The Insomniacs

A rogi (sick), yogi (seeker) and bhogi (enjoyer) do not sleep at night.

– Sadhguru (founder of Isha Yoga Foundation)

Night life is much more than just party goers. As aptly said above a sick person will not be able to sleep at night due to the ailments he is suffering from or sleep may elude even a person who is stressed out.

Secondly a person who is a seeker of knowledge be it a student, a researcher, or even a writer who prefers working in the quiet of the night also lies awake at night. So does a person on the path of spirituality who follows certain rules related to his practice that may require him to be awake at night.

Lastly the person who is enjoying life by way of the senses that is food, travel, music etc will also be living the nightlife.

Time flies and a enjoyer one day becomes the sick person. But before he gets there he should try to experience the thrill of being a seeker.

In response to moonwashed Weekly Prompt #Nightlife

Festivities and Celebrations

Do you or your family make any special dishes for the holidays?

In India every few days there is a celebration. the yogic culture celebrates many natural phenomenon during which the spiritual energy is thought to be the most perceptible. Most full moon days, ekadashi, navratri (devi navratri, shri ram navratri, vital navratri etc.), shivaratri, sankashti, etc are auspicious and are celebrated with great fervour in different parts of the country.

Most of these celebrations involve fasting, chanting and meditation followed by breaking the fast over temple prasadam. Many stories revolve around the significance and importance of these events. Moreover, every temple has similar special events throughout the year.

These festivities were organised by our ancestors on deep knowledge of science and the influence of the moon on the earth. It was also a way to keep everyone motivated and bring people together for celebrations via bhajans, Kirtans, folk music, classical dances, dramas etc. It was created in such a way that almost all days were festive.

This was important as it kept people healthy by way of fasting, meditation and eating healthy food made in the temple premises by the community themselves. This also provided opportunities to people to learn and teach art forms, thus piquing the creativity of the community and immersing them in a positive environment.

Moreover this system ensured socialization, personal growth and development, a healthy body and mind as well as spiritual upliftment making every day of life a celebration.

Image- Diwali celebrations in Ayodhya sourced from google

Sleep Therapy

If you didn’t need sleep, what would you do with all the extra time?

“Sleep is a state where you are on the edge between the world of sounds and the world of silence, but you can only move in the world of silence when you are aware.”

-Sadhguru, Founder of Isha Yoga Foundation

Sleep is an essential requirement of our body. Adequate sleep leads to alertness, learning, memory retention, creativity and improved decision making.

Modern medicine recommends around 8-10 hours of sleep. However through regular yogic practices sleep quality can be improved as well as duration decreased leading to availability of more time for activities of personal interest.

This is achieved by following certain rules like early dining, drinking water before sleeping , sleeping early, avoiding distractions like mobile, TV and reading prior to bedtime etc.

The increased time available is best utilised for activities of self enquiry, yogasana, meditation, fitness etc.

Wishing you all a relaxed and fitful sleep and relaxed and fresh day always.

Sadhguru quote

Dead Silence

An isolated stairway

Silence of the night time

Sketching figures in the air

The artist waited for the light

It has been three days now since the fatal fall

Surely the dead shouldn’t be made to wait..

Is there a queue waiting there too?

In response to #MMM’s photo challenge 492 and

Quadrille dverse#190

Let it Go

Name your top three pet peeves.

Those who are not a source of annoyance to anyone and who in turn are not agitated by anyone, who are equal in pleasure and pain, and free from fear and anxiety, such devotees of Mine are very dear to Me

Bhagwad Gita ch12, verse15

Annoyance is a emotion born out of ignorance of the mind. We are so busy riding the chariot of our mind that we do not stop to understand what the other person maybe going through or we are not magnanimous enough to forgive and forget and move on.

We carry the emotions with us thus creating unrest in our minds. Just a small insignificant incident is enough to ruin our day. I agree there could be major challenges or jealous individuals around that try to demotivate us and make us angry. However if we just think of them as individuals who have a problem and let go of the event without hurting ourselves we have already taken control of the situation. We can then choose to respond as necessary with a calm mind and not just react at the spur of the moment.

