Nurturing The Soul

Dear Smt. Joylokhi,

Thank you for your response and your kind words. I will be writing more pointers in the next few weeks and I look forward to your comments in those posts as well. We learn from each other and I value your opinion and comment as well.

 

Nurturing the soul - Part 3

Learn how to slow down - The world is moving as fast as, our mind works. The world is nothing but a reflection of the mind. When we slow down the mind from rushing thoughts and focus only on the select few that would improve the quality of life than munching more than what one can chew. One is always moving at a rapid pace to complete tasks, goals, milestones, etc. without focusing on the quality of work done. Quality of life is directly proportional to the quality of work one does. The work has to be done to the best of one's ability, with a great commitment and love for such action, and done with an attitude of achieving self-fulfillment than a specific result.

Let go of control - There is nothing in this world that is controllable other than our attitude towards the world. No external stimuli can be controlled and how we react to that is the only thing in our control. When one tries to control the external world, it only results in frustration and pain. Everyone and everything has its own free will and one can only guide or direct but the results or not in the hands of the individuals who are performing actions. Attitude to control comes from the expectations and the quality of life can be improved only by optimizing the quality of the work and reduce the expectation of the results. Quality of the work is the numerator and expectations are the denominator to calcuate the quality of life.

Let go of "what-if" analysis - The mind is right in making the analysis of the results of the actions before the actions are taken but at some point this "what-if" analysis should stop. When this analysis takes more time than the work itself or when it is impediment for the quality of work done, is when it is overthinking. When the mind constantly analyzing how many permutation and combinations exist, one needs to distract the mind away from this kind of endless analysis. Once the decision is taken to move forward, it is time to focus on the quality of what one does than calculating the results. In fact, overthinking affects the quality of work done.

Practice patience - Patience is a virtue and it has a significant value in improving the quality of life. It is the twin sister of perseverance and they work together. If one masters the quality of patience, one can succeed in persevering things in life that are important. There is a proverb, "when the going is tough, the tough gets going". When one becomes impatient, one gets irritated, anxious, tensed, nervous, burned out, frustrated, and misdireted. Building gratitude to consider each day as a gift, taking life one day at a time, practicing not dwelling on the past mistakes, and not to worry about what future holds are the best way to practice patience.

 

Dear Sri Thyagarajan Sir,

Thank you for lovely response. Whenever, something foreign gets into our system, the body tried to reject it which is why we have severe reactions when the immune system defends from virus and other elements that cause diseases. Similarly, the mind also reacts for something that is not digestable through its reactions such as depression, deep slumber (frozen state of mind), etc.

However, it entertains thoughts regularly. As your metallurgy professor said, "When the mind is observing the thoughts, it is not thinking but watching the activities in the mind". Occassionally, the discriminating faculty make a feable attempt to tell the emotional mind that some of the actions of ours incorrect. But sometimes, emotional mind overrules it and go forward with the action but reviews it after the fact. Amongst the pain the human being encouters, the guilt is the worst of all.

The best way to regulate the mind is to make it the boss to find itself what is the best way to keep it calm and peaceful. This exercise would eventually become its routine and wouldn't give way for impulses.

 

Nurturing the Soul - Part 5

Learn to let go of the past - This one is easier said than done. The mind lingers on the historic past whether they are positive or negative well into the present as it uses past experience as a benchmark for making decisions. There is nothing wrong in using the past experience as a benchmark but simultaneously one should use the additional information received also for making informed decision. Moreover, there is nothing happened in the past can either be recreated or erased. Tuning the mind to the present and letting go of the past is essential for peace and tranquility.

Choosing happiness - The happiness one experiences is entirely in one's hand. In fact, the purpose of life is to pursue happiness. The mistake one makes is believing the happiness is derived from outside world. It is inherent in everyone and if one is not experiencing it, it might be due to the bottlenecks created by the mind. Even happiness we perceive as derive from outside world, in fact, is derived from within. Of all the determination one needs, to derive happiness should be at the top of all.

