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Sunday, June 28, 2009

The Giving....

and so...



the second weekend in June...brought even more gifts...gifts for the children of a shelter an hour away from Karunya Mane..



4 BIG Bags full in fact..as those kids have No toys...



Asha, a girl at Karunya Mane who touched my husband and my soul when we met her earlier this year..she is quite the artist and student..gave 50 rupees she had in her pocket to help buy snacks for them..
Asha, Lokesh and Amita came along to help pass out the gifts to the children...
what an Amazing thing...
when the poorest of the poor..give to other poor children...A lesson..Perhaps for ALL of us to take in and maybe one day put into practice ourselves? I can tell you firsthand because I have been there with those kids...and honestly, from the bottom of my heart..there is Nothing in my life that I have ever done or experienced that even comes close to what it was like to go and give shoes and art supplies to those kids at Karunya Mane..
Nothing.
You see, when you go and witness their innocence and Love and Open Hearts and see how much they truly, Truly appreciate even the smallest of things..it changes Who You Are Forever More...
we sometimes think we have so little in our lives, when in fact, if we take a moment to just look around our homes and at our lives..we do in fact have More than we actually need. Myself included.
And if you have never had the chance to give something to someone who has very little in their lives, I don't think I even have to tell you the feeling it gives you and the happiness that resides in your heart for a long time afterwards....
(Please click back two times to read the begining of this story...to "older posts"if you arrive from Ashtangi.net)

part Two..shopping trip for the kids of Karunya Mane!

Paul helping the kids pick out things...


After they finished up their shopping, Sharath and Paul gave them a few words about how they received a great gift today and how important it was to share with others...


because that is what we do..we share what we have with others..


Big Bazaar hosted a nice lunch afterwards in their lunchroom....




as they left...
The children decided that since they had so many toys..they would like to give some to an Orphanage about an hour away from Karunya Mane...
please see next post for the second weekend!!





The waiting is Over!!!!!

(i will warn you now...make sure you have plenty of tissues..if you are anything like me..you WILL need them!!)

One Sunday in June...
a Very generous and kind man, Paul from the US, and his family..Sharath,Saraswati and Shemi form the Ashtanga Yoga Shala in Mysore, sponsored a shopping spree for the kids of Operation Shanti!!


Paul wanted to take the kids shopping to buy whatever clothes or toys they wanted!!


Sharath suggested the Big Bazaar, a "mega store" in the heart of the city of Mysore....and even though the kids have come a long, long way, in terms of Good Study Habits, Cleanliness, and overall Excellent Behavior...you need to understand, that just a couple of years ago..these kids were the kids who stood outside these stores... Begging, and selling their trinkets.


They could NEVER have imagined even stepping into a store like this....let alone going inside and choosing whatever they most desired!


But this particular Sunday was different...all 43 kids of Karunya Mane went shopping!!!!! Words could not even begin to describe their day...so I shall let the photos speak for themselves...
Prema in the van window as they drive away... and as they arrived at Big Bazaar

getting organized into groups...
(please see the next post as the photos are not co-operating with me while I load them up...)











Thursday, June 25, 2009

Breaking News out of Mysore, India......

I have some pretty Fantastic News to share with you all about the children of Operation Shanti...
but as I sometimes do...I am going to have to make you wait until early next week to release the News!!! (believe me, this hurts me WAAAAAAY more than it hurts you!!)
Please stay tuned.....
you will NOT want to miss this.....

Monday, June 22, 2009

On Life and Yoga


I read this somewhere awhile ago..I can't remember where...but it hit me right smack dab in the center of my Being..and I printed it up..and I stored it away in a special place..and would like to share it with you again...


I think that we ponder over the meaning of life because it makes us feel more comfortable to know that there is in fact a meaning to it all. What if there isn't? What if it's just about WHO you are? It's not what you do or anything around you, or anyone else, just You.

I suppose that it's a tall order to realize that you're the whole reason..that You're It.

And I don't think that you necessarily have to do anything about it either, it's just enough just to perceive it.


