Sharavan Krishna 5, Vik Samvat 2071. Yugabda 5116: 16 July 2014

The festival is celebrated on Shravan Krishna Ashtami, August 16 this year. Rasa lila, dramatic enactments of the life of Krishna, are a special feature in regions of Mathura and Vrindavan, and in Manipur. The Dahi Handi is popular in Mumbai Pune regions of Maharashtra where teams of young men form human towers to reach a high-hanging pot of butter and break it. This tradition, also known as uriadi, is a major event in Tamil Nadu on Gokulashtami.
Hindus celebrate Janmashtami by fasting and staying up until midnight, the time when Krishna is believed to have been born. Images of Krishna's infancy are placed in swings and cradles in temples and homes. At midnight, devotees gather around for devotional songs, dance and exchange prasad.
Janmashtami is also celebrated in most of other parts of Bharat and Nepal, Bangaladesh, Caribbean, USA etc. --Top

 
2. DELHI IS NOW WORLD’S SECOND MOST POPULOUS CITY: Its population will grow to 36 million by 2030: U.N. report
Delhi is now the world’s second most populous city with 25 million inhabitants. Tokyo remains the world’s largest city with 38 million inhabitants. The 2014 revision of the World Urbanization Prospects by U.N. Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA)’s Population Division has pointed to rapid urban growth in Bharat, China and Nigeria.
Among the other most populous cities, Mumbai is in the top six with a population of 21 million. It shares the spot with Sao Paulo and Mexico City, behind Shanghai which has 23 million inhabitants.
The number of mega cities with a population of over 10 million has risen rapidly. While there were 10 such cities in 1990, there are 28 now and by 2030, the world is projected to have 41 mega cities with 10 million inhabitants or more.
In Delhi, the pressure of such rapid increase in population has already started showing. Be it water, power, education, health care, infrastructure, law and order or sanitation, all the systems are under immense pressure, which is only set to increase. --Top

 
3. 1008 CHILDREN PERFORMED ‘GURU PUJA’ AT CHENNAI: On Vyasa Purnima day, 1008 teachers drawn from Chennai city schools assembled at the sprawling maidan where the five day annual Hindu Spiritual and Service Fair HSSF was being conducted.  As many students drawn from Government schools performed Pada Puja to the teachers and gave them gifts of saree, dhoti etc.  HSSF fair consisting of 250 stalls and participated by several hundred Hindu religious service organizations and groups was inaugurated by Kanchi Shankaracharya Sri Jayendra Saraswathi Swamigal.  On the concluding day a grand Srinivasa Kalyanam Puja was arranged by Tirumala Tirupathi Devasthanam.  On all the five days thousands of Chennai residents were benefitted by the crisp and attractive display of hundreds of Hindu projects run by as many organizations and groups, which have openly identified themselves as Hindu. --Top

 
4. VHP LEADER GIRIRAJ KISHORE PASSES AWAY AT 94: Senior Vishwa Hindu Parishad leader Acharya Giriraj Kishore, who was actively associated with the Ram temple agitation, died in New Delhi on 12th July evening. Born on Februay 4, 1920 in Misauli village in Etah district of UP, Giriraj ji had joined the RSS at an early age and was one of its senior most 'pracharaks'.
He served as a sangh pracharak mainly in Uttar Pradesh, also had responsibility in ABVP before getting into Vishwa Hindu Parishad VHP. Acharya Giriraj ji was the motivator of many successful programs like Virat Hindu Sammelans and Ekatmata Yatra 1983 after the Meenakshipuram incident, Ramjanmabhoomi movement and initiatives like Sanskriti Raksha Yojana, Ramshila Poojan, etc.
He visited many countries including the U.K. Holland, Guyana, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan, Singapore, Japan, and Thailand. Though wheelchair-bound for the last several years, he had maintained a fairly good health and had a sound memory even at the age of 94. As per his wishes his eyes were donated and his body will be donated to medical college. --Top

