YARD [0099] : The Yogic Routine - IV

Dear Friends,

Namaste!

Continuing on with suggested Yogic routine...

1.    Bathe and get ready from 7:30 am to 8 am

Bathing is “Shaucha” (albeit external) continued. Rigorous one hour workout causes us to be drenched in sweat. A close shave (for the men folk) and a good bath restore equilibrium. We wear clean clothes afterwards and get ready for the day!

2.    Self-study from 8 am to 8:15 am

Self-study (“Swa-Adhyaay”) is, like “Shaucha”, one of the “Niyama” (observances). Simply defined, it is study of the self, by the self and for the self. Knowledge (“Gyan”) is divided into two categories, viz., “Pra-gyan” (knowledge about the only thing that never changes) and “Vi-gyan” (knowledge about everything that changes).

The only thing that does not ever change is ‘self’. Our soul! Our spirit!! Our body changes, our personality changes, our environment changes, times change but ‘we’ don’t! Hence, self-study implies spiritual study. It does not cover study of the relative truth but of the absolute truth.

To be clear, study of sciences such as physics, biology, chemistry or arts such as painting or singing or any vocational training comes under our duty or the ‘work’ or the ‘hobby’ part.

3.    Read newspapers etc. from 8:15 am to 8:30 am

Being aware is Yoga. Newspapers are a great way to keep us in step with what’s happening around the world.

4.    Have breakfast from 8:30 am to 8:45 am

Nothing like a sumptuous, fulfilling breakfast to take on the day and the world! It is advisable to include proteins in our breakfast because they are our body’s building blocks (that we need after a tough workout) and take a long time to digest (hence best eaten early in the day). Alternatively we can include food with relatively higher glycemic index (such as a dessert!) in our breakfast rather than in subsequent meals because our metabolic rate is higher and body can assimilate the relatively ‘heavier’ food better!

5.    Work from 8:45 am to 8 pm

‘Work’ here is meant as ‘duty’ or ‘professional work’. This includes a variety of things. Right from office work to travel to-and-from office, paying bills, dropping children off to school, getting grocery and doing household work etc.

Each one of us plays a multitude of roles at any point during our lifetime and ‘work’ covers execution of all responsibilities in various roles. Anything we do to ‘keep the show going’ is ‘work’.

We should work in two hour bursts. Five such bursts every day punctuated by small fifteen minute breaks to eat a little or drink water and a big half-hour break to consume lunch is a good balance between exerting and idling.

Should we eat during every break? Not if we belong to the “Kapha” or “Vaata” type. But if we belong to the “Pitta” type, it is better to keep munching away every two hours. In any case, we should take care not to let the gap between two meals be greater than four hours!

How do we know which type we are? While there are elaborate ways of finding out our type, the quick and dirty method is to go by the rumbling in our stomach. If the stomach starts making its presence felt every two hours - eat!

6.    Have dinner from 8 pm to 8:30 pm

We must eat a good couple of hours before going to sleep. Post dinner movements help digestion. Also digestion completes well in time for the body to rest and repair itself fully while it’s sleeping.

7.    Relax from 8:30 pm to 9:45 pm

We can let our hair down, spend quality time with family and friends, pursue a hobby or recharge our batteries in any other ethical way. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. In our pursuit of happiness, dull is the last thing we want to be!

8.    Drink milk from 9:45 pm to 9:50 pm

“Deenante Dugdham” (Drink a cup of milk at the end of the day). The proteins would come in handy when body repairs itself during sleep!

9.    Brush teeth from 9:50 pm to 9:55 pm

This is “Shaucha” (cleanliness) of body continued. We don’t want germs to have undisturbed time to decay our teeth while we snore away.

10. Get into bed and meditate from 9:55 and 10 pm

Finally, we should end the day meditating and sleep just as “Kapha” period is drawing to a close. Meditation restores the physical and mental equilibrium so necessary for good-quality sleep. Meditation gets our brain working at ‘Alpha’ level which is so restful, so energizing and at the same time so conducive to deep sleep. We can slide into slumber with meditation just like we slid into our day with meditation.

