Faking a smile

This is my latest discovery, or, as I like to call it, the Holy Grail!!

Background: I (re)started practicing yoga. It is different this time, because I am not thinking of it as a 'stretching exercise' as I did earlier. I am motivated to practice yoga in its true form - synchronising my body movements with my breath, with a smile on my face.

And this what I discovered - faking a smile works!!! It indeed cheers one up. It instigates the 'feel good' mood, and then that smile is no longer fake. After a while, I am smiling for real, and yoga has a whole new meaning. Its no more just exercise.

And there's more to it. That 'feel good' mood continues after I finish yoga. I carry that cheerfulness with me to my work, and it helps me enjoy work or whatever it is that I am doing.

And... it makes people around me happy. It makes the world a happier, merrier place.

Have you smiled today??

World is a Small Place

The first few years of a child are spent surrounded by the walls of the house and protected dearly by the family. He enters a world which comprises of his mama, papa and sister.

Ever wondered why this toddler dreads going to school? One of the reasons is that he dreads losing the protection of the family. He sees his school bus as an Unidentified Terrestrial Object that would take him away from his world. He conceives his new school as a new world with new unknown faces and strange people.

Yet, his playmate in school might find it a wonderful new world with many new people to meet and newer friends to make. This child is more likely to grow independent and open to new things unlike our cry baby. This child's world is more likely to grow bigger sooner than our cry baby's world.

Not all of us are good at accepting new people and their newer different ways of behavior. We tend to bond with a small group of people around us whom we select based on our own judgments. The rest are conveniently disowned as different, not-our-kinds, weird - Aliens. They form the outer world not warmly welcomed into our own world.

Groups are formed in order to provide support and protection to the members. But I doubt if groups formed out of religious basis do just that. When religion is used as a tool, more often than not, it takes the form of paranoia. I have been an eye witness of college riots among students of rival religious groups and those were enough to keep me from joining any such groups myself.

Paranoia surpasses limits in the part of the world I hail from. The apparent logic behind distrust for other religions and groups is the genetic make of the members of those groups. Different religion unquestionably implies different genes, different biological make-up and therefore, 'different' humans. Marriages, therefore, can happen only among the followers of the same religion.

As noted by researchers of the World Values Survey, culture strongly influences how a person sees the world around him. Collectivistic cultures of Istanbul, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Muscat, and Oman stress interdependence between people and the notion of group goals. Cooperation is sought with people inside the network which is organized along family and friendship lines; everyone else is an outsider.

Individualistic societies, on the other hand, view each person as an individual and value individual goals. These mores are more prevalent in wealthier, market-based democracies where group boundaries aren't very important. Cooperation with unrelated strangers becomes necessary in such societies. Accordingly, members of the capitalist democracies are more likely to accept strangers into their societies and are actually kinder and gentler than more traditional economies.

World is a small place, belittled by our own prejudices.

Importance of Hobbies

Though I had professed the goodness of boredom in a recent article, I was wise enough to add a necessary qualification of rareness to it. Rare boredom is helpful; if you frequently find yourself dying of boredom for the lack of other options, read on.

I felt the urge to write this article because I feel lucky than ever to have hobbies that I am passionate about. One fine morning I found myself in a new part of the world amid new faces, and totally unprepared. Not having a conventional regular office job might be viewed by some as a disadvantage; the same has proved bliss for me.

How many of us can claim that we return reenergized and revitalized after a busy day at work? Not every hobby can earn a living, and we are compelled to seek careers that give us headaches as each day ends but loads of moolah as the month ends. Jobs that leave no time for hobbies are themselves strong reasons to have hobbies and to take time to indulge in them.

Ever wondered why CVs require you to mention your hobbies? What has a software company to do with my hobbies? I had not realized until recently. Hobbies bring out hidden talents in us which we might not realize. Experts say that having hobbies keeps us focused and improves our concentration. Hobbies boost our self esteem and confidence and bring out the leader in us. Indulging in group activities with fellow hobbyists teaches us the rules of working in a team. Religiously following a hobby imparts us singular knowledge in the field and with it comes a sense of achievement.

