Few moments with Rahat Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan.

The trek from Pahalgam to Amarnath Cave is on an ancient route. It takes four days to cover this 45-kilometre route which can at times be hazardous, if not intimidating. But when you know that you are in the lap of the captivating Himalayas and that thousands, perhaps millions of people, have walked on this path for centuries, and are still doing the same, it gives you an inner strength to move on. On this path have walked great saints like Shankaracharya, Swami Vivekananda and Swami Ramtirtha. On this path have walked the old and young, and will continue to do so for centuries to come.
There is an air of timelessness about the place. Everything here is so old and so new – the path, the journey, the hills, the glaciers, the cave, and the lingam. This is the place where legends are as old as the hills around you.

The logic for highlighting the dangers of avoiding breakfast is pretty simple. Brain needs fuel (glucose) to perform all its activities. If you have had your last meal at 10 pm and you skip your breakfast, you will practically be without food for more than 14 hours. It simply means that you have deprived your brain of its fuel and your body has to work extra hard to break down any stored carbohydrate or turn fat or protein into a usable form for your brain to function. This is not a desirable situation when you need the energy to concentrate, or doing any other work.

Soaked Channas- Serve it hot garnished with ginger match sticks, tomatoes and green chillies.
Sizzling Summer Delight – Have carrot soup in hot days.
Tossed, fresh & wholesome- Fruity Salad in Orange Dressing for a healthy breakfast.
Tikka Subzi- broccoli, cauliflower, mushrooms, capsicum, pineapple, babycorns make this a perfect dish for heath and taste.

Stones! Did I hear you say stones? What next I hear you muttering: pebbles, stones, rocks, crystals and even marble. Well do not be surprised as all are being used very successfully all over the world in top destination spas from Phnom Penh in Cambodia to London in England and from Sydney in Australia to Narendar Nagar in Uttarakhand helping improve individual’s overall well-being. Before I move on to tell you about this wonderful treatment, close your eyes and imagine heated stones being placed strategically all over your back, neck and buttocks while a therapist massages your tired legs with smooth pieces of heated rock. If this concept grabs your imagination then be introduced to one of the world’s oldest and most effective alternative therapies, stone therapy.
thermotherapy
(the alternate application of hot and cold temperatures), energy work and healing to soothe your senses.

Aroma is a fragrance, a sweet smell with a subtle pervasive quality, and therapy means treatment designed to cure.

The essential oils used in aroma therapy have the ability to store energy and release it when required. They help us feel good by working on our skin or hair, stabilize our emotions, reduce stress, and take away depression.
In olden days, women used aromatherapy extensively, like rose which was used by Cleopatra.
Rose represents the Heart Chakra – an individual’s ability to connect to universal love energy and to feel compassionate. Feeling love in a pure, universal way greatly enhances the ability to connect to the spirit. By feeling love, a person transcends all negativity and becomes one with all things and beings. Love is the energy that makes life worthwhile. Without love, what would life be?

Actually, perspiration is the body’s natural way of cooling itself. The skin contains sweat glands, which are of two kinds – the appocrine and the eccrine. The eccrine glands are found all over the body, more particularly on the palms and soles of the feet. They excrete mainly water and a little salt. The appocrine glands, found in the underarm and other regions, release sweat, which mixes with surface bacteria and decomposes fast, creating problems of odor and stained clothing. In its effort to regulate body temperature, the skin releases more perspiration as the weather gets warmer. Body odor actually forms about six hours after we sweat. The waste matter that is secreted with sweat has to be removed by washing and bathing, in order to avoid stale odor and feel fresh. The use of deodorants, anti-perspirants, talcum powder and perfumes helps to deal with the problem for a short while.

Let the dream illuminate the roadway leading to your goal. Contemplate the path that must be taken. Understand the practical aspects of your journey. Familiarize yourself with the terrain, take time to study and understand the nature of possible impediments along the way. Realize that all impediments are surmountable, every problem comes with a solution – your job is to find that solution. Some problems may seem very daunting and even after a lengthy search, may not yield readily to a solution. But never give up. Do not give ear to people who say it is impossible. Look at every outstanding figure in history, and what do you find? All of them dreamt the seemingly impossible, and with faith, tirelessly worked towards their destiny.

True self is without a boundary, all pervasive. In terms of existence, there isn’t any boundary, but on the level of mind, body and speech, we divide the existence into me, you and them.
I have relationship with body, senses, mind, intellect – these are so close but so far from the self.
Entwined with one another and yet so very much separate. Can you see the line of demarcation where body ends and mind begins or mind ends and self begins? Mind is a subtle form of matter and body is a gross form of subtle or the mind. Mind and matter are not different from one another. A quantum physicist would say that matter and energy are not two different entities.