All is well that ends well!

Zzzzzzzzzzz...

YARD [0098] : The Yogic Routine - III

Dear Friends,

Namaste!

Let’s continue to understand why certain activities are best done at certain times of the day. So far, we have discussed ‘waking up’ and ‘meditation’ as the two activities we start the day with. The next activity is:

1.    Brush teeth, empty bowels and bladder between 6 am to 6:15 am

One of the five “Niyama” (observances) is called “Shaucha” (cleanliness). This comes at three levels. Intellect, mind and body! Meditation is the best way to clear up your mind. Intellect is purified through self-study (as we shall see later). Now we come to “Shaucha” of our body.

The cleanliness of our body is to be done at two sub-levels.  Internal and external. We can start with our mouth. Taking a face wash and brushing teeth helps us to keep our mouth clean. This can be followed by clearing our bladder and bowels.

Why should these be among the first few activities we do in our routine? Remember we have been well-advised to wake up during the “Vaata” (wind) period. This period is conducive to movement. If we empty bowels and bladder as close to getting up as possible, there is a good chance we will do these activities during (or very close to) the “Vaata” period. Result? Easier movement (read excretion) of stools and urine from our system! Also, these activities are a pre-requisite to the ensuing “Ashtanga Yoga” practice.

In her book ‘Don’t lose your mind, lose your weight’, dietician Rujuta Divekar talks about a very basic Yogic principle called “Prabhate Mala Darshanam” (See your stools in the morning). This habit is indeed one among the many keys to healthy living.

2.    Drink a cup of hot water between 6:15 am to 6:20 am

Remember the principle “Nishante Jalam” (Drink water at the end of every night, i.e., in the morning)?? A cup of clean, pure hot water is the first thing we should partake during our day. For, there is only one thing that is a better cleanser than water in this world – hot water!

We have briefly discussed the benefits of hot water therapy. We should put it into practice by drinking hot water in the morning and following up with as many hot cups as possible throughout our day.

3.    Have a light snack between 6:20 am to 6:30 am

We are supposed to have our last meal of the day at least a couple of hours before going to bed. So, except for the cup of milk we may have as supper, we may not have eaten anything for nearly ten to eleven hours!

Naturally our system is craving for some food – and nutritious food at that. (Water we drank in the morning is NOT food!).

Therefore it is important to have a light but wholesome snack. A fruit or some dry-fruits are ideal. They can be supplemented with a cup of tea (or we can reserve our cuppa for breakfast later).

Here a question may be raised as to whether we should not be performing our “Ashtanga Yoga” practice on an empty stomach?! Ideally, before starting the Yoga practice, our stomach should neither be full nor be empty. A full stomach messes up digestion as well as our practice so we get neither here nor there. On the other hand, an empty stomach may leave us weak and cause sugar level in our blood to dip towards the end of a rigorous one hour Yoga practice.

Even professional athletes taking food or drink supplements in controlled quantities before, during and after their training or performance is a common sight nowadays!

4.    Practise “Ashtanga Yoga” between 6:30 am to 7:30 am

“Kapha” period starts at 6 am and lasts for four hours. It signifies predominance of element ‘Earth’ and is conducive to rigorous and heavy physical activity. Exercise is best done during this period – especially during “Sandhi Kaal” (joining of night and day).

Our body is well-rested and mind fresh after a good night’s sleep. “Shaucha” and other light activities leading to our practice have cleaned and warmed up our body to exercise. Worldly distractions are at their lowest at this time. What better time to have for “Ashtanga Yoga” practice?

If we belong to masses, we can perform Sun Salutations (“Surya Namaskar”) by incorporating all eight limbs of Yoga into our practice. If we belong to classes, we can perform “Power Yoga” which has all eight limbs incorporated in the practice. We can even alternate between the two for variety. Important thing, again, is to do this daily without fail.

