Heartfulness Magazine - September 2020 (Volume 5, Issue 09)

September 2020
Our
The Heartful Chef
VIJAY SADHU Food Story
A Love Letter to - DAAJI
the Future
ELIZABETH DENLEY
What Is a Mistake?
ICHAK ADIZES
The New Children

TERRAN DAILY
www.heartfulnessmagazine.com
LIVE
ONLINE
PROGRAM
Leadership is NOT a
privilege for a select few!
Now more than ever the world is in need of EVERYONE to skillfully
and gracefully perform as leaders in all life contexts at all times.
Heartful
Adizes Leadership
Learn to apply timeless leadership
principles in your personal and work life.
Upcoming Start Dates:
September 18, Fridays 4:00-6:00 pm CET
October 3, Saturdays 10:00 am-12:00 pm IST
Heartful Adizes Leaders continually refine vital skills and equip themselves
and others with practical tools to successfully deal with complex challenges.
Price of the program is... U-priced!

These courses are offered as a gift, trusting the generosity of participants to
support the development and sustenance of similar in-depth learning journeys.
Join us in this journey with a like-hearted

mastering-change.org community seeking to lead to a better society!
CREATIVE TEAM
Food and Other

Editorial Team — Elizabeth Denley, Emma Ivaturi,
Kashish Kalwani, Vanessa Patel, Mamata Venkat
Design & Art — Priya Hegde, Emma Ivaturi,
Resources
Uma Maheswari, Rahul Singh Parmar, Gayatri
Pachpande, Ananya Patel, Jasmee Rathod, Arati
Shedde, Yulia Veresk
Writers — Ichak Adizes, Terran Daily, Priya
Hegde, Simonne Holme, Narendra Kini, Kamlesh
Patel, Ravi Venkatesan
Dear readers, Interviewees — Elizabeth Denley, Nimo Patel,
Vijay Sadhu
In these times of dramatic social change, you may be surprised

to read the U.N. and W.H.O. statistics that around 30% of ISSN 2455-7684
people on planet Earth are struggling with issues of basic food
security, while another 40% are struggling with obesity and CONTRIBUTIONS
associated metabolic problems. Two ends of the spectrum, for contributions@heartfulnessmagazine.com
which crisis management is needed at both ends! So, this month ADVERTISING
we explore our relationship with food and other resources, and advertising@heartfulnessmagazine.com
what is needed for a simple balanced life.
SUBSCRIPTIONS
subscriptions@heartfulnessmagazine.com
We hear from Daaji on the yogic principles underlying our www.heartfulnessmagazine.com/subscriptions
relationship with food, and Chef Vijay Sadhu shares the fairy
EDITOR — Neeraj Kumar
tale of his international journey as a chef. Terran Daily begins
a series of articles on parenting tips for the new children, and PRINTED BY — Sunil Kumar
Dr. Elizabeth Denley writes a love letter to the future humanity Kala Jyothi Process Pvt. Limited, 1-1-60/5, RT C
about our pandemic. Dr. Ichak Adizes explores the best way Cross Roads, Musheerabad, Hyderabad-500 020,
Telangana
to handle mistakes, and Ravi Venkatesan continues with part
7 of the Heartful Strategist. We enjoy stuffed zucchinis with
nutritionist Simonne Holm, and the stunning artwork of PUBLISHER — Sunil Kumar representing
Spiritual Hierarchy Publication Trust on behalf of
Narendra Kini and our creative team.
Sahaj Marg Spirituality Foundation, Chennai.
Enjoy an inspiring read!

© 2020 Sahaj Marg Spirituality Foundation
The editors Printing, publishing, distribution, sales,
sponsorship and revenue collection rights vests
with the Publisher alone.
www.heartfulnessmagazine.com
All rights reserved. ‘Heartfulness’, ‘Heartfulness

Relaxation’, ‘Heartfulness Meditation’, ‘Sahaj Marg
Spirituality Foundation’, ‘SMSF’, ‘www.Heartfulness.
org’, the ‘Learn to Meditate’ logo, the ‘Heartfulness’ logo
are registered Service Marks and/or Trademarks of Sahaj
Marg Spirituality Foundation. No part of this magazine
may be reproduced in any form or by any means without
prior written permission from the Publisher. The views
expressed in the contributions in this publication do
not always reflect those of the editors, the Heartfulness
Institute, or the Sahaj Marg Spirituality Foundation.
contributors
KAMLESH PATEL
Also known as Daaji, he

is the current Heartfulness
Guide. He offers a practical, TERRAN DAILY
experiential approach to the
evolution of consciousness that is Terran is an occupational
simple, easy to follow, and available to people of all therapist who has worked with
ages and walks of life. Daaji is also a prolific speaker children, parents and teachers
and writer, and his two books, The Heartfulness Way for over 30 years, in Scotland,
and Designing Destiny, are both #1 bestsellers. northern California, and now
in India. Her biggest joy has been
establishing strong relationships with children who
think and act differently from previous norms – the
VIJAY SADHU
new children. Aside from her work as an OT, Terran
Chef Vijay is currently is a certified trainer in Nonviolent Communication
the Executive Chef at the and a peace educator. She was a founding member
Bonappetit Management of the Scottish Parliament Cross Party Group on
Company in Plano, Texas. Peace Education. Terran is happiest with children
Whether at the heart of the and in nature. She is blessed to work with both at the
kitchen of one of his restaurants Heartfulness Headquarters, Kanha Shanti Vanam.
or sitting in meditation, Vijay puts his heart into
everything he does. The result? Great food that is
filled with love, and hard-earned and well-deserved ICHAK ADIZES
success. He considers his most important role as that
of being a parent. Dr. Adizes is widely
acknowledged as one of the
world’s leading management
NIMO PATEL experts. He has received 21
honorary doctorates and is the
Nimo is a child at heart. He author of 27 books that have been
loves animals, finds heaven translated into 36 languages. Dr. Adizes is recognized
in nature, expresses himself by Leadership Excellence Journal as one of the top
through the performing arts, thirty thought leaders of America.
loves food while enjoying a
health-conscious lifestyle, and
finds deep joy in seeing others in joy, good health and
peace. His journey has led him on a path of service
and love. A world-renowned musician, he’s a simple
dude who likes to laugh and share his heart with all
beings.
Sept ember 2 02 0
inside
thought in
action
The Heartful Strategist
- Part 7
Ravi Venkatesan
20
innerview
focus: Just Thinking And Feeling:
What is a Mistake?
Ichak Adizes Service, Simplicity &
Food
22 Songwriting - Part 2
The Heartful Chef
Interview with Chef Vijay Interview with Nimo Patel
Sadhu
28
10
H eart f u l n es s
what's up
80
taste
it changes of life
everything The Spirit of Art - an art
essay
The New Children - Part 1 be inspired Narendra Kini
Terran Daily
70
38 A User’s Guide to Living - Stuffed Zucchini

Part 9
Simonne Holme
A Love Letter to the Kamlesh Patel
Future - Part 1 76
56
Interview with Elizabeth
Love
Denley
Priya Hegde
46
78
Sept ember 2 02 0
Illu stra tio n by ANAN YA PATEL
FOCUS
The people who give
you their food give
you their heart.
CESAR CHAVEZ
Illu stra tio ns by GAYATRI PACH PAND E
10
H eart f u l n es s
FOC US
Q: Chef, how did you discover

your passion for being in the
kitchen?
The My experience was very different.

I was more into dancing when I
was growing up, and I was part
of a band that my friends used to
Heartful
have. I moved out of home when
I was 15, and from that age I
never depended on anyone. I was
a dropout because of the band.
We were performing a show in a
Chef
hotel in Hyderabad, and the venue
was right next to the kitchen. I
was smelling the aroma and air of
beautiful food, and I said, “Oh my
gosh, this is so incredible!”
My eldest brother was a chef. My

VIJAY SADHU is a perfectionist. parents were worried about me.
Whether he is standing in the kitchen They were like, “What is this guy?
of one of his many successful He doesn’t want to go to school.
restaurants in the United States, He doesn’t want to go to college.”
competing with Bobby Flay, or simply I was very careless. I didn’t really
sitting in meditation, Chef Vijay worry too much.
determinedly puts his heart into I said, “Take it as it comes.”
everything he does. The result? Great I started liking cooking, food,
food that is filled with love, hard- and serving people. There was
earned and well-deserved success, no grandmother inspiration or
and a daily effort to show up as his mother inspiration. I’m a self-
best possible self. Sitting at a table at made person. I started working
Fausto’s, Kanha Shanti Vanam’s Italian as an apprentice for some of the
Restaurant, he shares more about his big hotel chains. Then, I had the
passion for cooking and his journey opportunity to go to the U.S.
of becoming a chef with MAMATA at the age of 18 and ended up
VENKAT, how finding a Guru and in Manhattan. There I started
diving into spirituality changed his working for some of the best
attitude in the kitchen, and how all of restaurants, peeling onions, and
his experiences have shaped his most doing behind-the-scenes work. It
important role: being a parent. was all old-school style.
Sept ember 2 02 0 11
FOC U S
Q: What does the journey look and moved to Australia. There I I had an opportunity to open my
like for someone who is trying to finished my hotel management own restaurant in Milwaukee
be a world-famous chef? degree right off the bat. I worked when I was a young guy, probably
for a good restaurant there, and 29 or 30. It was called Saffron
Back in the day, not every chef then I moved back to the U.S. Bistro, with a lot of European
went to college. I didn’t go to again. That’s when I really started. influence, and it was rated one of
college to begin with. After the best restaurants in the world
working in New York, I made Q: What kind of attitude did you by Bon Appetit Magazine. My
some money, and then I thought have in order to create success restaurant was a small hole in the
about going to college. I moved to for yourself? wall, no bar, just tables and the
India for six months, worked for food, some wines.
one of the top hotel chains, and From day one, I wanted to be a
wanted to be at the management perfectionist in everything that From there, it just kept growing,
level, but people would say, “No, I did. I don’t waste my time. If I growing, growing. I appeared on
you don’t have a degree, so you do something, I’ll do it perfectly, television with other chefs, I was
can’t be a manager”. I thought otherwise I’ll say, “I don’t think on the cover of a lot of magazines
that was discrimination, but while this is for me” or “I’m not ready in New York and Milwaukee,
having tea with a cousin of mine, for this.” I don’t experiment with and then I moved to India again.
looking at a newspaper, I saw things, except recipes. That’s how I came with my family here and
something about study abroad in I started working for some great opened a restaurant in Hyderabad.
Australia. So I packed my bags chefs. But the mentality didn’t suit me,
12 H eart f u l n es s
FOC US
so I packed my bags and moved Whatever I did, I put my heart

back to the U.S. again. I opened into it. That’s number one. I don’t
a beautiful restaurant in Dallas compromise at all.
called Northwest Frontier Cuisine.
I prepared a lot of kebabs and Q: I imagine that you apply that
barbequed food. My restaurant mentality of perfectionism to
was once again rated one of the your meditation practice. What
top restaurants in Dallas. I was the drew you to spirituality and,
first Indian person to do that. specifically, to Heartfulness?
There I was blessed to work In 1998, my brother said, “Hey,

under one of the best chefs in the why don’t you try Heartfulness?”
world, Steven Pyles, the father I said, “What is that?”
of Southwestern cuisine, who From my childhood, I was never
Whatever I did,
invented Tex-Mex. He pulled into idol worship. I used to go to
me out and said, “Hey, why don’t the temple with my parents, but
I put my heart into
you work with me?” I worked for I wasn’t really into it, although I it. That’s number
him, and then opened a restaurant believe there is a God. I started
called Sutra, with a Portuguese- Heartfulness, and met the Guide, one. I don’t
Spanish influence and an Indian Chariji, in 1998 in Austin, did for
touch. It did phenomenally well. a month, but I didn’t continue. I compromise at all.
FOC U S
I told her was, “Don’t try to get Designing Destiny I stopped eating
me into Heartfulness.” One day, meat right away. I used to smoke
Daaji started coming in front of and I just said no and stopped
me in subtle form. There was a right away. It’s not just respect for
Heartfulness trainer in Dallas and the guru; I love him. I’ve started to
I went to him and said, “I want really miss him from the bottom
to have a meditation session.” So of my heart. I used to only listen
I never stopped. I know we all to hip-hop and jazz, Cuban jazz.
miss parts of the practice here and That’s what pumped me up in
there, but as I mentioned to you the kitchen or in my car. After
earlier, if I like something, I do it. finishing that book, now I listen
to Babuji’s talks. It changed me so
was back to my usual stuff. People The first book I ever read was much, my way of thinking.
do service, and cooking for people Designing Destiny from cover to
is my kind of service. cover. I’d never finished a book Q: Do you think that the love for
before. It changed my perception this practice and the connection
Two and a half years ago, I about lifestyle and everything. I with your guide has positively
met my wife, who was into used to eat meat, breakfast, lunch impacted the way that your food
Heartfulness, and the first thing and dinner, but after finishing turns out?
FOC US
I always cooked with love from My desire was always to cook have changed. The way I cook
the beginning. I used to call it for Daaji, and during this visit I vegetables is different. The way I
focus. My mentors taught me started cooking for him from the use spices. The way I create dishes
that it was all about consistency, first day. Until today, I’ve been is natural, spontaneous, it just
quality, using proper ingredients, cooking for him. That connection comes automatically now. When I
and then putting love, putting your between him and I – I don’t ask cook for him, I don’t have to plan,
heart and cooking. That’s always for anything. I don’t want to ask it just comes out. My love toward
been there. It wasn’t because of for anything because I don’t need food has gone up tremendously. It
Heartfulness, but Heartfulness to. I took a break for two days has improved so much.
added a layer to it. and went to Vizag with my wife. I
literally started crying in the cab, Q: How do you think your
When I came to Kanha two and saying, “Honey, let’s go back. I attitude in the kitchen has
a half years ago, I visited Daaji. miss him.” I don’t expect anything changed?
He looked at me, shook my hand, from him.
and that was it. Later, my brother There was a tremendous change
came, so I went with my brother to When I open my eyes, I think after practicing Heartfulness.
Daaji’s apartment. While leaving, of him. That has improved Three years ago, when I worked
at the entrance, I started crying. It my cooking a lot. My flavors for the W Hotel, I was very tough
just happened. And I didn’t know
why I was crying. It was like a
child missing his mom.
The way I create

dishes is natural,
spontaneous, it just
comes automatically
now. My love toward
food has gone up
tremendously. It has
improved so much.
and very straightforward, I would
never compromise, and I would
yell at my staff. At the end of
the day, we all have emotions, so
we need to balance them. People
would sabotage me because I
was tough. Ego was there. I was
in competition, I was in the
newspapers, in magazines, and it
was a big deal. People would come
from the East Coast to try my
food. I always wanted more. My
dream was to get a James Beard
Award.
My ego started melting because

of this practice. In general, I
don’t like to show off, and I’m
mellow, easy, I need my space.
I took Daaji’s advice on how to
change, how to look at things in
a positive way. I had problems
with everybody. I looked at the
right way, but I didn’t compromise.
I wouldn’t let things go. Now,
every day, I park at my same spot, who want to follow their
and before I go inside to work, passions?
I don’t tell my kids
I pray. I have seen the change, what to do, and
how people started approaching I don’t tell my kids what to do, and
me in a positive way. They started what not to do. All I tell them is what not to do. All I
approaching me in the kitchen, to focus, and put a lot of your love
and that is a big plus. in whatever you do. Don’t give tell them is to
up. Stick to your passions. Don’t
Q: Your path during your jump from here to there. Don’t focus, and put a lot
be fickle. Think always that there
teens and twenties was
unconventional. It was not is a God that is helping you, that
of your love in
a stereotypical, linear path. is always there for you. I don’t whatever you do.
I imagine that your parents see what they study. I don’t go
had moments of deep stress, through their homework. I don’t
concern and worry. How has your do any of that. I am teaching them
experience impacted the way to be independent, but I’m there
you parent? What advice would for them all the time. With my
you give to people who are in experiences of what I did in the
their teens and early twenties past – smoking and drinking and
relationships – I do tell them to be My son is nineteen: “I know what doctors and engineers because
careful. you do. I’m not asking, but cut it they are doctors and engineers.
off, don’t do it.” Why? This is the But it doesn’t make any sense at
Every human being makes reason. I don’t just tell them,“Don’t all. If you want to be a painter,
mistakes. Just don’t repeat the do it,” I give my own examples as be a painter. If you want to be a
mistakes. I tell my daughter, who a father and friend to show them magician, be the best magician
is sixteen, “If you get a ticket, you why it’s important to be careful. out there. That’s what I tell my
will have to pay for it, not just children. Be who you are.
money, but you will have to pay We are missing that relatability
the consequences. Do you really between parent and child. Most We work for money, but that is
want to go through that, or do you parents are very controlling and wrong. Work with compassion,
just want to be careful?” they want their children to be work with love. If you’re really
interested, do what you want to
do. In any field, there is no limit. If
you want to be a carpenter, you can
be the best carpenter. If you want
to be a teacher, you can be the best
teacher. If you want to be a chef,
you can be the best chef. That’s
how I look at things.
Q: What is the one lesson that

has resonated in every moment
of your life?
I say, “Be in love, just focus, and

think that your Beloved is doing
everything.” You are just an
instrument. Be a perfectionist.
Whatever you do, do it perfectly.
Work with
compassion, work
with love. If you’re
really interested, do
what you want to
do. In any field,
there is no limit.
Illu stra ti o n by RAH UL S INGH PARMAR
thought in action
A man of genius
makes no mistakes.
His errors are
volitional and
are the portals of
discovery.
JAMES JOYCE
THE HEARTFUL
STRATEGIST
PART 7
So far in this series, RAVI VENKATESAN has introduced the Heartful Strategist
framework, and explored how our consciousness results in the strategies we
adopt, the choices we make, which in turn have consequences that impact
the ecosystem of which we are a part. He has also explored the concept of
thought patterns, and learnt how past impressions create these tendencies
or thought patterns in us. He reviewed the Heartfulness technique of
Cleaning, which uses the power of auto-suggestion or self-suggestion to
introduce positive shifts in our subconscious and thought patterns. In the
last article we specifically explored Turiya, the level of consciousness that
we would consider the ideal for a Heartful Strategist.
Ecosystem
Outcomes
A Framework for the
Heartful Strategist
Information from
the external world
Illu stra ti o ns by R AH UL SIN GH PAR MAR
Consciousness,
Mind, Ego, Prior knowledge
Intellect Desired outcomes
Ecosystem of
stakeholders
T HOUG HT IN ACTION
I
n this article we’ll spend some time on practices Heartfulness Prayer allows us to connect to a
that can help with the development of this state source beyond ourselves. Carl Jung called this the
of consciousness. Collective Unconscious. Whatever label we ascribe
to it, the proof of the pudding is in the eating. The
This is a good way to understand consciousness at best way to experience the power of connecting to
a basic level. However, just as physics evolved from a Source beyond us, is simply to try it!
Newtonian to Relativity to Quantum theories, our
understanding of consciousness needs to go deeper. Here is an experiment to try. Over the next few
The generalizations we adopted earlier will need to weeks try these freely available practices, and
be left behind. observe your experiences during meditation. Hold
any important questions or choices in your mind
The simple Heartfulness practices of Relaxation, before you start meditation and see what emerges
Meditation, Cleaning and Prayer, complemented from within. Don’t throw logical reasoning and
with practices to detox anger, fear, passion and analysis out the window, but try to balance the
stress, can lead one to this ideal consciousness results of analysis with the inspirations from
level of Turiya in an effective and efficient manner. within. This will lead to a different level of decision
You can refer to www.heartfulness.org for more making and choice, and your own experience will
information on these practices. show you the proof points for it.
Let’s see how this happens. The practices of

Heartfulness Relaxation and Meditation lead one
to a state of deep absorption that is akin to deep
sleep based on brain wave patterns. This has been
proven by TerraBlue XT’s studies using a wearable
medical detection device. Deep sleep brain waves
are indicative of deep physical relaxation. While in
this state of deep absorption, which is the Turiya
state, an adept meditator is able to retain awareness
and seek guidance and inspiration from within.
The answers seem to come in a magical manner
from a place within ourselves, yet a source beyond
ourselves with which we are connected.
Heartfulness Cleaning, when done regularly, starts

to free us of the thought patterns that limit us, and
opens up our hearts and minds to receive and act
on the guidance that meditation can offer us. It
also performs the vital function of removing the
impressions gathered during our waking hours,
before they sink from our active consciousness to
subconsciousness when we sleep.
JUST THINKING AND FEELING
WHAT IS A
MISTAKE?
DR. ICHAK K. ADIZES
T HOUG HT IN ACTION
H
ow do you handle a situation in which
someone is so scared of making a mistake
in the decision they need to make that
they panic? If most of their energy is focused on
the panic, then very little is left to deal with the
problem that is worrying them. So, let’s see how we
can reduce anxiety. The first thing to do is to take a
deep breath and relax.
Next, go to the table, take out a piece of paper, and order the list by time sensitivity. Ask yourself,
write down everything that you need to do that “What is the most urgent thing that I have to do,
scares you. Don’t stop until you have a complete and what can wait?” Then you look at that list of
list of all the tasks you must accomplish, including urgent tasks and ask yourself another question:
laundry. “Does it really need to be done, or do I think it
should be done because someone told me so? Or it
Once you have a finite list, the panic will subside. is my ego that I want it to be done?”
Part of anxiety comes from the feeling that the
problems are endless. The moment there is an Don’t choose based on ‘want’ or ‘should.’ Focus
exhaustive list, there is less uncertainty. Having a on what must be done now, what the situation
finite list can offer some sense of assurance. dictates. This exercise should narrow down the
list but this is where the fear of making a decision
Now, don’t act based on your long-term goals or comes to haunt us. You are facing reality and fear
purpose in life when you’re in a crisis. When you that you might make a mistake.
are up to your neck in a swamp of crocodiles, it’s
useless to think about long-term planning. What But who are you not to make a mistake? Do you
you really need to do is get the hell out of that know anybody who has never made a mistake?
swamp before you’re eaten alive! So you should If you read the Old Testament, even God made
a mistake. God! He was unhappy with the sinful
people and decided to kill everyone in a flood.
He exempted Noah as he was righteous in his
The moment there is an time. This doesn’t necessarily mean Noah was
actually that great; he was just better than his
exhaustive list, there is less contemporaries.
uncertainty. Having a finite

list can offer some sense
of assurance.
THO U GH T I N ACTIO N
If it is just money, how bad can it be? Once you

realize that the worst possible outcome isn’t the
end of the world, you will be able to relax more. It
is just some dip on the road, and you will survive.
Let’s assume you already made the decision.

What should you do now? Monitor the effects
because if it was a mistake, you still have time to
take corrective action. What happens successfully
So God eliminated a whole civilization. After in a company is not what is expected, but what’s
forty days, God probably scratched His head and inspected. Monitor the implementation of your
said to himself, “You know what? This isn’t going decision and take prompt corrective action if the
to work. I can’t make them righteous.” He admits initial choice was a mistake.
he’s powerless. God, who created the universe
and everything in it, is powerless with us. Even Maybe you did your best, and it still did not work
with the power over our life, he still can’t make us right. Did you learn your lesson so that you don’t
righteous. It’s up to us to be righteous or not. repeat the mistake? Put a rainbow picture in your
room to always remind you not to repeat the
God decided that in order not to repeat His
mistake and remind him how much power he truly
has with people, He will bring a rainbow to remind
Himself to stop the rain.
Are we better than God? Where the hell did we

get this chutzpah? We are going to make mistakes
and as long as we do our best, we can learn from
our mistakes.
Well, you might say, it could be a very serious

mistake. But what is the worst thing that could
happen? That will relieve some of your anxiety. Are
you going to die? If you’re going to die, that’s a
different story. Now get a second and third opinion
on what to do. If you might go to prison, become
homeless, or lose your family, then it is serious.
T HOUG HT IN ACTION
If you believe you are

making no mistakes, that
is your biggest mistake.
You are dead because only
dead people, physically or
mentally, do not learn
anything new.
error. Every mistake is not just a mistake but an

invitation to learn. It’s an invitation to do better
next time. People who have never made a mistake “What happened?“
have never learned anything. If less than half “Well, I just found out I lost twenty million
of your decisions are mistakes, you’re not doing dollars.“
great but you are still okay: you’re learning. If only “How does it feel to lose twenty million dollars?“
twenty percent are mistakes, you are doing real He replied, “Doctor Adizes, I’m a lucky man.”
good. If you believe you are making no mistakes, “Lucky to lose twenty million dollars? How come?“
that is your biggest mistake. You are dead because “Well, I enrolled in a course with a twenty-
only dead people, physically or mentally, do not million-dollar tuition fee. Not too many people
learn anything new. can afford that. I’m lucky. Now the question is, did
I pass or fail the class?”
Let me conclude with a story. I was having dinner
with a client of mine when his phone rang. When View every mistake you make as a class. Did you
he returned from the call, he had a long face. I or did you not learn your lesson? Those who don’t
asked him: learn their lesson repeat the same mistake over and
over again. They don’t have a rainbow.
Don’t be afraid of mistakes. If you err, you’re in

good company. You’re not alone. It isn’t a waste, as
long as you are learning Something New.
We are beyond the time to take sides.
It only serves to keep us apart.
It is time to hold truth in our center.
ALUNA JOY
Illu s tra ti on by YUL IA VER ES K
innerview
Service,
Simplicity &
Songwriting
part 2
With an Ivy league education, this MTV rap/hip hop
star was living the American dream and working
on Wall Street when the events of 9/11 unfolded in
front of his eyes. Giving up the corporate world,
NIMO PATEL decided to pursue his passion for
music in LA, but a chronic health issue led him to
seek Ayurvedic treatment in India. He stayed back
for 6 months to volunteer at the Gandhi Ashram
in Ahmedabad, and continues to this day working
with the slum children of the city when he’s not
working for his own non-profit organization, Empty
Hands Music. In part 2, VANESSA PATEL continues
to learn more about him and his mantra “Service,
Simplicity & Songwriting.”
INNERVIE W
NP: I really appreciate this idea of “Who are we?” the spiritual process of a karma yogi, and that’s
Gandhi is a humane figure we’re connected to in why spiritual practice is at the core of service. Even
lineage, but there are also Jesus Christ, the Buddha, this lockdown, I feel, is a blessing, because it has
Mahavir, the prophet Mohammed – all these allowed me to get back deeper into the realization
amazing souls have come and gone, and yet the of that, into the importance of the foundation for
same suffering exists. No major spiritual revolution the work that we do.
has engulfed the planet. So, who are we to judge
the small, itty-bitty work that we’re doing, the little To answer your question, it has been amazing to
song that you might put on YouTube, or the service have my friends and family join this journey. My
project that you might have done? brother is in the U.S. army, and he had the biggest
wall, he was non-emotional. To see the shift in him
Everything, in a sense, is beautiful, don’t get me – he wants his kids to be involved in service and
wrong. But, do what you feel is right in your to do acts of kindness. During Thanksgiving in the
heart without any burden or weight, because U.S., our family gets together and organizes gift
it’s powerful, and so meaningful. And yet, so packages for refugee families. It’s a collective effort.
meaningless. In the honoring of humanity and It’s great to see the family embracing this spirit,
the honoring of all beings, we do our karma work and friends too. When my friend, Swapnil, visited
without holding on to it, without making it feel India we were shooting the video for Ode to
important or creating any maya around it. That is Women, and I finally got the chance to introduce
INN ERV I EW
him to this community that he hasn’t seen for helping, or is it so fickle that when the next big
quite a long time. Later on, he said, “I get it, I’m issue comes along the old one is dropped? How
so happy for you.” He always used to worry about effective is it to right a wrong?
me – that I’m not married, I’m not making money
– and wonder what am I doing with my life? So, Social media is helpful at some level. If I say to a
finally he was happy and proud; he just enjoyed the person, “Hey, you’re amazing!” or “Hey, you idiot!”
fact that he finally got a chance to feel it too. If we the person hears the communication in their ears,
deeply believe in what we’re doing and why we’re and that goes to their brain – but that’s not it.
doing it, everyone comes along, eventually. There’s a processing that’s happening in the heart
and mind that triggers the brain, that shares with
Q: And that, of course, enhances your the muscles in the mouth, etc. to say and hear all
experience, feeling that you don’t need their those words. So, social media is giving us easier
approval but just the fact that they get it feels access to shout and connect, and spray whatever
very life affirming, I’m sure. words and thoughts we want. Ultimately, as you
said, they’re going to be good and bad, on and
Currently, there is so much discord and pain off, dark and light – this is going to be constantly
in the world, not only with the suffering from flowing through it. Unfortunately, human nature
the coronavirus, but also with people who are leans towards the darker sharings; it takes on some
marginalized, people of color, women’s issues, sort of virality in the sharing.
especially the disparity in India. Much of this
isn’t tackled or addressed properly, and then you What I’m getting at is this: we need get to the
get these platforms which everyone can use to root of the problem and allow the awakening
air their grievances. Do you think social media is of the magical heart and soul that we have, the
INNERVIE W
understanding that we are all brothers and sisters.

Yes, we have challenges, but we work through
them, because until that expansion of what family
means to our hearts grows, we’re going to see social
media being used – it’s just an extension of human
nature, what it does is magnify it 100%.
It moves everything much faster than it was 10

years ago, which was faster than 100 years ago,
but no doubt it’s still a reflection of the inside
of our hearts and minds – hearts in terms of the
compassion we have, and minds in the sense of
the fears that we have. Until the heart is able to
express itself more and embrace more, social media
will continue to be used to express fear. And where
does that leave us? Fear instills fear, so social media
projects something and more fear will arise because
it’s being magnified. It expedites it as opposed to
snail mail, which was a slow process.
Q: Yes, no one pauses before shooting

something off, and then the anxiety sets in
about how many times their posts have been
liked. And you mentioned social conditioning;
everything that comes out of our mouths is a
judgement or an evaluation, and whoever you
choose to follow on social media is just going to
compound it because it’s all very curated, never
completely neutral.
I feel that this moment is a That’s why I feel that this moment is a blessing
in time, a possibility, because we very, very rarely
blessing in time, a possibility, have these moments to press pause. And we very
rarely have moments to say, “I’m grateful for what
because we very, very rarely was, what is.” Instead, it is “No, I am entitled to
what is, I’m entitled to breath; I’m entitled to go
have these moments to to the mall to spend time with my friends.” All
press pause. And we very of those are and were blessings, and if you can
use this moment to shift at least 5% … Like you
rarely have moments to say, said, we’re going to go back to “normal,” so this is
like the smashan vairagya situation, when we’re at
“I’m grateful for what was, the crematorium and feel “Ah, I’m enlightened,”
but when we turn away from the crematorium
what is.
INNER V I EW
it’s “Aargh!” So, if we can take a 5% step away

from that, then we have taken a leap as humanity,
because 7.7 billion human beings improving their
wisdom by 5% is a big shift.
So, I feel that the question we have all been

holding is: What are the habits we’ve created
over these last three months that are going to be
adopted in our lives moving forward? Am I going
to practice a deeper sense of gratitude? I think
gratitude is one of the most powerful tools if we
fully believe in it. It’s not like “Thank you God for
the food we eat” and then we eat. From gratitude
overflows kindness, overflows using our resources
in a different way, overflows respecting one another
for everyone’s roles, like we have been doing during
this COVID time. For instance, the garbage
collector is playing such an important role in my
daily life.
If we can come from that space and live differently,

it can have a huge impact, and then social media
can be used from that space. It’s tricky; social
media is an extension of who we are and that we
have to make. It’s an important tool, yes, but it
needs to be used from a space of stillness.
Q: I have been wondering how you chose the

So, I feel that the question medium of rap music and hip hop when you
decided to follow your passion for music. How
we have all been holding is: did you find expression in that culture and music
What are the habits we’ve style?
created over these last three I think it was growing up in LA in the ’80s,
listening to West Coast rap. A lot of it was
months that are going to be gangster rap; it was a big thing at that time. There
was West Coast-East Coast rivalry, and gang
adopted in our lives moving rivalry going on in terms of the hip hop scene. Hip
hop was a fresh genre, as it had literally just started
forward? Am I going to
in the late ’70s, then came into the mainstream in
practice a deeper sense of the ’80s. So, it was at that time that I was exposed
to it, my brother was listening to it more and at
gratitude? school we started hearing about these artists.
INNERVIE W
An artist by the name of Tupac Shakur was a very

emotive rap singer. His music, his songs were full
of emotion – he had many senseless songs and
he also had very emotive songs. His song, Dear
Mama, is an ode to his mother, and he says,
“Even though you were a crack fiend, Mama,

you always were the black queen, Mama.”
Imagine that! Imagine having a crack addict as

your mom, and yet envisioning her as a queen who
still supported your life’s journey because your dad
wasn’t around. It was very powerful.
It was his book of poetry, The Rose that Grew

from Concrete, which made me want to start
writing poetry. I thought I could use it as a way to
express. I remember writing, and there would be It was that desire to say who I am, and express how
instrumentals on cassette tapes that were from that I feel. That’s what hip hop expresses, and that’s
time. I would use them to write a song or a poem, what Tupac really embodied.
and I’d try to rap it. This was more in high school,
and then I started sharing songs, and performing Q: You must have seen the movie Gully Boy
songs in class; whether it was calculus or anatomy, about the rap performer from the Mumbai
I would create songs around the topics. slums. He had this amazingly powerful medium
for expression. I didn’t know there was such a
Apart from the music videos I created for these big movement here in India, and the great thing
songs, my first performance was for our high is that you can find any empty disused space to
school graduation, a song called Graduation. perform, an alleyway or an abandoned building
My first major performance in a theatre was at a even.
college in Southern California where I sang a song
called Indian Pride at a cultural show with the Absolutely! Some of my friends are in that movie.
Indian Students Association, during my senior year At college, we had something called the Gathering.
of high school. Every Wednesday night, we would gather in the
basement of Houston Hall at UPenn; hip hop
It went from a space of expression of feelings, artists from all across Philadelphia would come
topics and things I believed in, which led me to do together. It’s a cipher, where you can share, you
more in college, and then I was invited to perform can spit your rhymes. It was really powerful to
because I think I was the first Indian origin hip engage in that type of energy and that’s what we’re
hop artist performing in America in the late ’90s. seeing right now in Mumbai and across India in
That attracted my roommate, Swapnil, who said, the last 10 years. What was happening 30 to 40
“Let’s write a song together,” and it drew the years ago in America started 10 years ago in India.
interest of others who were doing similar things in It’s a form of expression, an identity, a culture, a
San Francisco, and we formed the group Karmacy. style, and everything. That’s why Gully Boy was
INNER V I EW
a big moment for that community, specifically, Q: What is your set-up in Ahmedabad? Is there
and finally now it’s being embraced in India as an an NGO you work with?
identity and a culture.
There’s an NGO called Manav Sadna based at
Q: So, Nimo, clearly every child at the Gandhi the Gandhi Ashram, and it has six community
Ashram is your family, and there’s your biological centers across Ahmedabad where we serve in the
family too. Is there a place you call home? Or slum communities. That’s where all our work with
is it a case of “wherever I lay my hat, that’s my the kids is done. I’ve been volunteering with them
home”? Are you here in India right now because for the last decade, so that’s my full-time work
you got stranded here during lockdown, or was aside from Empty Hands Music which is my
it your plan all along? non-profit in America. The focus there is to serve
communities through music, through workshops,
You’re right, I have many special people in my either bringing communities together and talking
life. I haven’t had a partner for quite some while about messages of gratitude, compassion and
actually, and it has felt beautiful. Not to say I’m service, of oneness.
against it; if it happens, it happens, but definitely
in my own vision I don’t want to have children, so That is the purpose of the music, and that’s
I don’t feel pressure there. where the music becomes a bridge during these
gatherings and interactions that we hold. During
I have so many children in my life, I mean a lot of my tours, almost 50%, we end up going to
hundreds of nieces and nephews in that sense, and schools across the world, and the other 50% are
all of them I feel are my children in one way or communities, neighborhoods, churches, spiritual
another. That is a blessing – to be able to invest in gatherings, conferences, and people’s homes. And
many children and not just a few. That’s been a part all these events are through invitations that people
of my life’s journey and it happens in small ways. have extended to me. Over 4 to 5 years, I think I’ve
For example, there are a lot of Skype calls and done 400 to 500 events and they are very humble.
video messaging, and reconnecting with children I never charge for them, they’re invitation-based
in whatever city I am in. So, there’s never been a and open to the public, so it’s really all about how
desire to have a normal kind of family, and again, if I can go to these communities and support their
it unfolds all well and good. vision of love, compassion, gratitude, kindness, and
service to their messaging.
As for being in India now, the plan was to be here
all along, even throughout the next month. I may If I’m a community stakeholder, and I invite a
have to head back to the U.S. for something in musician here who the community respects, whose
the next few weeks. We’ve been focused on the music they have heard, then that musician is
relief efforts over the last three months, so all our supporting the deepening of the message in that
time and efforts have gone in making sure there’s community. And that’s the role in which I see
enough food distributed to as many families in myself when I’m doing Empty Hands work.
need as possible in Ahmedabad. The work that
we’re doing with our kids is on hold until mid- When I’m in India I bring the arts to the
August; we’re just doing some planning and children of the slums, because in under-privileged
continuing the relief work. communities education for children is already
INNERVIE W
hampered. Through Manav Sadna I’m involved Q: How bad is the pain in your hand? You said it’s
through the arts platform, and we offer not only a chronic problem.
supportive education but also holistic education.
When they come from school, we give them It was really bad with all the relief work, and
a values-based, holistic experience from sarva doing the house work and cooking, but it’s getting
dharma prarthana (prayer for all faiths) to exercise, better gradually after I stopped all computer
Yoga, sports, arts and the academic curriculum as work, and started taking the Ayurvedic healer’s
well. We hold science fairs, sports competitions, medicine again. So, I’m feeling positive about the
and activities around nutrition and health care. improvement over the past week. I will continue
Children need to have exposure to creativity in with the medicine and the special diet, basically
order to experience joy. That should be the human avoiding sour foods. I have to be sensible about
experience, but unfortunately most of our children my computer usage – that is the lesson I had to
on the planet don’t have access to that. So, God learn before, and that is the lesson I’ve had to learn
bless all the NGOs that are doing similar work again. I’m really happy not to be on the computer
and trying to do their part to bring communities as much and I just have to be careful and work
together and support children. around it.
There are a few of us here who have been Q: Thank you, Nimo, for your time. It was a lovely
supporting the ecosystem we have, the 100 workers way to spend a Sunday morning. I hope your
in the organization, and the running of the hand gets better soon so that you can resume
organization. That’s how I spend my time when your relief work, and also that this situation
I’m here in Ahmedabad, and I usually only travel improves and you can continue to spread love
out to do Empty Hands work. and joy through your Empty Hands concerts.
everything
Only when head and heart

work in harmony can we attain
our true human potential.
JANE GOODALL
The New Children
C
TERRAN DAILY begins a series hildren are different now. juncture where it must either
of articles that offer parenting People have probably been change with lightening speed or
and teaching tips for today’s saying that for centuries, largely disappear.
children. She sets the scene by maybe because the adults who say
explaining the consciousness it see things from such a different If you are a parent or teacher,
shift we are undergoing from perspective than when they were you will probably know the New
a mechanistic worldview to a children. Or maybe it’s true, that Children well. They are gifted in
systems worldview, and how each generation of children is many ways. Have you not been
as adults this changes the different from the last generation, amazed at the words that come
way we nurture our children. as humanity evolves. But really, from the mouths of very young
children are different in the last 50 ones – the wisdom, the confidence,
years or so, and may be becoming the understanding of things that
more and more so, because took older generations much
humanity is not just slowly longer to learn? Perhaps you know
evolving but has reached a critical children who are gifted with
psychic or healing abilities, or are exceptionally • xplosively angry when they don’t get their
E
musically or artistically talented? Or those who way
can do amazing things on computers with little or • Distractible, impulsive, and disorganized
no instruction? Have you noticed how connection • Attention-seeking
with nature has become an intense need for • W iggly, fidgety and constantly in motion
many children, as important as eating, sleeping • Dreamy and in their own world, seeming not
and playing? Maybe you know children who are to hear you or notice what is going on around
extremely empathic and compassionate, or others them
who are warrior spirits with high integrity, fiery • Sleepy and hard to motivate
determination and no tolerance for hypocrisy or • Absent-minded and scattered
manipulation? • O bsessed with certain subjects but
uninterested in others
These are the New Children, magical in many • Any mixture of the above
ways, but often a challenge for their parents and
teachers. These New Children have many qualities In this series of articles, we will throw some light
that don’t easily fit into our accustomed systems on the reasons for the gifts and the challenges, and
of child-rearing or schooling, because these same give some practical recommendations on how best
children may also be: to live with and guide these beings.
• xtremely strong-willed, to the point of

E One thing these children have in common is that
appearing controlling or defiant they march to their own drum, not ours. It is as if
IT C H AN GES EV E RY T H I NG
they have come into the world “pre-programmed” hard to see the challenges and upheaval that are
for certain roles, which may well involve living in present in today’s world – global warming, extreme
completely new ways. Many of our social structures weather, extinction of a huge number of species,
seem to be failing at present, and these are the pandemics, social unrest, economic turbulence,
children who will have to find new, more workable terrorism, a growing disparity between rich and
ways of living – in terms of science and technology, poor, and the list goes on. So is the world falling
social and economic structures, interpersonal apart? Is it the end of humanity or civilization? Or
relationships, and inner development. In a way, is it possible that something new and better will
they will be our teachers. emerge?
We can view this question from the point of view
Humanity is evolving of science. Science itself has been undergoing

a massive transition from the turn of the 20th
Many seers and traditions have foreseen this era century. Physics has evolved from a Newtonian
as a period of huge transition – the end of an old mechanistic view to a quantum view of the world
way of life and the beginning of a revitalized way as a network of interconnections and interactions
of being – for the Earth and for humanity. In each among wave-like probabilities. We must
tradition, the coming of the new is not without its comprehend that the buildings we live and work
birth pangs. The transition between the old and in are not solid “things,” constructions of wood or
the new is seen as a time of great turmoil. It is not brick held together by nails and mortar, but are
actually energy fields held together by forces we
don’t fully understand. How do we find our way in
such a world?
One thing these children
And it doesn’t stop there. Since the 1930s,
have in common is that biologists, chemists, ecologists, mathematicians
and others have been working with a similar line
they march to their own of thought, developing a multidisciplinary field
known as systems theory. Systems theory also
drum, not ours. It is as if challenges our human tendency to see the world
as a collection of separate “things” by shifting our
they have come into the focus from “things” to networks.
world “pre-programmed”
Let’s take a human cell as an example. It is
for certain roles, which not just a building block of something larger,
but is a vibrant living system of processes and
may well involve living in interrelationships in itself. It is defined by a
membrane, and within that membrane it is
completely new ways. bustling with activity. The cell transports nutrients
through its membrane, transforms the nutrients
to energy, and uses that energy to carry out its
IT CHA NGES EV ERY THING
functions, which vary according to what kind of

cell it is. Red blood cells carry oxygen to other
parts of the body, white blood cells attack foreign
invaders, muscle cells contract to do some work for
the greater system of the human body, and so on.
Each cell synthesizes and repairs its own sub-

cellular structures, excretes waste products, and
changes its activities depending on what is needed
for its own well-being or for the organ of which
it is a part. It is a highly complex, organized and
self-regulating system. No one makes rules or laws
about how it should work; it simply finds its own
way forward through a process of self-organization.
It is as if there is an organizing principle that is
part of life itself.
A cell is its own small world. And yet the cell is

nested in a more complex system, an organ, and the
organ is part of a still more complex system, the
organism – in our example, a human being. Human
beings are in turn, parts of still more encompassing
systems, such as families, communities, countries
and Planet Earth. Humans, along with all the
other plant, animal, microbial and mycological
species, that live alongside them, make up complex
ecosystems.
At each level, these various living systems are

made up of dense and overlapping connections and
interrelationships. No part of a system is separate
and unaffected by other parts. When any part of a
system changes, the whole system changes, often
in unpredictable ways. You have probably heard of
the butterfly effect, where a butterfly flapping its
wings in Siberia causes a snowstorm in Texas. We
are that interrelated.
May I illustrate this with a vivid real-life example?

In Yellowstone National Park, a beautiful
wilderness area in North America, the wolves and
the elk had lived together in balance for centuries.
41
winding. Eliminating wolves from the ecosystem

caused rivers to change their course! A small
change had huge and unexpected effects.
Fortunately, these negative effects began reversing

when wolves were reintroduced to Yellowstone in
1995. The elk population is now under control. The
vegetation is returning, providing food for a greater
variety of species and stability for the river banks
to prevent further erosion. Beavers have come
back into the park and are busily rebuilding their
dams that slow the yearly floods to further prevent
erosion. The system is rebalancing.
As well as demonstrating the butterfly effect, this

story also illustrates another property of living
systems: they are governed through internal
feedback loops. In most cases, systems are self-
balancing, remaining in dynamic equilibrium, like
There were never too many elk, because the wolves the original balance between wolves and elk in
ate them. And there were also never too many Yellowstone.
wolves, because when the wolf population became
too big, there weren’t enough elk to feed them all, When a system is stressed, it can flip into runaway
so some of the wolves would die. Then humans, the feedback mode, sending it into states of greater
great systems unbalancers, intervened. In the late and greater imbalance. In our example, when the
1800s and early 1900s, ranchers began to kill off wolves were eliminated, Yellowstone’s ecosystem
the wolves of Yellowstone to protect their cattle. became more and more imbalanced and did not
By 1926, the wolves were completely gone. have any way to correct the downward spiral until
the wolves were finally reintroduced.
The elk population blossomed. Hungry elk stripped
large areas of the park of vegetation, especially There is one last but very significant property
along the river banks, where delicious grasses of living systems: When a system is stressed
and young saplings grew. This had a huge impact and enters a runaway feedback loop, it begins
on the ecosystem. With less vegetation, there to disintegrate. It then enters what is known
was not enough food for the birds, and several as a bifurcation point, where it can continue
species dangerously declined. The population of disintegrating and finally fall apart, or it can jump
magnificent grizzly bears dwindled because they to a higher level of organization. In other words,
did not have enough berries to eat in the winter. when the system’s outlook is at its worst, it has the
Beavers, who depended on the young trees near opportunity to transform and evolve. Very small
the rivers for food and for dam building materials, changes in the system can have powerful and far
disappeared completely. The riverbanks did not reaching effects at times of bifurcation.
have enough vegetation to prevent erosion during
the yearly floods, so their banks washed away, This is where we tie back in with the New
causing the rivers to become wider and more Children. Humanity is currently in a state of
disintegration with many runaway feedback loops important. We are the ones who guide children
in action. So which way will we go? To complete through their challenges so that their beautiful
disintegration or to a higher level of organization? gifts can manifest.
Small changes could have large and determining
effects. This is one reason that I practice
Heartfulness Meditation and encourage others
to meditate as well. If positive changes occur in
Domination Culture,
enough of us, if a small but critical mass begins to Partnership Culture
be the change we would like to see in the world,
this small shift could just tip the system toward The transition that I have described in physics
evolution rather than dissolution. and biology, from a mechanistic worldview to a
worldview based on energy, relationships, and
Could the New Children with their special gifts networks, is reflected in the social sciences as
be an important part of this process, a kind of well. Cultural historian and systems scientist,
leavening in the system that could powerfully Riane Eisler, differentiates between dominator
tilt humanity toward evolution? If that is the systems and partnership or connection systems.
case, it makes our roles as adult guides even more Dominator systems are top-down, hierarchical
social structures that see humans as innately selfish things out together – is the tool used to maintain
or aggressive, and in need of being controlled. They social order. Force, or fear of force, is not needed.
use fear, reward and force as the means of control. Eisler feels that a return to partnership systems
Eisler holds that humans have lived primarily is badly needed in today’s world to remedy the
within dominator systems for the last 10,000 years. greed, violence and disregard for others that is
Prior to that, when humans lived in small bands endemic around us. She has promoted partnership
of hunter-gatherers, they lived within partnership structures in economic and political systems, in
social structures, based on mutual respect. communities, schools and families.
In partnership systems, people are recognized You may be able to sense that dominator systems
as having a strong innate desire to contribute to are related to the older, mechanistic view of the
the well-being of others and the welfare of the world, while partnership systems are related to
whole. Open, respectful communication – working the network or connected systems approach that
is now coming to the fore. It is sobering to
note how many of our traditional ways of
parenting or teaching children spring from
the dominator system: “You will do as I say
because I am your parent, or your teacher,
and if you don’t, there will be consequences.”
Imposing our ways on these New Children

simply doesn’t seem to work – they just
resist or ignore. What does work is to treat
them with respect, humor, playfulness
and presence. They need to know that
we are with them, willing to help them
accomplish goals that make sense to
them. They respond to inspiration and
loving guidance, but try to control them
arbitrarily and you’ll have a fight on
your hands!
The articles to follow will explore

some of the challenges that the New
Children may be facing, and alternative
ways to interact with them that are
more likely to lead to harmonious and
joyful outcomes for all concerned.
THE
STRENGTHEN
MEMORY
SHARPEN
OBSERVATION
BOOST
CONFIDENCE
INTENSIFY
FOCUS
ENHANCE
Sept ember 2 02 0 INTUITION
45
A Love Letter
to the Future
Part 1
“What we do now echoes in eternity,” said Marcus Aurelius.

The transition of the past few months has been stressful but
also a time to remove obsolete habits, to rebuild our priorities,
and to explore new paradigms. With this in mind, PURNIMA
RAMAKRISHNAN interviewed DR. ELIZABETH DENLEY on our ability
to adapt to changes during COVID times. Elizabeth holds a PhD
in ecology as well as having spent over 30 years practicing
Yoga and studying the yogic sciences. She sees the bridging of
science and spirituality as the way of the future.
Q: Welcome, Elizabeth, thank humanity, causing us to reset change. In genetics it’s called
you for joining us on this and recalibrate the way we do mutation; in behavioral sciences
webinar. things. Some people would say it’s called adaptation.
that such crises come only to
Thank you, Purnima. It really is force us to recalibrate, because In the ’80s, climatologists knew
a pleasure to be here with you. we are not looking at ourselves about the way our climate
well enough. Why is it that was being affected by human
Q: The COVID-19 situation we need a crisis to push us to behavior. Governments knew,
has affected our basic change? Certainly, COVID is a too. But we have all had our
understanding and crisis that is forcing humanity to heads in the sand. We have been
assumptions of how our look at itself in many ways. too focused on our own desires
society operates. Things like, and wishes to have things the
“Can I go to a restaurant?” The little coronavirus has way we want them. So, we have
“Is it safe to get a haircut?” transformed our behavior. We long been headed on the path of
“Can I meet my friend?” are experiencing a period where destruction of our species, and
These questions do not have people have the opportunity to in that sense, we can thank our
the same answers they did reflect, to go within, to figure COVID-19 friend.
six months ago. So, when out what has worked, and what
humanity has endured this has not worked from the past. I’m not saying it’s easy; there is
health crisis, what will the new We have the opportunity to suffering, death, heartache, and
normal be like? pause. And we have many very hardship. And yet it’s forced us
serious social, economic and to stop. It's forced planes to
You know, history helps us cultural issues to reflect upon. stop flying, cars to stop driving,
here. Human beings have been and polluted cities have seen
through many such crises. There One of the first things I learnt clear skies for the first time in
was the 1918 Spanish flu, the at university is that any species decades.
bubonic plague, and many other that destroys its environment
pandemics that have affected will either go extinct or it will
This is a time of recalibration. opportunity, because in fact have spiked in China, which
It’s a time to ask, “What have we share each other’s destiny? is very unfortunate. How do
we done well, what have we We are not separate. We have we endure the emotional
not done well, and what can we to take each other along. How fatigue the current situation
do to change?” One hundred will we take humanity forward is presenting? Because what
years from now, people should into a new era with a moral binds us together, what
look back at this time and say, revolution so that we can bring helps us build resilience and
“They really tried to fix this.” about a change for the good of endurance, is our relationships
They shouldn’t look back and everybody, taking everyone along with our loved ones. When
say, “They were blind, they with us? those start to collapse, it is
did nothing, they didn’t take certainly unfortunate. What are
advantage of this opportunity Q: Thank you for sharing your thoughts on this?
given to them.” that perspective. It leads me
to the next question about One thing that is happening
How can we take hold of our life emotional exhaustion. I have is isolation. Some of us are
so we don’t just become victims read that the divorce rates separated from loved ones. In
of circumstances, even when
they are challenging? Surely
COVID is a horrible situation,
many people are suffering, and
unfortunately those in poverty
and lower economic situations
are going to suffer more than
those who are wealthy. The same
is true with climate change.
Nothing is good about it.
Even still, how do we use this
This is a time of
recalibration. It’s a
time to ask, “What
have we done well,
what have we not
done well, and
what can we do to
change?”
my case, my adult kids are in

Australia, and I’m here in India.
I used to fly home to Australia
to spend time with them, and
come back to my work here in
India. Now that’s all changed.
I’m not lonely, because I’m with
a lot of people in a community,
although I miss them very much,
but imagine those people who
are in real isolation, who are
very lonely, who don’t have their
family members with them.
That’s one side of the coin.
The other is where families are

thrown together 24/7. People
are working from home, so
many wives and mothers are
looking after their kids, their
kids’ schooling, their husbands,
they’re having to do full time
housework, and often they hold
down a job as well. People are
thrown together 24/7 in a tight
environment, which they are not thrown together. Husbands and more tolerant, more accepting,
used to. They are used to going wives, teenage kids who are used more loving towards each other,
out to work, going out to school, to going out doing things behind because there was no choice
and often not seeing each other their parents’ backs, and now economically.
for much of the day. suddenly they are stuck at home.
Suddenly, they’re in a pressure Today, many of us live in nuclear
Before COVID, many people cooker environment. families rather than extended
would come home from work at families, because we have the
9 or 10 in the night, eat dinner, The fact that there are more economic means to do so.
maybe watch television, go to divorces, stresses and irritation Family members live on different
bed, get up, and go to work in relationships is just a sign continents. We are not used to
in the morning. How can you of lack of resilience, a lack of intense relationships. And now,
have a relationship with that emotional intelligence. It’s a we are thrown together and it’s
sort of lifestyle? It’s coexistence far cry from the olden days of causing tension. The skills that
without relationship. Certainly, extended families, when people develop emotional intelligence
emotional intelligence and lived on top of each other all have been well documented by
emotional maturity cannot the time. I’m not saying they Daniel Goleman. Meditation
develop in such a relationship. were more mature back then, but is the main skill. The ability
And suddenly now, everyone is they had to be more resilient, to regulate the mind, develop
IT C H AN G ES EVE RY TH I NG
self-awareness, self-acceptance,
self-compassion, communication
skills, the ability to relate to
other people, have empathy, You can pause, let yourself settle
listen – all these skills come from
heart-based meditation practice. down, clean up the emotional charge
So, the tools are there, and
they are easily available. These from your system and deal with things
skills teach us to handle such
situations.
in a different way. Communication
becomes effective. This is a simple life
For example, let’s take anger.
When you’re really angry with skill that is born out of meditation.
a parent or a spouse, if you
can’t regulate your mind and I think that’s the key – to learn how to
heart, your emotional, inner
environment, then what are handle the situation better.
you going to do? You’re going
to shout, and project things
onto the other person, blame
the other person – all very
immature behavior. Whereas,
when you regulate your mind
and heart, when you have pure
consciousness, you may still get
angry – anger is a great tool for
development – but there is no
aggression or conflict with the
other person. You can pause, let
yourself settle down, clean up
the emotional charge from your
system and deal with things in
a different way. Communication
becomes effective. This is a
simple life skill that is born out
of meditation. I think that’s the
key – to learn how to handle the
situation better.
Q: That makes sense. One of

our listeners says she wants to
do something meaningful and
feel good about it. In spite of
the physical isolation, we are

in a really noisy virtual world.
So, the mind is always busy
and in constant turmoil. In
the middle of that, how to do
something useful? But before
that, how to restore inner
balance so as to go ahead and
serve. What are your thoughts
on this?
Well, when you don’t have a

good instrument to work with,
if you’re not an effective human
being, it’s more difficult to help
other people. Can you imagine
being a nurse in a busy COVID
hospital at the moment, if your
mind and heart are in turmoil?
You would suffer incredible
compassion fatigue, burnout and
stress. There are a lot of medical
professionals going through this
because it is very tough to be on
the frontline.
All of us take our hats off and

applaud the people on the
frontline in the midst of this
crisis: medical professionals,
hospital staff, transport people,
ambulance guys, the people
delivering food to migrant
workers, are all doing the most
incredible basic service for
others. It’s our moral imperative
to help each other.
There are many ways to help. I

am not a doctor but I can pack
food parcels, deliver things to
elderly people, go to the shops
for them. And I can also pray,
IT CH AN G ES EVE RY TH I NG
So when you wake up in the morning,

ask yourself: “What is my intention for
the day? What can I give today?” Even
better, get to a state where you don’t
even need to think about it, where your
nature is love and giving. Even if it starts
mechanically, start somewhere.
be eased. Imagine if every single trying to cross the street, walk

human being on the planet does with them, help them, and it will
this every day. It will make such make their day. Say something
an incredible difference. The kind to another person to
world will change, humanity will make them feel good about
which is something that I change, when we all give more themselves; how will it change
know is often denigrated in our than we receive. their day? Instead of grumbling
secular world, because it’s not at somebody in traffic, smile at
understood well. So when you wake up in the that person instead. It’s the little
morning, ask yourself: “What things that change everything.
Prayer is often seen as begging, is my intention for the day?
demanding something from What can I give today?” Even To be continued.
God. That’s a very narrow view better, get to a state where you
of prayer. We don’t demand don’t even need to think about To listen to the original
anything in prayer. Yes, there can it, where your nature is love interview.
be a request. Yes, there can be and giving. Even if it starts
a heartfelt plea. And imagine if mechanically, start somewhere.
all of us, every day, were offering
a heartfelt plea for the well- Everyone has something to give.
being of all humanity in this It could be a small child giving
current crisis, for those who are a little flower. It can hold such
suffering for their suffering to love. If you see an elderly person
be inspired
Men and nature

must work hand in hand.
The throwing out of balance
of the resources of nature
throws out of balance
Illustration by ARATI SHEDDE
also the lives of men.
FRANKLIN D. ROOSEVELT
A User’s Guide
to Living
‑ Part 9 -
Happiness, Food
and Resources
DAAJI continues his series on everyday

living, introducing the eighth universal
principle of the User’s Guide, which explores
our relationship with the material resources
we use every day, especially the food we
eat and the money we earn. He explains
the importance of being happy to eat
whatever we receive, and the importance
of the integrity by which the food has come
to us. For example, has the money used to
grow the food and buy the food come from
honest and pious earnings?
As a starting point, this eighth principle

helps us to redefine our relationship with
food: how to eat it and how it has come
to our table. DAAJI explores the integrity
of the process, and many other concepts
Illustrations by JASMEE RATHOD
that bring awareness of our relationship

with the material world and nature. When
we go deeper into this principle, we delve
into the interplay of matter, energy and
the Absolute state, and how food can be
divinized to a higher vibration so that it
can also cure both physical and spiritual
ailments. In fact, this principle addresses
the network in which our three bodies are
enmeshed with the natural world.
B E INSPIRE D
Within five elements are ten universal principles:
Behavior
Being to Doing
The Practice Know everyone as one, treating

6 them equally & harmoniously
1 Create a daily morning

meditation practice scientifically Do not seek revenge for the wrongs
7 done by others, instead always be
2 Fill your heart with love grateful

before starting meditation and
before sleeping
Honor the resources you are given
8 as sacred, with an attitude of purity,
3 Fix your goal and do not rest
until you attain it
including food and money
Leadership
Essential values
9 Become a role model by inspiring love
and sacredness in others. Accept the
richness of their diversity, while also
accepting that we are all one
4 Live simply to be in tune

with Nature
5 Be truthful & accept challenges

as being for your betterment
Continuous Improvement
Introspect daily before bedtime, so as

10 to correct your faults and avoid making
the same mistake twice
BE I N SP I R ED
Our current state
This century, we have been forced into a crisis

management approach to resources, having woken
up to the destruction of our environment and the
inequality in the circumstances of various peoples
on Earth. The 17 Sustainable Development Goals
of the United Nations are an attempt to address
these problems, and help us work together to turn
the tide.
The first three of the 17 SDGs directly address

issues around money and food:
1. End poverty in all its forms everywhere.
2. End hunger, achieve food security and

improved nutrition, and promote sustainable
agriculture.
3. Ensure healthy lives and promote well-

being for all at all ages.
More than 71 million people have been pushed

into extreme poverty in 2020, and lack of money
is one major aspect of this. Food security issues
were on the rise before COVID, with 26.4% of
people affected in 2018; in 2020 they are getting
significantly worse. While one large section of the
world population is suffering from malnourishment,
almost 40% are succumbing to the chronic lifestyle
diseases associated with being overweight. All-in-
all, we have not managed the resources of food and
money wisely, and now, as a global community, we
are attempting to address the problems we have
created.
B E INSPIRE D
The yogic approach to food and tamasic food. They are content with Nature’s bounty
money in whatever form it is available.
Let’s compare this current situation with the A yogi will always recycle and reuse rather than
yogic approach to resources, which is also shared succumbing to the throw-away culture of our age.
by wise sages across other cultures. For thousands Greed and carelessness are replaced by an existence
of years, yogis have given special regard to food, of being in the world but not of the world, like
how to tread lightly on the Earth, and how to take a lotus. This wisdom has been there throughout
minimum input and give maximum output. In fact, human history, and in the modern era it is
they define morality as the wise conservation and encapsulated in Babuji’s Principle 8.
use of all the resources we have been given, such as
food, water, money, land, sexual energy, forests, the
ocean etc.
Principle Eight
Yogis have also explored this concept beyond its
physical impact: for example, food is valued as a Be happy to eat in constant divine thought
form of prana, and the effect of eating percolates whatever you get,
through the three bodies of the human system, not with due regard to honest and pious earnings.
just the physical body. When the Divinity at the
center of every atom in our food resonates with the
Divinity within us, food becomes a potent source of
goodness.
Yogis treat all resources with respect and gratitude,

according to the Yamas and Niyamas of Ashtanga When the Divinity at the
Yoga, because this is our energetic relationship
with the environment in which we live. In fact, a center of every atom in
yogi of caliber will not disturb even one atom of
this universe unless it is necessary to do so, there our food resonates with
is so much respect for life. It is the lightest human
footprint, and an incredibly sacred attitude to living
the Divinity within us,
every moment of every day in tune with Nature. food becomes a potent
Thus, a yogi will be happy to eat whatever food is source of goodness.
available locally, seasonally, without the need to
have exotic foods shipped in from other parts of
the world or foods chosen for their desire-based
delectable taste. For example, will a yogi feel, “My
lunch is incomplete unless and until I have my
favorite sweet”? No. That desire-based feeling of
incompleteness has a similar consequence to eating
BE I N SP I R ED
Happiness prime place of happiness. For example, Aristotle

proposed happiness as the ultimate purpose of
Superficially, this looks like the simplest principle human life; the Buddha taught that the path to
to adopt. Who doesn’t enjoy good food? Happiness happiness starts with an understanding of suffering,
seems to be what most of us hope for in life. and recommended the eightfold path, the core
Philosophers and mystics have recognized the of which is acceptance; and the Vedas hold that
the nature of the pure personality is sat-chit-
anand, where anand means bliss, the transcendent
state of happiness. In the last sixty years, with
the development of positive psychology and the
emergence of the science of happiness, billions of
dollars have been spent in the search for happiness.
Yet, can we say that we are happy as a result? It
is probably the opposite: our focus on happiness
highlights our lack of it, just as more hospitals
are an indication that the population is sicker.
Otherwise, why would we speak so much about
happiness?
According to Babuji, however, happiness, joy and

bliss are qualities of the soul, and emanate from “a
state which may aptly be taken as that next to the
Divine.” This pure vibration emanates from near
the Center of our being, which then percolates
outward through the layers of our system, also
purifying the physical levels of existence.
This principle is intriguing, involving the flow of

prana through all three states of existence – the
Absolute, energy, and matter. In us, these three
states are associated with our three bodies – the
causal body (soul), the subtle body (consciousness),
and the physical body.
The current flows out from the Absolute, and it

also flows back from matter to energy and ends
in the Absolute state. And in Principle 8, it is the
story of how food, when received with the right
understanding and eaten with the correct attitude,
can nourish and purify all three of our bodies, and
support us to reach the final state.
B E INSPIRE D
The role of food
Food is an important part of daily life. As well as

contributing to our happiness and well-being, food
also provides an opportunity to spread happiness
– think of family dinners, special restaurant
dinners, holidays like Christmas, Diwali, Eid and
Hannukah. Food is a way of sharing and bonding.
There is much more to eating than simply adding
chemical nutrients to our bodies.
In Principle 8, we are invited to be happy to eat

“in constant divine thought,” whatever we receive.
In many cultures, such a practice is done before
starting a meal – we pray or say Grace, offering
gratitude for the food we eat. This act of gratitude
connects us with the Divine at the beginning of
the meal, so that we can continue to hold that
subtle connection while we are eating. We activate
the current from the Source that is woven into the
fabric of Nature, including every atom of the food
we eat.
The effect of the subtlest vibrations filters down

into the food itself, and when it enters our body
these vibrations spread throughout our system via
the veins and arteries. We are utilizing the food we
take in from outside in the best possible way, and
the atoms of the body are purified. Our prayerful
thought combines with the food to promote
physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health. In
the partaking of food, the channels of prana open
up, allowing the happiness with which the food is Our prayerful thought
charged to enter and purify the whole system.
combines with the food
As a result, eating benefits our physical well-being
and our spiritual progress. This is a very potent
to promote physical,
concept, which has huge implications for health, mental, emotional, and
well-being and happiness.
spiritual health.
BE I N SP I R ED
The power of prana Honest and pious earnings
In his commentary on this principle, Babuji reveals Now we come to the final part of this principle: the
a secret known to very few: When we apply our importance of honest and pious earnings. I receive
thought to prana it generates a force that can lead questions from many people around the world
us toward our goal. When the prana in the food about this part of Principle 8. Let’s start with pious
comes into contact with our thought, which is earnings.
imbued with happiness, it becomes supercharged.
It purifies all the layers of the system. In Babuji’s What I understand by pious earnings is all the acts
words, “That which springs up by our contact with that we perform in earning our day-to-day wages.
Reality leads us towards the Supreme ... This paves Moment by moment, we interact with customers,
our way to the Infinite. Thus so much distance is with nature, and with so many other people. At
covered so very easily.” some level, we are all involved in some sort of
serving; it’s an exchange. No matter what type
This observation of Babuji – that our expansion of exchange, how can we make such acts pious,
of consciousness can be accelerated with the help whether they are physical, mental, emotional or
of the prana in food being in contact with Reality intellectual? How can we be so absorbed in the
– is one of the most amazing gems that he shares. purity that is prevailing in our hearts, the piety
When we fix our thought on the Ultimate while that is prevailing? It happens only when we are
eating, we take in its effect. connected with Divinity, drowned in Divinity. The
solution is there.
Piousness means to serve from the highest, and

that means to go down to our deepest level. The
deepest level is overflowing with love when we
are interacting with everyone. In our interactions
with our subordinates, with superiors, and with
colleagues, love will be there, respect will be there.
Also, think about what kind of occupation you are

in: Is it an occupation that brings harm to people?
Take an extreme example, the case of someone
who is making a living as a drug dealer or arms
smuggler. Without doubt, both these professions
bring harm. The money earned from these is blood
money. Knowing this, would you be happy? Various
professions bring harm to others in varying degrees,
but it is for each of us to decide whether the way
we work brings benefit or harm to people. It is the
first test that determines whether our occupation is
pious or not.
B E INSPIRE D
The second test is whether we like what we do

or hate it. When we enjoy what we do to make a
living, we are happy. When we hate what we do, we
are not happy.
The third test is whether our occupation enables

us to lead a balanced life. If we work sixteen to
eighteen hours a day, as many people do, do we
have time for other important aspects of life, such
as family, health and spirituality? We will not be
happy in such a situation.
Now, we come to honesty. Does your profession

involve any sort of dishonesty, whether it is
cheating your customer or the government? If
your profession involves giving or taking bribes,
falsifying information, or any other dishonest,
immoral, anti-social or illegal activity, you are not
earning an honest living. I am also tempted to say,
if you are not giving your best in your job, you are
also being dishonest.
This list does not cover all the scenarios, but I am

sure you get the idea. Many of you might think,
“I agree with this, but I have no choice.” So ask
yourself: “What are my intentions? Are they pure? that weaves our destiny to the final state. But
Are they in line with the Yamas and Niyamas, and our thoughts, feelings and actions add impurities
with these 10 Principles?” You may need faith and and complexities to our system, and they come
courage to change your life around if the answer is in various levels of heaviness. For example, if we
“No,” or “Not fully.” engage in dishonest activities or corruption, a lot of
impurity is added to the system, and it doesn’t only
So, we have to be very careful about what we affect us.
consume. Even the most sattvik vegetables bought
with dishonest earnings will have a vibration of a You may think that you are doing a wonderful job,
different nature. The moment we consume anything giving a lot of good things to your family, whereas
that has been bought with wrong earnings, the actually you may be ruining them when you earn by
vibrations become heavier and more complex. dishonest means. It is what we call the side effect.
Your wife and children may have nothing to do
The core theme that permeates all Heartfulness with your earnings, but the vibratory level of your
teachings is “purity.” We originated from purity, being will affect them. Vibrations are caught like
the center of our Being is purity, and it is purity that. If you earn a living through pure and pious
BE I N SP I R ED
means, your conscience is clear, and everyone in the Things in Nature are pure
family benefits.
because the basis is
Things in Nature are pure because the basis is
purity. Things earned by man can also be pure purity. Things earned by
when they come through pure and pious means. It
maintains the pristine nature of our human web. man can also be pure
That is why sages have put so much importance
upon honest and pious earnings.
when they come through
pure and pious means. It
Principle 8 in action maintains the pristine
This principle awakens us to the fact that even nature of our human
apparently mundane activities like taking food and
making money can either contribute to the purity
web. That is why sages
of our system and expand our consciousness when have put so much
done correctly, or pull us down.
importance upon honest
As discussed earlier, much has been said about
happiness, which is a central goal for human kind. and pious earnings.
In fact, the pursuit of happiness has been written
into the constitution of some countries. After
spending so much time and so many resources spiritual wisdom and modern science agree that
on decoding happiness, and getting nowhere, the happiness is to be found within.
world may be ready to hear the truth.
One reason that we are not able to feel happy is
I have spoken and written about this many times. due to our perception of separation, of “I”-ness, and
Lasting happiness does not come from external our identification with extraneous objects such as
sources. Happiness is a state next to the Divine, wealth, power and status. In other words, instead
the center of our being, and the effects percolate to of identifying with the soul, we identify with the
the outer layers and purify them. If we look upon ego and experience separation from others. In this
ourselves as fields of energy with a series of layers perception, our attention and efforts are focused on
of varying vibratory levels, the state of happiness fulfilling our desires. Objects of desire may give us
exists in close proximity to the Divine. pleasure, but it is short-lived. In order to continue
to fill the gap we acquire more and more objects of
Happiness in its subtlest form is our soul’s nature. desire, thinking that they will continue to give us
To see this in action, we only have to look at a happiness. Sound familiar?
little child, naturally joyful and happy. The primary
misunderstanding that seems to have taken us off There is also another reason we don’t feel happy,
course is that happiness will come from external even when we have everything we want. It is
things. We look outside, despite the fact that both because we numb ourselves to the pain that comes
B E INSPIRE D
emotions as part of the ups and downs of the

human experience. Per contra, if we have shut
down our feeling apparatus so as to shut down
pain, we may need some simple practices to help us
reconnect with our feelings.
The Heartfulness practices do just that. In

Meditation, we dive deeper from thinking into the
realm of feeling, in a safe supported environment
because of the love that is transmitted from the
Source. In the Heartfulness Cleaning, we remove
the layers of samskaras from the past that keep
us stuck in subconsciously programmed patterns.
And in the Heartfulness Prayer, we connect with
the Source and experience the nurturing and
rejuvenating effects of that connection.
Assimilating happiness
Meditation is the foundation of spirituality;

without meditation it is not possible to have even
a minor spiritual state or condition, let alone touch
the states of purity. And we sense this – at the end
of a Heartfulness meditation session, we experience
the shift in our inner condition or state. It is caused
from past traumas and memories laden with guilt, by an expansion in our consciousness. We then
shame, anger, fear, jealousy, resentment or worry. follow a method to assimilate this inner condition
When we disable our ability to feel pain, we disable throughout our whole being, just as we assimilate
our ability to feel everything else, including joy and food through the metabolic process after eating.
happiness – we lose contact with the feeling level This process of spiritual assimilation I have called
of existence. AEIOU. It enables us to feel expansion in all layers
of our being.
Many of the emotions we experience on a day-
to-day basis are triggered by our subconscious When we don’t take the time to assimilate, we
reactions and responses, which are a result of the lose the new condition. The sustained practice
samskaric load we carry from the past. We label of AEIOU after meditation has the effect of
them as positive or negative, based on whether they transforming all layers of our being, from the
feel pleasurable or painful. We may go through spiritual to the energetic to the physical. I would
multiple emotions in any given day, but a happy, call this a top down approach. The method revealed
contended person is someone who accepts these in Principle 8 is the bottom up approach, where the
assimilation starts from the material and spreads
to the energetic and to the spiritual, ending in the
final state. These two approaches complement each
other in our journey to the goal.
Isn’t it amazing that we are able to bring the

highest form of happiness through the power of
thought and sanctify the food we take in! This
process has the power to purify every particle of
the body, leading to physical and spiritual health.
It supercharges the prana, thereby leading us to the
final state. In another book, Efficacy of Raja Yoga,
Babuji confirms this:
There are external forces too helping us

to the destination if properly guided. The
Eastern thinkers have taken special regard
of the question of food. It should be cooked
neatly and cleanly in a proper manner. That
is the hygienic point, but if it is sattvik and
is cooked in constant remembrance of God,
its effect will be surprising. And if it is taken
meditating all the while on God, it will cure overeating, poor nutritional quality of the food, and
all kinds of spiritual diseases and remove the way we eat, including our general attitude. All
things which hinder our progress. of these, in conjunction with inadequate exercise
and high stress, lead to what are called lifestyle
This concept sheds a whole new light on our diseases, such as high blood pressure, diabetes,
relationship with food. coronary heart disease and certain forms of cancer.
Eating as something sacred It is said that emotional eating is one of the root
causes of overeating. We eat to compensate for
Until the middle of last century, there was a feelings of inadequacy and lack. We eat because of
scarcity of food, and that is still the case today in stress and anxiety. Sometimes we deliberately put
many parts of the world. With the invention of on weight because of childhood trauma. Craving
processed food, however, that scarcity was removed for food is one of the strongest desires. All these are
in the economically prosperous nations. But there addressed through this principle.
is a downside: Instead of nourishing us, food has
become one of our main causes of disease. Based I also want to touch upon the types of food we eat.
on data by the WHO, close to 40% of adults in the Many people have turned vegetarian or vegan after
world were overweight in 2016, and the percentage understanding how the type of food impacts our
of children was not far behind. Obesity has become health and well-being. Yogis also consider another
an epidemic, and three of the main causes are perspective here: Animals have a different level of
consciousness than plants, and this consciousness the meal? How are we assimilating the food? Don’t
is present in the energy field of the food. The yogic think that having offered prayer the job is over!
science of the three bodies of various forms of life Just as meditation in the morning is the beginning
– minerals, plants, animals and humans – helps us of assimilating the meditative state for the day, so
to understand why we eat lighter sattvik foods for eating a meal is the beginning of assimilating the
spiritual evolution. It is also easier to digest plant food given in that meal.
food than meat from an energetic perspective, and
meat has a heaviness associated with the samskaras So here is a simple suggestion: When you have
of the animal, so spiritual practitioners are generally finished your meal, close your eyes for half a minute
vegetarian in order to maintain the lightness of and connect with your Center. Truly be grateful
their system. from the bottom of your heart for the meal, and for
all those who served you. If you are in a restaurant
be thankful to the waiters. It is easy to give a
tip, but it is rare to give such blessings from the
Happiness is purity heart. It will touch them at some level. It is a very
powerful moment once you have finished eating in
As you read these pages, you may be wondering divine remembrance, grateful for everything that
whether this principle is about happiness, purity, has happened. With practice, you will soon see that
or our relationship with resources like food and Principle 8 is working at many levels.
money. Let me share with you how I see it: It is
our impurities and complexities that prevent us
from experiencing bliss and happiness. So if you
really want to experience happiness, this principle
will help you to download it, so as to purify your
entire system, which will in turn lead you to
the experience real happiness. Do you see the
invertendo?
Then, your relationship with all resources will be

simple, pure and in tune with Nature; that is, you
will only take whatever is needed at any point in
time, and you will utilize everything you are given
for maximum benefit for all. There will be no
need to squander or waste food or money, or to be
greedy; and no need for dishonest dealings with
anyone.
Principle 8 is all about lifestyle – how we earn, how

that money is utilized in buying food, how the food
is cooked, how it is consumed, and what we do after
eating the food. Many of us pray before eating, but
what about our thoughts during the meal, and after
It’s not about
disappearing into
the ocean,
but of becoming
the ocean.
KAHLIL GIBRAN
NARENDRA KINI
Illu stra ti o ns by N AR END RA K IN I
There is nothing like looking, if you want to find something.

You certainly usually find something, if you look,
but is not always quite the something you were after.
—J.R.R. Tolkien
It is said that before entering the sea
a river trembles with fear.
She looks back at the path she has traveled,

from the peaks of the mountains,
the long winding road crossing forests and villages.
And in front of her,

she sees an ocean so vast,
that to enter
there seems nothing more than to disappear forever.
But there is no other way.

The river cannot go back.
Nobody can go back.

To go back is impossible in existence.
The river needs to take the risk

of entering the ocean
because only then will fear disappear,
because that’s where the river will know
it’s not about disappearing into the ocean,
but of becoming the ocean.
—Kahlil Gibran
TAST E O F L I FE
Sorrow … It pulls up the rotten roots,

so that new roots hidden beneath
have room to grow. Whatever sorrow
shakes from your heart, far better
things will take their place. … Maybe
you are searching among the branches
for what only appears in the roots.
—Rumi
By the rivers of Babylon, where we sat down.

Yeah, we wept, when we remembered Zion.
…
Let the words of our mouth and the meditation of our heart,
be acceptable in thy sight here tonight.
—Boney M.
TA S T E OF LIFE
O Servant of God, where do the Ida, Pingala and Sushumna

nadis go when the thread of life breaks?
One who holds the thread is beyond time, but where does he
live?
The thread is neither tied nor breaks.
Who is the master and who is the servant?
Only He knows his secret as He is the Eternal.
What is the warp [lengthwise threads] and what is the weft
[cross threads]?
What are the threads from which the chadar [cloth] is woven?
Ida and Pingala are the warp and weft.
Sushumna are the threads from which the chadar is woven.
Eight are the Lotuses and ten are the spinning wheels.
Five are the elements and three the qualities of the chadar.
—Kabir
TAST E O F L I FE
This is a gathering of Lovers.

In this gathering
there is no high, no low,
no smart, no ignorant,
no special assembly,
no grand discourse,
no proper schooling required.
There is no master,
no disciple.
—Rumi
TA S T E OF LIFE
You’ve been walking the ocean’s edge,

holding up your robes to keep them dry.
You must dive naked under, and deeper,
Under, a thousand times deeper!
—Rumi
Photos & recipe by SIMONNE HOLM
Alkaline-Institute.com
INGREDIENTS >>
Zucchinis, also known as
courgettes, are delicious in many 2 medium zucchinis
dishes. They are easy to cook and 1 tsp olive oil.
they can be eaten in many ways – ½ tsp Himalayan or sea salt.
Illu stra ti o ns by AR ATI S H EDD E
raw, baked, stir fried and steamed. 1 pinch of dried mixed herbs.
Zucchinis are also alkaline-

Filling
forming with their high water,
mineral-rich in potassium 1 big onion, finely chopped.
and manganese, and fiber-rich 3 cloves garlic, minced.
contents. They also contain ½ cup of black beans or green
antioxidants and a lot of important lentils, cooked.
vitamins like B, C and K. All in all, 2-3 tomatoes, finely chopped, or a
zucchinis are anti-inflammatory. can of crushed tomatoes.
TA S T E OF LIFE
Prepare the filling
Heat the olive oil in a pan, add the

onion and cook for 3 mins.
Add the garlic and chopped inside
zucchini and cook for 3 mins.
Fresh herbs, 1 tsk oregano, thyme, PREPARATION >>
basil, rosemary etc. Add the herbs.
2-3 tablespoon olive oil. Preheat oven to 390°F/200°C. Add the tomatoes, black beans
¼ tsp salt. Prepare the sauce or lentils, salt and pepper and for
A little pepper and chili flakes. Cook the sweet potatoes and set cook for 2-3 mins more.
aside. Set aside.
Rinse the soaked cashews or
Sauce
sunflower seeds and blend them
Bake the zucchinis
1 sweet potato, medium-sized, cut with a little water from the sweet
in thick slices, cooked. potatoes. Place the zucchini shells onto a
¼ cup of cashew nuts or sunflower Add the other ingredients to the baking sheet in a baking tray.
seeds, soaked for 4 hours and mixture in the blender. Sprinkle salt, pepper and chili on
rinsed. Blend high speed. the shells.
1 tsk salt. Dilute if necessary with the sweet Add the filling into the zucchini
Juice of ½ lemon. potato water. shells.
1 tablespoon onion powder. Set aside. Add the sauce over the top and
bake for 25-30 mins.
¼ tsp garlic powder or 1 clove
Prepare the zucchini
garlic. SERVING >>
1 tablespoon arrowroot starch. Trim off the stem ends and cut
Save the water from the cooked each zucchini in half, lengthwise. Serve with fresh coriander or
sweet potato to dilute the sauce. Carefully remove the inside soft parsley.
part of each zucchini using a small Add chili if you like them spicy.
spoon. Serve them as an appetizer or side
Topping
Chop the inside part and save it. dish with a salad or quinoa.
A handful of fresh coriander or
parsley.
Silently, smoothly love glides.
A sliver of interest here,
A spark of connection there,
A touch of wonder here,
A stroke of beauty there
A stir, a shake, creating radiant little pockets of love.
Flowing through chasms,

Glowing in darkness,
Shining through hearts,
Growing, covering, spreading,
Expanding, no longer a beginning or an end.
The heart yearns for this love,

The gentle caress of its strength.
To remain forever immersed in its depth,
Diving deep into that stillness,
Guided by the glow, leading us to eternity.
Alas, the mind pulls us away,

Steering us with thoughts.
The slightest stroke of blame,
A hint of criticism, a flash of fury, a tide of anger
Creates a roar so loud, love hides, fearful and small.
The heart shrinks, love disappears,

Until it rises with the strength of its creator,
Pushing all else away, Churning, twisting, molding
Until love becomes that which it is – Divine.
Eternal Divine Love!

love
Illu stra ti o n by PRIYA HE GDE
PRIYA HEGDE
VIJAYADASHAMI
ADMISSIONS
OPEN
2020 - 2021
For more details please visit
www.omegaschools.org
omegaintlschool
79, Omega School Road, Kolapakkam, Kovur Post, Chennai, Tamil Nadu 600128.
w h at' s u p
# 1 B EST SEL L E R
C O N S CIO U S L I V I N G
IN S TOCK
HFNLife strives to bring

products to make your life
simple and convenient.
N O W AVAI L ABL E E X P E R I E NC E ,
We do our tiny bit to
T R A NS F O R M
fulfill your material Post Graduate Diploma in
By the author of the The Heartfulness Way needs by bringing Advanced Yoga.
bestselling book you a set of curated
In this inspiring text, partners in apparel, Learn to teach the eight
The Heartfulness Way, you will discover a accessories, eye-care, limbs of Yoga. Merge the
KAMLESH PATEL special collection home staples, organic traditional art of Yoga with
(Daaji) of meditations that foods and more. The a modern professional
awaken the depths affiliation of our approach.
How meditative of human potential partner organizations
D EGR EE IN OM
practices lead to and initiate a mystical with Heartfulness
changes in lifestyle, inner journey. In this Institute helps in Heartfulness Yoga
both personal and in process, the heart financially sustaining Teacher Training Course
relationships, which becomes a perennial the programs which
lead to greater freedom source of wisdom and we conduct in various www.heartfulness.org/
in designing our guidance to help you places across the world. yoga-trainers
destiny. navigate life’s twists
and turns and lead a http://hfnlife.com in.wellness@heartfulness.org
Available at life more connected to
designingdestiny.com, yourself and others.
for
on Amazon, and at all
leading bookstores. Available through
www.
designingdestiny. heartfulnessway.com,
com at major bookstores
and on Amazon.
life
F IND YOU R
COMMU NIT Y
more
magazine
Find a trainer or
meditation center
near you!
Explore centers &

ashrams to find your
groove in group
meditation and join in
L E A R N TO
M E DI TAT E
events.
3 masterclasses heartspots.
In these online heartfulness.org
masterclasses, you
YO U -N I V ER S I T Y will learn the practical heartspots@
benefits of meditation heartfulness.org
Meditation & and other yogic
The Evolution of
Consciousness
practices. HEARTSAPP
S U B S CR IB E TO
Masterclasses are
In this video series, available online each Heartfulness Magazine
you'll learn tools for day after you sign
living a happy and up and accessible To order copies online:
fulfilling life. throughout the day. single, 12 months subscription
Each class runs and 24 months subscription,
A Heartfulness and between 35 and 45
Udemy Video Series. minutes. by Heartfulness please go to:
Register today. www.heartfulnessmagazine.com
http:// Log in to your heart.
daaji.org/udemy/ en.heartfulness.org/ subscriptions@
masterclass Meditate with a trainer. heartfulnessmagazine.com
Observe. Transform.
Printed copies are available at
Download at selected stores, airports and
www.heartsapp.org newsstands, and at Heartfulness
centers and ashrams.
info@heartsapp.org

Heartfulness Magazine - September 2020 (Volume 5, Issue 09)

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Heartfulness Magazine - September 2020 (Volume 5, Issue 09)

Uploaded by

Document Information

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Heartfulness Magazine - September 2020 (Volume 5, Issue 09)

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

What are some leadership principles discussed?

What are some leadership principles discussed?

What programs are mentioned for learning leadership skills?

What programs are mentioned for learning leadership skills?

September 2020

The New Children

Price of the program is... U-priced!

Join us in this journey with a like-hearted

Food and Other

In these times of dramatic social change, you may be surprised

Enjoy an inspiring read!

All rights reserved. ‘Heartfulness’, ‘Heartfulness

Also known as Daaji, he

The New Children - Part 1 be inspired Narendra Kini

38 A User’s Guide to Living - Stuffed Zucchini

Q: Chef, how did you discover

The My experience was very different.

My eldest brother was a chef. My

so I packed my bags and moved Whatever I did, I put my heart

There I was blessed to work In 1998, my brother said, “Hey,

The way I create

My ego started melting because

Q: What is the one lesson that

I say, “Be in love, just focus, and

Let’s see how this happens. The practices of

Heartfulness Cleaning, when done regularly, starts

uncertainty. Having a finite

If it is just money, how bad can it be? Once you

Let’s assume you already made the decision.

Are we better than God? Where the hell did we

Well, you might say, it could be a very serious

If you believe you are

error. Every mistake is not just a mistake but an

Don’t be afraid of mistakes. If you err, you’re in

understanding that we are all brothers and sisters.

It moves everything much faster than it was 10

Q: Yes, no one pauses before shooting

it’s “Aargh!” So, if we can take a 5% step away

So, I feel that the question we have all been

If we can come from that space and live differently,

Q: I have been wondering how you chose the

An artist by the name of Tupac Shakur was a very

“Even though you were a crack fiend, Mama,

Imagine that! Imagine having a crack addict as

It was his book of poetry, The Rose that Grew

Only when head and heart

• xtremely strong-willed, to the point of

We can view this question from the point of view

Humanity is evolving of science. Science itself has been undergoing

functions, which vary according to what kind of

Each cell synthesizes and repairs its own sub-

A cell is its own small world. And yet the cell is

At each level, these various living systems are

May I illustrate this with a vivid real-life example?

winding. Eliminating wolves from the ecosystem

Fortunately, these negative effects began reversing

As well as demonstrating the butterfly effect, this

Imposing our ways on these New Children

The articles to follow will explore

“What we do now echoes in eternity,” said Marcus Aurelius.