Tag: Life

Happiness and spirituality

Spirituality is often misunderstood to be a component of Religion. People have this notion of spiritual people are the ones who are often seen visiting the churches or mosques. Then there are also the other kind of people who immediately picture an Indian mystic in a yogic position in their minds. Well, both these stereotypes are so erroneous that Buddha would be turning in his grave.

However, it can mean different to different people. To me, Spirituality means to be healthy spiritually. In other words, when we are hurt by harsh words, it hurts not just our heart but our spirit too. If the wound is very deep, then no matter how much you push it from outside, you won’t heal completely since the injury is internal. A change of external set-up is not going to help if it is not dealt with from the bottom. Haven’t you heard of wounds caused by viruses which go away temporarily when dealt from outside but when medicine is administered which kills the virus in the blood, it never surfaces again. We always have take fight at the grassroot level. Thus, to have a healthy mind devoid of bad and hurtful thoughts is of utmost importance.

You don’t NEED to meditate or go to the temple or say prayers to be spiritually healthy. They just help you reach towards the goal faster. It varies from person to person. Being mentally healthy is the first and major step and right now in this world but more than half of the population is plagued more by mental trauma/problems (relationships,work-related etc) than physical illness. Happiness is a scarcity!

In my opinion, I find following some very simple rules in life helps to live with a smile on the face!

1. Handling harsh words/sentiments – People hurt us with their words, knowingly or unknowingly. But as they say, it is upto us to finally accept the invitation or not. When you feel hurt by someone, try to feel empathetic towards them. They are telling hurtful things because they themselves are hurt and when you respond in a soft manner, they will be taken aback. Anger is not something people can control and 90% of what we say in anger are things we don’t mean. So, be the better man (or woman) and stay calm.

2. Fighting pessimism – How many of you have heard about the placebo effect? A man was administered with certain medicines which was supposed to fight cancer and after continual intake, his health revived and he was finally cured of it! Astonishing, isn’t it? When we convince our mind that something will get alright that you will do just fine, it really happens.
Physical health is greatly linked with mental health. So if you think pessimistically, it destroys the little chance that you have, you fail in your endeavor and end up blaming it on fate. This cycle repeats over and over gain. So, you’ve got to have confidence in yourself that you can do it, hell or high water.

4. Controlling anger – Most of us go red with temples on the verge to burst out when it comes to anger. However, even the smallest bit of irritation/anger can be controlled. Despite knowing that it unnecessarily harms our health by increasing our blood pressure which ups the risk of heart diseases, we don’t do anything to stay calm. I know it is not easy.

But there are various various ways to deal with this. For example, people with a high sense of pride can manipulate and train their minds into thinking that giving into anger would mean defeat to their body. They are controlled by their emotions; they are not their own masters. The person who is trying to make you angry wants to see a reaction. So, if you don’t give the expected reaction, it would frustrate them. Bingo!

Try thinking about something pleasant and remember to focus on it. That can calm you down. You can also try counting numbers (personally, never worked for me).

5. Jealousy – The green eyed monster is no new visitor. Starting from children to big adults, everyone is subjected to jealousy. Jealousy is hurtful since it inflicts a mixture of pain and hatred in the heart making you restless and vindictive. I can hear many ”Well, we can’t help it”s!
I have a simple strategy to deal with it. Whenever I get jealous, I remind myself that the competition should actually be with myself. Every new day, your goal should be to beat the person you were yesterday. It doesn’t hurt to compete with oneself where failure and success is taken with good sportsmanship. Burning with jealousy for your just-promoted colleague or that supermodel’ish girl is not going to get you anything but pain and hurt. Are they worth your pain? Instead compete with self.

6. Regret – Yes, it is true that regret is our mind’s permanent tenant. Some consider that life is all about one shots. You are wrong. You can always pick up the cudgels and fight for another chance. There is always another way; unless and until you are ready to believe that yourself, the way out won’t appear. You always have another chance to make it right and it is just a matter of standing up for yourself yet again.
Always remember, everything happens for a reason.

7. Letting go – I have included this on my list since relationship break-ups and losing someone to death make the worst kind of pain. I know that attachments are stronger than any chemical bond. When you have loved someone truly, you can never undo it. Never. And losing that special someone can hurt beyond imagination since love is another synonym for vulnerability. But the intensity and pain of the separation heals with time.