One hour of exercise leaves us as bouncy as a freshly inflated football. Beryl Bender Birch says in “Power Yoga” - “If you do the practice in the morning, you feel equal to any task during the day.”

See you...

YARD [0097] : The Yogic Routine - II

Dear Friends,

Namaste!

Let’s roll up our sleeves and get down to the logic of why certain timings during the day make more sense to perform specific activities. Why we have allotted the time and duration that we did for activities in the sample routine we discussed in our last meeting.

1.    Wake up at 5:55 am

Time between 2 am to 6 am is the “Vaata” period. This is the period where ‘wind’ element is most predominant among the three basic elements (others being earth and fire).

Wind signifies ease of movement and lightness. If we get up during - or as close as possible to - the “Vaata” period, we remain more active, energetic and light throughout our day.

On the other hand, if we wake up during the following “Kapha” period (from 6 am to 10 am during which ‘earth’ element predominates over the other two) we remain heavy, less-than-easily-mobile and lethargic.

2.    Meditate between 5:55 am to 6 am

Sufficient time should pass between waking up and getting up from bed. We should slide effortlessly into our routine. Herky-jerky movements, hurry, leads to sudden strain on our body (which may lead to injury in the worst case) and stress in our mind.

Therefore the best way to start the day is through meditation done lying in bed after waking up. Meditation maintains or restores equilibrium of our mind. And what better way to start the day than to ensure an equi-poised mind?

We can ‘Play the Watchman’ to purge our mind of unwanted thoughts or do mantra meditation. If we synchronize our mantra with breath, the benefits it brings are without parallel. We can meditate on “So” during inhale and “Humm” during exhale if we are fond of “So-humm” meditation. Otherwise we can meditate on “Shri” during inhale and “Krishna” during exhale if reciting Lord Krishna’s name works for us.

Ever watched Sunil Gavaskar begin his innings? First thing he used to do was take guard. Starting your day with meditation is akin to ‘taking guard’ in cricket parlance. Simply put, it is taking the ‘right position’ or (re)setting your mind in the correct frame.

Gavaskar also used to take a fresh guard after completing next 10 runs at the wicket or going through a torrid spell or a bad shot. Similarly, we can also take ‘fresh guard’ or restore equilibrium of our mind through meditation every now and then throughout the day or while being subjected to stress. We don’t have to set any time aside. We can do it during breaks or while waiting at traffic lights or a few seconds before reacting to a negative situation. This simple technique (another one being ‘counting to ten’ when we are about to explode) converts an undesirable reaction into a constructive response which can make all the difference and turn the situation around in our favour.

It is only through meditation that we experience what ‘real’ happiness is. As per “Yoga-Shastra”, we experience real happiness (“Anand”) when we become conscious (“Chit”) of our sheer and pure existence (“Sat”). Unfortunately, most people, while yearning endlessly for infinite and eternal happiness, even don’t know what to look for.  What they think as ‘happiness’ is merely yet another (albeit positive) ripple on the veritable pond of our mind. This ripple is necessarily transient. Hence they never get eternal and infinite bliss. What is not transient is our consciousness. So only when we do “Nirodh” (look beyond) of these “Vritti” (positive and negative ripples) in our “Chitta” (consciousness) do we get to know what real happiness, real peace, is. That’s what real Yoga is and meditation helps us to achieve “Yoga” (connection with true happiness) by getting rid of “Vritti” in our “Chitta”.

A Zen student approached his master and said, “O master, whenever I sit for meditation, my body starts aching and it becomes very difficult for me to maintain the posture”.

The master merely smiled and said, “It will pass.”

The student faithfully continued meditation practice under his master’s guidance for a long time.

Then he again approached his master and said, “O master, now I can assume flawless posture for as long as I want but my mind still wanders when I try to meditate.”

The master merely smiled and said, “It will pass.”

The student faithfully continued meditation practice under his master’s guidance for a long time.

Then he again approached his master and said, “O master, now not only can I assume flawless posture for as long as I want but my mind also does not wander anymore and I feel extremely happy, really excited.”