 
5. BHARAT TO BECOME THIRD LARGEST ECONOMY BY 2030: PWC: Bharat is set to become the third largest economy in the world by 2030, according to latest estimates by a PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) report.
The London-headquartered accountancy giant said the rapid rise of the Bharatiya economy with its young workforce would push it up from being the 10th largest economy in 2013 to the third largest by 2030, pushing the UK back into sixth place.
“In the longer run, other emerging markets may overtake the UK, but only Bharat looks set to do so before 2030 according to our latest projections,” PwC said in its latest economic outlook.
China, the world’s second largest economy, is expected to close the gap with America by 2030, while Mexico is predicted to be the 10th largest economy by 2030, above Canada and Italy, both G7 nations. Only Bharat will move ahead of the UK by 2030, though it will be sharing a projected GDP of $ 6.1 trillion among more than 1.5 billion people, only half as much again as the UK’s predicted output of $ 4 trillion, produced by a population less than a 20th the size. --Top

 
6. SOONER DONE THE BETTER - Populate villages along our borders with china: Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiran Rijiju's plans to populate desolate areas along the long India-China border must be put into action at the earliest. ‘Trained’ local populations serve as a natural frontier force especially against aggressive neighbours and make for the most effective first line of defense. Across the world, Governments actively encourage such border communities and even in different parts of India, the experiment has been successful. The Sashastra Seema Bal, which guards the India-Nepal border, has run a similar project in Assam, Bengal, the hills of Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, and Ladakh. The scheme has since been extended to Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura, Meghalaya, Sikkim, Jammu & Kashmir, Rajasthan and Gujarat. However, along the border with China, border communities have received little support. Over the years, entire villages have moved away from the LAC, which had been deemed as ‘sensitive' by various regimes in New Delhi. Consequently, across large sections of the LAC, there is now no human habitation even 50km into the Indian territory. This makes the areas easy targets for troops from the other side, as the border regions of Arunachal Pradesh stand proof. Largely uninhabited and tremendously difficult to access in the absence of motorable roads, they seem like no man's land — except that there are others who are constantly eyeing those tracts of land for themselves. There have been quite a few instances of Chinese troops intruding unnoticed through these areas and parking themselves deep into Indian territory for days together. It is only when they are discovered by patrolling Indian troopers or a stray civilian, that they are moved back to their posts across the LAC. Re-populating the border areas will help reverse this cycle. In the immediate future, it will send a strong signal of sovereignty to aggressive neighbours that such areas are neither contested nor disputed; they are well within Indian territory. And in the eventuality of a full scale land grab, New Delhi will have a far stronger case in its favour if Indian citizens, hundreds of thousands of them, are involved.
Against this backdrop, reports that the new Government will also train locals for basic defence operations as well as earmark Rs5,000 crore for this border development project in its first Budget are welcome. The fund is supposed to be in addition to the previous allocation of Rs28, 000 crore. The money will be used to build up civic amenities — roads, schools, health centres, mobile towers — in the remote border areas. Prime Minister Narendra Modi's recent efforts to expedite major infrastructure projects along the LAC will also play into this initiative. Several such projects, primarily for roads and highways, have been pending — in part because the previous Congress-led Government feared antagonizing China, and in part, because some sections within the UPA regime believed that if infrastructure was set up in the border areas, it would be used by advancing enemy soldiers. It was precisely this defeatist attitude that had led Jawaharlal Nehru to claim that not a blade of grass grows in Aksai Chin, after the region was lost to China, even as Chinese soldiers marched up to Tezpur. (Editorial, Dailypioneer July 3, 2014) --Top

 
7. BHARAT A GLOBAL MILITARY POWER BY 2045: A global scenario projected by Britain’s ministry of defense titled ‘Global Strategic Trends – Out to 2045’,  says that by 2045 Bharat is likely to have the ability to project conventional military power globally with the third largest defense expenditure pegged at 654 billion US dollars.
“Although China’s military-industrial complex is unlikely to surpass the technological sophistication of the US by 2045, it may rival it in terms of size, as could Bharat’s. Both Bharat and China will probably seek to develop sizeable and technically advanced armed forces, including ocean-going navies, capable of delivering an enduring and capable maritime presence both regionally and further afield”, the paper says. According to the projection, the US and China are likely to have similarly sized defense budgets, potentially out-spending the rest of the world by 2045. --Top

