Highlight of 2009 - Trip to Kedarnath & Badrinath

..................Like i had wished last december that i should visit all these places....finally my long cherished dream came true in October when me and mummy went on a trip to the Dev Bhoomi - the land of Gods - The mighty Himalayas....and wow....what a trip....now i know why gods select the best places in the world to live....pure, pristine with awe inspiring beauty of nature...........the first destination was Dev Prayag where Alaknanda and Bhagirathi merge to create Ganga.....i offered prayers to the river goddess....the same place where Brigu rishi had prayed to bring Ganga down to the earth from the heavens.......then to Kedarnath through helicopter where the snow covered sumeru forms the backdrop of this beautiful temple ( Jyotirling) dedicated to Shiva which remains closed for six months of the year......and then finally to Badrinath ( Dedicated to Vishnu ) between Nar and Narayan mountains and the playful alaknanda flows by the temple.........the journey of a lifetime :)........now Kailash Mansarovar does not seem very far off........

Mantra is an anti-Virus software

................its been long years since I have been chanting my mantras....and by my own experience i realised that a mantra is something that grows on you, it vibrates within you, there are times when you feel mantra is chanting by itself and it becomes like an anti-virus that removes all the negativity and viruses and programs and protects us from onslaught by new mental viruses.........for me my mantra became my anchor....i always turn to it in moments of crisis, when the mind is disturbed, when fear, negative thoughts pervade....the mantra like a shield resonates and protects............

........the other day i was reading Passage meditation by Eknath Easwaran.......and i was stuck by the efficacy of what he has written......i have experiecned and lived it....and then i realised that this is how you connect with a Guru...his book 1000 names of Vishnu is my favourate bedtime reading and it has brought the real essence of Vishnu Sahasranam much more closer to me than already it................

My latest article in Tathaastu on AMATRAA SPA

.......I have been writing on wellness for several global publications and it has been a great learning and eye -opening experience. I got initiated in Indoneisa, Bali - the land of Spa's & natural treatments as the flora and fauna lends itself so generously. This is my first article on an indian Spa and it is also unique :

Amatraa - The silence of the Aum - http://www.tathaastumag.com/index.php?hid=1870

For those of you who want to read all my wellness articles can go to this link :
http://imemyself-manisha.blogspot.com/
and check out My published features

Happy Reading :)

ANANDA in the Himalayas........is pure BLISS

30 June, 2009

………….it is a little difficult to explain but after my visit to Ananda, I felt that my aura was totally cleansed and fresh and light….why do I say so ? I don’t know, but I feel lighter, cleaner, happier, obstructions of negativity and depleting forces seems to have vanished and both of us feel very charged, light and happy. Usually an aura cleansing experience happens when we go on a pilgrimage , to some spiritual place or a place with good earth energy and excellent vibrations! Touch wood!!!

..........A getaway from the sweltering heat of Delhi.....in the Himalayas was pure bliss....especially because it rained there and everything was washed green and clean.....ANANDA in the Himalayas as the name indicates is pure bliss......i loved it.......and i know i will come here again and again and again.............

Aum Chant Before Yoga

......For the last three months, i have got initiated into yoga, by my aastha teacher who comes home and teaches us every morning. Over these last 3 months, i can feel certain changes in my body. The spine has become more flexible and my mind calmner, and while doing various asanas one is tested for patience and flexibility...and we figure out there is a long way to go.

We begin the session with Aum chants. why ?

The Mandukya Upanishad elucidates the inner meaning of Aum, which embodies the highest wisdom. Aum has three syllables. A represents the waking state. U represents the dreaming state. M represents the state of deep sleep. Aum in its entirety, plus the moment of silence which follows it, represents the shanti, the peace beyond understanding. Thus, Aum japa performed as an invocation to Lord Ganesha, the Lord of Wisdom and Knowledge -- while love is welling up from our hearts and tears are for no reason flowing simultaneously -- calls forth the knowledge of the entirety of our existence in these four categories of consciousness.

