about any of these. That said, I have heard my yoga teacher tell others that it is 1.Best to offer a prayer to Shiva (adiguru) before sitting in meditation and 2. If your friend is worried at all, bets to keep a gentle alarm to wake her. Best wishes.
@Gauri03, This chant is something I came across very recently and I do find it very effective, even just chanting on need bais. Thank you for the video link.
Well, I hate cooking with a passion. So much that I don't ever want to make an effort to be 'mindful' or do anything to like it.
Isn't it true pride and emotions associated with our thoughts make our contributions invaluable? Is it truly possible to execute our thoughts with zero expectations? How do we avoid this conflict in our mind? For example, my post here with links to all I have written here about mind driven by intent to get appreciation from ILITES or with the intent to exchange thoughts and learn from each other? Viswa
Ha ha! Hm. I have only recently found the passion for cooking and am enjoying the process from making the masala powders, pastes to cooking the recipes authentically just as my mother would do. I do lose it at times, like when I had to clean, sort, pluck the *plantain flower whatever damn* that thing is called! Tiny in sizes, but such big tortures! Lol. Maybe if the passion did stick for long, I ll mind being mindful about it! You have company until!
Hmmmm No. Not necessarily IMHO. : ) I once asked G, why I should post in the doodle thread for nobody cares. She asked me back one simple question, "for who you are doodling?" and that changed my perspective instantly. I'm doing the 52week challenge for myself and I post these days with almost nil expectations. Likes / comments are welcome and appreciated, that isn't my goal but to only improve my skills. I do not share (doodles or thoughts, whatever be) to impress anyone neither for my pride sake I believe. This open minded perception is not only liberating, also stimulates and inspires to create more because suddenly there aren't any limitations in the mind to (be) please(d) or influence(d) and the energy is boundless! I had say, it's indeed a possible, doable and achievable thing. Sometimes keeping goals help us audit the progress of our pursuits, to keep the focus on end objectives or to just remind us now and then the reasons why we may do what we do. So.. Ask yourself the questions, Maybe the answers lies within. Break free! : )
@kaniths Your doodles are a very different story. They are extraordinary. I can't speak for others but as far as I am concerned it is lack of doodling skills, ideas of what to doodle and visualization are all challenges for me. If there is no pride or emotions attached to a particular thought in our lives, there is no conflict. The earlier post about me is just to give an example. Recognition or no recognition in IL is not the end of the world for our mind. But in real world, there is competition and our mind functions always with pride and emotions and the validation received in the form of attention from others. Can our mind achieve the level of equanimity to do things with zero expectations from others? Can we do all our actions only for our own sense of fulfillment? Can mindfulness be a choice? Can I decided to be mindful when I write about the mind and not mindful when I am playing with my puppy or cooking food for my family? Viswa
Very interesting posts. Than you @Gauri03 . I read all the posts to determine what mindfulness is. Now I can say that I practice mindfulness in all that I do. I am aware of every action of mine. My everyday activities are very mindful. When I cut a vegetable I admire the shape, the color, the texture, and how it yields to the knife. I pay a lot of attention and absorb what is taking place when metal and vegetable meet. Cooking - I love seeing how onion turns color and how tomato becomes pasty. How the dhal cooks... Eating - I savor every morsel. I enjoy the aroma, feel the texture, and experience the burst of flavor with every chew. At work - I pay more attention to the work done. I put my entirety in it. I see that I am satisfied at the end of the day knowing that all the the tasks are completed in such a manner that leaves no room for re-work. Music- When I listen to a song I focus on the singer's voice. How it changes in timbre, how the voice handles different scales. Same with the instrument - I focus on the sound coming from the instrument. While practicing music too - I simply play sa, pa, sa and focus on the sounds. Very soothing. I believe that every moment of living is an opportunity to practice mindfulness.