PAOLO LEZZELLE draws simple parallels between the Heartfulness system and sport, in this article focusing primarily on how we master time. Time, Timing, Timelessness I wish to speak about one of my favorite topics in the sporting field, which is a “sense of time” or, more appropriately, timing. I’ve always been fascinated by it since I was a child watching sports on TV. Of course, I could not understand it in detail way back then, but I sensed that any kind of athletic action was strongly determined by the capacity of the athlete to catch the right moment to do something. Be it running, jumping, or hitting a ball, it seemed to me that the basic dynamics was the same, namely, to be there in the right way at the right moment. I didn’t know it, but this is what timing is in its essence. Later on, as a tennis trainer, I could give a sound meaning to these observations, and come to understand the importance of this aspect of sport, which in my opinion is hidden behind more apparent aspects. Needless to say, I’m deeply grateful to some extraordinary mentors whom I’ve been so lucky to meet. Oddly enough, the topic of timing is very much related to the topic of strength. Assuming that there are different types of strength (I won’t go into detail), it may appear that specific physical acts require a lot of strength to be performed successfully, which implies muscular mass. But it is not so. Most efforts, even the hardest, are much easier if performed with synchronicity among body segments. This means that the kinetic chains performing the act function without interruption, with smoothness and at the right time (kinetic chains are interlinked muscular groups). This synchronicity is mainly responsible for strength or energy….
TOBIN HART is professor at the University of West Georgia’s Humanistic, Transpersonal and Critical Psychology program, and co-founder of the ChildSpirit Institute. In this 3-part series he is interviewed by VICTOR KANNAN, Director of the Heartfulness Institute USA, about the intersection of Western psychology and spirituality. Q: Good morning. Hope all of you are fine and safe. TH: We are. No one is safe anymore, are they? Q: I think not. I will answer your question as to how we are doing these days. I’ve been practicing meditation as a journey of self-discovery, and also self-development. When we combine self-discovery and self-development, it seems to usher in nice surprises and challenges. Over a long period of time, I think we are trained to be comfortable with the wholesomeness of the aloneness. It’s more of being alone, but not lonely. COVID-19 has added another dimension to it in the past one year. Fortunately for us, we have sufficient social contact. I go to work, and we have a community of meditators that meets virtually a couple of times a week, so there is enough social contact for me. And yet there is no personal contact. There is no smell of coffee or ambience. If we are not engaged with all our five senses and absorbing with all our five senses, are we in some way impairing our presence? That probably takes us to your book, The Four Virtues, the first virtue being Presence. TH: It’s a lovely description. I love your phrase “the wholesomeness of aloneness.” That could be a book title. Right? These are such strange days. You really did describe it beautifully, and it also makes me think of smell. The New York Times magazine had a big article on smell recently: Prompted by just what you’re saying, in part. With…
SANJAY SEHGAL, CEO of MSys Technologies, shares a story of a man whose ego-driven intentions led to a much-needed lesson, and explains the importance of connecting with our truest selves so we can authentically fulfill our purpose. What is the purpose of my life? Who am I? Why am I here? What am I really doing? A direction to the answer to these questions is in this article, but bear with me to get there. The three wishes There was once a sage who gave his disciple a magic mantra that would fulfill three of his wishes. But the boon came with a catch: The disciple’s neighbor would be twice blessed with whatever the disciple received. The disciple was overjoyed. He chanted the mantra for a good living, including a nice house, a beautiful wife, elephants, horses, cows, buffaloes, etc., without paying much heed to the codicil. As predicted, his neighbor received twice what the disciple wished for. Suddenly the disciple felt the weight of his wish and its condition. He became jealous, and started wanting to harm his neighbor. So intense was his desire that he used his second wish for his neighbor to lose one of his eyes and break a leg and an arm. His neighbor thus lost both his eyes, and broke both arms and legs. But, as destiny had it, soon the disciple was struck by paralysis that completely immobilized him. He lost the use of his working arm, leg and eye. He was devastated and wanted to use the last wish to get back to normalcy. However, the mantra did not work. The disciple was confused and called his teacher, the sage. The wise sage came to visit his disciple and learned the whole story. He pointed out that the wish could not be…