 
8. AUSTRALIAN SCHOOL KIDS RECITE SANSKRIT SHLOKAS EVERYDAY:  Om Paramatmane Namaha - a typical day begins with this dedication to the Supreme Being. It is followed by a few minutes of silence and mindfulness meditation, before starting a structured learning programme. The day concludes similarly. Sanskrit grammar and shloka chanting feature prominently on the educational agenda, as do ethics, values education and lessons in philosophy. Strong emphasis is laid on cultivating respect for one another, taking ownership for actions as well as service to society. At lunchtime, following the principles of Ahimsa, all staff and students sit down to a wholesome vegetarian meal.
This is no gurukul in remote rural Bharat but a thriving learning environment in Belrose on Sydney’s Northern Beaches. Ancient classics, modern languages, Shakespeare and studies of world religion and culture coexist with other key learning areas.
Embracing a multi-lingual, multi-faith model, John Colet School (JCS) has a wide footprint across the greater Sydney area, offering an alternative learning pathway to the forward thinking community for many decades now.
Principal Gilbert Mane explained the school’s aim to nourish both “minds and hearts just as the best physical food nourishes the body”.
 “The diverse cultural experience of classical and modern languages opens them up to the rich variety of humanity and human experience,” Mane noted. “Sanskrit, in particular, is very beautiful and profound and this is good for the wellbeing of the child. It gives children the opportunity to experience and enjoy the purest sounds in language as well as gain a good foundation in linguistics, grammar and logic”. --Top

 
9. HSS USA WEST COAST SAMBHAG organized a weeklong Sangh Shiksha Varg (SSV) which concluded on 5th July on an excellent note.  This year’s SSV saw the number of shiksharthis surge to unprecedented levels.  129 Shiksharthis from 56 shakhas participated in SSV and received training in various boudhik and shareerik aspects of Shikshan.  More than 150 atithis (swayamsevak families and Sangh hitaishies) from Bay Area witnessed the concluding day pratyakshik and participated in the samarop session at camp site.  
Several national karyakartas attended the SSV and provided guidance throughout the varg.  Ma. Saumitra ji and Anjali ji Patel, Prof. DurgSingh Chauhan ji and Sri. Yellojirao Mirajkar, Dr. Manohar Shindhe ji and Philip Goldberg visited the Varg.   Independence Day of USA on 4th July was celebrated in both vargas. --Top

 
10. HSS THAILAND organized Gurupoojan Utsav on 13 July at Dev Mandir Bangkok. H H Sri. Hridayandagiri ji Maharaj  from Bharat  participated in the program as the chief guest. Sri. Dinesh Mani Dubey, Baudhik Pramukh HSS Thailand was the main speaker. Besides swayamsevaks , many prominent personalities among the Hindu community attended the utsav. --Top

 
11. E-CREDIBLE BHARAT: NEW VISA POWER, FIVE TOURIST CIRCUITS: In an unprecedented focus on tourism, the union budget unfolded a slew of initiatives including six-month deadline for implementation of electronic visas and a thrust on heritage and pilgrim tourism.
The facility of electronic visa authorization is expected to be introduced in nine airports with major source countries like the US, UK, Russia, France and Germany likely to be first off the block. Conservative government estimates say Bharat could receive 1.2 million additional tourists and receive earnings of $2.4 billion by 2015 if the e-visa facility is implemented.
The FM also announced Rs 500 crore to develop five tourism circuits around specific themes. This is complemented by a new, Rs 100 crore scheme called National Mission on Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spiritual Augmentation Drive (PRASAD) for promotion of heritage and tourism potential in cities.
Conservation of ancient cities of Mathura, Amritsar, Gaya, Kanchipuram, Vellankani and Ajmer will be part of the Rs 200 crore National Heritage City Development and Augmentation Yojana (HRIDAY). The project will be executed in partnership with academic institutions and local community, combining affordable technologies.
Preservation efforts for archeological sites got their due in the budget with the FM allocating Rs 100 crore while Sarnath-Gaya-Varanasi Buddhist circuit will be developed with world class tourist amenities. Party destination Goa, the permanent venue for IFFI, will be developed as a major international convention centre through PPP mode. --Top

