Meditation

Training of mind to realise a higher consciousness or to induce a sense of well being is meditation.In these stressful times,people take up meditation to control anxiety,depression ,increase concentration,  to develop a sense of fulfillment ,joy etal

Towards this end ,there are many techniques of meditation.There is chanting of prayers or slokas,listening to  step wise instructions to meditate,visualising a serene scene & concentrating on breathing ,simply focusing on breathing etc.Vipassana is one such mediatation technique which is taught so that the interested can practice it for its numerous benefits.There is transcandental meditation as well.Even yoga which has made a major comeback has many meditation techniques to relax the mind.




Image courtsey : http://www.lawofattractioncentre.com/meditation/

Meditation means to think ,ponder etc.It also means dhyana meaning to contemplate.Meditation is strongly associated with  the relegions.Hence meditation is linked to spirituality.

Scientific studies have since proven, that meditation is indeed beneficial .Those of us ( meaning nearly all, including yours truly ) who are running after Lakshmi must necessarily meditate to control the urge to hoard money,clothes,bags,computers,etc.Some of the positive reactions of meditation are reduction in stress & anxiety levels.Meditation leads  to lowering of blood pressure.It also helps in improving digestion & decreases heart attack risk.It boosts sex life & concentration.It gives us a sense of well being & increases the size of our brains.And as we begin to feel good about ourselves,we find the world a much better place ! And surely ,the universe will become our home in the truest sense !

This is my blog post on "M' for the A to Z Blogging Challenge.

Sharing blog posts of fellow bloggers :

Meg Hammil

Jean Baldridge Yates

The rat race

We all are part of the rat race -we participate in it & keep complaining about it.There is no compulsion & still, we refuse to leave it.The social networking sites are a hit as all can jostle for fame on the net by joining them.Some like me are so addictive that they can overwhelm their emates by flooding their mail boxes with emails .Some people are so much a part of the rat race , that, they want to hog the limelight at all events at all times & at all places !

Recently, at a cultural event, organised in a housing society ,this was in full display.A couple, both of whom, are professionals were busy hogging the stage ,the mike ,the applause & the prizes !

Their kids go to day care.The kids are very smart- they know how to extract work from the tution teachers-they will demand, that the tution teacher get their homework completed.The kids also ask the tution teacher to assist them in school projects.The tution teacher also takes extra efforts in making the kids score better grades at school in assignments,tests & examinations.  The kids are left by the busy parents at various venues during competitions & other parents are requested to pick them up.Obviously, as other parents, have ample time on their hands.

The said parents are so busy & stressed out that they park their vehicles without any care in the world ! Others are the receiving end if & when they ask the said professionals to show a little elasticity in parking.The professionals  belong to a sect which is known for its emphasis on gentleness towards all .This just goes to show, that some, by their very behaviour,  bring disgrace to the whole community.

Coming back to the cultural programme ,the said family has left the housing society wherein this cultural programme was held & still, the family wanted to bask in glory, at its former place of residence.They have moved on to a pent house in a much sought after  neighbouring suburb.

In the cultural event,the kids were part & parcel of a majority of the plays ,the dances & the solo singing.The professional parents ,who  are so busy, that they have no time to pick up their wards sang duets with their kids to an applauding audience.Really ,what were they trying to prove ? That though ,we are so busy ,we spend quality time with our kids & how ? In front of the whole society, lest they blame the parents  !Other parents & kids are made to feel that they are uncompetitive & not up to the mark.Degrading others to upgrade oneslf is unfair & ugly. The parents were encouraging their kids on stage to sing, even though the kids were unable to recall the lyrics of the songs !This led to the whole of the audience clapping .The applause meant ,"No more ".Thankfully ,the parents encouragement just stopped short of "once more " !

Naturally ,after so much PDA ( public display of affection ) ,prizes were given to the said parents & the kids.

Many of us may not like to do what the said parents did.Really what is more important ? Passive appreciation too is good enough .Sometimes of course ,it is better to express it openly . And this type of expression /s, in front of the world, just amounts to vulgarity & comes across as very crude.Moreover ,in such a race towards the finishing line ,one tramples upon so many, that many get hurt.How long can one continue like this ? Agreed ,that human greed has no limits & yet, we must stop somewhere.As someone has rightly said ,"the trouble with the rat race, is that even if you win ,you are still a rat."

Suicides ? !

For the past few days,many students have been taking their own lives.This has become a growing concern to parents & all.By students,I mean teenagers who are almost at the fag end in schools & also by youth in their colleges.Of course,siome kids as young as 12 to 13 years are also dying but that is rare.What triggered this blog post was  the news my daughter told me as soon as she got down from her school bus .She said that one girl studying in sixth standard in her school  had tried to end her life by slashing her wrist ! She is now in hospital.

