Healthy way

“It is good to stay healthy,” I say this to myself and wear my jogging shoes.

“Staying healthy is no option it is mandatory,” another statement that my mom says and my doctor agrees with her. I on the other hand am not so health conscious but I do believe in keeping my body fit and mind healthy. I also believe that one should work- inward outward, and not the other way round.

By working your ways from inward to outward you not only maintain a healthy mind but a healthy body as well. I think it is a must to cleanse your mind and by doing so you inadvertently keep the body healthy too. However, by focusing on the body we forget to keep track of the mind. Some people believe that a healthy body doesn’t need a healthy mind or it is the one and the same thing. Every person can think independently for him/her self and work accordingly which is best suited for their body and mind.

I believe in working from inward to outward. That’s why I focus on a workout to keep my mind healthy first and then focus on the body. I might not be jogging or walking everyday in the park but my mind has to follow a regime every morning. I start my day with meditation which is later followed by a yoga session. I keep the sessions short or long, depending on my schedule. But that certainly doesn’t mean that I don’t like to go on walks or jogging. I absolutely love these activities as well as they help you to be out in the nature. It is during this time that you see, hear and feel the invisible whispering in your ears that opens your eye of creativity.

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Feelings of the day…

http://dailypost.wordpress.com/dp_prompt/frame-of-mind/

This is how I feel:

Me a tired Kung fu Panda.

Then a happy Mickey.

After reaching a relaxing Garfield.

And finally will be a sleepy moon in a while.

Sleepy Moon

Relaxing Garfield

Happy Mickey

Tired Panda

Re uh lax!

“You have worked too much for a day, so I think you should relax.”

Who me? Yes, you my strong body and my resilient brain, both of you.
I know you two have helped me working non-stop for the entire day. And now I can see-body you have become tired, and mind you also have become lethargic and confused.

Just relax for a while. “No, I can’t,” says the stubborn mind.

But you need to relax for sometime otherwise you will not be able to function efficiently tomorrow. Don’t you want that? Yes, yes, agrees the mind.

So, come let’s just relax form some time.

I listen to one of the deep relaxation audio files- with the bells chiming and the sweet incense sticks burning I let my mind and body relax for a little while. Once this exercise is over I treat my mind by taking it on a trip (no, not the Hawaii kind of trip). I let my mind go on a trip by sitting silently for a few minutes. This goes on for a nice ten to fifteen minutes, until my body starts resenting its sitting idle. The mind is now refreshed.

Now comes your turn-body. Let me pamper you, so I take out the pastry from the fridge. I nicely place myself on a couch, with the remote in one hand and pastry in the other; I go into the non-working mode for a while. I relish each bite as my body unwinds with each small little spoonful bites and my mind simply recites the sounds of taste…uumh!…umh! The body feeds and gains strength and mind relaxes until the pastry vanishes from the plate…after that back to normal mode.

http://dailypost.wordpress.com/dp_prompt/have-you-never-been-mellow/

Don’t let it affect you

Yes, that’s right “don’t let it affect you”. This is a new mantra that I fumbled upon recently. I keep on reciting and repeating this until my mind is at ease.

When I was young; I was naive and new to learning many things. At home and office no matter what or how I worked I ended up getting long lectures from my mom at home and from boss at office. And then, just like everyone I used to throw questions at myself. The normal regular questions like: “Why me?” “Why did this happen to me?” “What did I do wrong, what is my fault?”

Of course! This used to be tiring and at times proved depressing. When in a state of depression not only your mind but your body also shows signs of how hard you are taking things. Your mind is easily penetrable through small and big instances (you can’t even take a joke for a joke). Your body becomes lazy and lethargic.

I’m a different person now and I’m armed with the mantra “don’t let it affect you”. Earlier I used to be easily affected by small and big situations like: when I didn’t get through to the college of my choice, when I didn’t get an apartment of my choice, when somebody else in the family or neighborhood proved to be a success story that I was not even close to. Oh! The classic one, when my best friend or even a possible acquaintance got married before me. The interrogation process began without any delays.

Then it just occurred to me that why am I bringing pain upon myself. Then I started rectifying questions; instead of “why me?” I asked, “Why not me?” Instead of asking “Why did this happen to me?” I asked “Why did this happen for me?” I believe in nipping the problem at its root and by using these two questions I was doing just that. When things didn’t happen as expected I started asking these two questions and other why questions didn’t bother me much.

Hours of moaning were now lost in contemplating as I posed these two questions in front of me. I analyzed the situation with a bigger picture in view. I looked at the smaller picture but it didn’t trouble me because I was looking at the bigger picture. I was looking and thinking about other options.

When I lost my job due to recession, I didn’t know what to do. Then asking the rectified question I thought what else can I do. I started freelancing and then I looked for more options. It was only at that time that I realized that I could express myself in words among many other things that I do.

It so happens that in order to reach at the bigger picture or have other options you need a clear head. It turns out that the two most important parts of our body i.e. head and heart are always at a tussle. During the interrogation process (asking the why questions) the head is the ruler, however, during the contemplating process (asking the rectified questions) the heart becomes the ruler.

The head plays sly games by presenting logic to us and it becomes difficult to rescue the heart. The reasoning’s of the head doesn’t let your heart to express itself. What we need to do is look at logic but believe in whatever the heart says. So, if the heart says “let it be” then be it so. You’ll be able to think only when the head rests and makes itself clear of the foggy thoughts. During a foggy day it’s best not to drive. Similarly let the foggy thoughts settle down because as soon as it does, you’ll be able to look at the road ahead of you. Clear road and safe driving is only possible when the fog has settled.

Food for my mind and soul

Food for my mind and soul.

Most of the times I have my timely meals in a day, and I wonder why do I have it?

Well! The simple answer will be to keep myself alive. But then I thought it’s not only that; it’s also to taste different things. Being a toddler the first thing we do is to see and listen and finally taste. I would say that a toddler starts tasting everything from edible to non edible items. Then slowly we start eating.

I have realized that the way eating keeps me alive, the same way reading keeps my mind alive.

When we go to kindergarten we get the taste of letters. Then as we grow old enough to read, we start tasting the edible and non edible items related to reading materials. Sometimes they would be funny cartoons and we just like the bright colours or sometimes it could be a story with a moral.

The whole idea is to keep on reading and eating all the knowledge that we gather throughout the course of our life. Unlike a healthy diet that we follow to keep or body fit we should read healthy to keep our mind healthy. We should try each and every cuisine but abstain ourselves from junk food. Or should I say too much of anything could be bad.

I could say that the pleasures of reading books are divine. I know I’m not being judged, but on the other hand I can judge a book or the cover of the book. I can say that I trust someone- and that someone can be a book. It will not leave me anywhere, as it sits quietly in my bag. I always keep a book in my bag. Whenever I’m lonely, alone or idle I simply take my book out of the bag and start reading. It is almost like a jinni getting out of the lamp. Books don’t cancel on you or judge you neither do they abandon you. They are just there.

They sit quietly at your shelves, waiting for their turn to be held by you and read by you. I like to read and nothing makes me feel better than that (of course something that makes my tummy feel better is chicken curry prepared by my mother). Therefore not a day goes by without reading, and so I can say that it is a food for my mind and soul.