 
12. 2 SCHEMES NAMED AFTER BJP ICONS: In a tribute to BJP and RSS ideologues and icons, the BJP-led NDA Government has named two national schemes after them.
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley proposed Rs500 crore for Deen Dayal Upadhyay Rural Electrification Programme. The scheme is to offer 24x7 power to rural areas by bifurcating the subsidised feeder lines from commercial lines.
Another Budget proposal named Rurban (Rural-Urban) Mission after Syama Prasad Mookerjee, the founder and the first president of the BJS. There was also a mention of Lok Nayak Jayaprakash Narayan, popularly called JP, In the Budget, Jaitley proposed to set up a Centre of Excellence in MP named after JP. The Budget also proposed a Pt Madan Mohan Malaviya Teaching Programme to be started soon. Malaviya, a Congress president and founder of Banaras Hindu University, was known also for his espousal of Hindu nationalism. --Top

 
13. MAHATMA GANDHI STATUE TO BE ERECTED OPPOSITE UK PARLIAMENT:  A statue of Mahatma Gandhi is to be erected opposite the Houses of Parliament. The memorial will stand in Parliament Square alongside those of Abraham Lincoln and Nelson Mandela.
Speaking on a trip to the Gandhi memorial in Delhi, Foreign Secretary William Hague said the statue would be a "fitting tribute" to a "great man".
The sculptor Philip Jackson, whose works include statues of the Queen Mother and RAF Bomber Command, has been approached to take on the project - which will be paid for by charitable donations and sponsors.
'Source of strength'
It is intended that the statue will be completed early next year and become a focal point for future commemorations, including the 70-year anniversary of Gandhi's death in 2018. Mr Hague said Gandhi remained a "towering inspiration and source of strength". --Top

 
14. NURSES RETURN FROM IRAQ: A week after 46 Bharatiya nurses evacuated from Iraq by the Bharatiya Embassy returned home, 29 more nurses who had been working in the eastern Iraqi province of Diyala arrived at Kochi airport on July 12th.
Of them, 10 had been working in one hospital while the others were in different hospitals in other cities in the Diyala province. All of them hailed from Kerala. The Bharatiya Embassy, which paid their travel expenses, had taken them to Baghdad and put them on a flight to Sharjah. A few other nurses returned their own via Kuwait.
Kerala associations in United Arab Emirates and Kuwait extended help to the nurses as well the construction workers returning from Iraq. Authorities say that as the situation in Iraq is getting worse, more Kerala nurses will be arriving in the next few days.
The first batch of 46 nurses, which included one hailing from Tamil Nadu, arrived in Kochi on July 5 by a special flight arranged by the External Affairs Ministry. --Top

 
15. INTERACTING WITH BHARATIYAS IN KENYA: Union Minister Prakash Javadekar who was on his maiden official visit to attend a UN assembly in Kenya was greeted at a reception hosted by Kenya Bharatiyas. The apex body of Hindu and Sikh religious bodies, the Hindu Council of Kenya (HCK), held a reception at the Shree Navnat Vanik Mahajan Hall for the visiting Bharatiya minister hosted by HCK chairperson Nitin Malde and national secretary Kamal Gupta. 
A couple of days later, Shri Jawadekar visited Deendayal Bhavan where he met members of the Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh (HSS) and avid supporters of the BJP. Javadekar mentioned that the task before the new government was daunting and it relied on the support of overseas Bharatiyas to project a dynamic image of Bharat. --Top