The psychologists are warning that we give too much stress to the child to study well.We tend to emphasize only the academic performance of the child.We forget that the child is good at playing ,drama,speaking ( debate),dance,music ,art et al.Nowadays,all kids are put in various classes- drawing,music,tennis,badminton,etc in addition to being tutored .This happens with kids as young as 5 years old !

At least,in our childhood,we only studied at home -occasionally,we were tutored but we generally never went for art,music,dance,football classes.Because in those days,there was less competition.Moreover,our ambitions were simple.Not so today-we as parents want our child to be the leader at studies,games,& the fine arts- in fact at everything ! We fail to see what stress we are subjecting the kid to.Maybe, we see, but manage to suppress our guilt & look away, as all parents are doing it anyway.

One reason why all parents act like this & pressurize their kids is because in today's India ,competition is tough .This is so because the population is huge & seats at the better colleges are hardly enough to cater to all those who score reasonably good marks.Another reason,we don't want our kids to make a career in music,dance,painting,games is in these fields, life is a lot more tough with hardly any recognition on the way & when it does come,it is very late.Moreover,in our nation,as in all cases,a lot of strings have to be pulled even for  brilliant persons.A majority of the middle class is skeptical about being able to make any dent in these fields with such preconditions. So, they push their kids to do well academically.The logic is, that, by being a garduate or a postgraduate ,atleast the person will be able to make a decent living.So,parents refuse to nurture talents in their kids.

For all this to change,a lot of things have to happen.Parents should encourage & motivate children to follow their dream hobbies.Even teachers & professors should recognize that spark of brilliance in the child- whether good at fine arts,games ,debate etal.We must all force the government to give recognition to real talents & not some nephews ,nieces of  netas,& others just because they are related or are friends.Then only,can we put an end to this stress which has forced young people to end their lives.

Lastly,we should tell the kids that failures are a part of life just like success .Failure only means that we should strive harder .Moreover success in studies does not guarantee success in relationships,life etc. After all,growing up to  be a better human being is what life should be all about rather than winning or losing.

HOUSEWIFE ?!

Which is the most overworked yet unpaid job across the world ?That of a housewife.

This ,I have come to realise as I gradually settled into this role of a housewife after quitting my job.I do all the work expected of a housewife like cooking ,cleaning up,caring for my kid,etal.I do engage domestic help but still, at times, the find the job of a housewife daunting - that is perhaps due to the fact that there is no appreciation of a job well done.Ooops,sorry,I need to correct this- there is no acknowledgement even of a task & I am talking of appreciation !Moreover,all at home, take the housewife's presence at home for granted-so she has no free time for herself.She is always at the mercy of others.She has to plead even when she wants to shop for groceries.When she is doing that,more often than not,there will be some urgent work which will recall her back home almost immediately.And mind you,this was not what you can call her free time- she was shopping for groceries.Eventually,the housewife tends to squeeze time when all other members are at work,school etc for her jaunts like shopping,attending calls for repairs,etc.After she has finished with all this,she will try to relax but does she ? I feel,her job is the one which has maximum stress levels.This goes on for days together which turn into months & years without a break.And then that remark,"Oh,You are at home -so good.You can work at your speed without rushing through like us who are working."

Actually,the word working woman is an anathema- is a housewife idle ?The one nice thing about being a housewife is that there is no discrimination- the world over,it is the same story.In poor households as well as rich ,from a home in America to a home in India,the condition of the housewife is the same.It cuts across barriers of caste,creed,color etal.I recall,a friend settled abroad who told me,"I am a housewife now & the standards expected of the cleanliness ,cooking,child's behaviour is quite different from that of a working woman.People comment, that as I am at home,the home should be squeaky clean,the kid well behaved,cooking varied ,on & on.For a working woman,there are concessions.The home need not be clean ,the kid can be unruly,the cooking mundane-after all she is working !"But then, why blame outsiders, when the members of your own household share the view that you as a housewife are just idle at home after the daily routine of cooking,cleaning,caring,attending calls,on & on.The housewife should do atleast this much -what else is she doing anyway ?This will also keep her occupied & she will not get bored.

I am petrified of one more aspect of this job- caring for the elderly,the kids,the sick ones.In spite of my care & upbringing, if things go wrong,then who will take the blame ?Suppose, my child does not turn out well behaved,is bad at studies,unruly,etc,who will be held responsible ?Obviously me- inspite of being a housewife,I failed.Of course,I can do better by being more considerate to the child-listening to the demands,correcting the behavior & so on & so forth but then am I to devote all my time for others without any time for myself ?Failures are intolerable especially if the housewife is the perpetrator.That is why,I am desperately looking for a job !

If a contest is held to select the most suitable person for the position of a housewife,who do you guess will win hands down ?Well,the answer is no one.Who would want to trade places with a housewife ?anathema,idle,