As trees are burning in the Amazonian forest, I am slowly raising my awareness around the horror of Brazilian politics and corporate interests involved. I have to admit, I was fairly ignorant to begin with…The next question that naturally comes is what to do. Perhaps, rather than casting blame and anger, one useful thing that we can all do in the face of current events is to make changes in our own ‘garden’.
Read MoreAn old farmer had worked his crops for many years. One day his horse ran away. Upon hearing the news, his neighbours came to visit. “Such bad luck,” they said sympathetically. “Maybe,” the farmer replied…
Read MoreHe who knows why can bare any how.
Read MoreFriends and yoga students often share with me that they would love to build a meditation habit, but they find it difficult. Indeed, meditation takes commitment and, for many of us, it is uncomfortable to begin with.
When commitment is required, I find that deep motivation comes with understanding why we do it. Today’s Seeds of Insight is dedicated to this question.
Read MoreWe look at the lives of inspiring people and we wonder what power guides them to achieve what they do. Leonardo Da Vinci, Mozart, Einstein, Jesus Christ, Mary Magdalene, Buddha, Van Gogh, Rumi, Joan D’Arc and on and on - they all lived extraordinary lives of full dedication to their mission. How? Rod Stryker, author of “The Four Desires”, suggests that what sets them apart is their alignment with their life purpose.
Read MoreWhen this question arises, no answer feels right, at least not to my limited mind. In the 1970s, the L/L Research group was formed in the US by a bunch of researchers to channel extraterrestrial intelligence. In the transcripts of their sessions, a multi-dimensional being called the Ra group revealed the wisdom of the Law of One and a beautiful answer to this existential question.
Read MoreAllowing everything to be as it is - especially feelings - without acting out or collapsing in, without disengaging or overindulging is a challenging skill, at least for me. Yet, when I look back at my 34 years of walking on this planet, I feel eternally grateful for the biggest crises, the hardest moments, the loss of loved ones.
Can you relate to this? Curses that turned into blessings in disguise pave all of our existence. Life weaves events in intelligent tapestry that we can never fully understand and if we trusted that process completely, then we would feel fulfilled even when all circumstances seemingly point to the opposite.
Read MoreWe spend much of our lives and energy accumulating more - more knowledge, more money, more achievements, more experiences, more power, more control, even more suffering. If we honestly examine this tendency for “more”, we will see that at the source of it lies our mind’s attempt to avoid an old grief - the grief of betraying our true Self.
Read MoreWhen the desire for freedom from all suffering arises, the next thought that usually comes is “What to do?” Our mind is looking for a new skill to acquire, a new problem to solve, a new practice to master.
With that, new bondage is created as we naturally transfer our old habits of grasping to a fresh and more noble goal of liberation. Can you relate to this?
Read MoreIt is said that when we come into this world, we take on a veil of illusion. And that illusion is “I am Somebody” - a physical body separate from the rest of the universe. From that separation, suffering arises. Is this the deeper meaning of the Biblical story of the Original Sin? An extract from the book “From Fixation to Freedom” by Eli Jaxon-Bear.
Read MoreWhen our teachers speak of Silence in a spiritual context, they mean something bigger, quieter and closer to us than simple lack of words.
Read MoreA couple of weeks ago, I spoke about True meditation - the practice of letting go of any form of control and allowing the experience to be as it is. Today’s post is a follow-up to take us one step further into the practice of Self-inquiry. Who are we? How to inquire into our true nature - a dialogue with Sri Ramana Maharshi.
Read MoreI spent most of my grown up life thinking that I am a human being (sometimes) having a spiritual experience. But in weeks like the past one, this perspective magically folds onto itself. Every cell in my body KNOWS today that I am an eternal spiritual being having a temporary human experience. And what a relief to be reminded of that!
Read MoreOver the past days, I was asked a few times how to meditate. The simplest and perhaps most frustrating answer is “Don’t do anything”. The following is an attempt to remove the frustration and demystify something that is so natural to us. Yes, Us! Every one of Us. If Freedom is our true Essence, no path is short enough.
Read MoreIt is mental health awareness week - a good time to ask ourselves whether we are aware as a business. In today’s blog we talk about why you should do yoga and meditate at work. Work-related stress has been shown to have huge long-term implications for people and businesses alike. Recent study by Mercer and YouGov shows that 61% (!) of employees in the UK have experienced mental health issues related to work. And while support is offered, it is often inadequate. Mindfulness works and has tremendous proven benefits for healthy individuals too ranging from improved focus, memory and decision making to (most importantly) a sense of joy.
Read MoreSome of our mental constructs seem so old that we can hardly imagine what life would FEEL without them. We may have picked them up in our earliest days, before we even had the ability to describe them in words. And when we step on the mat, sit to meditate or turn towards Peace, we inevitably bring them along. For me, it is the feeling of not being good enough. Can you relate? A welcome reminder that we are all equally good enough to realise the Self in a conversation with Sri Ramana Maharshi.
Read MoreI have always loved the story of Jesus, so I felt compelled to share one of my favourite interpretations by Adyashanti. It is a different and beautiful perspective. He talks about the need to resurrect the Christ in each and every one of us. And that means living life fully, in all of its colours, embracing both joy and pain. Nothing to transcend. Nothing to avoid. This all-embracing interpretation is aligned in spirit with the tantric tradition that Rasa yoga is rooted in.
Read MoreHappy Earth Day, Mother Earth! May we find the wisdom to honour you, look after you, be grateful to you and remember that it is from you we came forth and to you we shall return. May we learn to hold you as warmly and unconditionally as you hold us. May we learn to forgive ourselves and each other as you constantly forgive us. So much love from my heart to yours and a poem by John O'Donohue.
Read MoreA famous diamond thief looks to steal the most exquisite diamond, but unexpectedly fails. This beautiful old story illustrates the nearness of that which we are hopelessly searching for outside of ourselves.
Read MoreSeeds of Insight is a Sunday newsletter with no news. It’s your weekly dose of wisemen’s words, of short stories for the soul, of moments to stop. The first one of these stories is called the Pearl, by my favourite story teller Khalil Gibran.
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