The master merely smiled and said, “It will pass.”

Want to have a great day ahead? Start the day with meditation. For, well begun is half done!

Live, laugh, love...

YARD [0096] : The Yogic Routine - I

Dear Friends,

Namaste!

In the discussions to follow, we shall see an example of how we can incorporate most of the principles we have discussed into our daily routine.

By no means, this routine is the only or the most ideal Yogic routine. It is only an illustration, a guideline, and we will do well to customize this to our individual circumstances, needs and indeed wants!

The important thing is to minimize compromising the basic concepts. Therefore, we will not only chart out the daily activities and their suggested timings, but also discuss the underlying principles that apply. This will give us the ability to tweak the activities and their timings without sacrificing the basic concepts and hence the benefits that we stand to gain by implementing those in our own way.

So here is the suggested daily routine for the aspiring Yogis:

5:55 am                                  -           Wake-up

5:55 am to 6:00 am              -           Meditate while lying in bed

6:00 am to 6:15 am              -           Brush teeth, empty bowels and bladder

6:15 am to 6:20 am              -           Drink a cup of hot water

6:20 am to 6:30 am              -           Have a light snack

6:30 am to 7:30 am              -           Practise Ashtanga Yoga

7:30 am to 8:00 am              -           Bathe; Get ready

8:00 am to 8:15 am              -           Self study

8:15 am to 8:30 am              -           Read newspapers etc.

8:30 am to 8:45 am              -           Have breakfast

8:45 am to 10:45 am            -           Work

10:45 am to 11:00 am          -           Take a small break; Have a light snack (optional)

11:00 am to 1:00 pm            -           Work

1:00 pm to 1:30 pm              -           Have lunch

1:30 pm to 3:30 pm              -           Work

3:30 pm to 3:45 pm              -           Take a small break; Have a light snack (optional)

3:45 pm to 5:45 pm              -           Work

5:45 pm to 6:00 pm              -           Have a light snack

6:00 pm to 8:00 pm              -           Work

8:00 pm to 8:30 pm              -           Have dinner

8:30 pm to 9:45 pm              -           Relax; Pursue a hobby; Socialize

9:45 pm to 9:50 pm              -           Drink a cup of milk

9:50 pm to 9:55 pm              -           Brush teeth

9:55 pm to 10:00 pm            -           Get into bed; Meditate

10:00 pm to 5:55 am            -           Sleep

Before we start drilling down into the rationale behind the sequence and timing of above activities, let us see the foundation, i.e. the core activities, on which this routine is based. We must not skip or compromise these core activities although we may tweak the sequence and timings of these and the other peripheral activities in our routine.

These core activities, without any one of which a routine would not qualify to be called a Yogic routine, are as follows:

1.    Meditate

This is the most important activity in our routine without which it is practically impossible for an aspirant to maintain equilibrium of intellect, mind and body.

We can practise any form of meditation that works for us. We have seen how to ‘Play the Watchman’. Or we can try mantra meditation (“Naam Smaran”). Or breath meditation. Or sense meditation which is to focus on the input being brought in by one of our senses (such as a particular smell or sound or touch or taste or vision). Or we can meditate on a positive and benevolent thought about and for self, near and dear ones, friends, acquaintances or indeed an enemy!

It does not matter which particular meditation method we adopt. The important thing is to meditate!

We will examine all these techniques in more detail when we discuss limb 7 of Ashtanga Yoga, viz., “Dhyan” (Meditation).

2.    Exercise

No substitute to good old workout! To conquer mind and intellect, we must conquer our body first. For, although subtle rules over gross, to conquer the subtle, we must be able to conquer gross first. We should be able to touch our toes first before we set out to find our soul!

Again, we can either perform only Sun Salutations (“Surya Namaskar”) or Power Yoga or any other routine. The important thing is to sweat it out for up to an hour every day.

3.    Work

Duty first! Nothing works like work. We have discussed at a superficial level how to do the right thing in the right place at the right time!