Healthy Mind, Healthy Body: The mind, body and the soul are in total synchronization while pursuing hobby. Pursuing a hobby stimulates parts of the brain related with creativity and positive thinking. When a hobbyist passionately pursues a hobby, it is the emotional returns that are valued rather than the monetary returns. Keeping oneself busy in hobbies leaves no time for wayward thinking and helps channel our energies toward constructive activities.

All of us are passionate about at least one thing that gets the blood gushing through our veins. Passions can be as trivial as collecting stationery and as demanding as social services, each is a source of energy and ecstasy for the hobbyist.

Passions and hobbies can become a source of income too. You will find demand for almost anything that you can supply – goods as well as services. If money is what drives you, let it drive you toward your passion. As for me, money spoils the fun attached to hobbies and I prefer to keep it out of my way.

With the kind of sedentary lifestyles that most of us live, hobbies can save us from sluggish minds by allowing imagination to flow. Of course, creativity cannot be forced and is not constant; there are ways to enhance it. And, as with everything else, age is no bar here.

Have hobbies? Keep them.

Doing Nothing

Boredom is Good.

These days I'm very busy doing nothing. Are you laughing? No joke. I'm doing absolutely NOTHING and time just flies without me noticing.

So I am busy filtering and sorting my thoughts while I am doing nothing. I am thinking, 'It's 10', 'I'm doing nothing', 'It's hot outside', 'I'm doing nothing', 'TJ must be busy at office', 'It's boring here', 'Oh look at that bird', 'I'm doing nothing', 'Have to finish choreography', 'But I'm doing nothing', 'Let's read something', 'No nothing today', 'What should I do', 'Nothing at all', 'Sleep?', 'Ok. That's doing nothing'. Wooooh. So you say I wasted my time? I say, 'No! It was good.'

Boredom is good. Sometimes it is. And it is totally human to feel dull and restless at times. By allowing ourselves the luxury of doing nothing, we stop reacting to the external world and let our inner selves loose. When doing nothing, we very easily dive into our own thoughts and lose our sense of hearing any external voices, until it becomes a noise when someone's yelling at you.

After emerging from the luxurious boredom, we usually feel that we have accomplished nothing and have frittered away precious time. But the reality is rather contrary. We have gained useful insight and often when doing nothing, we discover something new, perhaps about a relationship, perhaps about a new liking, or perhaps about how the universe works. After all, is material accomplishment really the point of life? Slow down a little.

For once, try parrying the multifarious digital distraction your TV, laptop, cell phone, iPod, Facebook, and the latest Kindle offer. You'll realize how you'd been giving up on something as good as doing nothing.

Check for yourself, because researchers have recognized boredom as 'a legitimate human emotion that can be central to learning and creativity.'

Hence Proved. Boredom is Good.

Nostalgia

America reminds me of Home

Yesterday Seattle reached a record temperature of 88F/31C. It broke that record just today and reached 90F/32C. It is unbearably hot; and I am surprised. I had presumed that having spent 24 years of my life in a desert where 122F/50C is just as normal as rising of the sun, I had become inured to extreme hot temperatures. I was reminded of the scorching heat of Rajasthan.

The night was warmer than ever and we couldn't get sleep. The best we could do was to open the window and let the breeze, meager though it was, come in. I was reminded of the night outs on the roof, under the night sky, and air as cool and fresh as it could be.

The otherwise uninterrupted sleep was sometimes encroached upon by the cacophony of high speed cars on the highway. I was reminded of the dogs barking (and crying) right after midnight on the street outside my house. How sweet that was! At least now it seems so. I couldn't resist a chuckle, in slumber though I was.