Even if they may not be in your life anymore, they will always be in your heart. Look after the memories tenderly even if the separation had been bitter because you loved them and nothing makes you more happy than their happiness. They would want you to be happy too. So, move on and harbor only good thoughts for them because life is too short for tears and grief.

8. Believing in something – This is the most important key to happiness. Have you ever wondered why a child feels secure in the arms of a mother who is physically incapable of protecting him? Because he believes in his mother.

When you believe in something/someone, you will have hope and when you have hope, nothing can destroy you. You know that they will always be there for you no matter what and you can draw strength from it. They will always be there to protect you. So you will be never be alone. This source can be divine or anything which is innocent and pure. Divine because definitely there is something behind the working of this universe starting from the microscopic quarks to the gigantic galaxies. On the other hand, you can believe in say, your dog because he loves you innocently. Anything which is innocent is divine. That’s why they say babies are divine and that they see god when they smile in their sleep.

Incorporate these ideas in your lives and see the magic!

December 30, 2014
Universal Truths in Nutrition That People Actually Agree On

There are lots of controversies on the facts about the nutrition. People generally believe in what they hear without authenticating the source and consider the facts as truths. It is a common human tendency and happens with almost everyone. You hear the views of the elders or some learned person and try to follow them without making any efforts to make sure that the facts mentioned are correct or not. We are hereby talking about those universal nutrition truths which people generally believe is correct and try to find out if they are correct or just myths.

Added Sugar is Unhealthy: Well, if you are believer of this fact that added sugar is unhealthy, then you are correct. The addition of sugar gives rise to the blood sugar level, which affects the normal functioning of the human body. The added sugars are in fact sucrose or fructose corn syrup which is very much harmful for the human body. Not only they have empty calories in them, they are also the source of various harmful metabolic toxins which causes serious harm to your health. Many researchers believe that the added sugar is the prime reason for the spread of the western diseases among the people.

The Artificial Trans Fats are Unhealthy: There are lots of controversies about the artificial Trans fats. While some people believe that the Trans Fats are healthy, a major section of the people believes that they are not good for the human body and their consumption is like inviting the diseases to attack you. Trans Fats are actually unsaturated fats, which are created by altering the saturated fats chemically. In the process of manufacturing of the unsaturated fats, the saturated fats are exposed to the high pressure and high heat in the presence of the hydrogen gas acting as a catalyst. Because of the hydrogenation of the fats the LDL cholesterol level, which is bad for the human body increases while the HDL cholesterol which is good decreases. The highly processed foods are the ones which have the artificial Trans fats. So it is a wise step to avoid these artificial Trans fats.

Green Tea is one of the Healthy Beverages: Most of the people have this mindset that the coffee consumption is not at all good for the human body as it contains caffeine but on the other hand the consumption of the green tea is healthy. While there is a controversy on the consumption of the coffee, the intake of the green tea is actually very much beneficial for health. Green tea is a rich source of the antioxidants and the EGCG, which is a bioactive compound. If you regularly drink green tea, then there are strongly protected against the chronic heart diseases and cancer. Green tea not only boosts the metabolic processes in the body, but also helps in burning the fats. Moreover, they also have specific amino acids which play a major role in maintaining the proper functioning of the brain. So it’s time you start drinking it as it will help you to stay fit and healthy.

Olive Oil is Healthy: Most of the people consider olive oil as healthy and this is absolutely correct. They are very much beneficial in maintaining good health. Olive oil is actually one of the gifts of the Mediterranean diet and is used in almost every corner of the world. The most tedious task in today’s time is getting the right kind of olive oil from the market as there are so many adulterated olive oils being sold throughout the world. Olive oils offer several advantages. They have a large amount of monounsaturated fats and powerful antioxidants, which gives the much desired boost to the metabolic health. Further, the presence of the anti-inflammatory compounds in the olive oil makes it very much beneficial for the heart. If you can get the quality olive oil then it will be optimal as they have the healthy fats in them.