We will discuss the principles of “Karma Yoga” in much greater depth later but for now, suffice to say that we must*earn every meal*!

4.    Learn

Knowledge is power. Learn something new, something useful every day! It does not have to be rocket science always. Even a small piece of knowledge will make us wiser.

Stopping learning is stopping to grow, halting the beautiful journey that evolution is. Hence learning something new should become an integral part of our daily routine.

Ciao...

 

YARD [0095] : Playing The Watchman - III

Dear Friends,

Namaste!

Today we will see why ‘Playing the Watchman’ aka “Saakshi Bhavana” is a great meditation technique.

By now, we are quite well acquainted with the eight limbed path of Yoga that goes like body control -> breath control -> sense control -> attention control -> thought control -> actions control -> results control -> life control.

We have discussed earlier that subtle rules gross and among our three faculties, viz., body, mind and intellect, intellect is the most subtle and body is the most gross. Conquering subtle is very tough and therefore we must master the gross first in our quest to conquer the subtle. So, before controlling thoughts, we must make sure our attention does not wander. In order to make sure our attention does not wander, we must control our senses and let them not drag our attention out with them towards any variety of objects. Senses are best controlled when we gain some mastery in regulating our breath, in breathing deeply and evenly. Deep and even breathing is difficult to achieve without having a strong and healthy body that obeys its master, viz., us.

And once we conquer the subtle, once we gain control over our thoughts, automatically that ensures control over our actions because all actions, without exception, emanate from conscious or sub-conscious thoughts. Actions, in turn, fetch us equal and opposite results because the Law of Karma operates at all times in all places. The results of our actions eventually decide how we experience life - whether we enjoy or grieve through it.

Therefore, it is quite evident that our thoughts are central to our life, ‘Thought Control’ is the cause for making us happy and is also the effect that we must strive to achieve through our Yoga practice.

‘Playing the Watchman’ enables us to gain mastery over our thoughts (with practice and patience of course). Therefore, it is a great meditation technique!

But why does it qualify to be a meditation technique? What has meditation got to do with ‘Playing the Watchman’?

Let’s go back to the basics again...

Under normal circumstances, our attention is spread all over the place. Almost like sunrays that fall on, engulf and light up innumerable objects. When this attention that has been spread thin, is *concentrated*  or brought together and made single pointed so that it points to just one object, it is called concentration. And when this concentration is kept relentlessly focused on that single point for a period of time, it is called as meditation.

How is the attention brought together? By “shutting out” all the other (mostly external) stimuli. Through sense control where senses are trained to shut out from objects at will! Like a tortoise “going into its shell” by drawing its limbs in and becoming immune to external stimuli. This is “Pratyahar” (sense control) at its best. Without this, concentration is not possible!

But the single pointed concentration can still jump from one object to another although at any point in time it might have been focused only on a single object. Like a searchlight for example. (This process is better known as “Contemplation” where we explore, mull over and look at all aspects of an object to comprehend it fully. The concentrated attention moves continuously like a searchlight in “search” of the “truth” about that object).

But merely achieving concentration is not enough. Keeping it in one place is equally important. Sunrays spread all over the place do not generate much heat. But when they are all concentrated and kept focused on a single point for a period of time, they have the potential to burn through the toughest of articles! And this is where meditation comes in.

Keeping the attention focused on one thought for a length of time is meditation.  Obviously, concentration is a pre-requisite to meditation. Specifically, while ‘Playing the Watchman’, we are doing just one thing – examining our thoughts. We are playing just one role – that of a Security Guard. And we are doing this while carrying on with our normal set of activities. Without disrupting our life. In fact, improving the quality of our life because good thoughts can have only happy results over time.

We don’t have to set aside any time or resources. There are no pre-requisites. Anybody can do it anywhere, anytime. Wow!

So we have covered the difference between concentration, contemplation and meditation. We have also covered why “Saakshi Bhavana” qualifies to be a powerful meditation technique and how we would do well to make it an integral part of our daily routine.