Before the alarm clock could, the noisy bulldozer and crane and the even noisier workers at the construction site woke me up. We have been taught to say our prayers before starting the day. All I could say was #%$%&&!!. And again, I was reminded of the chirping of wonderful little cute birds that would convey a beautiful new day, bells in the nearby temple ringing a blessing to the ears, and the conventional cock-a-doodle-doo of the rooster in our Kerala house.

And similarly, the Wednesday trips to Ganesh temple have been replaced by unending net surfing. The respecting titles 'aunt' and 'uncle' of respectable ages have been replaced by Mrs. Thomson and Mr. Right of equally respectable ages. That feeling of kinship for fellow Indians has been replaced with side-glances of 'yet another Indian working with Microsoft'.

Those were the days... Sigh!

HEALTHY LIVING : Know it all about Surya Namaskar

Significance in Hinduism
As the name implies, Surya Namaskara is Salutation to the Sun. The Sun or the Surya is the chief solar deity in Hinduism and is believed to be the king of all planets responsible for controlling all their movements. According to the Vedas, praising the Sun God enhances good health and prosperity. The sun is praised in the simplest way by folding one's hands in namaskara at the time of sunrise chanting the mantra 'Om Suryaye Namah'. While a variety of different procedures of salutation to the Sun God has been explained in the religious books of the Hindu society, physical prostration to Sun, showing complete surrender of oneself to God, is the main aspect of these procedures.

Practicing Surya Namaskar
The best time to practice Surya Namaskar is either at sunrise or sunset facing towards the sun. The image below comes handy to remember the sequence of asanas comprising the Surya Namaskar.

It is very important that breathing be synchronised with each posture of the Surya Namaskar. Starting with exhale in the Prayer Pose, each asana is moved into with alternate inhalation and exhalation. The asanas are ordered so that they alternately stretch the spine backward and forward. A full round of Surya namaskara is considered to be two sets of the twelve poses, the first with moving the right leg first in each pose and the second set with moving the left leg first through the series. This video on YouTube demonstrates precisely the practice of Surya Namaskar, however, without the mantras.

The following mantras are chanted in sequence with the 12 chakras.

Chakra -------------------- Mantra/Salutation

Anahata -------------------- om mitrāya namaḥ

Vishuddhi ------------------ om ravaye namaḥ

Muladhar -------------------om sūryāya namaḥ

Ajna------------------------ om bhānave namaḥ

Vishuddhi ------------------om khagāya namaḥ

Swadhisthana ---------------om puṣṇe namaḥ

Muladhara ------------------om hiraṇya garbhāya namaḥ

Vishuddhi------------------- om marīcaye namaḥ

Ajna------------------------ om ādityāya namaḥ

Muladhar------------------- om savitre namaḥ

Vishuddhi------------------- om arkāya namaḥ

Anahata ---------------------om bhāskarāya namaḥ

Watch this video to learn how to chant the mantras with correct pronunciation.

Benefits of the Surya Namaskar Poses

Pose 1 (and 12) – Improves balance, exercises shoudler, back and neck muscles and stimulates respiratory system.

Pose 2 (and 11) – improves digestion, promotes flexibility in back and hips, tones the spine.

Pose 3 (and 10) – Improves blood circulation, stretches back and leg muscles, stimulates lymphatic system.

Pose 4 (and 9) – Exercises spine, strengthens hand and wrist muscles.

Pose 5 (and 8) – relieves neck and shoulder tension, strengthens the heart

Pose 6 – increases flexibility in neck and shoulders, exercises back muscles

Pose 7 – Improves circulation to abdominal organs, improves digestion, stimulates nerves in spine

Benefits Of Surya Namaskar

• Surya Namaskar benefits joints, ligaments and the skeletal system by improving posture, flexibility and balance.
• Stimulates the cardio vascular system.
• Oxygenates the blood and helps strengthen the heart.
• Surya Namaskar also beenfits the endocrine system and enables the various endocrinal glands to function properly.
• It relaxes and rejunevates, and alleviates tension, stress and anxiety.
• Patients of insomnia will gain from regular practice of Surya Namaskar as it eliminates the need of depressants to fall asleep.