A drunkard sat next to old Mullah Nasruddin on a bus. Thinking that Nasruddin was a preacher from his appearance, he started a conversation, “I’m not going to heaven. There is no heaven.”
The Mullah maintained silence.
“I say there is no heaven,” shouted the drunkard. The Mullah still didn’t answer.
“I said I’m not going to heaven,” shouted the drunkard.

Mullah Nasruddin quietly turned to the drunkard and said, “Well, go to hell then, but be quiet about it.”

Pressurizing children to perform, academically or in sports or in any talent, is a big no. Set realistic expectations from your child without making success or failure the deciding factor of your relationship with him. Create a loving atmosphere at home. Try to spend some relaxing moments with your child everyday by reading books or playing games or cracking jokes.
Most important is to give freedom to express to your child. Let him express his emotions, his fears. Talking his heart out to you will relieve your child. And with this kind of open communication, you’ll know how you can be of help to your child. Give your child, the time and guidance to handle changes in life. Assure him, it is alright to feel low sometimes but at the same time one has to move on. Acceptance and assurance of parents is the biggest encouragement to the child.

Madhup Mudgal is an extraordinary musician

when we almost had 106 inches of snow, I was working in my driveway to remove snow. After shoveling snow for over two hours, there was severe muscle pain in both arms. I then used regular self-hypnosis to relax and go deeper into a trance. Then I started using “deepening the trance” techniques in self-hypnosis, thus going into a much deeper state. I was focusing mainly on both arms where muscle pain was very acute. At some point, the pain area felt nothing but some kind of vibration. I felt as if I am separate from pain. Under this deep trance state, without using any traditional suggestion or visualization methods of self-hypnosis, I simply let these vibrations wipe out (like cleaning the black board in the class room). To my surprise, when I came out of this deep trance state, there was no sign of muscle pain in both of my arms.

Speak to any father, he complains about his children; speak to any husband or any wife, they have complaints for each other; as long as they are being diplomatic, they will keep up a very sound face, a beaming smile and a false story to explain their happiness.
You have to be a complete person to become an embodiment of love. And then you will attract people. Then you don’t have to run for the people’s attention. Now you are doing everything to get attention – someone should notice your dress, your way of talking, everything.

Mind is a tool and if one knows how to use it then it can be of help to you in many ways. On the contrary, if one does not know how to use this tool then your own mind becomes devil and can make you suffer. Learn and understand the intricacies of mind, its way of working; learn the art of meditation and you will live in great peace and comfort as any one who meditates grows in more than one way.

Most of the people find it difficult to follow certain meditation techniques which are complex and require stringent discipline. So, here is a playful and absolutely joyful technique of meditation which is intense in its own way. This meditation technique is called Gibberish, and is rightly so.
Gabar, a wonderful Christian mystic, introduced this meditation technique which later came to be known as Gibberish. It is said that people would come to Gabar with all kinds of questions about enlightenment and he would simply answer with nonsensical sounds.. At first people thought he was crazy and that no one would come to listen. But hundreds of people came and he ended up having more disciples than any other mystic of his time.

Let us examine this issue a little deeply. Since we have been brought up and conditioned in a society where true expression of our feelings is considered cowardly, we have developed it into a habit. At a grown-up stage, hiding the emotions seems the only way to live life. Yet, the whole purpose of bestowing mankind with a multitude of emotions would be defeated if we decide to suppress them. The emotions are the tools which connect us to our roots, the most potent channels to carry the messages across the world. Let us not try to block the channels. Whatever is sweet, delicate, loving and tender in life is being carried through these channels. And compassion is one such feeling which should be allowed to travel freely.

Mr Mehta is GM with a company and his wife is working for the government. They have only one (pampered) son. In spite of all kinds of coaching and tutorials he could score only 58% marks in his final board examination. The parents became worried about the carrier of their only son. There were heated arguments in the family as to who had spoiled the child. Mehta now developed insomnia and occasional gastrointestinal problems. He went to his family physician who prescribed him tranquilizers and antacid. Do you think this was the correct medicine for him? Certainly not. This is an example of imposing modern medication rules without due consideration. The kosha model emphasizes each person’s uniqueness and special needs. In modern medicine, different people with the same disease would be treated similarly. The vedic science understands the universe as formed by the five elements - space, air, fire, water, and earth - and they are building blocks of bodies as well. The goal of kosha model is to enhance the level of wellness throughout the course of life.