Spiritual Magazine | Wellness Magazine

Focus, January 2021, VOLUME 6 / 01 Jan 2021
Yoga & peace
DEEPAK CHOPRA speaks with DAAJI about the role Yoga has to play in bringing about world peace. This is an excerpt from their conversation broadcast on International Day of Peace, September 21, 2020. That documentary is available at: https://heartfulness.org/en/international-day-of-peace/. Daaji: Namaste, Sir. DC: Daaji, it is a great honour to be with you and celebrate World Peace Day. I was thinking, as I was getting online to speak with you, of the basic Yamas and Niyamas that are the basis of all of our yogic tradition. And if you look at the Yamas in order, it all starts with ahimsa. Ahimsa is the first Yama, which means to be established in non-violence. The great sage Patanjali says that when we are firmly established in peace-consciousness ourselves, then all beings around us cease to feel hostility. So you are actually to do nothing but be peaceful yourself, and bring the presence of peace wherever you go. If you do that, then people around you will feel peaceful, not by what you say, not even by what you do, but just by your presence. That is the great gift of Patanjali, when he says the first lesson of Yoga is to start with ahimsa. Then you start with satya. Satya is truth. When you have satya added to ahimsa, you automatically have asteya. Asteya means you don’t covet anything, because you are totally fulfilled within yourself. And from that experience of asteya, non-stealing, non-covetousness, non-jealousy, comes what Patanjali calls aparigraha, which means detachment from the fruits of action, which ultimately leads to the best use of your energy, your vital energy, your vital force. And so, on World Peace Day, I think it is very appropriate for us to celebrate the great yogic traditions of India that also talk about the Niyamas…

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January 2021, Thought in action, VOLUME 6 / 01 Jan 2021
Turning Crisis into Opportunity – part 1
JUST THINKING AND FEELING The Leadership Challenge DR. ICHAK ADIZES gave the keynote address at the IEDC Annual Presidents’ Forum at the Bled School of Management, Slovenia, on October 9, 2020. He shared insights with the foremost global management thinkers of today about how to manage change, crisis, and use integration as a tool for survival and continuous improvement. Here we present excerpts from his presentation. The question of how to manage in a time of crisis, and specifically during the COVID-19 pandemic, requires an analysis of the roots of the crisis. How did this happen? We need to have the answer to this question so that we know how to handle it. Time and space started with the Big Bang. The explosion resulted in the creation of multiple sub-systems; the universe became one big web of sub-systems. In this universe, every system is part of a bigger one. There is a hierarchy of systems that have to collaborate horizontally and vertically for the total system to operate. What else started with time? Change. And since time cannot be stopped, change cannot be stopped either. Some people try. Some political ideologists attempt to do just that as well as some religious fanatics. You can stop yourself. You can sit in a cage in the Himalayas and contemplate your navel. But even then change will continue and your body will age. You can stop your company from changing but your country will move on. You can try to stop the whole country from changing but you cannot stop the world. The universe is a big web of systems and vertical subsystems. And what happens as a result of change? The subsystems do not change at the same speed. Let us look at an example of a company, which consists of multiple…

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Be inspired, January 2021, VOLUME 6 / 01 Jan 2021
The art of removing and creating habits – part 1
In this new series, DAAJI bridges the wisdom of Yoga with the way we can change our behavior patterns and habits. He challenges us to evaluate our ways of thinking and feeling in order to refine our tendencies, and to reset our compass toward a lifestyle that is noble and good. We sow a thought and reap an act; We sow an act and reap a habit; We sow a habit and reap a character; We sow a character and reap a destiny. —19th century proverb Thoughts, actions, habits, character and destiny This well-known and often-quoted English proverb is based on a simple sequence of cause and effect. The same idea is also found in Chinese texts, in The Bible, and in the Buddha’s and Patanjali’s Eightfold Paths. In other words, the concept is universally appreciated across cultures. Despite its clear message, during the last few decades character has taken a back seat in a world that has been accelerating toward corruption, fake news and misinformation, digital addiction, extremes in wealth and poverty, and unregulated destruction of the environment. Perhaps because of all these issues, there is now a significant revival of interest in values and character. One term that has been coined for this revival is “a moral revolution1.” Ethics have once more become fashionable, and books like James Clear’s Atomic Habits are bestsellers as people look for answers and ways to change. Here we will together explore the reasons for thought pollution which is created as a consequence which also becomes a cause for many other ills. Yamas and Niyamas Philosophers and thought leaders from ancient times to the present day have extolled the importance of character and the creation of good habits, not with the idea of judgment and condemnation, but in order to offer guidelines and inspiration,…

