Tillitonse - A Transformational Journey Together

Managing the Mind : How can one actively defeat one’s own lower nature, and train the mind to be even and balanced? The point is very simple. Always maintain a  positive attitude. As long as one maintains a positive attitude, and is happy and clear in one’s mind as far as one’s own aspirations and participation are concerned, one can easily manage the mind. It goes without saying that the nature of mind is to create problems all the time. Problems are created by the mind because of two things only: firstly, one’s expectations and needs, and secondly, mismanagement of the mental behavior. A person’s expectations and needs become their personal areas of involvement, and then managing of the reactive mind in normal situations has to be the focus On the one hand people say that life is tamasic, restrictive, painful and confusing, yet on the other hand we all expect so much from our own life. There is a contradiction in life. There is no intellectual reasoning, logi...

Manage the Mind Swami Niranjan You tend to forget that whatever happens in life is only temporary. In one situation you experience happiness, and then something happens and you feel sad. When you find happiness, you cling on to it. You do not want the situation to change. However, when you are filled with adversity, you want to run away from it; you do not want to have any association with it. Who is responsible for this attitude? It is the mind. If you can keep the mind in check, if you are able to deal with it firmly, it will remain healthy. After all who did Lord Krishna manage? Did he manage Arjuna or Arjuna’s mind? While on the battlefield, Lord Krishna repeatedly told Arjuna, “Do not let your mind be disturbed! It is your mind that is the cause of all your troubles.” He advised him to perform his duty, to follow his dharma, and not to allow his mind to waver. He showed him ways to regain his balance and keep his mind in control. In fact, the entire message of the ...

Swami Sivananda’s 18 Yamas (excerpts from Development of Satyananda Yoga by Sw. Nirajan) Swami Sivananda gave certain guidelines, in the form of 18 yamas or disciplines to be followed to overcome the lower, tamasic tendencies in life and to cultivate spiritual awareness. Sage Patanjali prescribed five yamas. There are only related to the mind and applicable for altering the states of the mind. I am referring here to the yamas that are capable of altering the nature of the ego. Do not confuse the two. Swami Sivananda’s eighteen yamas which we call ‘ites’, are: serenity, regularity, absence of vanity, sincerity, simplicity, veracity, equanimity, fixing, non irritability, adaptability, humility, tenacity, integrity, nobility, magnanimity, charity, generosity, and purity. You should make the attempt and effort to cultivate these qualities in life. If you are able to grow these wonderful flowers in your life, then the thorns will not bother you. The bush of roses is ...

So, there I was at a lovely party night at the Park Sheraton hotel (once called ‘Adyar Park’). Found myself dancing on the floor to the music of the 80s, surrounded by Aarti, Mani, Anil, Preeta and Lata, of course. A few feet away were Babbu, Priya and Bharathi. Suddenly, felt the warm embrace of nostalgia as an image of spending time with same people twenty five years ago at the ‘Gatsby,’(the discotheque at the same hotel!) I let this wave engulf me and it seemed like I was watching a familiar old movie that I had loved! While years have rolled by, it felt comforting to be surrounded by the familiar! Yup, it was lovely to be back home to Madras! Although it has been five years since we came back, I still don’t take it for granted.   This moment was indeed special!

Yesterday, there were three independent events (or were they?) that reminded me of a valuable insight that I tend to forget – ‘ What we see is only a small part of the big picture.’ Spent some time talking, or rather listening to SRB, an 80 year father of a good friend of mine at his place.   SRB can be cantankerous, sardonic, insightful and irreverent at the same time, but always with a spark in his eye. I have known and spent time with him over the past 30 years (wow, it has indeed been that long), but yesterday was probably the one of the few occasions where I got to hear about his life before I got to know him. In our conversation, he walked down memory lane talking about his father, uncle, cousin, grand-father and even his great grand father on one hand and the prevailing society (and changes) over time. As he wove these stories, I was able to see how the lives of his forefathers had played a BIG role in shaping him. This led me to better understand and appreciate...

‘Man Making’ and Not Just ‘Bread Making’ Lessons from my fourth trip to the Bihar School of Yoga, Oct 2013 Ah, with two cups of coffee and some potatoes and parotas down the hatchet, one is ready! The quiet and sanitized conditions of the lounge in Kolkata airport and the flight back to Madras provide an ideal opportunity to look back over the past week spent at the Bihar School of Yoga (BSY) ashram in Munger, Bihar. This note is less about BSY’s World Yoga Convention, but more about the ways this experience has touched me .  I will highlight five particular learnings in this note. Undoubtedly, the highlight of the trip was away from the Convention. The warm and genuine hospitality of Shantanu’s parents has taught me so much. Shantanu is my yoga teacher who has been my guide over the past two years as I have dived into the world of better health, self-analysis and improvement through the tools of yoga.  As I write this note, I realize that I don’t even know his f...

Third Dip Into Pakistan - Charity, Mirror and Be Grateful October 16, 2013 Just completed my third trip to Pakistan in 10 months last week. Each trip there is a voyage of discovery and this trip was no different. As with every great voyage, the lessons we learn about ourselves are the most gratifying. 1. Understanding and appreciating Islam – A few months ago I had a read a piece where the author talks about how Swami Vivekananda (one of the pioneers of modern day Hinduism) thought that that the philosophies of Hinduism married with the application of Islam were an ideal mix. During this trip I had a wonderful opportunity to talk to Imran and Ayesha, a delightful young couple in Karachi. I had read a little about Islam’s focus on charity and when I asked them about it, Imran spoke to me at length how charity is at the heart of Islam. He went out to articulate different types of charity (with strict rules) constitute one of the five pillars of Islam. The type so cha...