MUSIC TO THE EARS

Rabindranath Tagore said “Music fills the infinite between two souls”

MUSIC soothes the SOUL…
Music has been my saviour..to overcome so many shortcomings and disappointments.
Music has helped me in fighting anxiety,stop the continuous chain of thoughts,speeding the healing process.
It increases serotonin levels,alleviating mental depression,induces sleep and helps you keep an alert mind.
Have you tried listening to Indian Classical Music or Western Classical music apart from regular popular music? Try it if you haven’t already! 🙂
Flute,Sarod,Sitar and Santoor,are Indian musical instruments,the soothing sounds of which enhance concentration and memory.
Studies suggest Music therapy after surgery to help the brain’s chemical processes to aid healing.
Soft music allows one to think,analyse and work faster,in a more efficient manner,soothing and calming the nerves.
Personally, I love listening to stalwarts like Pandit Bhimsen Joshi,
Pandita KishoriTai Amonkar’s Vocal renditions and Western classical Symphonies by Beethoven and Mozart.After a particularly tiring Flight schedule,I found solace and calm in unwinding,listening to them!Often I have slipped into deep rejuvenating sleep!
Music has an effect on plants too…Jazz,Classical music like Pandit Ravi Shankar’s Sitar renditions enhanced growth and Acid rock caused the plants to wither and die!Though I love Rock and Acid rock..no wonder I had started to wither and die 🙂
The Blue Danube aided Hens in laying more eggs and Cows to yeild more milk! Love it!
Mozarts music and Baroque Music with its 60 beats/min.pattern activates the left and right brains…maximises learning and retention of information and enhances the capacity of the brain to process information!..My child always says that listening to music while studying really helps! The results speak for that!
An Autistic boy who couldn’t tie his shoe laces,was able to manage in only his second attempt when it was synchronised to a song! The rhythm helped him organise his physical movements to the beat time in the song!
King George I of England had memory loss and needed stress management so he asked George Frederick Handel to write some special music for him..Handel wrote ‘Water Music’ for him..its beautiful!
A study conducted on rats, where they were kept in two boxes with an opening between them and a space to switch..One box they played Bach and the other box they played Rock…in no time the rats had switched to the box playing…you guessed right…Bach!
So try music when you’re irritated,tired,anxious,depressed,lonely or only because you love and enjoy it! Allow your children to listen to music too…its better than them being on the cellphone all the time!
ENJOY!
Sharmila Velaskar Kadne

WILL POWER

Resisting Temptations…whether its your favorite pastry,cigarettes,forbidden or toxic relationships,alcohol or compulsive shopping…anything that you shouldn’t be indulging in but you do or you can’t stop yourself from doing…needs WILLPOWER!
My Dad gave up cigarettes overnight…I didn’t think much of it then,but now I know how difficult it must’ve been considering he was a chain smoker for 30 years or more!.I saw him going through all the terrible withdrawal symptoms and none of us could help him,but he did not relent and did not touch a cigarette for the rest of his life..God Bless his soul.
I could’ve been the classic case of lack of self control in the past but I can safely say that I have managed to turn it around for myself!
Yes the internet is filled with remedies for everything..but these very easy steps from Colin Robertson have worked for me..try them..maybe they will work for you!
Regularly exerting self control will improve will-power strength.
Set goals and take them down one by one..
1) 10 mins of MEDITATION- Aha!
2) Work on your posture-straighten up everytime you slouch.
3) Keep a food diary-incase you are overeating,make a list and change it to healthy things for the next time.
4)Use your opposite hand- Its difficult but persevere.
5)Correct your speech-If you’re addicted to profanity,substitute bad words with cute words..like I used to say “O buck”! for you know what and “Bascustard” for you know what! Choose the words that you want to change!
6)Create and meet self-imposed deadlines. Few minutes,hours,days,weeks, months, years!
7)Keep track on spending-if you’re a shopoholic..ask yourself “do I need this” Don’t carry a Credit card,carry limited cash.
8) Squeeze a hand grip- till your forearms protest!
9)Carry something tempting -like a chocolate bar and resist it.
10)Be mindful of your automatic decisions- always question your actions and act upon them.
If you are addicted to a toxic or abusive relationship..where you will need all your will power…reduce interaction slowly..everytime you feel the need to call or interact with the person..delay it or put it off for a few hours at a time till one day you will not want to call or interact..Yes a few tears of heartbreak shed are better than destroying yourself.
Help your loved ones patiently, to strengthen their will power..It will boost self confidence and save a lot of trouble!
Love the Self!
Sharmila Velaskar Kadne.