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Interview, January 2021, VOLUME 6 / 31 Dec 2020
The soundscape of music – part 1
In this exclusive interview, which we feature in two parts, SHUBHENDRA RAO and SASKIA RAO-DE HAAS speak with V. SRINIVASAN about their careers in music, about the role of music in education, and about the broader meaning of vibration, resonance, harmony and rhythm in life. Here, they start with the meaning of music. Q: What does music mean to you in your life, at the core of your heart? SRH: Music is life, to me, the vibrations. Any vibration in this universe is music. It’s who we are, who I am. I think I’m fortunate to live that every single day and realize that. Everything that vibrates is music, everything that vibrates has resonance. The sound can be in harmony or disharmony, can be in rhythm or out of rhythm. So, to me music is the same as life. SR: That’s very beautifully put. For us, we live, eat, sleep, play music. It’s as natural as that for us. But then when you see the world, every small little movement, every chirping of a bird, the sound of the ocean, every small sound of the breeze, the rattling of leaves … There is music in everything. It’s for us to realize and for us to feel that. SRH: We have to be careful what we add to that soundscape of nature with our voice, our speaking. What do we say? I mean, this is what every enlightened person is telling us. From a musical perspective, this is also true. Noise pollution and harsh words all have a negative impact, as much as the vibration of Nature, of plants, trees and animals. So, there is a huge effect of music. I think of the story of what happened to the roses at your house. Q: Yes, I grew up in Bangalore…

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January 2021, Taste of life, VOLUME 6 / 31 Dec 2020
The thoughtfulness of landscapes
A PHOTO ESSAY ALEXANDER SOHL was born and raised on Vashon Island, in Puget Sound, Washington State, USA. He works every day to expose the beauty of nature and the thoughtfulness of its landscape. Spending his early 20s in Los Angeles, he honed his craft in the foothills and deserts of California, but has now returned to his homeland to explore the dense forests and vast mountains of the Pacific Northwest. The love is in the lens and the eye is ever searching. THE GLOW OF EL CAPITAN Yosemite National Park is a must-see destination for people of all vocations and interests. For photographers, capturing the El Capitan sunset is a bucket list check off ! BESSIE BUTTE A quick jaunt outside of town, Bessie Butte is one of the best views around Bend. On a clear day you can see more than 100 miles to Mt. Hood and over to Washington Peak in the nearby Three Sisters Range. Just a quick steep hike to reap some large rewards. WASHINGTON PASS Glowing mountain tops and luscious sunrise clouds make a frigid October morning worth the trek. Washington Pass is one of the most picturesque locations in the North Cascades National Park and if you’re short on time, or not prepared to do a serious trek, this viewpoint is a short walk from the parking lot. With its perfect peaks facing in both directions, sunrise or sunset is the best time to capture the scene. DIABLO LAKE As a photographer there is nothing better than waking up and seeing a gray sky and low hanging fog wrapped around the landscape. It creates such a moody vibe and puts more personality onto an otherwise potentially plain shot. Almost like creating something out of nothing. Diablo Lake is already a legendary location, but…

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THIS MONTH'S EDITION

It changes everything

Remembrance & a sacred earth

in It changes everything, January 2021, VOLUME 6

LLEWELLYN VAUGHAN-LEE mourns the forgetting of our connection with the Earth, inviting us once more to remember, reconnect and rekindle the sacred of that relationship in our lives. The pandemic...

Children’s sleep

Earth laughs in flowers

Thought in action

Turning Crisis into Opportunity – part 1

in January 2021, Thought in action, VOLUME 6

JUST THINKING AND FEELING The Leadership Challenge DR. ICHAK ADIZES gave the keynote address at the IEDC Annual Presidents’ Forum at the Bled School of Management, Slovenia, on October 9,...

The heartful innovator – part 1

Open every door

Focus

Yoga & peace

in Focus, January 2021, VOLUME 6

DEEPAK CHOPRA speaks with DAAJI about the role Yoga has to play in bringing about world peace. This is an excerpt from their conversation broadcast on International Day of Peace,...

Create the habit of meditation

Habits

Be Inspired

The art of removing and creating habits – part 1

in Be inspired, January 2021, VOLUME 6

In this new series, DAAJI bridges the wisdom of Yoga with the way we can change our behavior patterns and habits. He challenges us to evaluate our ways of thinking...

What do you really love?

The stillness paradox

Taste of Life

Interview

The soundscape of music – part 1

in Interview, January 2021, VOLUME 6

In this exclusive interview, which we feature in two parts, SHUBHENDRA RAO and SASKIA RAO-DE HAAS speak with V. SRINIVASAN about their careers in music, about the role of music...