Chinese Proverb

Planting trees

Learning

Chirag Kulkarni

<hr><h4>CHIRAG KULKARNI, Co-Founder and CMO of Medly Pharmacies in the USA, speaks with RISHIKA SHARMA about creating a regular meditation practice, so as to make it a habit. He also shares how meditation has benefited both his personal and professional life.&nbsp;</h4><hr>Q: Hi Chirag. How did you get into meditation?&nbsp;CK: My parents have been practicing meditation since before I was born. I saw a lot of the values first-hand. Growing up, we used to go to the meditation center on Sundays; a lot of my life revolved around the Heartfulness practice, so when I had the opportunity to start meditation for myself, I thought it was well worth it and gave it a shot.&nbsp;Q: We often try things because people we look up to, like family members and friends, are doing it. You were basically surrounded by people who practiced <a href="https://heartfulness.org/magazine/the-forgotten-art-of-journaling" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">meditation</a>. What made you stick with meditation for yourself?&nbsp;CK: I spent a good while in India, and learned from one of the Heartfulness teachers, Chariji. Learning from him first-hand was a good introduction, but I think what made me stick to it was slowly seeing some of the benefits that meditation offered.&nbsp;Like with anything, when you start something, what keeps you going are the small wins that you see on a daily basis. In the beginning, it was probably the ability to sit for a few more minutes, from five minutes to ten minutes to twenty minutes, and more. I really started seeing the benefits of meditation after three to four months of practicing consistently. Small changes, like focus. I would get frustrated very quickly, and that started to improve. I noticed my patience starting to increase.&nbsp;In the grand scheme of things, what really helped me was writing a diary, because I was able to look back and analyze what my thoughts were when I started meditation, what I was feeling when I was meditating, and compare them with what I was feeling three months, seven months, and ten months later. I saw slight improvements even in the way I was behaving.&nbsp;Q: Did those small wins help cement meditation as a tool that you would utilize?&nbsp;CK: Yes. Those small victories led to larger improvements over a period of time.&nbsp;Q: What is it about the Heartfulness practice that makes it so unique? Why would you recommend it to young adults?CK: Self-care for some people might be baking, taking Sunday off and reading a book. Self-care might be doing face masks with your friends, or listening to music. There are so many examples of self-care, and the whole purpose of self-care is that you’re caring for yourself. With meditation, your focus is not only on caring for the mind and body, and all of the related aspects that fit into who you are as a human being, but also the element of the spiritual quotient that people really tend to ignore on a daily basis.&nbsp;Heartfulness is a spiritual practice. Initially, I was less interested in the spiritual aspects, and more interested in the material benefits, like deeper sleep, more focus, getting less angry, getting less agitated, getting less irritated.&nbsp;<hr><img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/habit_meditation2_bdb28b6a10.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-12T06:45:28.352Z" alt="habit-meditation"><hr>Q: It’s almost like meditation is a full cleanse.&nbsp;CK: I think meditation attacks a situation at the root cause. It’s like getting rid of weeds in your garden: one way is to cut the weed, but the most effective way is to take them out by the roots, so that they don’t grow back. It’s similar with meditation. You’re trying to fix what is happening at the depth of yourself.&nbsp;<hr>&nbsp;<hr>An open mind is important. The moment you set expectations around what meditation should be, you limit what it can be. Openness and a growth mindset are two related things that are necessary.&nbsp;&nbsp;<hr><hr>Q: Incorporating any new habit is a challenge. How did you learn to make meditation a priority in your life?&nbsp;CK: With anything in life, you have to start by figuring out what the benefit is. Once you figure that out, then you can figure out what priority it has in your life. In the beginning, meditation might not be a priority, but for me it was an important thing to stick to for a variety of reasons: First, there were people around me who were interested in it, and second, I knew the benefits, both from people who were practicing and from what I was seeing.&nbsp;The question of creating a habit first comes down to having interest. Then, once you have interest, it’s important to talk to people who have made the habit a part of their daily life, and figure out how they did that. From there, it comes down to a willingness to do it. If you prioritize it, you’re going to figure out a way to make it regular. Then it becomes a habit. It becomes second nature, just like brushing your teeth. &nbsp;The thing about habits is that you don’t consciously think about them. For me, meditation became habitual in nature when I really saw the benefits, which was probably in month four or five. Being in an ashram helps you cultivate that regularity that you need to create habits. From there, coming back home was the real test of how to make it a part of my day-to-day life.&nbsp;<hr><img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/habit_meditation3_ea7f340b1c.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-12T06:45:28.268Z" alt="habit-meditation"><hr>Q: What were the roadblocks to meditation becoming habitual?&nbsp;CK: One roadblock is the habit of doing something else instead of meditating first thing in the morning. The second is just natural hindrances that come in the way and prevent you from meditating on a morning-by-morning basis, like getting up ten minutes before your first meeting and not having enough time to get ready. It’s an element of time management, prioritization.&nbsp;Q: How did you overcome those roadblocks?&nbsp;CK: When I talked to people who had made meditation a part of their daily routine, one piece of advice they gave me was to give at least three hours in the morning to focus on yourself, to do things that promote self-care. That’s how I help myself calibrate and decide the time I need to get up to meditate. That develops a level of regularity, like waking up at the same time every day.&nbsp;Q: You must have had interest, as well. What was it about meditation that was so compelling that you had to wake up in the morning to do it?&nbsp;CK: I think interest comes when what you’re seeking is fulfilled. For me, it was seeing the benefits, feeling the peace and calmness after meditation, the refinement of my anger. Those were the things that I was really happy with. Seeing those benefits strengthened my interest in the practice.&nbsp;Q: With what kind of mindset should you approach meditation?CK: An open mind is important. The moment you set expectations around what meditation should be, you limit what it can be. Openness and a growth mindset are two related things that are necessary.&nbsp;<hr><img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/habit_meditation4_901a99541b.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-12T06:45:28.219Z" alt="habit-meditation"><hr>Q: Do you think willpower is important?&nbsp;CK: Hopefully, meditation is something that you enjoy, and because of the benefits that you see when you start practicing, you enjoy those benefits because they bear fruit. I do think it’s natural to exercise a certain amount of willpower throughout a meditative practice, but not necessarily in meditation. The practice of cleaning requires willpower, because you are consciously cleaning something, and that is not as natural as meditation.&nbsp;Q: How did a combination of interest, willpower, and openness support your practice?&nbsp;CK: I think in the beginning, there was some level of willpower required. I wasn’t necessarily seeing the immediate benefits of meditation. I trusted based on what I observed in other people around me. It was important to just get in the chair and sit. That is willpower.&nbsp;Q: Has having a consistent meditation practice impacted your approach to your career and professional life?CK: Yes. There are a variety of different decisions that need to be made. I think having a practice allows you to make decisions in the workplace, and cultivate a working style and environment that support everyone’s mutual growth.&nbsp;<hr>&nbsp;<hr>I would say that it’s a constant practice of connecting with your heart and, as a result, allowing your heart to guide you to make decisions.&nbsp;&nbsp;<hr><hr>Q: How has meditation impacted your interactions and relationships with other people?&nbsp;CK: Meditation, for the most part, has allowed me to become more empathetic. It has helped me to pause, and that leads to more empathy.&nbsp;Q: Interactions between friends and family can be very different from interactions with people in the workplace.&nbsp;CK: I actually think of them as very similar, because in the workplace, you need to be very empathetic. You also need to be empathetic in social situations. You need to be decisive in the workplace, just like you need to be decisive with friends.&nbsp;Q: We’re often told to follow our hearts, but to take our minds with us. What is it about heart-based meditation that has helped you listen to your heart?&nbsp;CK: I would say that it’s a constant practice of connecting with your heart and, as a result, allowing your heart to guide you to make decisions. The mind is fickle, and with that fickleness can come wrong decisions. By tapping into your heart, you create a practice that is more unifying.&nbsp;<hr>&nbsp;<hr>Meditation, for the most part, has allowed me to become more empathetic. It has helped me to pause, and that leads to more empathy.&nbsp;&nbsp;<hr><hr>Q: What is it about Heartfulness that keeps you committed to it?&nbsp;CK: I think it’s the lightness inside, and the pranahuti. There are so many aspects that make Heartfulness compelling.&nbsp;Q: Why are inner peace and refinement important?CK: We live in such a chaotic world that if we focus on the chaos we can get lost. To be able to go within is really important because we all need that space to recharge, regroup, and refocus, especially nowadays. Introspection is important because it is easy for us to do things on a daily basis that are wrong. By stopping and introspecting, we strengthen our ability to make the right decisions.&nbsp;Q: What would you say to anyone who is interested in trying heart-based meditation, but doesn’t know where to start?CK: I would say just sit in a chair and try it. Allow yourself to meditate on your heart for a few minutes, and observe how you feel.&nbsp;&nbsp;<hr>&nbsp;&nbsp;<hr><h4 style="text-align:center;">Interviewed by RISHIKA SHARMA llustrations by ANANYA PATEL</h4>&nbsp;<hr>

Create the habit of meditation

Chitra is an Indian-born American author, poet, and the Betty and Gene McDavid Professor of Writing at the University of Houston Creative Writing Program. Her short story collection, Arranged Marriage, won an American Book Award and two of her novels, as well as a short story, have been adapted into films.

chitra-banerjee-divakaruni.jpg

Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni

Meeting phenomenal women

Heartfulness_Logo_new.png

Chitra Madhavi

<hr><h4>CHITRA MADHAVI shares a young person’s perspective on relationships.</h4><hr>The word ‘relationship’ can mean many things. It may be the bond between a mother and son, sister and brother, friends or acquaintances. It may be a romance, a teacher-student relationship, a professional relationship, or even a connection with a person we meet once in our life, or speak to over the phone. It encompasses all the connections people share.It is also a term used to describe the way in which people treat each other. Each relationship shared is unique. For example, the way we behave with a teacher is definitely different from the way we behave with an aunt. But also the way we interact and feel around two different teachers can also be very different. For any relationship to develop in a healthy way, we need to trust, accept, be open-minded, loyal, kind, make good memories, wish well, respect, be reliable, communicate, understand and of course love the ‘other’ in the relationship. But thankfully, all these qualities need not be forcefully imbibed; they can become a part of us naturally as we spend time with the other person.When we think of relationships, we usually associate them with others. We rarely consider a relationship with ourselves. I believe it is one of the most important bonds we can have, as it becomes the foundation or basis for all the other relationships we have.To maintain a healthy relationship with ourselves we need faith in the choices we make, we need to love ourselves and learn to enjoy our own company. How to empathize with ourselves when things don’t go the way we expect? How to communicate with ourselves, in the sense of not being afraid to live according to the values we feel are important? How to accept our flaws and not try to hide them? And as we learn to respect ourselves we discover who we truly are, and begin to use our abilities to the full potential. Then our so-called flaws don’t hold us back at all, but make us original. Truly and simply extraordinary.<hr>&nbsp;<hr><h4 style="text-align:center;">Article by CHITRA MADHAVI</h4>&nbsp;<hr>

Relationships

Chris is a clinical psychologist and lecturer at Harvard Medical School. He is a co-developer of the Mindful Self-Compassion program, author of a number of books and a founding faculty member of the Institute for Meditation and Psychotherapy and the Center for Mindfulness and Compassion, Cambridge Health Alliance, Harvard Medical School.