 
16. BHARAT PARIKRAMA YATRA COMPLETES CHAR DHAM YATRA: The Bharat Prikrama padyatra by veteran RSS Pracharak Shri Sitaram Kedilaya completed the journey of four dhams in Uttarakhand on July 5. It is scheduled to enter Uttar Pradesh on August 6. The Yatra is in Uttarakhand since February 26. It took rest for one month at Sadhna Ashram in Dehradun and restarted the journey on March 30.
At Yamunotri Shri Sitaramji had a detailed meeting with leading saint Swami Rambharose Dasji, who is said to be performing tapasya for the last 44 years. At Gangotri the Mandir Samiti felicitated Shri Kedilaya. A detailed discussion with the Samiti members was held regarding village development. At Kedarnath head priest of the temple Shri Gangadhar welcomed him. The Yatra was in Badrinath on July 3 where there was a meeting with Dharmadhikari Shri Bhuvendnera Uniyal and head priest of the Temple Shri Ishwaran Nambudiri. In Hemkund Saheb, on July 5, Shri Kedilaya had darshan of the historic Gurudwara and the Laxman Temple. --Top

 
17. VIDEO DOCUMENTARY ON THE HINDU ART OF BALI RELEASED: Ashok Thakkar has produced an informative documentary on the Hindu art of Bali. In this 15-minute film, he takes the viewer on a tour of temples and public sculptures, both ancient and modern found across the island. It can be viewed at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RKuOe9OlxHc   --Top

 
SHRI VISHWA NIKETAN:Pravas:Shri Saumitra Gokhale, samyojak Vishwa Vibhag  would visit Suriname, Trinidad & Taobago and Guyana in Aug – September. Shri Ravikumar sah samyojak would be on a tour to Singapore, Thailand, HongKong and South Korea.Visitors: Ashish Puri and family USA --Top

 