So what are all of these things that we create and invest ourselves in, all of the NOISE of jobs, family, friends, daily life..? For some it's overwhelming, for some of us none of it makes any sense and it becomes scary. So what are you supposed to do..how do you survive life?

You don't.

So focus on You and focus on being You..because at the end of the day that's where it's at. You don't have to go anywhere or do anything, apart from just being You..and you're perfect as you are! Really!! You don't have to smile, you don't have to say anything...Just be there. Everything will soon stop spinning.


Practice is exactly like life...there is no performance. You try and find the breath and try to find yourself, and when you do it all makes perfect sense and it's Still and it's Quiet.

The sweat, the drama, the effort...it's all just STUFF you have to go through to find it sometimes, it's not what it's about.

The trying for the next thing is like working for the Bigger Better Car...

It's all right there in front of you, and you don't even need to go anywhere or do anything with it if you don't want to.


So just focus on You and accept it all as it is..because it's exactly as it should be...exactly right.

Monday, June 15, 2009

India Arie Rocked the House last night....
















one of my sons and my favorite recording artists was in town last night for a special performance and it was Stellar!!! India Arie...a beautiful soul..her music holds a message and she sings from her heart. She is a woman who is Strong and holds strong to her beliefs..and I kinda like that, because I am the same way...





I loved that she brought her Mom to the show...and talk about a beautiful singing voice..WOW!!! Indias Mom was Amazing!!!!!!! She said that she learned everything she knew about singing from her Mama, and that I do believe is also true.."How do you know God exists"? she asked each one of her backup singers, as she took them by the hand and led them to the center of the stage...and they each sang how They knew God exists...and then her Mom...and I can see where she got her amazing voice...it was a night to remember. Just seeing Olivers smile on his face made my night complete...This is what Memories are made of...

Wednesday, May 27, 2009

A Guide for Living....or Quick Tips for Personal Development...

I really have to thank my friend LG for this post..she posted it on her blog a few days ago..and I loved it so much, I had to put it here..the more people who read it, the better..I know it woke me up and continues to each time I do..which is Quite Often~

Quick Tips for Personal Development ~ By Chononita Fabian Piorkowsky
1. Just as you can’t develop your muscles just by reading about exercise, you can’t develop your consciousness just by reading about esoterics or spirituality.
2. Unless you change your internal life, your external life will never really change.
3. What you assimilate into your mind affects your mental and emotional well-being in much the same way as your diet affects your physical well-being
.4. Trust life and have faith that it will provide you the experiences you require for your continued evolution.
5. Accept the fact that there are no accidents and everything happens for a reason.
6. Learn to trust yourself, your instincts, your intuition and your inspiration.
7. Don’t hold on to the past or worry about the future - just live one day at a time.
8. By helping yourself you help no one, but by helping others you also help yourself.
9. Those who live in accordance with the laws of life are better than those who preach them.
10. Try to notice every motive and desire that passes through your consciousness. Give conscious energy to those of a high order and discard those of a low order.
11. You won’t find peace and happiness by looking outside of yourself.
12. Try to contact your higher self for a few minutes every day and imagine how it might direct your life.
13. Remember that you are not your body, your emotions or your mind - they are separate beings and you (the ensouling monad) are their master. If they are well trained they will serve you well, otherwise they will run wild.
14. Learn to distinguish between your wants and your body’s wants.
15. Free yourself from addictions, e.g. alcohol, drugs, coffee, sugar, tobacco, sex. You can still enjoy them from time to time; just don’t let them become habitual.
16. Make little sacrifices to help develop your will-power. For example, give up chocolate or alcohol for a month.
17. Be true to yourself and never pretend to be anything you are not. If people don’t accept you for who you are, you don’t need them in your life.
18. Don’t be too critical because any fault you see in others probably also afflicts you.
19. Be unconcerned about other people’s opinions. You are free to form your opinions and they are free to form theirs.
20. Whether people like you or not is their business not yours, so don’t take it personally.
21. Forgive everyone and everything - you can’t change the past so there is no point being bitter. It hurts you far more that it hurts them; so why torture yourself?
22. Give up the need to win and the need to be right.
23. Don’t interfere in other people’s affairs, but always be willing to help if you are asked.
24. Don’t pass on hearsay or gossip - break that cycle of vindictive negativity.
25. Don’t be offended by anything because it is all part of the divine plan.
26. Calmly accept whatever life deals you - you probably can’t do much about it so there is no point getting angry or depressed.
27. Remain optimistic - if times are tough be thankful they are not worse and be grateful that you are working off some of your karmic debt.
28. The only evil that can befall you is of our own making. Rather than fearing what you are due it is better to welcome it, because at least you will have re-paid part of your karmic debt.
29. Don’t blame other people for your misfortunes because you alone are responsible for your life. The one’s you blame are merely instruments who helped to manifest your karma and destiny.
30. Accept people for who they are - their behavior merely reflects with their level of development.
31. Make allowances for other people failings rather than judging and condemning them.
32. Try not to judge people who are at a lower stage of development because you were once just like them.
33. See the good in everyone, no matter how bad they may appear.
34. Be happy and think happy thoughts - if you don’t identify with negative emotions they can have no hold over you and will quickly pass.
35. Love unconditionally - treat everyone as you would like them to treat you, and try to treat everyone the same whether you like them or not.
36. Be willing to make sacrifices and put the needs of others before your own.
37. Do your best and you will always succeed, even if the world considers it a failure.
38. Be unconcerned about failure - there is no such thing as failure, only opportunities to learn lessons.
39. Don’t regret anything - the cyclic nature of life means there will always be another opportunity.
40. It takes time for noticeable improvements to manifest in your life, so don’t be too hard on yourself if you don’t seem to be making much progress.
41. Forget about your self and how far you have come.
42. Thinking highly of your self is a clear sign that you still have a long way to go.
43. Don’t take yourself too seriously because life is just an educational game.
44. Maintain an inner awareness to ascertain your motives before you speak or act.
45. Remember that the solution to all your problems lies within you.
46. Recognize that all your troubles are caused by uncontrolled emotions. Emotionality feeds a conflict but rationality brings resolution.
47. Be honest, upright, dependable and sincere, with no hidden agendas.
48. Be impartial in every decision you make, irrespective of any advantage you may gain or disadvantage you may incur.
49. Always set a good example to other people.
50. Stand up for freedom and fight for your rights.
51. Stand firm in matters of great importance but yield in matters of no importance, and remember that most things in life are unimportant.
52. If you let go a little you will have a little peace, if you let go a lot you will have a lot of peace, if you let go completely you will have complete peace.
53. Don’t conform to customs and arbitrary rules - they stifle freedom and expression.
54. Don’t succumb to advertising - it is nothing but mental and emotional manipulation.
55. Ignore public opinion - investigate things for your self and make up your own mind.
56. Study esoterics and apply it in order to develop wisdom, but don’t read too much too quickly because you will dilute what you already know.
57. Read slowly so that you have time to fully absorb the information, contemplate it to develop your understanding then apply it in your daily life.
58. Remain open minded but not gullible.
59. Be generous and charitable - can you really justify another spending spree when there are so many poverty-stricken people in the world?
60. You get what you give, not what you take.
61. Don’t want more than you need.
62. Too many possessions are a burden, so give away anything you don’t need.
63. Don’t envy other people’s wealth because it is better to have a reasonable standard of living in all your incarnations rather than one decadent life followed by ten poverty stricken lives.
64. Wealth, power and fame only give you an advantage in one lifetime; a developed consciousness gives you an advantage in every lifetime.
65. Be kind to everyone, without exception.
66. Stop harming other people with negative words, feelings and thoughts.
67. Do right for the sake of right, not for recognition or reward.
68. Don’t just refrain from doing evil; actively do good.
69. Do what you can (no matter how small) to make the world a better place.
70. Remember why you are here!