Teens and twenties

Hello!
I’m a 100% sure that I’m addressing Balanced,Beautiful,Talented,Quirky and Intelligent people in their Teens and Twenties!
This is a stressful time for you and your parents-Studies,Board Exams,Raging Hormones,Changes in your body,Transition from being a child to a teen to an adult..
As a Mom I have been irritable and angry and nagging and unreasonable most of the time….my child showed me the way,by being calm,practical, and reasonable! Yes! I believe that most kids are wiser than their age!
So,for those of you who are at their wits end trying to decide where you want your life to take you,what choices to make,here goes..
Be realistic about your expectations.
Set realistic goals based on Self-Assessment be it Career,Love or Family.
Be in sync with ones potentials and abilities..no point going down a lane where everything becomes a burden and you cease to enjoy the ride!
Its best to have Aspirations based on ones Strengths and weaknesses.
Speak to your Parents,Older siblings,Teachers calmly..Cut some slack with your parents..listen to them….not only have they been on this Earth a little bit more than you,they have more experience in life!
Parents should also realise that they may be off-track sometimes.
Make your parents your confidants because only they have the capacity to bail you out if you are in trouble.
Changes in your body and appearance are normal,Stop Body Shaming instead motivate yourself and your friends to lead a healthy life.
Respect each other and try not to cross boundaries in thought, word or deed.
Be satisfied with everything you have,do not succumb to Peer pressure,everyone has a different level of existence.
Save for the stuff that you really want!Save money too!
Learn to say “NO” and be steadfast.
Move away from people who Mistreat and Disrespect you and in turn make sure that you do not disrespect and mistreat others!
Have a Happy life..This is just the beginning!:)
Sharmila Velaskar Kadne

Walking

WALKING
I love to walk in the open,under the trees,in the woods,on the beach…Early mornings…late evenings..only my music for company..
I suffered from Migraines with Nausea for many years and GERD or Acid Reflux due to a Hiatus Hernia and extreme Anxiety and Stress.No amount of medication helped.I was so bad that even a slight tilt forward of my head would bring gastric juices out from my nose and mouth.My brother, who is a Psychiatrist,recommended that I do Meditation and start Walking.
I do and now I am free of all those symptoms of GERD,my Migraines have all but vanished and that creepy Hiatus Hernia has actually regressed!
WALKING
Strengthens your heart
Reduces risk of Disease
Helps you lose and maintain weight
Prevents Dementia
Tones legs,butt and tummy
Boosts vitamin D
Makes you happy-just as effective as anti-depressants!
Reduces stress and Anxiety
Start Walking folks! Only for 30 minutes…5 minutes slow walk to warm up..20 minutes brisk walk…5 minutes slow walk to cool down..Inspire your kids to walk too! START TODAY!! 🙂
Sharmila Velaskar Kadne.

Anger Management

“ANGER is punishing yourself for someone else’s insensitivity or mistake” – Buddha

Generally ANGER is a normal,healthy emotion.It is OK to get angry when you are ill-treated or wronged.
Explosive Anger becomes a problem when one loses control and expresses it in a way that harms oneself and others.
It can seriously jeopardize your own state of mind and health and your relationships especially it is extremely damaging to the fragile minds of your children.
You stand to lose your loved ones,colleagues and friends because they may be afraid of you but they lose respect for you.
This has happened to me and now I realise that It is better to communicate in a respectful way for people to be willing to listen to you and address your problems peacefully.
Explosive Anger is usually a coverup for other suppressed feelings like DEPRESSION,CHILDHOOD ISSUES and CHRONIC STRESS.
It affects physical health leading to Heart disease,Diabetes,Insomnia and Hypertension.
It makes you irrational and unable to enjoy life.
My Anger issues have reduced considerably after I started practicing Meditation and effective and controlled Yogic Breathing Techniques or PRANAYAMS listed below:
Bhastrika,Anulom Vilom,Kapalbhati,and most importantly Bhramari.
I will discuss in detail how to do these and control and diffuse Anger and how to help yourself and your loved ones to control and manage their Anger issues in my next blog..

Transform your life by Meditating only for 15 minutes everyday

“The soul usually knows what to do to heal itself,
The challenge is to silence the mind…”- Caroline Myss

I cannot emphasize more the need to MEDITATE in these stressful times.As a person who has suffered from Clinical Depression and recovered from it,I would strongly advocate preventing it rather than going through it.The worst phase in my life,for sure..
MEDITATION is Centering inwards by concentrating on the breath as it moves in and out of your body.It is said that the relaxation that the mind achieves by meditating for merely 10 minutes, is equal to or even better than deep rejuvenating sleep.
HOW DOES ONE MEDITATE
Keep aside 15 minutes every 24 hours solely for yourself.
Allow no disturbance..no family,no doorbells,no Bai s,no ‘phones.
Wear comfortable clothes and sit in a comfortable position.
Close your eyes,relax your shoulders and facial muscles,touch your tongue to your palate,keep your spine straight and keep breathing normally.
Slowly concentrate on your breath,feel the air pass through your nostrils as you breath in and out.
Your thoughts will keep coming,allow them.
You will keep hearing external sounds,allow it but slowly bring your focus back to your breath.
As you keep practicing this your mind will completely relax and you will find that the noise that endless thoughts were making will lessen as days go by and you will be able to control your mind by bringing back focus to your breath.
Slowly you will find that you are more focused,you will use your time better,you will be able to channellize your energies positively and fruitfully.Anger and impatience reduces.
As your brain gets oxygenated,there is clarity of thought and your interactions with others will improve,confrontations decrease and you will be able to communicate peacefully,sometimes even in silence.
As you center within yourself you become calmer and calmer.
The need for constant validation,the need to pretend reduces.
You will start recognizing your inherent self.
Yes! Teach your kids to meditate too!
Hey! It takes only 15 minutes!! Happy Meditating!!!
Sharmila Velaskar Kadne