Take things gradually - One needs to learn to break life into smaller digestible part which is why living in the present is important. The focus has to be on the small segment of what one considers as one's life and not begin predicting the future. Excessive pressure and strain causes significant impact not only on health but also prevents one from enjoying each activity with more attention it deserves. It is okay to take breaks to reset when one errs into the area of stress and pressure.

Save energy - Like time, energy we have is also released gradually. To the extent possible, conserve energy to be used throughout the day and allow time for the energy to recharge. If one uses mobile excessively in the morning hours, its energy gets discharged quickly needing recharge sooner than the end of the day. Even one's physical energy works that way and while it is important to tap into all of it, it is also important to spread it across the day to enjoy the day in full. What is the point in returning home exhausted and missing the precious time with the family?

 

Nurturuing the soul - Part 6

Finding pleasure in simple things - It is best not to expect anything and find pleasure in simple things in life. Contentment in what one possesses already and accepting them as gifts is an important trait one needs to build. Life is not intended to be a wild goose chase. As far as possible, one needs to simplify life for which one's attitude, behavior, character and demeanor have to be right. When one builds gratitude and natural flair for simplicity, life unfolds in a way to bring peace and nurture the soul.

Reading/Watching more to inspire - There is nothing better than reading/watching something that inspires one to lead an ideal and meaningful life. It doesn't have to be complicated philosophy or difficult rocket science and a simple book that motivates the mind to enjoy life and its simple pleasureable events. A simple, "Who moved my cheese" book or "From the earth to the moon" TV show can teach some wonderful lessons in life. With the internet opening the whole world to us, even watching National Geographic Explorer can be revealing what life is all about. Every book or show can be nourishing if one can understand the impact it creates in the mind.

Longing to learn new things - The best thing in life comes from one's passion and enthusiasm. One needs to always aspire to learn or do something new which makes one's excitement and enthusiasm going. When one puts the mind to something new, the mind aspires to get to the bottom of it and time elapses so quickly while engaging in it. The feeling one's life is filled with routines needs to be broken with new ideas and creativity. That part of the mind needs to engage in order to make the life spicy and happy. A painter losses himself/herself in details of the painting an a sculptor losses himself/herself in making sculptures.

Building gratitude and not complaining - Even waking up to enjoy this world everyday is a blessing. In order to build positivity in life, one needs to find things to be grateful for each day. What one doesn't control, one should not complain about. Just one needs to let things go and focus on what is good for the soul.

Understanding storm - No matter how tough a situation is, one needs to understand there is something one learns out of such tough situations. Everything in life is teaching something. The mind becomes stronger by such tough situations and nurture the soul.

Spending time alone - Despite the pleasure one enjoys in spending time with the family and friends, one needs to find time to be alone as that is when one refines oneself and nurture the soul. Time spent alone are times well spent to transform oneself and unfolds the truth about life.

 

Dear Sri Thyagarajan:

Practicing silence is a great trait particularly silencing the mind. The chatter that happens on day to day world and the chatter that happens inside of us are enormous. Gowthama Buddha walked away from the luxuries of his life to a quiter environment to achieve peace knowing that it is the most precious asset he could possess. That is an attempt to go from manifested to unmanifested form losing consciousness of the status, name, fame, body, mind and intellect.

When our body, mind and intellect seek loneliness, it collaborates with our true formless existence. We achieve awareness of such existence. We attempt to drop the six enemies kama (desire), krodha(anger), lobha (greed) Mada (arrogance), moha (delusion), and matsarya (jeolousy) also known as Arishadvargas. It is called upaarathi (withdrawal) from the world which is the first step in self-realization. Patanjali has prescribed an eight-limbed process of reaching the goal known as Ashtanga Yoga. The eight limbs are Yama, Niyama, Aasan, Pranayam, Pratyahara, Dharana, Dhyaan and Samadhi.