Supplements Cannot Be Used to Compensate the Unhealthy Diets: It is extremely important for you to choose and eat the right food items as they have a direct impact on your health. Any negligence in this regard is not accepted and it can be dangerous for you. The composition of the whole food is very much complex. They have so much of vitamins, proteins and other essential minerals in them. Quite frankly, we are not at all aware of the total compositions of most of the food items and so the supplements cannot be used to compensate for the real healthy foods. Science has progressed a lot but still we do not have the supplements for the traces of unaccounted minerals found in the real food items. So it lies in your hand to select the food best suited for your health. If you believe that you can eat anything, even if it is unhealthy and not fit for your body and in order to compensate for the essential nutrients you will eat supplements, then you are wrong and you need to change your attitude quickly before it affects your health.

July 30, 2014
The holy plant called Tulsi

Basil leaves, a.k.a Tulsi is regarded as a holy plant in Indian culture. This medicinal plant is literally worshipped and you can see it planted at the entrance or in front of almost every Indian household and is an important symbol in the Hindu religious tradition. It is well known for its amazing healing power and medicinal properties and is the principal herb in Ayurveda. It is of great significance in Indian culture and tradition and has a sacred place in Indian homes.In Hindu mythology, tulsi is very dear to Lord Vishnu and is ceremonially married to Lord Vishnu on the 11^th day of Kartikka in the lunar calendar and this ritual is called ‘Tulsi Vivah’. The scientific or botanical name of this aromatic plant is Ocimum sanctum. Tulsi is something, that is a gift to mankind. It has benefits that go so on and on, just innumerable and infinite. The nutritional and pharmacological properties of tulsi has been traditionally used since ages for different purposes.

Tulsi, no doubt, is an Elixir to life. Even having religious significance, the medicinal importance of this herb can’t be undermined. Having an stringent taste, strong aroma, tulsi has variable curative benefits as it promotes longevity and has remedial effects over many diseases. If you go through the benefits of this culinary herb Basil, you will find yourself be acquainted with the perks of tulsi and why you should increase the use and be disease free by the use of the tulsi leaves regularly;

Treatment in cold, flu and sore throat: The basil leaves are highly efficient in treating cold, asthma, flu and sore throat caused due to infections. Especially, during rain season when many diseases like malaria, dengue are prevalent, basil leaves are used to treat them as a home remedy. Just chewing some tulsi leaves can treat the cold, flu or blocked nose and relieve the affected person. Boiling few leaves in hot water with cloves can relieve the sore throat.

Cures fever: Tulsi is well known for its treatment for fever due to its anti-microbial properties. It is effective in bringing down the temperature of body suffering from fever and also protects the individual from dengue or malaria type fevers. Tulsi leaves boiled in water with honey, turmeric are effective in treating fever and are suitable for both children and adults. Tulsi is having unique chemistry and unique blend of so many nutrients and antioxidants, the anti-viral, anti-bacterial, immunity-enhancing properties of tulsi helps in curing fever.

Relieves stress: The holy basil really contributes in relieving stress. This herb actually helps in refreshing and rejuvenating the person’s mind and relaxes the body. It helps in calming the mind and restoring person’s good health when exposed to extreme stress. Stress, which is a leading cause of many diseases can be relieved through the use of tulsi.

Anti-ageing effects: Due to the presence of anti-oxidants in tulsi, it has anti-ageing effects on the skin. Because of its properties, it prevents the body from damages caused due to free radicals, which delays the ageing process and appearance of wrinkles and other signs. With age, Tulsi links the mind, body and spirit and supports your body in many ways. The leaf has adaptogen properties, which soothes the nerves and improves the blood circulation. It is always better to consume tulsi rather than using so expensive anti-ageing beauty products.

Good for skincare and haircare: Basil leaves are really good for the maintenance of healthy and glowing skin and for the long, shining hair. It has powerful purifying and antioxidant properties, So, when basil leaves are eaten raw, they purify the blood and give you clear and glowing skin. Tulsi can even treat many skin allergies and disorders and acne prone skin. Eating it raw or making a paste or face pack can be really effective for a good skin.

Protects against Cancer: Having so many curative properties, being anti-fungal, it protects against cancer. Because it is antioxidant and anti-carcinogenic, tulsi is found to stop the increase of cancer cells in the body. This is because it has compounds which stops the blood flow to the tumor by attacking the blood vessels supplying it. If cancer patients have the extract of tulsi or its juice everyday, it can be effective in their treatment.

Reduces risk of Heart disease: The powerful antioxidant component called Eugenol in tulsi protects the heart against srokes and heart diseases. Also, this component checks the blood pressure and keep it in control and even balance the cholesterol levels in person’s body. Simply, chewing few leaves of tulsi every morning in an empty stomach can keep many heart ailments at bay and keeps your heart healthy.

Tulsi, the Holy Basil is certainly principle of herbs and its remedial properties and religious concerns in India has made it so popular that every household has it or if any kitchen doesn’t have tulsi, it seems incomplete without it. Tulsi, no doubt, is of great importance in every house and with so many health benefits, it is truly an elixir for human body. Make it a habit to chew some leaves raw or include tulsi in some way in your daily life for a healthy living. Worship it and eat it too.

Happy Eating. Happy life.

July 20, 2014
5 Things you gotta know about Meditation
Whenever “MEDITATION” word crosses any where we tend to imagine Yogis or mental training. That doesn’t mean meditation don’t involve them in the picture, it’s just not the whole scenario. Yes! Meditation is needed. Why? It’ll be discussed further in the post, but let us first free ourselves from the preset definition of Meditation in our minds and start from the basic.

One of the defining features for living beings as we all know is Sensitivity. What’s sensitivity? It involves ability to adapt after we sense our environment. Humans gain sensitivity through Consciousness. Consciousness means forming a perception or being aware, of ourselves and our surroundings. In other words, through our consciousness we sense around the environment and respond respectively.Robots or machines if called simplistically are made by humans; still there is scope for collaborating conscious into their intelligence which is called Artificial Intelligence. Hence, being conscious is a unique feature of us, Humans!

Now, there are three states of consciousness: waking, dreaming and sleeping. When we are awake, we sense our surroundings and respond to the situations we encounter. But, if we just have a normal stimulus-response relationship with our environment, why do we encounter conditions like stress? Because, every day we wake up and try to do activities that pleases our senses. The fascinating thing about our senses is like any other system in our body its needs increases exponentially with time. So, we can never satisfy them and the exhaustion resulted from this pursuit results in most cases of stresses. In the world where competition weighs everything down, we aren’t in a situation to compromise with the best we can give. So, it all comes down to increasing your potential to be a better person than a second before.

What do we need for that?

Calm and composed mind gives clarity to the thoughts in our mind which facilitates decisiveness, Coherent while communicating and gaining Emotional stability, intuition are just some of the mention able benefits.

So, Why Meditation?
1. It calms the “Freak-ish” side of you.
At situations when you don’t know why you were screaming at that person or flipping out or just runaway from there,

reason behind them are some unsettled thoughts and emotions which had been buried or repressed for some reason. Point to be made is neither you nor others like this side of you. Meditation drifts mind from the chaotic state to more stable disposed one, in this state you are able to focus all your energy to relax your mind. The repressed thoughts and emotions are if not resolved then at least isn’t projected as anger or frustration. So, after you’re done with meditating for a while; the calm mind forgets about the happenings and is ready for a fresh start.
1. You become Smarter!
Yes, it’s true and sure is so much heard from our parents, elders or counselors.

Now, come on it’s not like you meditate once in a month or week and you expect to top your boards. Once you cultivate a regular habit of meditating, it increases an individual’s focusing power which improves attention. More you give attention to something, more you will be grasping that topic.
1. You’ll be upgraded!
Yeah, it has been found out that meditation increases an individual’s level of consciousness. The benefit of evolving your level of consciousness is that the amount of disorder or disturbances in the life seems to be negligible. This means that with regular assimilation of meditation trivial disappointments would last for like a moment for you, not occupying all of you, all day.
1. Apart from mind, it’s good for your body too!
Meditation has been found to stimulate parasympathetic nervous system that is responsible for fight or flight response for the body. It calms down the body from the provoked state. This reduces the anxiety level for the individual which in due course of time can even treat disorders like insomnia.

It slows down the respiration making an individual take only longer and deeper breaths. Why is it important? Every breath we take in gets oxygen and supplies it to the lungs which get transported to rest of the body from and we know oxygen is pretty important for every organ and system in the body. So, shallower and faster breaths cut down the time for this procedure, resulting in hasty transportation of oxygen and carbon di oxide.
1. Get rid of those blues.
Meditation balances the neuro-chemical system of the body which reduces not only anxiety but also depression and moreover increases your critical thinking power! How’s that?It also helps staying in the present moment and it affects all aspects of your life and relationships.