DAAJI continues his series on refining habits, in the light of Patanjali’s Ashtanga Yoga and current scientific and yogic principles and practices. Last month, he shone a light on the habit of moderation, brahmacharya, exploring the way our senses interface with our feelings and desires. This month, he focuses on the final Yama, the virtue of aparigraha, which means not being possessive, attached, greedy, or focused on material gain. What do we really need? Minimalism and sustainability In the last few decades, there has been a growing movement away from indulgence and hedonism toward simplicity, minimalism and living a sustainable lifestyle, centered around the 5Rs of refuse, reduce, reuse, repurpose and recycle. We see this in building, architecture and interior design, for example, with the many TV and streaming programs showing us how to live in smaller homes made with recycled and natural materials. We have been wowed by Marie Kondo’s book, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, and TV show, Tidying Up, challenging us to buy only those things that we need, and that bring us joy, and encouraging us to clean up our living spaces. And as a result of the obesity epidemic in the developed world, we see this trend also with food and diet. In general, we are moving toward “more and more of less and less” in the words of my first teacher, Babuji. This principle of taking and using only what we need has been followed by yogis since time immemorial, and it pertains to all areas of life. In Yoga it is known as aparigraha, and it is the fifth and final Yama. As we face the dangers of climate change, environmental destruction, mass extinction of species, and the vast inequality among people from different social and cultural walks of life, this Yama…
JUST THINKING AND FEELING DR. ICHAK ADIZES challenges us to reorganize our lives so that we are able to be in charge of how we spend our time, and thus create balance and well-being. As he points out, it is easier said than done! It requires a radical shift in our way of thinking and working. In my work as a consultant to top management, I come across the same question over and over again: “Doctor Adizes, how do I balance my professional career with my personal life? I am not just a corporate leader, but also a spouse, a parent, and a community member. What do I do when my work totally absorbs all of my time and my personal life suffers?” I hear this question mostly in countries experiencing rapid change. Change causes problems. Problems call for solutions. Business solutions, to be developed and implemented, consume lots of time and personal life suffers. In order to balance life, ask yourself, “What do I truly value the most?” People usually discover what is of value too late. On their death bed. Or when they get sick. Why? Because we recognize the most important things in life by their absence. You do not know the value of health until you get sick, the value of democracy until you live in a dictatorship, the value of love until you do not have it, or the value of living until you are dying. We take for granted the most important things in life because we normally have them. But not really. Health, democracy, and love are not static, fixed. If not maintained, they deteriorate. With time passing, they do not stay the same. There is nothing you need to do for love or health or democracy to deteriorate. Just do nothing and…
DR. ELISABETH BOUDERLIQUE and DR. BIRGIT DÜRR have specialized in behavioral disorders in children from a neurodevelopmental perspective. In this 2-part series, they were interviewed by PURNIMA RAMAKRISHNA for World Mental Health Day, October 2020. Q: Welcome Elisabeth and Birgit. Today, mental disorders are among the most common of disabilities. We are seeing an epidemic rise in physical and mental health issues in the last decades and it’s only getting worse. Today we live in a society which impacts our brain’s development negatively in so many ways. You were both trained by Dr. Robert Melillo from the US. Dr. Melillo is an American chiropractor and researcher who developed the concept of “functional disconnection syndrome.” He has helped thousands of children with various neurological dysfunctions for many years, and his method has been the subject of an independent study done at the psychiatric department of Harvard Medical School. The study showed that three months of “brain balance” exercises and interactive metronome on children with ADHD had beneficial effects on attention and hyperactivity, and also showed physical effects in the MRT on brain connectivity between the regions involved in the symptomatology of ADHD. Elisabeth, I would like to know why you ventured into this field of developmental disorders. EB: After I finished my medical education as an occupational doctor, I gave birth to a daughter, Charlotte, who was born a few days after term with a low birth weight of 2.2 kilos. She grew up following the lowest curve. She was late to sit and she neither crawled nor crept. She walked around eighteen and a half months and was falling a lot. Everyone around me was saying “Don’t worry, every child is different. There is no problem,” but a few months later, Charlotte was labeled with a developmental delay by a…
DR. ELISABETH BOUDERLIQUE and DR. BIRGIT DÜRR have specialized in behavioral disorders in children from a neurodevelopmental perspective. In this 2-part series, they were interviewed by PURNIMA RAMAKRISHNA for World...
JUST THINKING AND FEELING DR. ICHAK ADIZES challenges us to reorganize our lives so that we are able to be in charge of how we spend our time, and thus...
ANNIKA SHARMA is the co-host of the podcast, The Woke Desi, and author of the upcoming book, Love, Chai, and Other Four-Letter Words, about following your heart, life influencing art,...
DAAJI continues his series on refining habits, in the light of Patanjali’s Ashtanga Yoga and current scientific and yogic principles and practices. Last month, he shone a light on the...
PAOLO LEZZELLE draws simple parallels between the Heartfulness system and sport, in this article focusing primarily on how we master time. Time, Timing, Timelessness I wish to speak about one...
TOBIN HART is professor at the University of West Georgia’s Humanistic, Transpersonal and Critical Psychology program, and co-founder of the ChildSpirit Institute. In this 3-part series he is interviewed by...
Jun 01 2021
Jun 01 2021
Jun 01 2021
Jun 01 2021
Jun 01 2021
Jun 01 2021
May 31 2021
May 31 2021
May 31 2021
May 31 2021