FOOD FOR THOUGHT: Some perceive God in the heart by the intellect through meditation; others by the yoga of knowledge; and others by the yoga of work. Some, however, do not understand Brahman, but having heard from others, take to worship. They also transcend death by their firm faith to what they have heard.Bhagwadgeeta --Top
JAI SHREE RAM
CURE FOR SURE
Pramod Kumar
A recent study conducted by Hyderabad-based National Institute of Nutrition found that the most vegetables we buy for our kitchen have residues of 18 pesticides and 5 of them are present in almost all the vegetables. Banned pesticides like aldicarb and highly toxic ones like monocrotophos were also found in the samples. Findings of this study are similar to the studies conducted in previous or later years by NGOs or the government agencies. A study by Union Agriculture Ministry also found residues of many pesticides like Cypermethrin in ladys finger and cabbage, Chlorpyriphos in cauliflower and Chlorpyriphos in cabbage. The Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI) in 2003 found that all the samples they took from the markets were contaminated. A 2010 study by the same institute reconfirmed that the banned pesticides were still present in the samples. Another study in Delhi claimed that 35 verities of vegetables and fruits picked from Delhi markets had high doses of banned pesticides.
Studies have revealed that hardly 1 per cent of the pesticide actually acts on the pest and the rest goes into our system through food, water or the environment. That is why even the mother’s milk has been found infected. Research carried out by one Dr Rashmi Sanghi at IIT Kanpur recently found 800 per cent more than the permissible limits of pesticides in the samples of mothers’ milk. Those pesticides entered the mothers’ milk through air, water and the food they consumed. Even a very harmful pesticide, Endosulfan, was found in those samples. Endosulfan is said to have claimed the lives of over 5000 people and crippled countless in Kasargod area of Kerala. Worried over these findings the UPA government in 2012 formed an expert committee under the Chairpersonship of Dr. Sandhya Kulshrestha, Additional Deputy Director General of Ministry of Health & family Welfare to frame a policy for periodic checks to detect pesticide residues in vegetables and fruits. The Committee in its report submitted in March 2013 suggested to promote the use of environment-friendly bio-pesticides.
Who is responsible for this disastrous situation and who will promote the use of ‘environment friendly bio pesticides’ is the million dollor question? Fact is that none (neither the farmers nor governments) wants to take a firm decision about rejecting chemical pesticides and adopting nature-friendly farming.
Manpura village in Rajasthan, about 27 km from Jhalawar district headquarters under Asnawar tehsil, has taken a big leap on this front. The village with just 355 people strictly rejected chemical pesticides and majority of the farmers have turned to organic farming. Contrary to perception that yield in organic farming is lower than the chemical farming, the villagers here have proved that the yield is basically higher and profitable in organic farming. The man behind this change in Manpura is Hukum Chand Patidar, who in 2003 took the initiative and transformed the lives of not only the people in his village but also the entire biodiversity in the area. “I was a conventional farmer till 2003. That year something dramatic happened in my farm. Many peacocks and animals at the farm started dying. I realised it was the pesticide that may have poisoned them. I was myself using a lot of monocrotophos, which is very toxic for birds, and Endosulfan. I felt very guilty and the event completely changed the course of my work, recollects Shri Patidar.
The experiment started in 2003 has now been emulated by all the farmers who now cultivate organic produces at over 200 acre lands. Apart from gram, wheat, pulses, vegetables and fruits like papaya, oranges, and spices like coriander, garlic, maithi, are very popular. These products have demand even in Germany, Japan, Australia and Korea. “It is the popularity of our produces that a group of some farm researchers from Japan is scheduled to visit here from July 19-20 to study our methods of growing these spices and other organic produces,” points out Shri Patidar while talking to Organiser.
Apart from Jaipur, Udaipur, Kota, Jhalawar in Rajasthan, the produces of this village are in great demand in Madhya Pradesh and West Bengal also. “Now the demand is so high that orders are placed even before the crops are harvested,” added Shri Patidar, who was invited by film star Amir Khan in his show, Satyameva Jayate last year, to share his experience with the entire country. Shri Patidar rejects all claims that production decreases in organic farming. “From 2003 to 2006 the production was a little low but later it increased substantially.” Now to promote organic farming in neighbouring areas, the villagers of Manpura have formed Akshya Jaivik Krishi Sansthan. “Presently, 120 farmers are associated with it and we want to spread the activities all over Rajasthan. Activities have already begun in Barmer, Bikaner and seven other districts,” Patidar added.
Very few people know that the prime inspiration behind this change in Manpura is Rashtriya Swayamsevaks Sangh workers. “This project was basically conceived with the inspiration of senior Sangh leader Shri Hastimal, who is now Akhil Bharatiya Sampark Pramukh. He inspired us to make Manpura a model village for organic farming. Since beginning we used only cow-based or nature-friendly pesticides and manure and strictly said no to chemical pesticides. Many senior Sangh leaders including RSS Sarkaryavah Shri Bhaiyaji Joshi, Akhil Bharatiya Gram Vikas Pramukh Dr Dineshji, Akhil Bharatiya Gou Sewa Pramukh Shri Shankarlal have visited the village.