chrisgerman.jpg

Chris Germer

<h4 style="text-align:justify;">DR CHRIS GERMER is a clinical psychologist, meditation practitioner, author and teacher of mindfulness and compassion in psychotherapy and everyday life. He is the co-developer of the Mindful Self-Compassion training program. Here AMIR IMANI interviews him during a webinar for mindfulness practitioners.</h4>An informal definition of self-compassion is: Treating ourselves with the same kindness and understanding as we would treat a dear friend in the midst of suffering.Q: I am very happy and delighted to have you with us Chris, to speak about Mindful Self-Compassion.CG: Thank you. It’s an honor to be speaking right now with everyone.Q: You’re a psychotherapist. You teach and lecture at Harvard University, and you are the co-developer of Mindful Self-Compassion with Kristin Neff. I hear that you and Kristin have also released a new workbook on self-compassion.&nbsp;I have been reading your book on self-compassion and it gives me the feeling of how important it is in our lives. Somehow personally, when I’m reading your book, I feel that mindfulness that is not softened by self-compassion is dry and clinical without heart. So to me this is such an important topic to cover, and I’m happy you’re here to talk to us about it.CG: Thank you, Amir. Well, I appreciate Saki Santorelli’s expression that love, kindness and compassion should be echoing through our awareness, through mindfulness. And as you were talking about this, it was clear to me that it is echoing through your awareness. I appreciate your sensibility about this.What I have found in my own personal life is that sometimes when we’re confronted with really difficult situations, really difficult emotions, we need to actively practice compassion and self-compassion, or else we cannot be mindful. As a clinical psychologist, all the time we’re dealing with really difficult emotions – with shame, despair, dread, fear – intense emotions. And when they come up, in order to be able to live within our own bodies and selves, and with others, we need a lot of compassion.Rumi once said: Close your eyes. Fall in love. Stay there.It’s such a beautiful thing to say! Sometimes when we close our eyes and we see something good, we fall in love; in other words we have appreciation for the miracle of life. But when difficult emotions come, like when we feel shame or despair or fear, then we actually cannot stay in love, because we feel disgust. We want to get away. In other words, we can’t fall in love and stay there. So what does it take to actually stay there in our own experience? That’s self-compassion practice.<img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/self_compassion2_7e2edb3e33.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-05T11:29:24.292Z" alt="self-compassion2">It’s a great struggle sometimes to remain compassionate toward oneself and toward others at such times, because we do feel intense emotions, but I do think that selfcompassion can help. In order to grow in compassion for others we actually first need to grow in compassion for ourselves. That means:We first need to know what we’re experiencing in a spacious way. That’s mindfulness.We also need to be able to see that we’re not alone. That’s what we call common humanity: a sense of ‘we’re together’ and ‘just like me’.And then the third part is self-kindness. In other words, we actually need to learn to be as kind to ourselves as we are to others.So these are the three components of self-compassion that have been identified by Kristin Neff who began the scientific study of self-compassion in 2003.<hr><h5 style="text-align:center;">An informal definition of self-compassion is:&nbsp; Treating ourselves with the same kindness&nbsp; and understanding as we would treat&nbsp; a dear friend in the midst of suffering.</h5><hr>Self-compassion is not new; it’s been with us as long as humanity has been here. But it is now more clearly understood as an inner resource, like mindfulness, that allows us to be healthy mentally and physically and to thrive. And the three components of self-compassion that Kristin identified are: mindfulness, common humanity, and self-kindness.In this series you’ve been learning a lot about mindfulness, which is generous, spacious, moment-to-moment awareness; to be with things as they are, in a steady way. That’s the first part of self-compassion – knowing when we’re struggling. What’s really important, though, is the element of self-kindness when it’s hard to be mindful. So an informal definition of self-compassion is: Treating ourselves with the same kindness and understanding as we would treat a dear friend in the midst of suffering.I would like you to think for a moment, as a mental reflection, about those times when something goes wrong in the life of a dear friend or someone you love. They suffer, or they fail, or they feel inadequate, and you have just a few moments with this person. What do you feel inside when you discover they are struggling? What is your attitude? And what kinds of words are you likely to say to your friend at that time? Take a moment to think about it. I think you can get a feeling for that.The next question is: Think of a situation when you are failing, when you suffer, when you feel inadequate, or when something really doesn’t go right. How do you treat yourself? What kinds of feelings emerge towards yourself? What kinds of words do you say to yourself? What is your posture? How do you sit when you have failed or you’re suffering? Take a moment to think about it.You probably notice a difference. The vast majority of people are so much kinder to other people when they’re suffering than to themselves. Usually we beat up on ourselves, we feel alone, we feel ashamed and we distract ourselves. We can’t take it when it’s us.<hr><h5 style="text-align:center;">What I have found in my own personal life&nbsp; is that sometimes when we’re confronted&nbsp; with really difficult situations, really difficult emotions,&nbsp; we need to actively practice compassion and self-compassion</h5><hr>So self-compassion simply means being able to have that same attitude toward ourselves as we do toward others when they’re struggling. Now, this is not so easy to do. And the reason why it’s not so easy to do is because we are so closed to ourselves. In other words, we don’t have space. When we’re with a friend, we have a little space, but when we’re with ourselves there is no space, so we just react in a fearful way.Self-compassion really is a very humble undertaking. All we’re doing is including ourselves in our circle of compassion. In the same way we treat a family member or a friend or a pet – any living creature that we’re kind to – we treat ourselves the same way. This is all we’re doing.Still, we will always be more compassionate toward others. There are obstacles to self-compassion: some people think that it will make them selfish, that it will make them lose motivation, become absorbed in self-pity, or make them weak or self-indulgent. These are common myths about self-compassion, because the research shows that it’s actually the opposite.There are now 1,600 articles in the scientific literature on self-compassion. Over and over, it has been demonstrated to be a very powerful factor for mental health, for physical health, for reduced anxiety, for reduced depression, for healthier habits, better relationships and even wisdom. People who are high in self-compassion are also high in wisdom.<img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/self_compassion4_91893d215d.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-05T11:30:01.065Z" alt="self-compassion4">More specifically, people who are high in self-compassion have emotional resilience. When things go wrong they bounce back more easily. When they make mistakes, they’re also more likely to admit their mistakes and work hard to fix them. In their relationships, they are actually more compassionate to others. They are not more selfish; instead they’re more compassionate to others.Most interestingly, people who are high in self-compassion are more motivated to achieve their goals. In other words, their standards are as high as people who are low in selfcompassion, but they have more motivation to reach their goals because they’re motivating themselves with kindness. They’re not beating themselves up with a stick. So selfcompassion is a very, very good thing even though we often worry that it isn’t. And if you practice selfcompassion, you’ll actually see how it will improve your life.<hr><h5 style="text-align:center;">People who are high in self-compassion are also high in wisdom.&nbsp; More specifically, people who are high in self-compassion have emotional resilience.</h5><hr>So then the question is: How do I practice self-compassion? Many people think, “Oh, I need to meditate,” and actually meditation helps. Meditation is one method – like when you want to strengthen your body, you go to the gym and lift heavy weights. You focus on developing the skill, like the skill of Mindfulness or the skill of self-compassion.You can also practice self-compassion in daily life. The way to do it is to ask yourself a question that you’re likely to ask somebody whom you truly love. That question is: What do you need? When somebody else is suffering, the words will come: “What do you really need?” When we’re suffering we usually don’t ask ourselves that question, but if we do, and answer it from the heart, we will be practicing self-compassion.But people usually think, “I don’t know what I need!” Then we can break it down a little. For example:If you’re feeling afraid, ask yourself, “What do I need to feel safe?”If you’re physically under stress, you can ask, “What do I need to soothe myself?” Maybe I need to take a warm bath, or maybe I need to exercise.If you’re emotionally stressed, you can ask, “What do I need to comfort myself emotionally?” Maybe you need to walk in nature. Practice kindful resting. Being in nature.Or maybe you need to listen to music to comfort yourself emotionally or to soothe yourself physically.Another way to ask the question, “What do I need?” is to ask, “What do I need to do to validate myself?” In other words, maybe you need to acknowledge that “This is really hard.” Maybe nobody has ever said that to you. Maybe you’ve never said that to yourself. So, what do I need to comfort myself, soothe myself, validate myself?But that’s only half the picture! That is the area of nurturing and nourishing. Sometimes you will need to support yourself to move into the world. Here you can ask, “What do I need to protect myself?” Maybe you need to say, “No!” That’s often a very compassionate thing to do.Or to provide for yourself, maybe you need to eat well or care for your body or sleep more. You can ask, “What do I need to provide for myself?”And sometimes we need to ask, “What do I need to motivate myself?” Sometimes the best thing we need to do is to get out and do something that we’ve avoided. How do we do that? With self-compassion we do that with encouragement. With self-compassion we invite, we talk to ourselves in a way like, “You can do this. You definitely can do this. You’ve done things like this before. This is not easy, but you can do it.”So, what do I need?Behavioral self-compassion is the foundation of selfcompassion. Actually, how are you accompanying yourself in your daily life? As a friend or an enemy? We want to be a friend – that is self-compassion.Now those of you who have a contemplative attitude and would like to meditate, there are many different meditations you can try for free, that you can download from my website, <a href="https://chrisgermer.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">www.chrisgermer.com</a>, and this new workbook also has a lot of things. But what I would like to do is introduce you to a brief practice called the Self-compassion Break. It takes five minutes. It is an exercise that you can do any time of the day or night. It consists of the three components of self-compassion: Mindfulness, common humanity and self kindness.In daily life you can also do just one of these components: the mindful part, the common humanity part, or the selfkindness part. What I will do now is give you an experience of using language to activate self-compassion within yourself.<img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/self_compassion3_7ce3886193.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-05T11:30:42.351Z" alt="self-compassion3"><h4>SELF-COMPASSION BREAK</h4><a href="https://chrisgermer.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://chrisgermer.com/</a>When you notice that you’re feeling stress or emotional discomfort, see if you can find the discomfort in your body. Where do you feel it the most? Make contact with the sensations as they arise in your body. Now, say to yourself, slowly:“This is a moment of suffering.” That’s mindfulness. Other options include:• This hurts. • Ouch! • This is stressful.“Suffering is a part of life.” That’s common humanity. Other options include:• I’m not alone. Others are just like me. • We all struggle in our lives. • This is how it feels when a person struggles in this way.Now, put your hands over your heart, or wherever it feels soothing, feeling the warmth and gentle touch of your hands.Say to yourself: “May I be kind to myself.” Another way of saying this is, “May I give myself what I need.” See if you can find words for what you need in times like this. That’s selfkindness. Options may include:• May I accept myself as I am • May I learn to accept myself as I am • May I forgive myself • May I be strong • May I be patient • May I live in loveIf you’re having difficulty finding the right words, imagine that a dear friend or loved one is having the same problem. What would you say to this person? If your friend would have just a few words in mind, what would you like those words to be? What message would you like to deliver, heart to heart? Now see if you can offer the same message to yourself.To be continuedEdited for publication. Listen to the full interview at https://m.facebook.com/pg/cfmin/videos/<hr><h4 style="text-align:center;">Interviewed by AMIR IMANI</h4><hr>

The power of self-compassion - part 1

Self-compassion

The power of self-compassion - part 2

Chris Mills is a practitioner and instructor of Heartfulness Meditation, which he has been practicing for nearly three decades. Chris has traveled throughout North American and Europe facilitating meditation workshops to enhance innovation, creativity, and conscious living. Chris also consults with businesses on development of relaxation and meditation programs as part of their overall health and wellness initiatives. Chris is a Director of Marketing at Anthem.


Chris-Mills-web.jpg

Chris Mills

<h4>In this interview, CHRIS MILLS shares with us his ideas on bringing heart back into corporate culture.</h4><hr><hr><h5 style="text-align:center;">I don’t approach work, family life and spiritual life as being separate and different from each other. It’s all part of the same stream. My meditation and spiritual life interact closely with my relationships at work and at home. For me, it’s not ‘material’ or ‘spiritual’ – it’s really just who I am.</h5><hr><h4><img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/Chris_Mills_HR_img_36d3cf1d3d.jpg?updated_at=2023-03-31T11:14:14.159Z" alt="ChrisMillsHR">Q: Tell us about your everyday working,&nbsp;family life. How do you spend your time?</h4>CM: I am married with two growing children and three poodles that bark a lot. And I’m the marketing director for a large healthcare company, so that means I spend a lot of my time shuffling between work and raising my kids. I am also a teacher and facilitator for Heartfulness meditation, which I have been practicing for over 20 years. And if there’s free time, I like to walk on the beach and spend time in nature whenever I can. I also like to read a lot about spirituality and metaphysics – it’s certainly an interesting time to be alive from this perspective.<h4>Q: You mentioned meditation. Why do you meditate?</h4>CM: The main reason I meditate is because it makes me feel centered, calm and balanced. There is a peace that comes with meditation that cannot easily be explained, but it certainly can be felt. When I started practicing meditation back in the ’90s, within a few weeks I began to foster a feeling inside that was ‘more-ish’ – I simply wanted more and more of that feeling. Back then I also developed this single idea that has never left me: meditation is one of the primary keys to figuring out life. I believe this concept more now than even back then.With meditation, complexities began to drop off – for instance anger has reduced and I think I’m easier to live with. Meditation has calmed me down and at the same time it’s made it easier for me to get things done. All of this&nbsp;has given me more confidence in dealing with life.<hr><h5 style="text-align:center;">Meditation directly affects the number one issue for the corporate employee, and that is the cumulative negative effects from constant pressure to perform in what can be a very difficult work environment – stress.</h5><hr><h4>Q: For you, is there a duality in having an&nbsp;everyday working life and pursuing self development&nbsp;through meditation? How do&nbsp;they go together?&nbsp;</h4>CM: There is part of me that would love to run off to a mountaintop and just meditate while over-looking the earth. But we have responsibilities down here at the bottom of the hill. So I don’t approach work, family life and spiritual life as being separate and different from each other. It’s all part of the same stream. My meditation and spiritual life interact closely with my relationships at work and at home. For me, it’s not ‘material’ or ‘spiritual’ – it’s really just who I am. And I think that is reflected in my approach to work. Did you see the original Karate Kid movie? There was a scene when Mr Miyagi had the Karate Kid complete simple tasks – ‘wax on’ and ‘wax off’ – until the boy perfected these very simple movements with poise, love, respect and skill. That is how I try to approach whatever responsibility I have. It may be a presentation to senior executives, building a quarterly budget, or just washing the dishes. Wax on. Wax off. Meditation has made me a bit more ‘Zen’ in my approach to life. I experience the beauty and harmony in relationships and task at work and at home – even if it does not seem perfect on the outside.<h4>Q: What are some of the greatest challenges for the corporate world in the 21st century?</h4>CM: For the past year we have been working with corporations on corporate meditation and relaxation programs. These programs have been very well received by both management and employees. The reason they have been well received is because meditation directly affects the number one issue for the corporate employee, and that is the cumulative negative effects from constant pressure to perform in what can be a very difficult work environment – stress. Most employees are faced with nearly overwhelming challenges. For instance, you take a vacation to relax and you come back to hundreds of emails. And there are constant pressures from competitors, cost-cutting&nbsp;measures and ongoing changes that keep people unsettled. As employees, we are expected to thrive in this culture. I think stress may be the greatest challenge for the corporate employee in the 21st century. But there is one simple practice that can directly reduce stress, and that is meditation. The science is out on that.<hr><h5 style="text-align:center;">I think it is by cultivating love – and by becoming love. And we learn to do that by connecting with our heart. And we connect with our heart by meditating on the heart. Let’s put some love and heart back into work. That will change the work environment. It will change our relationships.</h5><hr><h4>&nbsp;</h4><h4>Q: The corporate world has a pretty bad reputation for being a place of aggressive competition and heartless self-promotion. How do you see putting heart back into the environment, given that people spend so much of their lives at work?</h4>CM: I immediately think of a quote from The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran: “Work is love made physical.” And how do you work with love, particularly in a corporate culture? I think it is by cultivating love – and by becoming love. And we learn to do that by connecting with our heart. And we connect with our heart by meditating on the heart. Let’s put some love and heart back into work. That will change the work environment. It will change our relationships. It will change how we answer the phone… how we check our emails…how we interact with people, and it will change how we interact with our own selves. Wax on. Wax off.<hr><hr><h4 style="text-align:center;">Interviewed&nbsp;by&nbsp;ELIZABETH DENLEY</h4><hr>

