iMeditate

Day before, I went to a Meditation Centre to celebrate a friend's birthday. She goes there often, but it was my first time. It's called the The London Centre of Self-Realization Fellowship. 

To briefly introduce... 

This centre is managed by members of Self-Realization Fellowship (SRF), an organization founded by Paramahansa Yogananda. The purpose of this SRF centre is to provide a communal place for people to practice the teachings of Yogananda, indulge in group meditations and provide spiritual support to each other. The centre runs on a schedule and is open to everyone who wishes to practice meditation. They also have a library with a great set of books and audio tapes that you can shuffle through, or buy of course.

My Experience

I'd gone for an hour long meditation class with a whole bunch of people who were also going to meditate along with me. The place looked insanely serene. As soon as you walk in, you cease to speak. The only language of communication in here was that of silence. Entering a place so silent, in a hustling bustling London, almost felt unreal! I was surprised to see how many people turned up to experiment with this type of practice. 

People from all sorts of different religions were there together, practicing the art of meditation. The service started with a prayer and a short story that was read by an old lady who ran that particular meditation practice. FYI, the person running this service is subject to change. Following this, we sat in meditation for about 40 minutes. 

It felt amazingly peaceful! That silence from all the noise of the city and the noise of the mind got me feeling formless. The undying voice of the mind finally seemed to take deep long breaths before uttering each new sentence. There was a time when it completely stopped speaking! And the body? Don't be afraid if your body goes numb, it's only a good sign. 

It really was a beautiful experience. As the service finished, I woke up with tears in my eyes to find this energized spirit and stillness within me. This feeling is the best gift you can give yourself. 

Turns out, it was a great way to celebrate her birthday, and an extremely productive hour. I definitely recommend it!

              

#LaughingAnanas

And it's YOUR TURN NOW!

Ever come home from a fat, long day to a four-course meal, specially prepared by your flatmate to de-stress you?

Ever had a random traveller of public transport carry all your gigantic bags down the never-ending staircase, merely at the thought you might struggle?

Ever found an anonymous envelope with a note from a stranger, wishing you a fabulous life?

Ever had the stranger man in the video below, singing at the Statue of Liberty, telling you to always stay cheerful and wish you all the happiness and more?

I have. And I don't have words enough to describe the kind of spirit all these people have! These people, and the stories of many others on a mission of kindness, inspire me. They inspire me. They make me believe in kindness that has no ulterior motive, kindness that is random.

In our everyday lives, we're offered a helping hand, now and again, when we least expect it and most need it. And it's our turn now! Our turn to give back what we were given, and form an infinite circle of kindness. Want to know where you can start?

Start with YOUR TURN NOW!

YOUR TURN NOW (YTN) is an initiative undertaken by Rushabh Turakhia, a man from Mumbai, who believes in making a bigger, better world for everyone around him.

The idea behind this concept is; every time you lend a helping hand to someone, instead of accepting their 'Thank you', you give them a YTN card, which essentially tells them 'It's YOUR TURN NOW'.

This person can now go away to thank you by helping someone else in need, and pass on the YTN card to them.

In this simple handing over of the YTN card, the kindness that goes around, really will come around. Rushabh believes that we can multiply a single act of kindness into many others, and eventually translate them into lots of happy faces.

This vision of his is. in fact, manifesting in our world. This initiative was established in 2009, and over 315600 cards are already out there in the passing in 38 different countries!

The YTN Card

You can have your own set of YTN cards, not just in one language, but in 9 different languages. Wondering how much you need to pay for these cards? Well, stop. The YTN cards are absolutely free of cost, and you don't need to pay for postage either! Just pass it on every time you help someone and have them pay it ahead, with nothing but kindness. For your YTN cards, visit www.yourturnnow.in or send an email to Rushabh at rushabh@yourturnnow.in.

I have already ordered my batch of cards in two different languages. What are you waiting for? Is it not, YOUR TURN NOW?

#LaughingAnanas

A Wishing Well

 

One afternoon, Akira was marching through the forest, carrying a sack of his many troubles on his weary shoulders. He stopped to rest by a well, that according to a famous myth, was magical by nature. The well was known to grant the wishes of all those who sat by it.

Akira looked into the bountiful water of the magical well, as he reflected upon his troubles. He started to feel thirsty and wished for some water. Suddenly, a glass of cold water appeared before him. A shocked Akira inspected the water and downed every last sip of it. 

He then started to feel hungry and wished for a hearty meal. He suddenly had in his hands, a plate full of delicious food items. Perplexed, he examined the food and ate up every last crumb of it. 

Seeing his wishes being granted, he thought he'd test the magic by wishing for a grand house, all for himself. To his disbelief, a mansion-like house appeared right in front of him. Amazed, he thought to himself that maybe he's being tricked and maybe he should seek something more real, more life-like. 

He shot another arrow in the dark and wished for a beautiful maiden to get settled with. And voila! Standing right before him, was an attractive young lady with a big smile on her face. By this time, Akira was almost certain that it was all unreal. To prove it, he touched the girl saying, "There is no way you are real. Someone is just playing a big, fat joke on me. I can't be this lucky!" At the very instant, everything he wished for disappeared in front of his eyes. 

Akira shook his head in pride, picked up his sack of many troubles and said, "I knew it..." 

-----

There is no beauty in the world till you have the eyes to see it. The flowers will bloom, but you will fail to see them. Beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder. Likewise, there is no Master till there is a Disciple. And likewise, there can be no gift for you till you know how to receive it. 

So many of us go on searching for something without developing a corresponding receptivity in ourselves. We try to see beauty in the world, not knowing that our eyes are shut. We try to seek for a Master, not knowing that the Disciple in us is absent. We expect to be gifted, not knowing we don't know how to receive the present. 

That's what poor Akira was completely unaware of. How could he possibly sustain any of the wishes he was granted, if he didn't believe them to be true, and was unable to be grateful and accept them? A mind in complete disbelief is capable of driving away the most real of things; just as, a mind in hope is able to attract the most unrealistic...

#LaughingAnanas

From one Stranger to Another

In my previous post, 4 Main Things to do at Kew Gardens, I talked a great deal about the key attractions of Kew, its plants and their shenanigans. 

And I now have more to add, something beyond plants...

As I was exploring the Palm House in Kew, I found a light blue envelope sitting in the plants, with the words 'Please open me, I'm just for you!' on it. 

I was obviously excited and curious to open it and see its contents, like it asked me to do. I wondered if ants would swarm out on opening the envelope, but that didn't stop me.

In my excitement, I ripped it open and found the following note:

 

Those words say everything and more. To have such random act of kindness bestowed upon me, seeking nothing in return; and to do that anonymously for a complete stranger - it made my day!

It made my day to know that genuine kindness like this exists and to feel it first-hand. The love and kindness this Stranger dwelled in his/her note, reached out to me and instilled in me the very same love that originated within the Stranger. From one Stranger to Another. 

Reminded me of a message I'd written over two years back and sailed it away in a bottle in the River Thames:




I wonder if it ever reached someone...

Going back to the note from the Stranger in Kew; it's placed back to where I found it, waiting to make someone else's day.

―――

Every time you love something or someone, you automatically grow your 'self' and your mind. I don't mean the kind of love that is only for exhibition to convey others of your kind nature and build a self image. I don't even mean the kind of love that aims to please people, and in turn please oneself. And I definitely don't mean the kind of love that expects something back in return.

The 'love' I speak of is beyond any of the aforementioned. It's deep-rooted within all of us, in fact it is our true nature. It's unconditional, it's boundless, it's genuine. It's the highest form of energy that creates good on every level of your being and makes you feel at one with all the other beings! We feel it time and again, but we're not always aware of it.

The next time you feel at one with the universe, ask yourself whether you feel this type of love flowing within your entire entity. Ask yourself if its the same type of love you normally claim to feel for others; or is it Different?

#LaughingAnanas #FeelingBlessed

4 Main Things to do at Kew Gardens

Kew Gardens; the house of the big and small, wild and tame, African and Asian, and all the types of plants that you possibly can't imagine! I learnt so much in my weekend visit to Kew Gardens, and this short post is to share it with all those who are interested in plants and their shenanigans. 

Here it is, the eye of a commoner explores key attractions of Kew and what they have to offer you...

1. The Mighty Palm House

From the busy streets of London, I landed in this out-of-the-world glass house that felt like a furnace slowly evaporating every little drop of me. Walking around in the glass house, I felt like I was walking in the woods of the Amazonian rainforest. Every 15 minutes, the visitors are pleasantly surprised with the onset of inbuilt water sprinklers in the killing heat of the glass house - phew!

This rainforest-like living laboratory allows you to enter the lives of these exotic plants and observe the most fascinating ways in which they grow and interact. To top that, you can expect to find plants from the Americas, Africa, Indian Ocean Islands, Asia, Australasia and the Pacific, all showcased in this one house! 

Not only do you get to see this wide variety, you also get to interact with it. At every step of the house/At every turn of the walkway, you can see these informative boards that tell you the story of the plants, starting from their origin to their cultural history to their uses. 

And that's not it. At every corner, you'd find stands of various herbs, spices and plants, exhibiting different forms in which people use them. These stands also had a drawer with a small 'Smell-Box' that asks you to smell the smell of the plant.

Information Stand

Smell Box

             

            'Smell Me'

I smelled Chinese Keys, Black Pepper, Curry Leaves, Ginger, Vanilla, Nutmeg and Mace. What's on your plate? 

2. The Damp Waterlily House

Soon-to-be Waterlily

Giant Amazonian Waterlily

If the pictures didn't speak for themselves enough, I'd like to add a bit more.

Few Facts

• The Giant Amazonian Waterlilies in the pictures are not just used by frogs, birds and snakes to sit on. They can hold babies up to 2 years of age!
• These leaves are designed to support their huge size. Their ribs-like structure on the underside traps air for buoyancy and strength. They also have sharp spines underneath to deter hungry fish.           

• Santa Cruz waterlilies release heat so to enable beetles to locate them. 
• The flower of the giant Amazon waterlily can close totally holding the insects captive inside it for several hours, to make absolutely sure that pollination occurs.
• The underground stem of a Lotus is edible when fried, pickled or roasted. 

3. Treetop Walkway

Photo Credit: www.kew.org

This walkway is WOW! You're not just on top of the world, but you're on Top of the Trees. You get to be so close to the trees and experience how it'd feel to be taller than them. So up close and personal, that you can probably touch the topmost branches of some of the oldest trees.

118 steps to climb

    Did you know?         

    ● The world's biggest Pine Cone lives here!
    ● Tree roots are twice as wide as the tree is tall, but only a               metre deep.

4. When you are in Kew, Remember to:

Hold the tip of the Pagoda in your fingers

Sleep in the Woods

When its Bloomed up

Take a pic in Rose Garden

      

Eat the Giant Chilli

Snooze on the BigBoyBeanbag

And oh, ENJOY! 

#LaughingAnanas

How to put Aloe Gel in Hair

And it's here; My first VLOG! 

A little bit of a video and a little bit of a blog, only following up on my previous post iUse Aloe Gel on my Hair. 

Check out the video to learn a simple, inexpensive, DIY 3 minute ritual of how to:

1. Prevent hair fall
2. Maintain healthy, shiny and, of course, beautiful hair
3. Promote hair growth
4. Condition your hair naturally

Enjoy!

#LaughingAnanas