We have done some justice to the ‘thought level’ within our routine. Let’s now proceed to the ‘action level’ and figure out things to be done from day to day, in fact, hour to hour!

Wiedersehen...

YARD [0094] : Playing The Watchman - II

Dear Friends,

Namaste!

We concluded our last discussion by saying that for any business firm to prosper, nay, even survive, it must be actively guarded at all times.

The business firm is analogous to our mind. The people coming in and going out are analogous to the thoughts that continuously pass through our consciousness. Guess who is the Security Guard responsible for the safety of the firm? Us! Just like the Security Guard has technology and tools to help him protect the premises, we have our intellect!

If we use our intellect, watch and allow only right thoughts to enter our mind, they will do their job and lead to peace and prosperity.

Unfortunately, most of us do not watch our thoughts most of the time. We do not apprehend bad thoughts and banish them. We do not frisk bad thoughts disguised as good ones and prevent them from entering our mind’s premises. As a result, we end up leaving our mind, and hence our destiny, totally to the mercy of random thoughts. As a result, we sometimes end up being somewhat happy and sometimes very unhappy! We have no control. If we are lucky, we sail. Else, we sink.

It does not have to be this way. With some diligence and practise, we CAN control our thoughts. We SHOULD control our thoughts. We CAN and SHOULD shape our destiny.

There are two steps involved. First step is just to learn to watch our thoughts. Merely by taking this simple step, half the useless thoughts disappear. The traffic reduces. We feel light and energetic!

“Thoughts by nature are extremely shy

If you step out and just observe them

They will retreat and hasten to fly

Rather than creating unwanted mayhem”

But that does not solve the whole problem. Bad thoughts, disguised as good thoughts, are still likely to enter and maraud our mind-space. Hence sometimes active interception is required to examine and keep malevolent thoughts at bay.

We can learn this technique in these two steps. Firstly, we must learn to watch our thoughts. Secondly, we must learn to intervene and banish negative thoughts. But negative thoughts are extremely persistent! They come back with twice the force if whisked away!! What do we do then?

Simple! Replace a bad thought with a good thought. Usually, ‘Empty mind is Devil’s workshop’. So, don’t keep the mind empty! Engage it in some meaningful, fruitful thought and activity. Just like light banishes all darkness, a positive thought banishes all negative thoughts!

Easier said than done! That is where patience and practise is required. And with patience (“Vairagya”) and practice (“Abhyas”), nothing is impossible as per Lord Krishna!

And we can start with as much practice of this technique as possible. Whenever, wherever. To the best of our ability. The more we do it, the more beneficial it proves. Then it forms a positive spiral into which we get irrevocably drawn and positive thinking becomes second nature to us. That’s good enough! We have won the battle. We have achieved “Yoga”. For, there is nothing else to “Yoga”!!

What? Are we going crazy? Positive thinking is all there is to Yoga? What about the eight limbs? What about the major Yoga types? What about the pretzel positions and controlled breathing and the “Shut Karmas” (six observances) and the closing of eyes and meditation and the “Siddhi” (supernatural powers) and this, that and the other?

Well, let’s go back to basics. The most classical and correct definition of Yoga as coined by Sage Patanjali in a “Sutra” (formula) is “Yogah Chitta Vritti Nirodhah” (Yoga is cessation of disturbing thought ripples on the veritable pond of our consciousness).

What else is “Saakshi-Bhavana” (‘Playing the Watchman’) if not prevention of unwanted thoughts from entering into our consciousness?

We might tie ourselves in knots in our Asana practice, we might breathe in this particular way or that, we might lock ourselves into meditation halls trying to focus on “Brahman” (the Cosmic Energy) or we might literally be doing whatever else that is believed to be covered under the Yoga umbrella. However, if we do not know a thing about the importance thoughts have in moulding our life and how to control them, we are going to be as close to real Yoga as probably south pole is to north! Bold statement, but nevertheless true!!

Small wonder then that ‘Playing the Watchman’ constitutes the trademark, the cornerstone of ‘Yoga for All Round Development’ (YARD) programme!

So we have seen why we should play the watchman, what it is all about, how, where and when should we do it. Let’s also find out why it is one of the most powerful meditation techniques as well.

But for that, we will have to hold our breath till the next Tuesday!

Sayonara...

YARD [0093] : Playing The Watchman - I

Dear Friends,

Namaste!

We are looking at integrating basic Yoga principles in our daily routine. We discussed last time that the most important part of our routine is our thinking. We have seen the link between our thoughts -> our actions and speech -> the results -> the effect these results have on our body and mind -> how inextricably how we feel every moment (physically and mentally) is linked to how we experience and enjoy our life.

Therefore we concluded that if we have to lead a great life, we have to set the root cause, viz. our thoughts, right. We also saw what constitutes ‘right’ thinking. Simply put, whatever thoughts enable us to enjoy life by having benevolent effect on our mind and body are the ‘right’, ‘healthy’ or ‘happy’ thoughts. Positive thinking is called as such primarily because of the positive impact it has on self (Charity must begin at home!!!) and environment.

Now the stage is set to explore answer to the question – “How do we ensure that at all times and all places, we naturally think positively?”

The answer lies in a simple meditation technique we have alluded to before in passing, but will discuss now in much more detail. This technique is called as “Playing the Watchman” (“Saakshi Bhavana” in Yoga lingo). This technique is so vitally important to the entire Yoga for All Round Development (YARD) programme, that it can be treated as the YARD trademark! Just like “Sudarshan Kriya” in Sri Sri Ravishankarji’s “Art of Living” or “VishwaPrarthana” in Satguru Vamanrao Pai’s “Jeevan Vidya”.

So what is “Saakshi Bhavana”? How does it ensure that our thinking is always ‘right’? Why does it qualify as one of the meditation techniques? How to play the Watchman?

Before we answer the above questions, let us set the context by taking example of a firm or an organization that is transacting business on a day-to-day basis.

Let’s imagine for a moment that the firm has a huge building with infrastructure and equipment for employees to come in and perform different roles that lead to successful execution of that business. The stakeholders in that business are examined at the main gate by the Security Guards before being let in. The building has Closed Circuit TV for surveillance. It’s a secure environment that enables the right people to operate freely and perform their jobs to keep the business going and growing. Very normal!

Now let’s stretch our imagination to conjure up an abnormal scenario where the security is totally absent! No guards, no CCTV, nobody to watch, question, apprehend! What will happen to the business? Will it be able to run securely? Will it be able to prosper? The obvious answer is a resounding “No”!

If there is no one at the main gate, all sorts of people will stream in and out at will. Some of them will be workers with the right intentions, some of them will be just curious onlookers, some of them will have decidedly bad intentions! In the worst case, they will maraud the place, they will damage property, they will potentially steal valuables, they will do what not! Even in the best case, there will be just too many of them cluttering the place for the do-gooders to transact their business.

Now let’s imagine that the business management figures out that there is a problem here and vow they will fix it. As a result, they bring in a guard and station him at the main gate. Round the clock.

What will happen now? By merely placing the guard at the main gate – even though the guard may be completely passive - half the traffic will reduce! The second effect will be – the mix of people coming in will also improve. The percentage of employees coming in to do their jobs will increase. The percentage of mere onlookers will decrease. The percentage of people coming in with malevolent intentions will positively decrease.

Will this solve the problem entirely? Not if the guard at the gate remains passive. He must act once in a while. He must watch like a hawk, he must frisk, he must question.  He must use tools and technology at his disposal to*ensure* safety and security of the place! Otherwise bad guys will come in disguised as good ones and still create havoc. And the main gate must be guarded round-the-clock. Else thieves are smart! They will figure out in no time when the gate is left unguarded and sneak in exactly then!

In conclusion, we can say that for the business firm to prosper, nay, even survive, it MUST be actively guarded at all times!

Having set this context, now we go on to answer the questions we raised during this discussion.

Till the next Tuesday...