Wax on. Wax off.

Christian is Professor of Painting at the Academy of Fine Arts, Dresden, Germany. He studied painting with Maria Lassnig in Vienna, and lived in Rome and Berlin before taking up his current post in Dresden. He is a Heartfulness trainer.



Christian-Macketanz.jpg

Christian Macketanz

<hr class="vertical-space1">



<h3 class="has-text-align-center" id="h-an-art-essay">AN ART
 ESSAY</h3>



<hr class="vertical-space1">



<h4 id="h-christian-macketanz-explains-the-creative-process-behind-the-paintings-in-his-exhibition">CHRISTIAN MACKETANZ explains the creative process
 behind the paintings in his exhibition.</h4>



<hr class="vertical-space1">



The content of my paintings has always been our human traits. The best human qualities are found as well as our
 basest weaknesses; simply everything that affects us both externally and internally.



The people in my pictures are making honest efforts, often in spite of enormous obstacles, so I truly feel for them.




<hr class="vertical-space1">



<div class="text-center">
 <figure><img decoding="async" width="700" height="468" alt="" class="lazyload has-img-center"
 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/patience_and_observation2_700x468_cc07a56cdd.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-11T05:14:40.013Z">
 </figure>
</div>



<hr class="vertical-space1">



<div class="text-center">
 <figure><img decoding="async" width="700" height="468" alt="" class="lazyload has-img-center"
 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/patience_and_observation3_700x468_a88f821099.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-11T05:18:39.890Z">
 </figure>
</div>



<hr class="vertical-space1">



<div class="text-center">
 <figure><img decoding="async" width="700" height="468" alt="" class="lazyload has-img-center"
 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/patience_and_observation4_700x468_2fc05e2d55.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-11T05:22:09.530Z">
 </figure>
</div>



<hr class="vertical-space1">



Sometimes their strivings are so grotesque that it feels ridiculous. Even so, I’m not in a position to help them.



It’s not up to me whether their efforts are successful or not. This lies in the eye, the mind, and especially the
 heart of the patient observer.



So, the fate of the people in my paintings is decided, and their story is created, by the viewer alone.



Patience and looking closely are necessary … especially because these are not motion pictures.



Painting has always been a means for me to go beyond the limits of knowing and understanding.



<hr class="vertical-space1">



<div class="text-center">
 <figure><img decoding="async" width="700" height="309" alt="" class="lazyload has-img-center"
 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/patience_and_observation5_700x309_7718e4d04d.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-11T05:23:14.089Z">
 </figure>
</div>



<hr class="vertical-space1">



<div class="text-center">
 <figure><img decoding="async" width="700" height="309" alt="" class="lazyload has-img-center"
 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/patience_and_observation6_700x309_965c73f43b.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-11T05:24:17.223Z">
 </figure>
</div>



<hr class="vertical-space1">



<div class="text-center">
 <figure><img decoding="async" width="700" height="309" alt="" class="lazyload has-img-center"
 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/patience_and_observation7_700x309_e32ca8eb31.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-11T05:25:41.616Z">
 </figure>
</div>



<hr class="vertical-space1">



From the simplest graffiti to the most elaborate painting there is always someone behind it who has left the realm of
 thought, using a meager two-dimensional means of expression, who has put everything into that image.



Again and again, I’m amazed at how modest the undertaking of painting can be. It requires only minimal materials,
 hardly any space, and no knowledge.



<hr class="vertical-space1">



<div class="text-center">
 <figure><img decoding="async" width="700" height="309" alt="" class="lazyload has-img-center"
 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/patience_and_observation8_700x309_a833cdc441.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-11T05:26:38.929Z">
 </figure>
</div>



<hr class="vertical-space1">



<hr>



<h4 class="has-text-align-center">Art by CHRISTIAN MACKETANZ</h4>



<hr>

Patience and observation

<hr><h4>CHRISTIAN MACKETANZ is an artist and Professor of Painting at the Academy of Fine Arts, Dresden, Germany. He shares his love of Nature and creativity, and how they both relate to the spiritual aspect of existence.</h4><hr><img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/creativity_art3_eb3351ab61.jpg" alt=""><hr>As a boy, I spent a lot of time in nature in my northern German homeland. Whether with my friends or alone with my dog, I spent hours after school in the forest or in the wide fields. I always felt a deep connection and a kind of equality or oneness with the trees, plants, animals, insects, and even the air in which everything moved – the wind and the rustling leaves, the Earth – simply all the phenomena of nature. When the wind came, I could hear how it first went from the East into the pine forest, then into the mixed forest, and then over me toward the West into the leafless beech forest, creating its own specific sounds.<hr><img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/creativity_art4_70eef77a4d.jpg" alt=""><hr>The wide sky and its colors always filled me with a kind of wanderlust that I was later to identify as spiritual homesickness. I never felt lonely in Nature but instead found comfort in it.As a young student in Vienna, I went by tram as often as possible to the undeveloped nature at the city limits, which calmed my restless, agitated, and electrified mind.A little later, in my mid-20s, after starting a heart-based meditation practice, I lived for two to three years in a farming area 60 kilometers from Vienna. I helped with the harvests, fed the ducks, wild boars, and deer daily, and lived with the natural rhythms of Nature, as there was little to no electricity in my dwelling and studio. Whenever the weather allowed, I meditated outside under a tree.<hr><img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/creativity_art5_03dc4842fe.jpg" alt=""><hr><img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/creativity_art6_e6662cb2c2.jpg" alt=""><hr>By this time, my first exhibitions were quite successful, and I regularly delivered paintings to the gallery in Vienna. But otherwise, I had little to no contact with the mechanisms of the art market, and the demands on young artists to propagate and communicate creative processes, artistic will, and its ambitions. Instead, I developed the understanding and awareness that there is only one real “creativity” in the literal sense, and that is Mother Nature.Indeed, it is only here that real creation takes place, at which we can marvel and witness with constant fascination and admiration. What we call creativity, or art par excellence, seems to me to be more a play, or perhaps an interpretation of our world of experience and knowledge. Perhaps a mixture of both, interwoven in the web of opposites and their references. In this respect, it could perhaps be considered a modest, interpretive creativity.&nbsp;<hr><img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/creativity_art7_bd54779b99.jpg" alt=""><hr><img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/creativity_art8_c077c71310.jpg" alt=""><hr><img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/creativity_art9_a284fccba2.jpg" alt=""><hr><hr><h4>I developed the understanding and awareness that&nbsp; there is only one real “creativity” in the literal sense,&nbsp; and that is Mother Nature.</h4><hr><hr>Immersion and surrendering to an interpretation of our world of experience and its insights was what the ancient Greeks called the “visitation of the daemon,” the divinity, the inspiring force, and in ancient Rome, the “company of a genius.” There is a kind of humility in these formulations that reflects the hierarchy of creative forces. The daemon was later demonized, and the genius still later demoted to the artist’s ego. And now we are again in search of our role in the relationship with the creative force.There is a beautiful story about a painter-monk in the monastery of Kiev in the late 13th century. A duke commissioned him to paint an icon of Holy Mother Mary. Due to severe illness, he could not leave his cot and even after several inquiries if the painting would be finished in time, he was unable to get up. The night before the arrival of the duke, a celestial light filled the monk’s small cave and an angelic being began and completed the icon. It is said that this is the most beautiful and vivid image of Mother Mary.Now, the question arises: who painted the icon?In my experience, the true answers are often of stunning simplicity. The great saint, Shri Ram Chandra of Shahjahanpur, known as Babuji, once said, “The heart is the playground of Divinity.” So, it seems that we must dive deep into the heart to join and enjoy the creative play of Mother Nature.<hr><img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/creativity_art10_c3ab799cf0.jpg" alt=""><hr><img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/creativity_art11_ad0a0c0082.jpg" alt=""><hr><img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/creativity_art12_4b35c7a11f.jpg" alt=""><hr><hr><h4>Babuji, once said, “The heart is the playground of Divinity.” So,&nbsp; it seems that we must dive deep into the heart to join&nbsp; and enjoy the creative play of Mother Nature.</h4><hr><h4>Artwork by CHRISTIAN MACKETANZ</h4><hr><hr>

Creativity and art

<h4 style="text-align:justify;">CHRISTIAN MACKETANZ offers us an insight into how an artist creates a peaceful work of art, and how true peace goes beyond that possibility.</h4>&nbsp;The instruments of art are opposites, dualities, and complementarities. Light versus darkness, color complementarities, etc. We perceive visually through opposites, and the artist plays with these ingredients.If we perceive any artwork as harmonious or peaceful, it is due to the interaction and ultimately the balance of the dual concepts.Experiencing peace and harmony does not mean that everything runs smoothly and without challenge or friction. Peace and harmony mean recognizing, accepting, and integrating diversity and opposites. It is a momentary, balanced state of consciousness that we can experience, appreciate and actively create within ourselves through meditation. Then the outer world may begin to reflect peace and harmony, and our ability to see the beauty in everything is the beginning.For true peace—inner peace—we transcend and go beyond duality into the inexpressible state of being, where its natural expression is only love.&nbsp;<figure class="image image_resized" style="width:75%;"><img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/instruments_of_art2_32f14c6d66.webp" alt="instruments-of-art2.webp" srcset="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/thumbnail_instruments_of_art2_32f14c6d66.webp 145w,https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/large_instruments_of_art2_32f14c6d66.webp 851w,https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/instruments_of_art2_32f14c6d66.webp 851w," sizes="100vw"></figure>Life-concert shows Buddha, Jesus, and Lord Krishna with Mirabai in concert.&nbsp; Painted in Dusseldorf, Germany, in 2024.&nbsp;<figure class="image image_resized" style="width:75%;"><img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/instruments_of_art3_8bca93a711.webp" alt="instruments-of-art3.webp" srcset="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/thumbnail_instruments_of_art3_8bca93a711.webp 145w,https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/large_instruments_of_art3_8bca93a711.webp 600w,https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/instruments_of_art3_8bca93a711.webp 600w," sizes="100vw"></figure>First Mystery shows an image of Saint&nbsp;Therese of Lisieux, with cosmic elements&nbsp; of destruction, creation, and beauty, including a hint to Lord Krishna— the arrow and Krishna wheel. Saint Therese&nbsp;suffered physically a lot,&nbsp; but was a personification of love.&nbsp; Painted in Dresden, Germany, in 2015.<hr><h4 style="text-align:center;">For true peace—inner peace—we transcend and go beyond duality into the inexpressible state of being, where its natural expression is only love.</h4><hr><figure class="image image_resized" style="width:75%;"><img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/instruments_of_art4_9206a3b346.webp" alt="instruments-of-art4.webp" srcset="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/thumbnail_instruments_of_art4_9206a3b346.webp 145w,https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/large_instruments_of_art4_9206a3b346.webp 1000w,https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/instruments_of_art4_9206a3b346.webp 1000w," sizes="100vw"></figure>Saraswati or 5 meters is a&nbsp;westernized&nbsp;image of the river-goddess Saraswati,&nbsp; who represents many things like&nbsp;education,&nbsp;science, art, speech and words.&nbsp; In the Rig Veda, she is the mother of the Vedas. She is generally&nbsp;associated with&nbsp; the river of life, and symbolizes great wisdom and the creation of the universe.&nbsp; Painted in Dresden, Germany, in 2020.<hr><h4 style="text-align:center;">&nbsp;Artworks by CHRISTIAN MACKETANZ</h4><hr>