Things To Remember

• Allow a gap of atleast 2 hours after your meal before practicing Surya Namaskar .
• Do not practice surya namaskar on the floor, use a mat.
• As with any Yoga practice session, follow Surya Namaskar by Shavasana for rest.
• Synchronization of breathing with each asana is essential.
• Add Surya Namaskar at the beginning of your daily yoga routine.

BOOK LOVERS : Book Hopping

'Only in books has mankind known perfect truth, love and beauty.' - George Bernard Shaw

Reading is always fun. Be it fiction, comic or some good old classic, it is the most inexpensive form of entertainment that provides enduring pleasure. No wonder it maintains an apex status on list of favourite hobbies the world over.

Thanks to computers the number of people reading books has reduced considerably. Ironically, in an era where bookstores and libraries are passe, the internet has opened loads of avenues for the book lovers. Be it buying a book using the internet or reading an entire book online, the potential of what you can do with books online is infinite.

Read Books Online

Unbelievable but true, with GoogleBooks, you can read an entire book online. Austen, Plato, Johnson, Shakespeare...everyone is there - you name it and the website has their works.

• Log on to http://books.google.com/
• Find books classified under segments like fiction, non-fiction, Sci-Fi, classics etc.
• Click on the title of the book you wish to read.
• Without downloading the book, you can start reading it online.
• Use the 'search in this book' feature to look up any word or phrase from the book.
• Get links to the online stores from where you can order the book.

If you wish to download a book, go to http://gutenberg.org/wiki/Main_Page and download more than 25,000 books legally, for free.

Reflect

For critics who like to share their reviews with other readers and those bookworms who want to know what to expect from their next read, this one is an ideal place to write what you feel and read what you want to know. Log on to http://www.bookswellread.com/home.php and read or share book reviews.

There are plenty of other blogging websites that invite reader reviews as well. Go ahead and post your thoughts.

Share Books

A book lying on a shelf is wasted ammunition. Like money, it must be kept in constant circulation.

• Register your books at http://www.bookcrossing.com/, write down the unique number and web address on the book and then set it free to travel the world to find new readers.
• Log on to the website to track the book's journey around the world as it gets passed on.

Find your book mate

Come across singles who share your passion for reading. The website http://www.singlebooklovers.com/ publishes personal profiles of intelligent and cultured single men and women across countries who like books, reading, arts and culture. Get aquainted with bookworms and bibliophiles of all ages; all with a common love of books and reading.

Then there is http://www.anobii.com/, a website that provides tools to let like-minded people connect and strike meaningful conversations.

Get a recommendation

This one is fun. On http://whatshouldireadnext.com/, just enter the book or author you like and the website will analyse their database of real readers' favourite books to suggest what you could read next. Now isn't that freaky and interesting?

Social Networking

Look up a book and find its description, sale information and similar reads in just one click. Besides this, the website http://www.bookjetty.com/ is also a social utility that connects you with your friends' bookshelves and links you up with book stores and your local libraries.

Lazy Readers

If you are a lazy reader who likes to read less but effective stuff, then go to http://lazylibrary.com/ and look for books that are less than 200 pages. You'll be surprised at the kind of stuff you stumble upon here.

And for those of you who haven't picked up a book yet, get inspired!

Happy Reading!!

HEALTHY LIVING : Beware of Green Potato

Potatoes naturally produce small amounts of a toxin called solanine as a defense against insects.

But prolonged exposure to light and heat increases solanine production and can cause potatoes to turn green.

Eating green potatoes can cause fever, headahce, vomiting and diarrhea.

Boiling, but not baking, usually removes most of the solanine from potatoes. But as a rule, it' s best not to eat potatoes if they are green.

To help keep potatoes from turning green, store them in a cool dimly lit place.