YARD [0092] : Thinking Like A Winner

Dear Friends,

Namaste!

Let’s now get down to the business of implementing the principles we have discussed in our tete-a-tete in our daily routine. Because unused principles are like money in the bank. They give us a feeling of wealth but how often have we seen people live poor to die rich?

So, onto the “Yogic Routine” that will propel us towards our destination as well as all the intermediate milestones!

And we will take first things first. The most important part of our routine that is. So what, pray, is the most important part?

Routine is a set of activities that we do day in and day out. Some of them are repetitive (at some frequency) while others are one-off. But essentially these are tasks that we perform using our “Gyan Indriya” (five senses, viz., eyes, nose, ears, skin and tongue) and “Karma Indriya” (five tools, viz., hands, legs, anus, reproductive organ and the faculty of speech). And guess what is the trigger for all these activities? Our thoughts!

Therefore our routine consists of thinking (”Vichaar”) as inevitably as it consists of acting (”Achaar”) and speaking (“Uchchaar”). We interact with our environment essentially through acting and speaking. This is the action we perform on our surroundings and receive an equal and opposite reaction to each one of our actions. This, as we have seen before, is the Law of Karma.

Results we experience are the effect of our actions and speech. But actions and speech are caused, in turn, by our (conscious or sometimes indeed sub-conscious) thoughts! Thus it is obvious that what we experience in life has a direct correlation with what we think from moment to moment. We literally ‘build’ our own destiny using our own thoughts – one brick at a time, one thought at a time.

Therefore, the most important part of Yogic Routine is that we must always think ‘positive’ thoughts, ‘happy’ thoughts, ‘right’ thoughts. These alone, over a period of time (and not immediately because of the complex laws of Karma - “Karmano Gahana Gatih”), will give us desired results and help us reach milestones as well as the destination.

But before moving on to how to ensure that we maximize occurrence of ‘right’ thoughts in the millions of thoughts that zip through our brains on a daily basis, it will be worth sorting out what thoughts can be deemed as ‘right’ in the first place.

While discussing the basic principles of “Karma Yoga”, we have seen how to analyse and conclude whether a thought is ‘right’ or “Dharmic”. We saw what “Dharma” is all about. What are its different types. Why we should stick to our “Swa-Dharma”. What IS our “Swa-Dharma” etc. But these principles and analysis, while extremely useful for resolving conflicts and answering complex questions without a trace of ambiguity, cannot be practically applied to all the million thoughts that keep passing through our minds moment in and moment out. We need something quick and almost as infallible as the more elaborate analysis proposed under “Karma Yoga”.

Fortunately for us, such a litmus test is available within Yoga-Shastra. And it is propounded by none other than Lord Krishna. That too, on the battleground of Kurukshetra while counselling Arjuna. The story goes like this...

When Lord Krishna saw the great warrior Arjuna completely non-plussed on the battleground of Kurukshetra, his immediate reaction was to tell him, “You are thinking thoughts that are not worthy to be thought. What is more, you think those thoughts are perfectly logical, there can be no superior thoughts and secretly you are patting yourself on the back for thinking correctly.

“Nothing is farther from the truth! You must immediately stop this thought train and correct your line of thinking. For, that alone will show you what is good for you and your dependents.”

“Then please tell me, O Lord,” wailed poor Arjuna, “what indeed can be deemed as the correct thoughts in this situation and in all situations.”

“Look at your state right now. You are confused. You are sweating, shivering and lamenting. You cannot even stand up on your own legs, leave alone fight the war. Any thoughts that cause such negative effects cannot be righteous or correct.

“When I will counsel you, you can apply the same test to know whether I have given you the right advice. If my advice clears your thinking, removes confusion and illusion, shows you the way and returns your strength, valour, enthusiasm – then you can deem it as the correct advice.”

In the end, Arjuna did confess in as many words that his confusion was cleared as a result of which he was raring to fight the war!

We can therefore conclude that a thought that has positive effect on mind and body is ‘right’, otherwise it’s ‘wrong’!

Alvida...