The instruments of art

Christianna is the Director of Education at the Association for Pre and Perinatal Psychology and Health. With a multidisciplinary approach, Christianna blends various natural therapies and pre- and perinatal psychology into her practice in Charlottesville, Virginia, USA. Her work combines science and spirituality.

christianna-deichmann.jpg

Christianna Deichmann

<h4 style="text-align:justify;">CHRISTIANNA DEICHMANN is the Director of Education at the Association for Pre and Perinatal Psychology and Health (APPPAH), where she educates both professionals and parents on fostering the most nurturing environments for welcoming new life into the world. &nbsp;She is based in Charlottesville, Virginia. With a multidisciplinary approach, Christianna blends Craniosacral Therapy, massage, and pre- and perinatal psychology into her holistic practice. Her work uniquely combines science and spirituality.</h4><h4 style="text-align:justify;">In this interview, Christianna shares her expertise with DR. SNEHAL DESHPANDE, a Developmental Therapist, PPNE, and the Director of Heartfulness Family Connect Programs, offering a rich dialogue on Birth Trauma and Obstetrical Intervention.&nbsp;</h4>&nbsp;Q: When I graduated as a pre- and perinatal educator, I realized that PTSD is big in mothers who have recently delivered, and in babies. It came as a big revelation to me, like a veil that was removed from my eyes. So what is Post Traumatic Stress Disorder? And why is it important to understand it in relation to birth trauma?.CD: I think we really have to understand who we are and where we come from. When we intersect with the spirit realm, our soul, and how it incarnates on this planet, it’s important to understand that we are deeply connected to nature. When we walk in nature, we often feel restored, refreshed, whole, and at peace, yes? We understand that we are intricately linked with nature. Then we observe where the world is today, how mechanical we are, devoid of this sacred respect for our innate connection to nature, then we can really start understanding what trauma is.We look at trauma from a textbook standpoint, that it’s anything that overwhelms the nervous system, anything that’s too much, too fast, too long, or not getting our emotional needs met. But it’s really at the foundational level. Trauma is when we are disconnected from our blueprint, from our soul, from our heart. This is what is so beautiful about the Heartfulness Institute; you get us to go within and connect to the spiritual nature of ourselves, the invisible nature that we can’t see or touch, but we can experience firsthand.I see that every human being has had trauma at the most foundational level, because it is traumatic leaving the spiritual realm. Even if we have the most nurturing, loving environment, let’s say a natural birth, and the mother is so supported and empowered, and the baby is born vaginally, that is still a hardship on the baby and the mother, because there’s a death and a birth all at once.Anyone who’s witnessed a birth feels the power of this energetic portal that opens, and anyone who’s become a mother for the first time understands that something deeply profound happens to their being when they give life, and they let go of part of their own life. That is a trauma.Q: Babuji Maharaj, one of our Heartfulness guides, describes birth as a separation. The soul feels separated, so our life is the journey back toward the source from where it has come. It is sacred; we have to treat birth and the environment around the baby in a very sacred way.As a developmental therapist, I’ve been working with children who are born with problems. As a therapist, if you asked me a couple of years back, the definition of trauma would have been C-section, baby not crying immediately at birth, or the mother undergoing problems. Now, I have walked into pre- and perinatal education. In India we treat the womb as a place where the soul or the consciousness evolves. When this journey has been so sacred, how can we define birth trauma in the dimension of pre- and perinatal psychology?CD:&nbsp;Birth psychology recognizes that babies are conscious. Science has had it a little bit backwards in the last few hundred years; scientists thought that babies didn’t have consciousness, that consciousness comes from brain development. They thought that since babies are so underdeveloped, and as they need a lot of developmental time, that consciousness emerges almost as a hierarchical development of the brain.For eons, mystics and spiritual teachers have known, and other people learn through their life’s journey of remembering who they are, that consciousness is infinite. It doesn’t have a start or a stop. And the womb space that you’re talking about is where this divine spark can individuate from the unified field of consciousness, and then come to experience consciousness separate from this unified field. And that’s our soul’s path, our soul’s journey, our purpose here in life, and our own unique gifts.So babies have consciousness before they’re even conceived. When you can heal any trauma, or let’s say a conditional force that happened, they go on to thrive because these experiences at the beginning of life, our earliest experiences, are what make the hierarchical brain.And what makes our belief system and how we interact with the world? Birth psychologists believe that since babies are conscious, trauma really happens when we don’t recognize that babies are, of their own volition, initiating birth, and that we’re really the servants of babies.Babies should be treated like royalty. Oftentimes, my job is to educate mothers, who haven’t been brought up in the traditional ways of ancient and indigenous cultures, that they are giving up a piece of themselves for the baby to come in. And it’s a dance. It’s a dynamic dance between the mother and the baby.When a mother can listen at the level of the heart, the soul, to her baby, she will take a second seat. Then the baby knows what to do. Nature knows what to do if we can really trust and connect with that. So from the standpoint of birth psychology, trauma is when this bond between a mother and a baby is not recognized as a duo with deep consciousness.<hr><h4 style="text-align:center;">Anyone who’s witnessed a birth feels&nbsp; the power of this energetic portal that opens,&nbsp; and anyone who’s become a mother for the first time&nbsp; understands that something deeply profound&nbsp; happens to their being when they give life, and&nbsp; they let go of part of their own life. That is a trauma.</h4><hr>In today’s world, oftentimes women are not given agency to birth. They are assisted by the staff or the doctor, and the doctor manages the birth. And that’s completely out of order. In and of itself, it causes trauma, it disempowers our children from their own independence and their sense of accomplishment and how they come into the world.A lot of interventions take place today that rob children of this. And a lot of psychological illnesses and lack of health starts from birth, our relationship with how we come in, and how we are designed. I hope this answers your question about what we consider trauma.Q: Absolutely. I see a lot of kids with autism, attention deficit and hyperactivity disorders, and sensory processing disorders. That aroused my interest to do the PPNE. I wanted to look beyond and I knew that the roots of what I’m seeing now did not exist.Now, as you said, it was somewhere when the mother and father even decided or did not decide to have a child, both ways. Sometimes it is an “accident”; parents come to me and say, “We didn’t plan the conception.” So, not planning the conception is again not planning the journey for your baby. And it’s a very sacred journey. It is all about your attitude at the time of conception and before conception.If we want to change the world, we really need to change the bond parents and families have with the babies to come in. How do you look at this? And what are the key benefits of fostering a very strong baby and mother bond very early?&nbsp;CD:&nbsp;This is a big question and you brought up deep topics, so let’s see if we can approach it from Daaji’s perspective. I love that he says it’s all about the attitude at conception. And I study Hermetics. It guides my journey through life. From the Hermetic standpoint, when we think of worth, it actually means to be prepared. One of my teachers in craniosacral therapy, John Chitty, who’s now passed, said that babies are royalty.<hr><h4 style="text-align:center;">Babies should be treated like royalty.&nbsp;</h4><hr>If you have the king or queen coming to your home, what will you do? I live in the United States, and if the president comes by, there’s a whole entourage with secret service protocols. You can’t imagine how much preparation and strategy goes into every move the president makes. Now, do we do this for babies? I think not.The morphogenetic field in which a baby develops is influenced by sound. And every vibration we put in and around a mother, whether it’s electromagnetic fields from a 5G cell phone, to ultrasounds at the hospital, which are constant, are part of the whole protocol, because we don’t trust the body’s ability to grow a baby.&nbsp;<figure class="image image_resized" style="width:50%;"><img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/the_first_imprint2_f682aa0190_a25d6bcc74.jpg" alt="the_first_imprint2_f682aa0190.jpg" srcset="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/thumbnail_the_first_imprint2_f682aa0190_a25d6bcc74.jpg 120w,https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/small_the_first_imprint2_f682aa0190_a25d6bcc74.jpg 386w," sizes="100vw"></figure>&nbsp;We’re in a world of mess because I’ve heard doctors say that by 2035, 85% of children will be on some form of the autism spectrum. That’s wild. That’s scary. Could you imagine our workforce? What will be the gross domestic product if the population is largely debilitated? So, it brings up really important questions of how we connect at a soul level, at a heart level, from the very beginning. We have to prepare how we bring children into the world.To be continued.