Meditation does or so more than that, it transforms one’s personality for good. Individuals get to know more about themselves and this brings about thirst for discovering more about enigma of life. The questions encountered after that like “What is life? And Why I go in a circle of happiness and sadness round and round?” will take you into a different yet exciting journey altogether. This will only enrich your consciousness more and more resulting in you perceiving the whole universe as part of oneself. However easy and insignificant it may sound, it’s important for a human to get the answers for the same in his or her lifetime.
July 1, 2014
Why Coffee Is The Elixir Of Life

Coffee is a brewed beverage that is prepared from the roasted seeds of Coffea shrubs. Coffee is served worldwide in various forms. some people like latte, while some prefer the strong Espresso shots. Coffee is a beverage which can be had any time of the day, any time of the year. A hot cuppa coffee while you sit like a cozy puppy in blanket on a winter morning cannot be beaten by anything on this earth. Similarly, having ice chilled cold coffee on a day when Sun has decided to kill us with its scorching heat and show to the entire world that it is so hot, can prove to be a life-saviour. There are numerous kinds of variants available in the market of coffee, ranging from a mild one to one which is so strong that it will just disappear your sleep in the matter of just one cup. Coffee, due to its amorphous nature, is liked by all and there is no dearth of people who are coffee addicts. The strong taste and smell of coffee make it different from all the other beverages. Here are some of the reasons why is coffee is the elixir of life:

1. The Aroma

Though it is true that no two things are alike in this universes and this holds true for everything but only one thing justifies it to the fullest. That thing is none other than coffee. There is nothing like coffee in this world. It is unique in every aspect. The strong smell of coffee is so addictive that whenever anyone passes across a coffee house, the person is bound to intentionally inhale the enigmatic vapour peeping through those glass doors. The smell is so strong and has neutralising qualities which is the reason why people at the malls would offer you to smell some coffee beans in between smelling two different scents. Many surveys tell that the aroma of coffee often serves as a soothing fragrance and is capable of calming the disturbed human mind. So, what are you waiting for? Go. Find that jar of coffee and sniff, sniff!

2. The Taste

Coffee due to the presence of caffeine, is acidic in nature. The acidic strength of coffee is different in mild and strong variants. The mild one feels smooth inside your mouth and its taste lasts longer. Whereas, coffee which is said to be more acidic, gives a tangy flavour. The strong taste of coffee is often compared to the strong taste of citrus fruits as they both have an addictive aroma and a tangy, peculiar taste to them. No aerated beverage like cola, has a flavour that is as addictive as this naturally produced coffee. Due to the availability of so many options, one can choose how strong they want their coffee to taste. The strongest taste of coffee in its most raw form can be had by savouring a cup of hot espresso or black coffee, as it is called in some countries. If the bitterness of an espresso is too harsh for you, you can opt for coffee with different ratio of milk, foam and cream.

3. The Kick

If ever you have played ‘The Sims’, then you would know that whenever your character drinks too much coffee, it starts feeling “buzzed”. The similar is the situation outside that virtual game too. The aroma and the perfect taste, both combine to produce a beverage that is non-alcoholic yet it gives a kick in the head very strongly. The best part of this buzz is that it gives you a certain sense of being high but that is not so strong as that gained by an alcoholic drink and thus, you do not lose your senses after many rounds of coffee. Coffee is capable of giving you the much necessary kick and that too, without any ill and anti-social side effects. Many people claim that the high they get from coffee is a soothing one and it just gives them a sense of happiness from within.

4. The Sleep Deleter

We all have had those nights when we had to stay awake the entire night and complete five assignments in one go. We know that no friend, no notes, nothing of those things could have proved to be of even an iota of help had it not been for coffee. What work can anyone do if one is not awake? Coffee is the ultimate sleep deleter. It just vanishes those lazy moments and gives a strength that no other energy drink can provide. This sleep deleter is a tonic that is very enriching and does not lead to a hangover. A strong cup of coffee keeps the eyes wide open and is enough to burn the midnight oil. The kick, the taste, the aroma, all of these qualities of coffee make it the elixir of life. Coffee is not just a beverage. It is the beverage.

June 24, 2014