For Aum japa to be effective, the mantra must be pronounced correctly. The first syllable is A, pronounced as the English word "awe," but prolonged: "aaa." The second syllable is U, as in "roof," pronounced "oo" but prolonged: "ooo." The third syllable is M, pronounced "mm" with the front teeth gently touching and the sound prolonged: "mmmm." Each repetition is sounded for about seven seconds, with two seconds on A, two seconds on U and three seconds on M, with a silence of about two seconds before the next repetition. The three syllables are run together: AAUUMM (silence), AAUUMM (silence), AAUUMM (silence). On the first syllable, A, we feel the solar plexus and chest vibrating. On the second syllable, U, the throat vibrates. The third syllable, M, vibrates the top of the head.

Thus, proper chanting of Aum also is a high form of yoga, moving energy from the lower chakras of the body up to the highest chakra, or energy center -- the sahasrara chakra at the crown of the head.

I am Happy !!! :)

My Monologue

Q: Are you happy ?
A: The most profound esoteric question in the universe. I asked myself and i figured out that "Well there are lots and lots of things that can make me happier but till that happens i like the state of being that i am in - I AM HAPPY. "

Q: But why am I happy ?
A: I have no answer to this question - but these borrowed words from Charles Schulz sum up what I feel : " My life has no purpose, no direction , no aim and no meaning and yet I am happy.I can't figure it out . What am i doing right ?

Q: Do i have to do anything for this happiness ?
Well nothing.......just be and go with the flow nothing more is needed. At times when it gets too much and i cannot take it then i stand up and fight for my happiness as advised by Ayn Rand " Learn to value yourself, which means to fight for your happiness." In this scenario my happiness is whatever i may be wanting to do at that point in time - a break, a holiday, sleep, or can be anything else.

Q: What comprises Happiness ? Or rather in simple words what is the recipe of happiness ?
A : One is happy as a result of one's own efforts, once one knows the necessary ingredients of happiness - simple tastes, a certain degree of courage, self denial to a point, love of work, and above all, a clear conscience. Happiness is no vague dream, its a workable solution. In my specific case one thing that clearly makes me happy is travel and security ( financial and emotional) and of course Good health.

Q: How does one pursue happiness ?
A : Pursuing happiness is the most ridiculous phrase, if you pursue it you will never find it. It is you and it is your natural state of being, so just be yourself - do not pretend, do not put on a face or facade, be honest to yourself and to others and you will be relaxed as you are not forcing yourself to be anything you are not.

Q : Does our happiness depend on others ?
A : No. A happy person spreads happiness and sometimes those for whom we love and care for their unhappiness may make us unhappy. But ultimately we are the sun and centre of our universe from which everything else emanates.

Q : The secret of happiness ?
A : Only when we are no longer afraid do we begin to live in every experience, painful or joyous; to live in gratitude for every moment , to live abundantly. The threshold of life holds both - the more our threshold of pain increases, the more the threshold of happiness and vice versa. Its the spectrum and range... the higher we go ,the lower we can fall.....as far as the range of experience is concerned. So always remember there is always something equal and opposite at the other end of the spectrum and be ready for everything that life throws your way.

Q: The greatest happiness of life ?
A: Freedom, to be able to do what you want to do whenever you want to do and however you want to do. There can be nothing greater than this, except, act responsibily because " with great power comes great responsibility."

Be Happy !!!

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Jakarta as Spa Destination in Asiaspa

My article - Jakarta as Spa Destination got published in the Jan- feb issue of Asiaspa international edition.......

Universe in snowflakes and snow

.........My longcherished visit to Vaishnodevi at the most opportune time, when the traffic was at its bleakest and the old cave was open was a wonderful experience...beyond everything i had wished and visualised......and i walked up for 5 hrs and walked down again....both of us me and dhiren...that in itself is a miracle......and then snowflakes at Patnitop provided the icing on the cake...............