The first imprint: understanding PTSD

Trauma as disconnection from the heart

<h4 style="text-align:justify;">CHRISTIANNA DEICHMANN is the Director of Education at the Association for Prenatal and Perinatal Psychology and Health (APPPAH), where she educates both professionals and parents on fostering the most nurturing environments for welcoming new life into the world. She is based in Charlottesville, Virginia, USA. With a multidisciplinary approach, Christianna blends Craniosacral Therapy, massage, and prenatal and perinatal psychology into her holistic practice. Her work uniquely combines science and spirituality.</h4><h4 style="text-align:justify;">In part 2 of this interview, Christianna continues to shares her expertise with DR. SNEHAL DESHPANDE, a Developmental Therapist, PPNE, and the Director of Heartfulness Family Connect Programs, offering a rich dialogue on Birth Trauma and Obstetrical Intervention.</h4>&nbsp;Q: Christianna, when fostering the connection between mother and newborn baby, how can we recognize signs of PTSD in both? Mothers and babies may be experiencing these problems without even realizing it. Often, it’s an issue of connectivity, where mothers feel overwhelmed but don’t recognize the root cause. In what ways might these expressions of PTSD manifest or be felt, particularly when the bond is disrupted?<ul class="todo-list"><li style="text-align:justify;"><label class="todo-list__label"><input type="checkbox" disabled="disabled">CD: Babies communicate with us through their bodies. They communicate to us with their cries. And I see all the time that people are just not aware that babies are conscious and sentient, that they have emotions. Maybe they’re the most basic emotions, but they’re the key emotions. Am I safe? Am I loved? Do I have the right to have needs and have somebody care for me? Do I have the right to feel supported? And society has it that babies are not conscious. Our fast paced life is not attuned to the sacredness or the holiness of human development. So the first thing that you can do in order to connect more is to connect with yourself through <a href="https://heartfulness.org/magazine/mindfulness-heartfulness" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">mindfulness practices</a>, mind-body practices, and slowing down.</label></li></ul>The easiest thing is to breathe. We don’t even breathe consciously. When we consciously breathe, three deep breaths reset the nervous system. As a mother, when you are feeling a little overwhelmed, let your baby know, just as if they’re an older person. Think that they understand because they do. And say, “I’m overwhelmed right now, but this isn’t your fault. This is just me having my own personal feelings. You can let that go.” When you have that kind of two-way conversation with your baby, whether in the womb or right after the birth, it takes a lot of anxiety off your shoulders. You will recognize that your child understands you and really just wants to love you.There’s a lot of need for education about how babies communicate and what their cries mean. Babies have different types of cry for different needs. Mothers can come to understand what those cries are for. Usually if their physical needs are taken care of—you've given them food, you’ve changed their diaper, they’re in comfortable clothes—and they are still crying, then there’s something emotional happening and the emotional needs of the baby have to be addressed. They have a story to tell. I envision a day when we have a world where mothers have returned to the understanding that birth matters and the story that happened continues even after they’re born. It takes time for them to heal from that trauma and all they want to do is share it with somebody.You asked how we know that mothers have postpartum depression or anxiety. There’s lack of sleep, you feel really frustrated, you’re overwhelmed, you’re angry, you don’t want to deal with anything, or you just want to disappear. These are all signs that you need more support. It is the biggest thing we need to do in the postpartum world. In olden times, it took a village. There’d be a circle of women around a mother, and they would mother the mother after she gave birth, so she could focus on recovering the outpouring of chi, her life force. She could focus on her baby and have the team of people around her cooking, cleaning, doing rituals to restore her body, and that for the large part doesn’t happen today. Our postpartum care is mostly to take the baby out of the home in the car to the doctor’s office to check their weight. If you want my opinion, doctors should be making house calls to our most vulnerable population, so mothers don’t have to leave the sacred hearth of their home for those first 40 days after birth. There’s so much disruption that can happen just in the simple journey to go to the doctor’s office in those first few weeks.<hr><h4 style="text-align:center;">It takes time for them to heal&nbsp; from that trauma and all they want to do is share it with somebody.</h4><hr>Q: &nbsp;In the past, the way we welcomed babies was beautiful and made them feel wanted. What you’re discussing is a continuation of that tradition, which is truly remarkable. I have a question related to Kendall-Tackett’s research. How do you think her work has influenced the current understanding and treatment approaches for PTSD related to birth trauma?CD: I love Kathleen Kendall-Tackett, she’s brilliant! She focused on symptoms women were experiencing from seemingly simple things like breastfeeding. Through her research, we’ve come to understand that when a mother is unable to breastfeed, or if the initial bond between mother and baby is interrupted, there’s a domino effect of symptoms that can appear in both. Kathleen realized that these symptoms resemble PTSD. Women could have flashbacks to their birth experience, break out in sweats, and experience thyroid issues, which are quite common among postpartum women. Anxiety, disrupted sleep patterns, and other signs also emerge.<hr><h4 style="text-align:center;">Our fast paced life is not attuned to the sacredness or the holiness of human development.&nbsp; So the first thing that you can do in order to connect more&nbsp; is to connect with yourself through mindfulness practices,&nbsp; mind-body practices, and slowing down.&nbsp;</h4><hr>Kathleen found that many mothers experience these symptoms without getting help, and often they don’t voice their struggles due to societal expectations that they should “just deal with it.” The nuclear family model and the prevalence of single motherhood mean women often don’t have enough support.Today, women are managing full-time jobs, marriages, and motherhood, which are each huge responsibilities, but they’re doing it without the support of a village. This stress has been shown through scientific evidence to be a toxic, detrimental factor during pregnancy, leading to mental health issues, obesity, and other health problems. Kathleen Kendall-Tackett helped lift the veil, showing the scientific community and psychologists that our most vulnerable population—babies—are coming into a world where their mothers are under-supported and burdened with overwhelming stress on their nervous systems.Q: It’s clear that we need to start building communities because, as the saying goes, it takes a village to raise a child. We need to take care of these beautiful souls and create a shift in both mindset and community. So how do different healing modalities such as Craniosacral Therapy, Somatic Experiencing, and Body-Mind-Spirit Awareness help with recovery from birth trauma? And do you think integrating Heartfulness practices into prenatal care can help prevent birth trauma?CD: I believe people should start Craniosacral Therapy even before planning to get pregnant. It helps clear the nervous system and return to what we call the “zero point field” or the original blueprint. It’s similar to Heartfulness practices. If we teach people how to reflect on their day and take regular breaks with <a href="https://heartfulness.org/magazine/asana-2" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">mind-body exercises</a>, like breathing, we can slow the nervous system and align ourselves with natural rhythms. Craniosacral Therapy is one example, but we now have biofeedback and many psychosomatic and energetic modalities that help individuals enter more conscious states—where they are open, curious, and connected to their heart.&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/sacredness_human2_12c0b984b2.webp" alt="sacredness-human2.webp" srcset="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/thumbnail_sacredness_human2_12c0b984b2.webp 159w,https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/small_sacredness_human2_12c0b984b2.webp 500w,https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/medium_sacredness_human2_12c0b984b2.webp 750w," sizes="100vw"></figure><hr><h4 style="text-align:center;">This, I believe, is the best way to deal with today’s challenges—by going within,&nbsp; learning who we really are, and knowing what truly matters to us.</h4><hr>It’s an exciting time to be alive, as quantum physics is now influencing therapeutic modalities, offering tools for all of us to return to our inner selves. This, I believe, is the best way to deal with today’s challenges—by going within, learning who we really are, and knowing what truly matters to us. The more we do this, the more creative and productive we become. I love integrating Heartfulness because anyone can do it, and it can be a daily practice for everyone. In the United States, the HeartMath Institute is showing us the benefits of creating brain-heart coherence, and that’s what Heartfulness is about—connecting mind and body, macrocosm and microcosm, by going within to find the answers that are already inside us.Q: Thank you so much, Christianna, for being with us and braodening our awareness.&nbsp;

The sacredness of human development

Christine Jones

<h4>
 CHRISTINE JONES grew up in an
 Italian-American Catholic family, and in the 1970s she embraced the meditative practices of yoga. Here she explores
 a few jewels from that journey, highlighting that we are all on our own unique path, bringing together the best of
 various backgrounds and cultures.
</h4>



<hr class="vertical-space1">



I grew up in a very cookie-cutter suburb in the USA and attended Catholic school. By the time I was 17, there were
 only two things I was sure of. First, I wanted a gold headboard, because that was my Italian heritage’s
 conditioning. Second, I was likely to go to hell because the nuns told me so.



I remember the first time I meditated in 1978, actually asking Jesus not to send me to hell for doing it. I did it
 anyway, and eventually discovered I was a brave adventurer longing for an untrodden journey.&nbsp;&nbsp;



In 1980, I crossed paths with Ram Chandra, Babuji, the founder of the Heartfulness way. My heart was so deeply moved
 by him in this unforeseen moment. My first thought was, “Why didn’t anyone teach me to look for a saint of today?”
 The only references I had in my repertoire were the Christian saints I had learned about from the nuns. They hadn’t
 prepared me to meet a holy man from India.



The moment I saw him, an inner pearl of wisdom ignited at a soul-to-soul level, and I recognized that he was one of
 them. My second thought was, “I want what you have.” The sudden and unlikely reaction that he silently evoked
 couldn’t be learned in any school.



I slowly re-educated myself through this newfound resource and I have remained a meditator of his method for 44
 years. This study and practice has continued through two other masters after him. The constant that has never
 changed is the continual inner development, its mirroring effect on my personality, and how my worldview has become
 my own.



<hr class="vertical-space1">



<hr>



<h4 class="has-text-align-center"> The constant that has never
 changed is the continual inner development, its mirroring effect on my personality, and how my
 worldview has become my own. </h4>



<hr>



<hr class="vertical-space1">



The things I have learned have been stunning! To have countless spiritual experiences with a living master is a far
 cry from being taught about them in the past. The hidden universe waiting for me within my own heart was something I
 could never have imagined.



I kept pages in journals documenting the unraveling of a simple girl who had no idea what an authentic spiritual life
 had in store for her. Finally, I began to understand that I wasn’t really on a journey, but rather an unearthing of
 a birthright to be claimed.



One of the Heartfulness guides, Chariji, taught me two golden jewels about the spiritual journey. The first is that
 you cannot see growth incrementally, because it comes in unexpected leaps. He added, “Each leap will be
 consecutively bigger than the last one.” The second gem he shared is that the journey is like climbing a mountain,
 sometimes feeling that you will never reach the peak. He smiled and said, “But when you get to the top of that
 mountain and begin going down the other side, it goes really fast!” His hopeful encouragement often felt impossible
 for me to believe.&nbsp;



Throughout the years, I read so much from masters and saints, mystics of the past, and modern self-development gurus.
 I felt like I would never make it to their level on so many occasions, sometimes reaching the point of exhaustion.
 But I kept going and never gave up.&nbsp;



When the pandemic entered our lives in 2020, it felt like my security blanket was unceremoniously taken away from me.
 Suddenly, everyone’s life changed. I found myself being dared to be alone in new ways. I decided to dive deeper into
 my meditation practice, and the journey. There are references to a journey through the 7 chakras in other practices,
 whereas in Heartfulness there are 16 of them.



Babuji often calls them points. I systematically went through one of these points each day for a week at a time. The
 entire process of navigating the inner journey took me almost 4months. I then extended my exploration to the 23
 circles that Babuji also documented in his research. This took another three months. Finally, I began to observe my
 intellect transmuting into intelligence and evoking an assured wisdom in such a way that I could no longer entertain
 the feeling of doubt. It really ignited after the second round of doing this inner work when a significant turning
 point happened all on its own.&nbsp;



The instruction came from deep within:&nbsp;



“The Role of the Talent is to stay hidden within the role.”



<hr class="vertical-space1">




<figure><img decoding="async" width="500" height="750" alt="" class="lazyload has-img-center"
 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/Trusting_My_Heart2_dd458ac9d4.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-11T12:45:31.202Z">
</figure>




<hr class="vertical-space1">



By acquainting myself skillfully with each aspect of the points and circles of the inner journey, I developed a
 capacity to partner with the conditioning of opposites instead of the resistance they offered. As a result, a
 peaceful balance remained without needing to defend anything contrary. By co-operating with the unraveling of a
 point and accepting it, good or bad, I understood why Babuji didn’t refer to them as chakras, often naming the
 points as “knots.” Intuitively, I knew these knots would flower into a chakra only when there was no resistance to
 “what is” left in me. It was my leap over the mountain top.



Ironically, the “Peace that surpasses all understanding,” taught to me in Catholic school, came to fruition through
 my study of yoga. But yoga is much more fundamental than that. I believe, it took lifetimes of intense interest for
 this cycle to complete itself.&nbsp;



Most spiritual seekers know that Yoga means union, to join. I began to experience a resonance, an undercurrent making
 its way through my spiritual anatomy. I understood that what I am really joining with is that mysterious original
 simplicity that came before creation.



I grasped from within why the role of the talent stays hidden within the role, for the ultimate union is with the
 uncreated Self.



My vision is now focused on what is beyond the dual concepts that lay conditioned in the chakras.



Have I arrived there yet? Probably not.



Is there really a place to arrive? I suspect there isn’t.



After a lifetime of commitment, day in and day out, I have finally arrived at trusting my heart. The years of inner
 research made me no longer afraid to be an original thinker. And I’m pretty confident, hell doesn’t exist after all!




<hr class="vertical-space1">

The things I have learned have been stunning!

Christine began her spiritual journey at the age of 24 with an overland trip to India, where she met her teacher in 1972. She has been a Heartfulness practitioner and trainer ever since. She has been an editor for 35 years, and also a university administrator at Simon Fraser University, Vancouver, Canada.



Christine-Prisland.jpg

Christine Prisland

<h4>CHRISTINE PRISLAND finds humor in the challenges experienced in marriage, thanks to some well-timed advice that put everything into perspective.</h4><hr>Cultural diversity comes in many shapes, forms, actions, and reactions in all relationships, and it is not always visible or apparent.My husband grew up in the suburbs of Chicago. I was born to an English mum and Canadian dad and lived in a small town in western Canada. Not too diverse, you would think! But our differing temperaments, expectations, assumptions, upbringings, environments, and characters all contributed to differences that affected our relationship.Early in our marriage we hit a patch where we were unable to communicate. It felt like we were speaking different languages. We were listening to sub-text, and interpreting what we thought the other meant, instead of hearing the words. It was very difficult, and we were at a loss what to do. So, we wrote to our spiritual teacher for help.He replied, “The differences between you both are only on the surface and ridiculous.” Ridiculous was an unusual word for him to use, and it immediately opened our eyes and hearts as we burst out laughing. He went on to say, “Both of you should attend to the evening Cleaning1. I am in favor of your harmonious life and experiences in the natural form. With blessings, Ram Chandra.”The laughter broke our impasse, and we were able to start working together again. We quickly realized this was not just a remedy for us, but for all relationships. The differences between everyone are on the surface and ridiculous. We are here for something deeper than that.<hr><hr><h4>The differences between everyone are on the surface and ridiculous.&nbsp; We are here for something&nbsp; deeper than that.</h4><hr><hr><hr>1 The Heartfulness Cleaning practice.<hr>

It’s ridiculous!

Acceptance

In another's shoes

Well-being through creativity

Inner peace

<h4
 id="h-christine-prisland-went-on-a-journey-50-years-ago-that-changed-her-life-she-traveled-over-sea-and-land-to-india-from-canada-and-met-babuji-in-shahjahanpur-here-is-her-story">
 CHRISTINE PRISLAND went on a journey 50 years
 ago that changed her life. She traveled over sea and land to India from Canada and met Babuji in Shahjahanpur.
 Here is her story!
</h4>



<hr class="vertical-space1">



Inspired by visions of living a life of inner peace and tranquility, I traveled overland to India in 1971 to find a
 Hatha teacher. My naïve aim was to return to Canada to teach yoga and live that peaceful life, preferably in the
 country with people of like mindset. It was a vague idea, very much informed by the events of the hippie movement of
 the 60s and 70s in the West. The inner call for love and peace in the world, the numerous life-changing books on
 Indian mysticism and gurus, the music of the time, and the feeling of being part of a movement of hope and deeper
 meaning all pulled me toward India.



Fate led me instead to a Raja Yoga practice of heart-based meditation with the goal of complete oneness with the
 Ultimate. A far cry from my original intent. But after three weeks of meditating and meeting the Guru, I realized
 that this was what my soul had really been searching for.



The life of a householder yogi is the same as everyone else’s life. I’ve learned to grow and change through trial and
 error, through the ups and downs of life, through tragedies and joys, through mystical experiences and doubting
 times. Well, so much for the tranquil rather boring life I had envisioned!



Looking back over the past 50 years, my journey has been a slow and steady natural unfolding of inner experience and
 outer change, all due to my meditation practice.



Recently I’ve become aware that my path is not restricted to Raja Yoga. Sad to say, a little superiority had crept
 in: “I do Raja Yoga, strictly meditation. I don’t need those other forms of Yoga.” Now it is obvious that my
 Heartfulness practice has included many forms of Yoga.




<figure><img decoding="async" width="250" height="388" alt="" class="img-float-right has-img-center-in-mobile lazyload"
 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/Babuji_web_154ff301a2.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-11T11:06:01.541Z">
</figure>




Karma Yoga – in the form of service, doing, volunteering. That started from my first meeting with my
 Guru, Ram Chandra of Shahjahanpur, Babuji. When I think not of myself but the other, when service comes from the
 heart, when I am kind to others, my heart opens up more and more. To call it service implies that I am serving and
 the other is being served. But it is a part of my path, no longer a word, but a way of living and being, and a way
 to become a better human being.



Bhakti Yoga – the beautiful art of devotion, love, purity. Devotion not only to my inner practice
 but to my Guru, who embodied the qualities of a saintly human being: noble, humble, simple, who totally accepted me
 as I was, and inspired and nurtured the potential, the soul within me to what I could become.



Jnana Yoga – the gaining of knowledge; reading and study. Each day I learn more, imbibe more, absorb
 more, and reflect more, as I experience the inner manifestation of the stages on the path.



Hatha Yoga – stretching and breathing. I’ve noticed that the breathing exercises prepare my mind to
 focus and dive deeper into meditation; the poses stretch my body in unfamiliar but necessary ways to allow me to sit
 longer, and wonderfully my memory and focus have improved.



How to describe 50 years of a meditative life? I don’t remember much of what I was like at age 24. Unformed,
 innocent, naïve, a little melancholy, no real purpose, somewhat selfish, low in confidence. Till I came to Yoga, to
 meditation. The first Guru of Heartfulness, Lalaji, said very succinctly and beautifully what I feel sums up my
 journey from the age of 24 to now: “You can only win hearts with love. There is no other way.”



<figure><img decoding="async" width="700" alt="" class="lazyload w-100"
 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/lifetime_beyond2_700x466_013953bdef.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-11T11:08:32.694Z">
</figure>
<hr class="vertical-space1">

Yoga: a lifetime and beyond

<h4>CHRISTINE PRISLAND focuses on those small acts of kindness and cooperation that can bring happiness and meaning to every day. She challenges us to explore consideration as a prerequisite to kindness, and to look at our level of thoughtfulness and sensitivity in our daily interactions with others.</h4><hr>I bought a highly recommended book the other day called #KindnessMatters, and even before I opened the first page, I started thinking about kindness. It is a big topic these days, and rightly so, as we try to navigate a different way of living. Sometimes we grimly hold on to how we lived prior to March 2020; sometimes we embrace different ways and locations of working, and different ways of relating to our loved ones. Sometimes we try to understand others with opposing views on vaccination, isolation, complying with the governments’ attempts to lessen the impact of Covid. In these times, our lives have changed.How does kindness fit into this new beginning, as it is often called? Is being considerate of others a cultural thing? And can we practice kindness if we don’t experience it in our lives and culture? I’ve traveled a lot, and encountered kindness everywhere, so I think it is individual. It comes from within, but how it manifests can be influenced by tradition and culture, upbringing and environment.Consideration for others is at the base of being kind. Can we be kind without feelings of thoughtfulness and sensitivity? Or perhaps they go side by side. I don’t really know, and does it matter?Either way, kindness may be more difficult to practice if we don’t have that sense of consideration. If we cannot see another’s point of view, or put ourselves in their shoes, or do not already have a practice of civility in our families and communities, can we truly be kind, or does it take work, imagination, and practice?What are these small civilities? It may manifest as opening doors for people, helping others with heavy loads, smiling as we meet strangers on a hiking trail or just on the street, and maybe even striking up a simple conversation about the weather, or the beauty around us. It’s about acknowledging the presence of others and helping in small ways, with no expectation of return. And it’s just because we are all human, and in our own way striving to become better human beings every day. It’s about reaching out.For example, in the small city where I live, most passengers leaving the bus will thank the driver, even if they are getting off at the back of the bus. The first time I heard this, it touched my heart. Here are strangers making a connection and showing appreciation to the driver providing the service. To some it may seem odd, as it is the driver’s job after all. But it enlarges us in some fundamental way and breaks the isolation that we can sometimes put ourselves in.Consideration is a small thing, but can make a huge difference in another’s life. A few years ago during a road trip, we stopped at a restaurant for lunch. There was a staff shortage and many travelers to be fed. The waitress was at her wits’ end. She told us how there was only the cook and herself, and she looked as if she couldn’t cope. She was so close to tears. I acknowledged how she was feeling: “Oh my, you poor dear, what an awful stressful day you are having. We won’t add to it, and I hope it gets better for you.” As I spoke, I could see her finding strength and beginning to smile. Her load was lighter because her feeling [extremely stressed] was respected. There was an acknowledgment that it really was awful. She was able to say, “No, please don’t go, if you don’t mind waiting awhile.”<hr><hr><h4>When we feel connected&nbsp; within our own selves, we are able to feel and see that we are all human beings doing the best&nbsp; we can on what we call the&nbsp; rocky road of life.</h4><hr><hr>It helps to grow up in a culture where consideration is valued, but it also helps to be sensitive and have an open heart. We can learn to think of others. When we feel connected within our own selves, we are able to feel and see that we are all human beings doing the best we can on what we call the rocky road of life. We learn to accept and grow through adversity and the difficulties life brings to us, as well as to the joys and love we find in big and small things. We are all in this together.Kindness does matter; among other things, it helps us all to grow and evolve to become our best selves.<hr><img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/The_Value_of_consideration2_700x410_c4ef303088.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-11T12:50:50.374Z" alt=""><hr>

The value of consideration

<h4 style="text-align:justify;">CHRISTINE PRISLAND explores the special atmosphere of peace and healing in her local coastal rainforest in British Columbia, Canada, that heals visitors while it is also regenerating itself.</h4>Imagine taking a walk in the forest right now. You feel the earth and leaves under your feet, the snap of twigs. You listen to the birdsong and look up through the breaks in the canopy to the sky above, noticing how the light filters through to a point just further along the path. You breathe in, deeply. You smell the distinct forest aromas: Moss, Sap, Earth and Wood. You take it all in.-Yoshifumi MiyazakiMy favorite walk is in the coastal rainforest near Victoria, British Columbia. Normally I go there in the warmer months, but this year I visited in February. It is a chilly month of mud, sometimes snow, often rain, messy, and bathed in a filtered light that outlines the surroundings that are hidden during the more bountiful months of the year.As I start my walk, I am struck immediately by the peace and stillness of entering a different world. A tangled bush immediately catches my attention, moss covering the branches like a blanket, with a few wizened fruits peeking through.On the other side of the path, I look down on a small still pond. It looks primeval, like a place where the Jedi Master Yoda would feel at home.&nbsp;&nbsp;<figure class="image image_resized" style="width:75%;"><img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/1_Pond_8b8a7c4a47.webp" alt="1-Pond.webp" srcset="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/thumbnail_1_Pond_8b8a7c4a47.webp 145w,https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/large_1_Pond_8b8a7c4a47.webp 1000w,https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/1_Pond_8b8a7c4a47.webp 2000w," sizes="100vw"></figure>&nbsp;Walking onward, I notice the abundance of moss and lichen. They radiate a deep green and white light, and grow in profusion on branches, tree trunks, rocks, and bare wood. Some resembling creatures in a primeval forest.&nbsp;<figure class="image image_resized" style="width:75%;"><img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/2_Creatures_2bead9e5d9.webp" alt="2-Creatures.webp" srcset="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/thumbnail_2_Creatures_2bead9e5d9.webp 145w,https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/large_2_Creatures_2bead9e5d9.webp 1000w,https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/2_Creatures_2bead9e5d9.webp 2000w," sizes="100vw"></figure>&nbsp;Crossing the wooden bridge, I see deep into the forest—the cliffs, rocks, and ferns that often are hidden in the summer months. It is like seeing the “bones” of the land. Immediately I feel the magic of the place seep into my bones, into my very being. And I feel transported to another level of awareness, of acute observation and connection.&nbsp;<figure class="image image_resized" style="width:75%;"><img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/3_Pathway_fc549975c8.webp" alt="3-Pathway.webp" srcset="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/thumbnail_3_Pathway_fc549975c8.webp 145w,https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/large_3_Pathway_fc549975c8.webp 1000w,https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/3_Pathway_fc549975c8.webp 2000w," sizes="100vw"></figure>&nbsp;This awareness is enhanced by the rushing sounds of the creek joyously tumbling down the hillside on its way to the sheltered ocean waters of the inlet.&nbsp;<figure class="image image_resized" style="width:75%;"><img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/4_Creek_0114fbf54a.webp" alt="4-Creek.webp" srcset="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/thumbnail_4_Creek_0114fbf54a.webp 145w,https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/large_4_Creek_0114fbf54a.webp 1000w,https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/4_Creek_0114fbf54a.webp 2000w," sizes="100vw"></figure><hr><h4 style="text-align:center;">I feel the magic of the place seep into my bones, into my very being. And I feel transported to another level of awareness, of acute observation and connection.</h4><hr>This special place, part of a larger provincial park, is and has been many things. A place where for centuries, the indigenous peoples lived in harmony with their surroundings. It provided food, building materials, clothing, fresh water, the bounty of the sea, and a place for spiritual practices.&nbsp;<img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/walk_in_the_woods5_57cf1452d4.webp" alt="walk-in-the-woods5.webp" srcset="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/thumbnail_walk_in_the_woods5_57cf1452d4.webp 145w,https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/large_walk_in_the_woods5_57cf1452d4.webp 500w,https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/walk_in_the_woods5_57cf1452d4.webp 500w," sizes="100vw">&nbsp;In the early 1900s, a cement company established a limestone quarry, creating a factory, houses, a railway, and clay mill, with a dock for steamships. After a few short years, the limestone was exhausted, and the town abandoned. The evidence of building foundations, such as the old clay mill, are scattered about down the hillside and onto the shores of the inlet itself.&nbsp;<figure class="image image_resized" style="width:75%;"><img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/6_Foundations_5251870e1f.webp" alt="6-Foundations.webp" srcset="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/thumbnail_6_Foundations_5251870e1f.webp 145w,https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/large_6_Foundations_5251870e1f.webp 1000w,https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/6_Foundations_5251870e1f.webp 2000w," sizes="100vw"></figure>&nbsp;The foundations are also covered with moss as the forest is rapidly reclaiming its existence with the help of the nearby indigenous peoples, the W̱SÁNEĆ [Saanich], who are stewards of this magical and mystical land. They are planting native trees and removing invasive species. It is happening in a very organic way, slowly but surely helping nature to return to this place of healing.Walking down the hill through the forest to the tranquil inlet, I arrive at an open grassy area with benches. It is an ideal place for contemplation, graced by the most unique tree I have ever seen on the coast, locally known as the Snoopy tree.&nbsp;<figure class="image image_resized" style="width:75%;"><img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/7_Snoopy_tree_7a2572589a.webp" alt="7-Snoopy tree.webp" srcset="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/thumbnail_7_Snoopy_tree_7a2572589a.webp 145w,https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/large_7_Snoopy_tree_7a2572589a.webp 1000w,https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/7_Snoopy_tree_7a2572589a.webp 2000w," sizes="100vw"></figure>&nbsp;Further on, I meet an indigenous teacher from the local high school on a field trip with his students. We stop for a chat, as often happens with people who come here. He tells me that the name of this place is SṈIDȻEȽ [pronounced sngeet kwith], the place of the blue grouse. Before the cement company came, there were hundreds of blue grouse nesting in the forest across the inlet.The industrial noises of blasting the limestone, the ships, and the factories killed the grouse. He said they have never come back in the hundred years since, because their collective memory thinks it is a bad place.&nbsp;<figure class="image image_resized" style="width:75%;"><img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/8_Boat_71283db507.webp" alt="8-Boat.webp" srcset="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/thumbnail_8_Boat_71283db507.webp 145w,https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/large_8_Boat_71283db507.webp 1000w,https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/8_Boat_71283db507.webp 2000w," sizes="100vw"></figure><hr><h4 style="text-align:center;">Walking on, I feel a little sad, but also a sense of comfort&nbsp; that this place is being returned to nature with help. It is becoming what it ought to be, allowing nature to reclaim its space.</h4><hr>Walking on, I feel a little sad, but also a sense of comfort that this place is being returned to nature with help. It is becoming what it ought to be, allowing nature to reclaim its space.As a part of the reclamation of the land, I marvel at the quirkiness of the birdhouses installed by a local group to attract the purple martins, who were more abundant in years past.&nbsp;<figure class="image image_resized" style="width:75%;"><img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/9_Bird_Houses_2aed44c827.webp" alt="9-Bird Houses.webp" srcset="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/thumbnail_9_Bird_Houses_2aed44c827.webp 145w,https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/large_9_Bird_Houses_2aed44c827.webp 1000w,https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/9_Bird_Houses_2aed44c827.webp 2000w," sizes="100vw"></figure>&nbsp;After a small beach, and just before the path ends, lies further industrial evidence left behind a century ago. Things too heavy and awkward to move, and too solid to decompose.&nbsp;<img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/walk_in_the_woods11_ef116788b6.webp" alt="walk-in-the-woods11.webp" srcset="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/thumbnail_walk_in_the_woods11_ef116788b6.webp 145w,https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/large_walk_in_the_woods11_ef116788b6.webp 500w,https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/walk_in_the_woods11_ef116788b6.webp 500w," sizes="100vw">&nbsp;Moving onward, I visit a very special tree alongside the inlet—a huge western red cedar within a low cement wall decorated with modern graffiti. As I meditate under this majestic grandmother tree, I feel a sense of timeliness, of deep peace and healing.&nbsp;<img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/walk_in_the_woods12_71b835e542.webp" alt="walk-in-the-woods12.webp" srcset="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/thumbnail_walk_in_the_woods12_71b835e542.webp 145w,https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/large_walk_in_the_woods12_71b835e542.webp 500w,https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/walk_in_the_woods12_71b835e542.webp 500w," sizes="100vw">Retaining this peace, I slowly make my way back to the car, renewed within, and with hope in my heart.I hope you, too, will find a forest or a place in the wilderness where you can regularly go for solace, for peace, and to observe the changes that remind you of our connection to this planet and its rhythms.Reference: Curry, G., 2015. Tod Inlet—A Healing Place, Rocky Mountain Books.<hr><h4 style="text-align:center;">Photographs by GARY LANGSTAFF and CHRISTINE PRISLAND</h4><hr>