For most people the cow and her progenies are now useless animals. But in this village, the cow and her progenies proved to be the backbone of this transformation. Every house has desi cow. “It has scientifically been proved that the Indian bread of cow has the capacity to make India disease-free, loan-free, pollution-free, crime-free, unemployment-free, hunger-free and malnutrition-free. But the problem is despite knowing all facts, nobody wants to move forward. The swayamsevaks in Manpura have taken an initiative, which can be emulated by the entire country,” said Shri Shankarlal while talking to Organiser.
Though many successful experiments of organic farming are taking place in southern and north-eastern parts of the country, the successful experiment of Manpura exhorts the people of north India to move forward before it is too late. (Organiser Weekly, July 6, 2014) --Top
5 THINGS YOGA TAUGHT ME ABOUT SUCCEEDING IN BUSINESS
Dina vardouniotis
Anyone who knows me, knows my obsession with yoga. I like to say that I started before Madonna got on the bandwagon, not that pop culture should be measured against Madonna, but you know what I mean. I recently took up Yin which is the opposite of Yang, or active practices which resulted in an overzealouschaturanga (pronounced sha-ta-run-ga) flows that shattered my rotator cuff. As a self-admitted Type A, I dreaded the slow pace and what felt like endless holds of each pose. Someone wise once said, "what you resist most, is likely what you also need the most." Here's what I learned what I needed and to do more of at work in order to succeed:
1. Find Your Edge: People are often horrified at the pretzel-like positions that yogis are able to achieve. "I'm not that flexible!" They forget that yoga is a practice not a destination. The biggest mistake we make is working toward what we believe the outcome should look like, as opposed to focusing on getting there. "Finding your edge" is a wonderful way to describe the practice of continually setting the bar high for one's performance. Being comfortably uncomfortable is the perfect "edge." In your practice and in the office, being comfortable means that you'll never advance further than where you are right now. Whereas pushing yourself just a little bit further each time, will lead you to somewhere that you might not have expected you'll ever get to. Your self-development plan consist of big goals but a few muscles that you commit to flex more so that you can find your edge.
2. Observe Then Adjust: In yin, you can hold a pose for up to five minutes. What feels "ok" in the first minute, can be very awkward as you approach the third minute, and then mind-bending post minute four. My yoga teacher reminds us to observe our bodies prior to adjusting. Why? Chi is described as the energy flow in the body, which can feel like a slight tingle. Whenever we get feelings in our bodies, we feel like we have to move. We may not need to in order to access the energy that a pose is providing us. Organizations are not buildings, processes, procedures but a culmination of resources or energies that pulsate every second of every minute of every hour, through conversations, interactions, presentations, decisions, changes. When a "tingle" comes your way that makes you a little uncomfortable, take the time to observe before you move, you may just need to make some adjustments to get the benefit of something that is unexpected.
3. Let Go of What Doesn't Serve You: There's the term "monkey brain" in yoga, which describes the thoughts that jump around in your head. The visual of someone meditating in a seemingly suspended state of stillness, is the result of not learning how to shut down thoughts, ideas, worries but to simply acknowledge them, then let them go. Acknowledging is a very powerful verb but when used in business, can sound dismissive. The truth is that by acknowledging something, you recognize its value but also that it doesn't serve you at this time or at this place. The practice of mindfulness has found popularity in developing leadership skills. It is simply the ability to focus on the present, given irrelevant inputs, past assumptions and future concerns. So when you find yourself on a conference call, distracted by incoming emails or in a meeting, when your mind starts to wander, practice acknowledging and letting go so that you can maximize your performance on the here and now.
4. Pause to Integrate: After coming out of a particularly challenging pose, you may want to want to a neutral or resting pose. To get the benefits however, there are "receiving poses" that allow you to integrate what you've done. At work, we often face challenge and rarely give ourselves time to pause to reflect, understand or least of all, feel what just transpired. We pride ourselves on jumping on the next task, next meeting, next call. Take control of your calendar and give yourself time to pause, especially after important interactions at the office. Also, take the time to implement journaling at the end of the day to help you integrate everything that you've been engaged in and its implications to the next day, next week, next month. You may uncover that what you get out of pausing is as important as what's transpired prior to that.
5. Breathe: Breathing is what we do to stay alive naturally, right? So why do we learn to breathe in yoga? Breathing is the very life force of survival but it is also as a tool to centre oneself. Controlling and observing your breath can bring awareness and focus on what is important. The challenge to optimizing work productivity is being able to manage distractions and demands. In the most difficult of postures, your mind almost seeks distractions to cope with what your body is dealing with. Breathing is the tool you use to focus your mind and body. Leading successfully is having the toolkit to manage through unexpected or difficult times. Others sense trust in the stability and calm that you create. Breathing as a tool to manage stress and develop mindfulness can be pivotal in critical times in business and over the long haul in your career.
Nameste
( Dina vardouniotis is Vice President and General Manager, JPMorgan Chase Toronto
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dina-vardouniotis/5-things-yoga-taught-me-about-business_b_5448448.html)  --Top

No comments: