Meditation Booms, Recession Looms

A group of employees from a well known IT company with pink colored slips in their hand came running to Lord Vishnu. They were all crying and concerned about their job loss and worried about running their families in the months to come. Lord Vishnu, cool and relaxed as always asked them all not to worry and dive deep into their Self. As the employees asked how, the Lord replied “ Meditate more, Mall Less J Save More, Spend Less J Remember me more, Think of me at least one minute everyday with devotion!!Goddess Laxmi didn’t wish to comment as she was adoring Lord Vishnu and his styleJ. Brahma was busy recreating the whole world and was in trance. Lord Shiva was not present, he was busy performing his duties of a destroyer (destroyer of evil) on earth. It was time to protect earth from all adversities. Mans desire to acquire more wealth had depleted enough natural resources in the planet causing enough turmoil in the form of environmental problems – climate changes, global warming, green house gas emissions, extinction of species affecting bio diversity. So the Gods decided to have a board meeting where they decided and planned this recession. They ensured that they will teach the world a lesson this time – a lesson which they will never forget for many lifetimes. See there would not be even a single human being on this planet who has not learnt anything from the current scene which is expected to last for a few more months - years.

Uncertainty!! Job Cuts!! Recession!! Melt Down! Bailout all these are just the most read and spoken words for the last couple of months  in the news papers, social functions and friend circles. We started of the New Year of 2009 with the Satyam fiasco. Also read somewhere that the marriage market also has seen a slowdown because or prospective marriage guys/gals losing jobs. No new projects! Travel Ban for senior officials !! No sky rocketing salaries! Forget about the increments and bonuses this year. The happenings are very uncertain. But there is still a ray of hope. Now is the right time to pursue passion and what genuinely interests you. In our routine life we do not find enough time to pursue what we want to do, it may be our hobbies like writing poetry, reading story books, writing stories, blogging, listening and composing music, experimenting with cooking etc. So do not wait to pursue all this, just begin rather than just feeling too low about what is happening around. All these happenings are very cyclic in nature and we as individuals have no power to control them directly. Sensex shoots up high, so it has to have a correction. Job market which was good also needs to go through its cyclic fluctuation. Lets accept it as a blessing from God for self renewal and a chance for the entire world to heal,  revive the global economy.

As I go through many blogs, chat rooms, Q & A everywhere the question is posed as to how to manage career gap, how to manage recessions, how to cut costs etc. Many of them have become restless and feverish reading the same news items, watching the same news, gossiping the same topic over and over again. But the only best way to deal with these times are to meditate more and relax one’s self, listen to the mind and body which otherwise has to go through the daily routine of hurry, worry and curry. Most of us take it for granted our daily blessings of getting to eat food, having a well paid job, buying branded clothes, dining in glamorous restaurants, frequently visiting pubs etc. We pay Rs.1500/- for a Reebok shoe, 2000/-  for apparel and fashion accessories, then why can’t we pay for self development programs which are aimed at self renewal, helps with stress management.  I often hear people commenting about the heavy charges levied for these meditation programs . I don’t deny that some of these programs are heavily priced but as a consumer you have the right to choose the best product here also. This recession  is also a learning for the many IT  head honchos and BPO professionals to take money seriously. What they earn can also be lost very easily if they don’t plan their finances properly or spend too much without saving a penny. So one may also  infer that its gods divine plan to make many individuals understand the value of money and never take it for granted just because you have it. Spend it,  respect it and use it wisely. In my earlier blog I have also written about the art of giving.

 

Spirituality is the only savior to help cope up with this recession and India can help the world cope up with this situation. Mass meditations, Mass Prayers, peace concerts, harmony fests, service projects  will help the world change its course. India’s answer to the global recession

The Times of Wellness

‘’The doctor of the future will give no medication, but will interest his patients in the care of the human frame, in diet, and in the cause and prevention of disease’’.- Thomas Alva Edison

The Times of Wellness

Revolution!! Revolution!!! Revolution

This revolution of a different kind. I switch on the television channel and I watch a show called as SWEAT which teaches yoga postures, stretches and asanas. A little later I switch to another channel and there is a program called AAHAR. This one is to teach to eat the right foods at the right times and at the right quantities. Its no different than what my grandmother taught me years ago when I was small. She never skipped her breakfast, had lunch on time and the dinner time wouldn’t exceed beyond 7.30 pm or maximum 8.00 p.m. Of course, the hot milk before going to bed would never be skipped. In this time and age where people are busy making money and shaping up their careers, they are forgetting to shape their health and wellness of the present and the future. No wonder medical science is going forward but the healthy life expectancy of people though rising is not in a healthy manner. Life expectancy is more but with a whole lot of physical, mental, emotional worries.

I was talking to one of my friends over the weekend who has been in the business of health & wellness for the last 8 years. He is doing well for himself by marketing some good health food supplements to people around him, giving customer testimonies of wellness by consumption of his product. No doubt his product is the best. Initially when he started off, most of them ridiculed him for his profession, but today he is the king of his field in terms of product knowledge, alternative medicine and alternative healing therapies. The best part is he made himself aware of his health in the entire process and continues to give his testimony of using the product to others. Through word of mouth, he is a king of the product he once consumed

Who is to blame for this revolution ?? Is it the people who are careless about their health & wellbeing ,changing lifestyles, is it the media, is it the doctors, is it the marketers?? But the fact remains that it’s the individual himself who is more of less responsible for his state of well being. Most youngsters these days enroll themselves into the gym either to look good, to burn calories, or under peer pressure. Most of them are unable to even keep up their commitment for their weight reduction or weight management programs. Health – wellness requires a disciplined commitment from every person. It doesn’t come overnight and one has to burn the midnight oil to burn those extra calories or to gain that extra weight. Or else it’s just a big ZERO, not a SIZE Zero.

This revolution is giving a super money spin to all the ayurveda doctors, wellness consultants, spiritual gurus of the modern times. Not to forget the branded apparel clothing endorsed in the process for yoga and the gadgets required for yoga etc. The rate at which the product endorsements are going in this sector in phenomenal with yoga mats, yoga jewellery, spiritual pendant, God pendants, mantra cassettes, copper vessels for water, ayurveda supplements . Very soon we might even have YOGA MINERAL WATER . With more than a crore of deities in the Hindu scriptures, the market is really huge to market any product in this segment. So all those who wish to cash in, please do so at the earliest because the boom has just begun.

But we all forget that a few of these wellness consultants and fitness trainers were very much in our homes and they neither charged us huge consultation fees for their services. They practiced all this in their life and lived it fully. No wonder most of our grandparents lived a healthy and happy lifestyle. It’s just that we never wanted to listen to them, we never gave a patient hearing to what they said because they didn’t have relevant degrees, branded clothing and the right ambience to promote. Now the same programs run on television with a different format with beautiful models wearing branded clothes with well decorated rooms and lighting. All of us watch it and say Wow !! What a wonderful program?? Yes many of us watch it, but yet are still not exercising, not doing. Doing is what matters than just watching and commenting.

That’s where I quote a global guru ‘’Broaden your vision, deepen your roots’’. He is one of my icons and my close spiritual consultant. That’s a Secret. If you want to know please get in touch with your feedback.