A walk in the woods

<h2 style="text-align:center;">EDITOR’S BOOK REVIEW</h2><h4 style="text-align:justify;">CHRISTINE PRISLAND shares her love of books, good storytelling, and a particular author that inspires and delights her—Alexander McCall Smith.</h4>&nbsp;As an avid reader I look for books that entertain, provide hope, and enhance my understanding of the human condition and the various dilemmas and situations we face daily. The author I turn to most often is Alexander McCall Smith, a Scotsman who was born in Africa, and taught medical law at universities in the UK and abroad. He lives in Edinburgh.His background and focus on bioethics are reflected in the content of the various series he has written, including The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency set in Botswana, Isabel Dalhousie and 44 Scotland Street, both set in Edinburgh, his <a href="https://heartfulness.org/magazine/books-are-my-friends" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">children’s books</a>, and many other books. A reviewer in The Sunday Times Scotland wrote, “His talent is to see the god in small things.”Why do I treasure and return to his books over and over again?&nbsp;He has a gift for intelligent story telling. His characters engage often in inner philosophical musings about life in general and puzzle over the ethical and kind approach to the ordinary and often mundane things we all encounter. Each book resonates with optimism, kindness, understanding, hope, peace, and a respect for tradition while adapting to a changing world. He ponders over thoughts on how to respond to prickly people and situations, and how to maintain optimism. Never preachy, and with gentle dry humour and simplicity, he writes with a tone that is both elegant and polite. His books make me think and learn!<hr><h4 style="text-align:center;">Each book resonates with optimism, kindness, understanding, hope, peace, and a respect for tradition while adapting to a changing world.</h4><hr>In a recent email to his readers introducing a new book, he writes:&nbsp;“If love is unconditional, then how can it have any conditions? That is true, of course, unless you interpret the title as referring to the circumstances in which unconditional love may flourish. Or unless you read it as suggesting that what we commonly think of as unconditional love actually does have certain conditions attached to it that may come into operation only in extreme circumstances. Isabel herself would love a discussion of all that, but for most of us, who have busy lives to lead, life is too short to get too tangled up in debates of that nature. The important thing, for most of us, is that there is love and that love is able to do its work to bring about the healing that our poor, injured world so desperately needs.“Isabel believes in courtesy and consideration for others. She is saddened by the bitter divisions we have allowed to grow up in our societies—divisions in which people glower at one another from behind barricades of mistrust and anger. That is the polar opposite of what she wants for the world. We must love another or die… Isabel believes in the fundamental truth of that.“I love writing these novels. They take me to a world in which the virtues are appreciated. But they also help to reinforce the belief I have that our civilization—that set of values and beliefs that we have built up over the centuries—will survive crude attempts to destroy it by those who believe in nothing very much. Fiction gives us an emotional and intellectual lifeline to survive the horrors of an unhappy, warring world. It is our comfort in times of trial.”And finally,“By acts of love in our own lives, by acts of friendship, by the simple cherishing of those who daily cross our path,&nbsp; and those who do not, by these acts, I think, are we shown&nbsp;what might be; by these acts can we transform that small corner&nbsp; of terra firma that is given to us…”—Alexander McCall Smith, Bertie Plays the Blues, 44 Scotland Street series. &nbsp;&nbsp;<figure class="image image_resized" style="width:75%;"><img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/by_acts_of_love2_a1ee70ac50.webp" alt="by-acts-of-love2.webp" srcset="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/thumbnail_by_acts_of_love2_a1ee70ac50.webp 145w,https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/large_by_acts_of_love2_a1ee70ac50.webp 700w,https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/by_acts_of_love2_a1ee70ac50.webp 700w," sizes="100vw"></figure>

By acts of love

Claire was born into a family where emotional balance is a fundamental part of life, and explored the practice of meditation as a teenager. Meditation has become a natural tool for decision-making and a deep source of inspiration in her daily life. In 1998, she obtained a master's degree in conservation and restoration of cultural heritage from the ESA in Avignon, and went on to perfect her skills at the Institut Royal du Patrimoine in Brussels. Her career led her to carry out a number of missions in Egypt in collaboration with the CNRS. She spent four years in Chennai with her family, taking advantage of this experience to deepen her practice of yoga and meditation, and to set up an archive conservation center in an associative environment. On her return to France, she set up her own company in the field of painted heritage conservation after more than 20 years in private practice.&nbsp; Claire is the General Secretary of the Heartfulness Institute France, and a Heartfulness trainer. She divides her time between voluntary and professional projects; developing artistic events to introduce people to meditation; working on Historic Monument projects; collaborating with institutions and numerous heritage professionals; and as a mother of two daughters and wife.&nbsp; &nbsp;

Claire Bigand.webp

Claire Bigand

<h4 style="text-align:justify;">The Master Yoga exhibition, held at UNESCO House in Paris from June 14 to 21, 2024, marked the 10th anniversary of International Day of Yoga proclaimed by the United Nations. Organized by the "Yoga for Unity" collective under the aegis of the Heartfulness Institute, the event brought together around twenty partner organizations and thirty renowned teachers. CLAIRE BIGAND was the exhibition coordinator, and here shares an overview of the week-long celebration.&nbsp;</h4>&nbsp;The visual exhibition covered an area of 600 square meters and attracted over 5,000 visitors. Visitors were able to explore the various philosophies, histories, and fundamental texts of yoga, reflecting the plurality of practices, through richly documented and illustrated panels.A full program of lectures, meditation workshops and yoga sessions, led by different schools, was on offer, and this varied approach gave the exhibition a creative, immersive, and educational dimension, captivating a large audience with a passion for the spiritual and physical disciplines of yoga.Interviews with top sportspeople explained how they practice yoga in their quest for performance, with testimonials from free diver, Alice Modolo; Anne Lejot, who works with players at Lens football club; and footballer Ada Hegerberg.A projection area also featured an interview with Daaji, spiritual guide and leader of the Heartfulness movement, an extract from the documentary film Respire by Stéphane Haskell, and a teaser for Brighter Minds, an innovative educational program aimed at developing children's <a href="https://heartfulness.org/magazine/love-in-action" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">cognitive and emotional</a> capacities.These elements enriched visitors’ experience by offering a variety of perspectives on the impact of yoga in different areas and on different personalities.At the heart of the exhibition, a statue of the Great Master Babuji guided visitors into the meditation bubble built from recycled materials, including bed slats. This unique space welcomed passers-by with Heartfulness Relaxation sessions, offering a haven of peace and rejuvenation.&nbsp;<figure class="image image_resized" style="width:75%;"><img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/Babuji_8f74f392b3.webp" alt="Babuji.webp" srcset="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/thumbnail_Babuji_8f74f392b3.webp 145w,https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/large_Babuji_8f74f392b3.webp 1000w,https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/Babuji_8f74f392b3.webp 2000w," sizes="100vw"></figure><figure class="image"><img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/Meditation_space_7c01d646a1.webp" alt="Meditation space.webp" srcset="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/thumbnail_Meditation_space_7c01d646a1.webp 145w, https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/large_Meditation_space_7c01d646a1.webp 1000w, https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/Meditation_space_7c01d646a1.webp 2000w" sizes="100vw"></figure>&nbsp;A wheel of postures was designed to inspire children to practice yoga by imitating different animals. This fun and accessible activity was a big hit with the youngest visitors and their parents.The 8 pillars of Ashtanga yoga according to Patanjali were presented in an educational and structured way in a thematic panel. The aim was to provide visitors with an in-depth understanding of the fundamental principles that guide this age-old discipline.&nbsp;<figure class="image image_resized" style="width:50%;"><img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/Ashtanga_Yoga_d269938b38.webp" alt="Ashtanga Yoga.webp" srcset="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/thumbnail_Ashtanga_Yoga_d269938b38.webp 145w,https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/large_Ashtanga_Yoga_d269938b38.webp 1000w,https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/Ashtanga_Yoga_d269938b38.webp 2000w," sizes="100vw"></figure>&nbsp;Jocelyne Capuano from the Viniyoga Foundation said, “A wonderful tribute to yoga, presenting its very essence and its origins, which are little-known to most people, and above all giving it a place in the future for and by future generations.”June 14 saw the launch of Master Yoga at UNESCO House in Paris. It was a wonderful evening hosted by Guila Clara Kessous, <a href="https://heartfulness.org/magazine/the-tale-of-tales" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">UNESCO</a> Artist for Peace, bringing together the partners, sponsors, presenters, and volunteers, without whom the exhibition would not have been possible.Among those who shared their thoughts with the guests were H.E. Vishal V. Sharma, Ambassador of the Permanent Delegation of India to UNESCO; Gabriela Ramos, assistant Director-General for Social and Human Sciences; Vera El Khoury Lacoeuilhe, Chair of the Executive Board UNESCO; Alain Desvigne, President of the Heartfulness Institute; Paule Porruncini, President of Shri Ram Chandra Mission France; and Pierre Ravan, musician.Alain Desvigne said, “Yoga permeates every aspect and dimension of our lives when we commit ourselves to it wholeheartedly and with intensity. Everything we think, everything we do, everything we are and, ultimately, everything we become is yoga... Thanks to the daily practice of yoga, changes in consciousness occur, so that our perception of and interaction with the world around us change.“And where do these changes take us? Ultimately, they increase our desire to co-create a paradise here and now, rather than waiting for it or dreaming about it after we die. This is the main reason why we chose UNESCO for this unique experiential exhibition.”The afternoon of Saturday June 15 was dedicated to little yogis. Teachers from the Viniyoga Foundation, Research for Yoga in Education (RYE), and Heartfulness Institute offered seven workshops combining stories and postures, mandalas, relaxation and breathing, and preparation for the illustration and writing competition. Children aged 3 to 18, accompanied by their parents, happily discovered yoga in a fun and festive atmosphere. The day ended with the prize-giving ceremony for the competition, presided over by dignitaries including Natasha St. Pier, Stéphane Haskell, Guila Clara Kessous, and Catherine Dumesnil.The Brighter Minds method for children was presented in a film shown several times during the exhibition, enabling many people to discover it. A primary school at the Quai d'Orsay took part in a discovery workshop led by Brighter Minds teacher Alicia Fest Kindler, and the students and teachers greatly appreciated the demonstration.&nbsp;<figure class="image image_resized" style="width:75%;"><img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/Sports_round_table_888a9aef45.webp" alt="Sports round table.webp" srcset="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/thumbnail_Sports_round_table_888a9aef45.webp 145w,https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/large_Sports_round_table_888a9aef45.webp 1000w,https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/Sports_round_table_888a9aef45.webp 2000w," sizes="100vw"></figure>On June 18, top sportspeople and mental trainers came together, including &nbsp;Ophélie David, Camille Bruyas, Anne Lejot, Jean-Yves Ogier, and Karine Fontbonne. All testified to the benefits of the diverse practices of yoga, which are sometimes atypical in circles like football. Bernadette de Gasquet also shared her valuable experience of working with Olympic champions.On June 19, the Yoga, Leadership and Governance Masterclass took place. The participants were invited on a journey to discover yoga as a path to true leadership, through the expertise, testimonies and practical experiences shared by an inspiring panel of business leaders, political leaders, leadership consultants, and yoga practitioners, in interaction with the audience. The participants will have the opportunity to continue their exploration through workshops at the Heartfulness Center in Paris in the coming months.Cine-meditation is a concept developed by Heartfulness over the last ten years: offering a free 20-minute relaxation-meditation session before or after an inspirational film. Heartfulness has had the great pleasure and privilege of working with Stéphane Haskell for several years. Stéphane generously presented his film Debout, which was screened on June 20, followed by a great question-and-answer session.June 21, International Day of Yoga, was marked by a formal session of inspiring and committed talks. Present were H.E. Madam Simona Mirela Miculescu, President of the General Conference, UNESCO; Madam Stefania Giannini, Assistant Director General for Education, UNESCO; H.E. Mister Vishal V. Sharma, Ambassador and Permanent Delegate of India to UNESCO; and Madam Fumiko Ohinata, Secretary of the 2003 Convention on Intangible Cultural Heritage, UNESCO.To finish the exhibition in style, in the evening, musician and DJ Pierre Ravan and musician Habib Meftha thrilled us with a mix of house music, traditional instruments, and a meditative pause that deeply moved a captivated and receptive audience. It was an authentic experience that will live long in the memory.See more at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4SCNBdXaF_Q<figure class="image"><img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/Music_and_dance_02d9fa510b.webp" alt="Music and dance.webp" srcset="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/thumbnail_Music_and_dance_02d9fa510b.webp 145w, https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/large_Music_and_dance_02d9fa510b.webp 1000w, https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/Music_and_dance_02d9fa510b.webp 2000w" sizes="100vw"></figure><figure class="image image_resized" style="width:75%;"><img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/Music_f215f612ec.webp" alt="Music.webp" srcset="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/thumbnail_Music_f215f612ec.webp 145w,https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/large_Music_f215f612ec.webp 1000w,https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/Music_f215f612ec.webp 2000w," sizes="100vw"></figure><hr><h4 style="text-align:center;">Photographs courtesy of HEARTFULNESS INSTITUTE</h4><hr>