I don’t mean to say that insults and humiliation should be tolerated , I only mean that we need to respond in a way that will not affect our minds and lead to peeves to carry around in our heads all day long.

Image from google

Bhagwad Gita quote

The Cottage

I liked them a lot. Especially the little boy. His tiny hands scribbled and drew on my walls. Small little things only he understood. His little baby feet running all around… a busy body. His soft singing of the rhymes with newly found words. I was getting attached again.

Weekend writing prompt

Image from Here

The long lost days

It was our meeting spot. ‘The infamous five’ we called ourselves. We used to wait impatiently for the clock to strike 4. We raced to the spot as soon as possible. Climbing trees, chatting, running around and just having fun.

Then the worst happened. We grew up and got busy in our lives. The meetings became fewer and members lesser and responsibilities bigger and larger.

But the trees are still the same, so is the bench and the ground beneath. Time seams to be trapped here holding our memories for eternity.

In response toCCC#263

Be a lighthouse!

The one to light a path in the darkness of the night

Be the one to touch a heart in the darkness of the minds

Shed a light on the passing ships

And realise relationships are transitory

Waves of the ocean deep

A reminder of the time ticking by constantly

Standing tall, a solitary existence

A reminder of a life of your own making

Unwavered by tides and storms

Just like your inner existence…blissful peace

Be a lighthouse… show the way

Hurdles are just a momentary play

Understand life is bigger than the tides of challenges

The journey of life is solitary

Be the one and stand up tall

Let your light illuminate

Every being that crosses your route

Life is too short to wollow

Rise up and feel the bliss within…

In response toWhat do you see#214

Doorways

Beach or mountains? Which do you prefer? Why?

The ocean is very deep, yet it cannot contain the water which keeps lapping at the shores. It is a mystery which contains hidden treasures. According to legend the devas and asuras churned the sea for a millennium to recover ” Amrit ” the elixir of life. However poison and other riches too were recovered in the process. It signifies that we should harmonize the positive and negative aspects of our life so as to obtain the elixir of spirituality and real meaning of existence. Being in the presence of the ocean makes us realise the vastness of creation and the impermanent nature of every passing moment similar to the waves.

The mountains are an immovable, still existence, however just standing in front of one makes us humbled. It makes us realise that we are small and insignificant in comparison to nature. Mountains are believed to be a place where gods reside and inorder to get there we need to traverse the entire length of the hill. They are believed to be a symbol of strength and divinity. It signifies that to reach the apex of our spiritual well being we need to cross the paths which are uncharted and trodden with thorns, and ridden with challenges. However once the peak is reached the journey acquires meaning and is worth the effort.

Both beaches and mountains are by themselves marvels of nature. Both impart the same teachings but using different techniques. Nature reaches out to us through multiple doorways like the ocean, mountains, rains, seasons, trees and animals however we are so engrossed in our selves and our lives that we are not able to grasp and utilize the grace that surrounds us. Divinity is all around us we only need to develop the skills to perceive and experience it.

Image from google

Instinct

Do you trust your instincts?

Food, clothing and the like are not anything special for beings, but the sense of shame (in doing wrong) is what is special to mankind’.

One of the 1330 couplets of the world-famous Tamil classic, tirukkuraL, written in the first century A.D.

Man is believed to have two kinds of instincts,  the animal instinct and the divine instinct.

The four basic instincts common to man and animals is fighting, fleeing, feeding and mating. These instincts help us in survival in the world.

The divine instinct is very rarely seen, and the persuit of this instinct is spirituality. The gut feeling that guides our actions is one such example. The divine instinct keeps us on the path of Dharma, which can be loosely translated as responsibility and keeps us moving towards our inner nature that is divinity.

However being so immersed in the outer world and external urges we fail to pay attention to the small inner voice that guides us or scolds us when we are wrong. It is necessary that we get attuned to this guiding light within us so that we do not cause harm to anyone and can lead a happy and guilt free life.