SEPTEMBER MEETING

THE SEVEN CHAKRAS - September 7th, 2008

We did a beautiful "Hari Om" meditation in Sri Sri Ravi Shankar's voice followed by a spontaneous discussion about the chakras.

Bulbul summarized the key chakras, their qualities and connected emotions and effect on the body. Lavleen and Saroj also shared their own experience with the chakras and the mental and physical benefits of opening each of them.

Our endurance was tested during the meditation at the incessant sound of sugar being dissolved in water :-) by the maid (to be fair to her I did not ask her not to make a sound) but the nimbu paani she made was delicious. Deepika brought some yummy dhokla and we all enjoyed it.

नवम्बर - Abundance

The theme of the meeting was around "Attracting Abundance" into our lives in the areas of relationships, career, health and wealth. It was a mini-workshop which was a preview of an upcoming day long workshop we will be doing in December.

Nandini started with a guided meditation for 10-15 minutes about noticing abundance in our lives and in Nature all around us. Rohit took everyone through the principles of Law of Attraction and how putting out positive intentions often creates our reality. One of the quick tips to break the cycle of negative thoughts is to write down 10 of your favourite things - taking the cue from Julie Andrews in Sound of Music. Then go out and do these things which make you happy.

Special Bengali eats were enjoyed by all!

अक्तूबर - Humour

As we go through the manifold divine qualities exploring one each month and see how we have connected with them in our life experiences, this months topic was HUMOUR. The meditation was about taking ourselves less seriously and seeing the funny side of things even when the going gets tough.

A very inspiring experience was shared by Neera who talked about having an accident which laid her up in bed for 3 months and caused a lot of pain in her leg. Yet, it was during this painful time that she was able to detach from her physical body and transcend to seek healing from a higher source. One of the key things she spoke about was having fun with her freinds when they came to visit her in hospital or at home. Laughing a lot and sharing jokes and all the good things that makes life pleasurable. She went on to say that those were the 3 best months of her life!!!

While many people may have felt defeated or depressed going through so much pain and being immobile, Neera used this time for self-reflection and creating a deeper connecting with herself which invited divine grace to flow into her life and cause her healing.

We welcomed a new member amidst ourselves, Gagan also a like-minded seeker. Tea and cookies were enjoyed by all.

SEPTEMBER - आत्म विश्वास (SELF-BELIEF)

The meeting started with a meditation on self-belief. Discovering the vast and limitless resources of our inner Self which is a spark of the Divine. A beautiful song played in a voice akin to the Mother Divine herself gently serenading us, "How can anyone ever tell you. You are anything less than beautiful. Your loving is a miracle. How deeply you're connected to my soul." Then the supreme quality of Love was used to wash through any conditioning about negative beliefs that we may harbour ourselves.

After the meditation, Rohit led a discussion about current beliefs that we have, both positive and negative. He taught us how our beliefs practically run our lives and often may cause strained relationships because we may be inflexible and refuse to see another's point of view. He helped us replace some of our negative beliefs with more positive ones. e.g. "I should be doing more", which puts undue pressure on the person (should) while being vague (do more). Instead if we replace this with whatever the person enjoys doing, she can say. "I want to write as I enjoy it so much." A question of prioritizing what we enjoy doing also was talked about so our life is not filled with chores, obligations and responsibilities but moments of connection, joy, being in the moment, laughter, spontaneity and a fair dose of "silliness".

Rohit also led a mini-process about loving a part of ourselves that we may be currently hating, a physical part of our body or behaviour or character trait or emotional response. By transposing the love of someone we love unconditionally and accepting this part of ourselves in the same loving embrace, we can have more self-love which strengthens our self-belief.

Tea and biscuits were then put out. Sarbari brought some delicious home made chocolates that were enjoyed by all!

Nandini

अगस्त - Gratitude

Once everyone had a chance to settle down in silence, I began with dedicating the meeting to my younger sister Shilpa who was with us at the last meeting in May. Her physical body passed away in early June. Although I miss her terribly, I know she watches and supports me from other planes and realms.

This meeting was attended by 9 people and began with a meditation to the soothing chants of Manish Vyas, a disciple of Osho. Mini-processes related to forgiveness and letting go of negativities were interspered with inspiring music. Kirtana was first with "Only this love" which was followed by "Tu hi sagar hai, tu hi kinara, dhondhata hai to kiska sahara". You are the ocean and the shore, whose support are you looking for? A short meditation followed inviting us to look for the completeness within ourselves and in the silence asking, "Who am I? Where am I going? What do I want to be happy?" The meditation concluded with the beautiful song, "There is so much magnificence near the ocean."

A very inspiring discussion followed about how we can simplify the sources of happiness and make it so easy for us to be happy as opposed to the usual and sometimes impossible conditions we impose on our own happiness. Sarbari shared how she makes herself happy by waking up early, watching the dawn, hearing the birds chirping and on moonlit nights leaving her curtains ajar to allow the moonshine in.

Asha shared her gratitude ritual where she wakes up every morning and thanks the earth below and the roof above, for being there. Rohit suggested keeping a gratitude journal (a beautiful notebook) where we write down 5 things we are grateful for, each day. These maybe as trivial as the maid arriving on time or things we take for granted, like being alive! :-)

We concluded with yummy sandwiches prepared by Deepika and some Dhokla and chaina murgi. Looking forward to the next one already.

JUNE/ JULY : MEETING CANCELLED

Due to the sudden and untimely death of my youngest sister on June 6th, I am not in a frame of mind to conduct these sessions at this time. They are suspended until further notice via this blog.

May : What is HAPPINESS :-)?

The May meeting was attended by 9 people who shared variously what happiness means to them. Discussions ranged from happiness related to material comforts, relationships, health, career, children and spirituality. A very profound comment made by the newcomer, Tarun had us all thinking when he said, "Life is uncontrollable... trying to control it brings unhappiness." Daphne made a compelling case for inner happiness which is the only lasting joy compared to conditional happiness that is hinged on external factors.

The meditation delved into the nature of things that make us happy and whether they are temporary and conditioned upon something or someone else or independent and free of external factors. Discovering the fountain of joy within us is a goal of the spiritual seeker.

Posted on the walll of a dear friend was this simple quote, "IF YOU WANT TO BE HAPPY, BE!"