Master Yoga 2024, UNESCO Paris

Clara Smith is currently studying at the University of Queensland and working as a civil engineer in Brisbane, Australia. Race walking is her passion and she continues her career as an elite athlete at the international level. She grew up in a spiritual environment and started Heartfulness Meditation at the age of 15, using the practices to balance her life while keeping a healthy mind under pressure.



Clara-smith.jpg

Clara Smith

<h4>CLARA SMITH shares with students who are in their final year at school how to achieve their goals.</h4>Have you ever marvelled at the factors of human success and failure? Why is it that some who are born into poverty resign themselves to the situations of their birth, while others use this experience to redefine their future? Why do so<hr><hr><h4>Self-help books may tell you to look inside to find happiness, but you can also find it by looking outside — as in outside the country. People from Central America to Scandinavia regularly rank among the happiest in the world.&nbsp;We’ll let you in on their secrets so you can try them yourself.</h4><hr>Researchers have studied happiness the world over. Organizations have even ranked countries on a happiness scale. So, what have the world’s most inquisitive minds discovered? Is there a secret to happiness?Is happiness spending time with loved ones, or spending time alone in nature? Is it losing yourself as you dance to music, or finding yourself while quietly meditating? The secret to happiness is actually all of these things, and more. It varies from country to country and culture to culture.In some cultures happiness comes from a tangible practice, like Tai Chi, which the Chinese have been practicing for centuries. For others, the secret lies in a philosophy that’s put into practice. Costa Ricans, for example, are guided by the idea of a simple, carefree ‘pure life’ known as pura vida.According to the annual <a href="https://worldhappiness.report/ed/2017/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">World Happiness Report</a>, <a href="https://www.hometogo.com/norway/">Norway</a> is the happiest country, scoring highly in its approach to caring, freedom, generosity, honesty, health, income and good governance. Meanwhile, the <a href="https://www.happyplanetindex.org/">Happy Planet</a> Index ranks <a href="https://www.hometogo.com/costa-rica/">Costa Rica</a> as the happiest country on Earth. While opposites when it comes to climate, the two countries apparently have one thing in common: happy citizens.Despite the many differences in what constitutes happiness in countries around the world, there are some common threads. The most notable has to do with material wealth, or rather, the lack of it. Few people, if any, around the globe find happiness through personal possessions and financial success. Rather, they tend to attain it by appreciating the little things in life and, more importantly, the people in their lives.We’ve shared some of the secrets and the research behind why they work for the people who practice them. They just might work for you, too!<hr><img src="https://hfn-strapi-bucket.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/secret_to_happiness2_inographic_img_scaled_0fc984decc.jpg?updated_at=2023-03-31T06:19:11.116Z" alt="secret_to_happiness2">&nbsp;me students elect to evade their schoolwork, yet others prioritise their academic progress? Does it simply come down to luck, acquired talent or human connections?&nbsp;Imagine being born into poverty and having no electricity, insufficient money and scarce portions of food and water. Imagine being told that your dream of having an education and acquiring knowledge is a fantasy. Imagine being cajoled into a destiny you do not desire, but you don’t let these notions confine you. Instead, your humble beginnings empower you and encourage you to change your fate. With this mindset you develop perseverance and the will to succeed.This is exactly what Maha Sinnathamby did. Without letting the circumstances of his birth entrap him, Sinnathamby attained an education at The University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia. This man of humble beginnings then used his newfound knowledge to convert a tract of futile bushland into the thriving metropolis that we now know as Springfield. He wisely devoted his success to one simple motto: “If the mind is intensely eager, everything can be accomplished – mountains can be crumbled into atoms.”So what allowed Sinnathamby to achieve greatness? It was his perseverance and passion for long-term goals. This aspect of his mindset I will call ‘grit’.Psychologist Angela Lee Duckworth deduced that grit is as essential as talent to achieve high accomplishments1. Her findings show that innate intelligence doesn’t always translate into achievement. In fact, the most accomplished people were, on average, only five points higher in IQ than the least accomplished.The IQ test is a method used to differentiate intellectual ability. Considering this scale goes from 1 to 200, five points is inconsequential2. This suggests that there is another determining factor that contributes to success. Duckworth concluded that this factor is ‘grit’, an element associated with passion and perseverance, which are states of emotions set by the mind. Clearly, our mindset is a crucial aspect linked with success.<hr><h5 style="text-align:center;">By laying down a foundation of grit and fine-tuning this instrument of the mind, success will inevitably come your way.</h5><hr>Our collective doctrine, however, is that our circumstances define our chance to achieve our goals. Many see their destiny as something which is dependent upon the variables of their formative years.So let’s take a moment to review how you are feeling today. Are you happy with your accomplishments? Are you on track to achieving your long-term goals? Are you in the right mindset to approach them? If you said ‘no’ to any one of these questions, do not worry, nothing is lost.Scientists have come to the conclusion that most people have up to 50,000 thoughts each day and up to 80% of them are either passive or negative.3Motivational speaker and psychologist, Tim Shurr, proposes two stratagems, incorporating mindful thinking and visualization4. Instead of focusing on what you don’t have, focus on what you can have and how to get it. The greatest secret ever told is that the quality of our life is determined by our thinking. Once your mind develops a lust, it will conjure a method of acquisition. Once your positivity is up to par, the next objective is imagery. Visualization is the art of mentally picturing yourself successful, as if you have already achieved your goal. The association of the pleasure felt with achieving this goal will serve as your figurative mentor to lead you down that path.<hr><h5 style="text-align:center;">So starting today, gradually maneuvre your thoughts into a direction that will lead you to success. Direct your thoughts towards the realization of the ideal you have placed in front of yourself.</h5><hr>So starting today, gradually maneuvre your thoughts into a direction that will lead you to success. Direct your thoughts towards the realization of the ideal you have placed in front of yourself. By laying down a foundation of grit and fine-tuning this instrument of the mind, success will inevitably come your way. As Sinnathamby sagely said, “The mind has to be made malleable like clay. Just as clay sticks wherever you throw it, the mind must be made to dwell upon whatever object you concentrate it.”&nbsp;<hr>&nbsp;1 Duckworth, A. L.,2007. Personality Processes and Individual Differences. Retrieved from Grit: Perseverance and Passion for Long-term Goals: https://www.sas.upenn.edu/~duckwort/images/ Grit%20JPSP.pdf2 Raven, 2015. IQ test for free. Retrieved from IQ test: https://www.iqtestforfree.net/iq-scale.html3 Control your mind. (n.d.). Retrieved from Control Your Future: http://1106design.com/wp-content/ uploads/Pages-from-Lifes-Cheat-Sheet.pdf4 Shurr, T. (n.d.). Conditioning Your Mind for Success. Retrieved from Shurr Success Inc.: http://1106design.com/wp-content/ uploads/Pages-from-Lifes-Cheat-Sheet. pdf&nbsp;<hr><hr><h4 style="text-align:center;">Article by CLARA SMITH</h4><hr>

Our mind shapes our destiny

<hr class="vertical-space1">
<h4>CLARA SMITH represents Australia at the international level in athletics. Here
 she shares some personal tips for performance, including how to be motivated to exercise regularly, and how to
 create healthy habits.</h4>
<hr class="vertical-space1">
The difference between being the person you want to be and the one you are now is
 strikingly small. All those who perform at their highest level have one thing in common – their attention to detail.
 They develop exceptional habits and discipline, while others remain in their comfort zone. They are better at making
 small positive decisions in their daily life. This may not make a difference in a week, but months or years down the
 track these habits will become stronger, and the effect can be phenomenal.
Since neither habits nor discipline are acquired from birth, it is not a question of
 talent. It is a question of choice. Discipline is the foundation of success in any domain. It is waking up early, it
 is treating people the way you want to be treated, and it is doing the tasks you do not necessarily feel like doing.
 When we begin to view discipline as training rather than a punishment, we will be traveling on a very positive
 pathway.
From my view, an endurance athlete is the perfect example of someone who unites the
 mind, body and heart into one. One of the reasons many people never get around to going to the gym is because they
 know the physical pain ahead and give up. If we take the approach from a regulated mind, however, we learn to fight
 the mental battle first which makes the physical one easier. In fact, many say the hardest part of a training
 session is getting out of bed and getting to the gym, whereas an athlete knows to be consistent. Once you begin,
 your body reacts naturally, and you push harder and harder until you reach 100%. An athlete knows that once you
 develop a routine it will get easier. Therefore, successful exercise starts in the mental ring.
So how do we achieve this mental stability?
One can have no greater mastery than mastery over oneself. For this we need two wings to
 fly, the spiritual and the material. By only mastering success in the material sphere there is one problem: success
 comes and goes. You may have a well-paid job, wealth and be a successful athlete. However, all of this can be lost.
 You might lose your job, your money, or you might get a career-ending injury. This is why many athletes become
 depressed after their sporting career and spotlight end, and they are left in a different space that is yet unknown
 to them, which is their inner self. Therefore we need to focus on who we are inside of us as well as our successes.

Heartfulness Meditation and other techniques have helped me to improve my physical and mental wellbeing. There is a
 beautiful quote by William Penn: “True silence is the rest of the mind; and is to the spirit what sleep is to the
 body, nourishment and refreshment.” In addition to this, meditation actually causes our body to change on a cellular
 level. According to research published in Frontiers in Immunology, meditation has the ability to reverse molecular
 reactions in our DNA that lead to stress, poor health and depression. These new findings have created a shift,
 putting newfound power in our hands. By committing to 10 to 20 minutes of meditation every day we can improve our
 health, reduce stress, be more focused and have a greater sense of purpose.
My challenge to you is to step out of your usual routine and to try meditation to regulate the mind from thinking to
 feeling, and to unlock this untapped potential inside of you.

<hr class="vertical-space1">

<h4 style="text-align: center;">The world is like a mountain, 
 The echo depends on you, 
 If you scream good things, 
 The world will give it back, 
 If someone speaks badly about you, 
 Speak well about him, 
 Change your heart to change the world. 
 —SHAMS-I-TABRIZI
</h4>
<hr class="vertical-space1">
<img decoding="async" class="lazyload w-100"
 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/unlock_untapped_potential2_b74494bc2e.jpg">

<hr class="vertical-space1">


<hr>
<h4 style="text-align: center;">Article by CLARA SMITH</h4>


<hr>

Home› Contributors