In the papers recently, there was a story about a couple who married in 2003. They lived in Mysore. When she was pregnant in 2006, she went back to the parents’ home in Bangalore, but refused to return to her husband’s home after the baby was born. She even offered to set up a clinic for him in Bangalore. Finally, she lodged a ‘dowry complaint’ against her husband. So, there was money involved.
One of the things I was afraid of when going for the Art of Joyfulness-Mindful Living Excellence Retreat from 3rd to 5th January 2014 was the requirement that we must be silent and quiet at all times. After all, wasn’t solitary confinement a form of corporeal punishment?
When I told friends that I was going for the Art of Joyfulness-Mindful Living Excellence Retreat from 3rd to 5th January 2014, many asked where this retreat was going to be held. When I told them Gunung Jerai, the collective gasps said it all: you see, Gunung Jerai has a reputation for being haunted. Talismans and prayers were offered for my safety.
In today’s papers, in an article called Listen. Think. Eat, Addie Broyles writes about mindful eating. Broyles refers to Michelle May (a family-physician-turned-wellness-coach) who says that there are three types of eaters: restrictive eaters, overeaters and instinctive eaters. Most of us oscillate between the first two. What we should aim for is instinctive eating. May is also quoted as saying this: “Mindful eating means you eat with intention and attention.”
The core of the Art of Joyfulness-Mindful Living Excellence Retreat from 3rd to 5th January 2014 was, of course, the art of breathing. The way I see it, what we were taught was the art of meditation by focusing on the breath. I am not new to meditation for I am already aware and have been practising (though not very well or regularly) the other kind of meditation – transcendental meditation.
One of the most poignant lessons during the Art of Joyfulness-Mindful Living Excellence Retreat Jan 3-5, 2014 was none other than the one on ‘Mindfulness of Gratitude’. It is easy to be grateful for all the things that you like and are already grateful for. For instance, parents, family, friends, food to eat and a roof over your head. What I appreciated during this session was the part on how to feel grateful for something I don’t yet feel grateful for. Here’s what is written in the manual:
During a recent retreat at Gunung Jerai, our Retreat Leader introduced us to a lovely poem by Naomi Shihab Nye. I found this same poem on the Poets.org website where it’s reprinted with the poet’s permission. I would like share parts of this poem here:
In a previous post, Rohi suggested I share the steps I took to make the cover image for Ladoo Dog. I thought this was great idea and that it would be an easy post to write. I can’t believe that although it’s been barely 3 weeks since I created the cover image, I had difficulty recalling the exact steps I took. Nevertheless, I’ve written out a rough guide for this post. So, here goes:
