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Discipline. What does discipline mean to you? Does it have any negative impact on your psyche? What are some disciplines that you set for yourselves to keep your body and mind healthy? 

To me, discipline is delivering on my commitments, the ones I have made to others and to myself. It is doing something consistently, whether I am in the mood for it or not. 

When I heard the question whether it has a negative effect on the psyche? I wondered why? Because I always viewed discipline as a positive trait, one that frees me from mundane decisions, one that helps me in the long term. But I wonder now if doing something with resentment even if it is directed towards discipline, becomes toxic. 

What are some disciplines to keep my body and mind healthy? I aspire to eat healthy, work out, sleep for 8 hours, and  meditate for 5 minutes. The discipline ebbs and flows though. All it takes is one slip, and inertia sets in, even when I am aware that I should pick up my habits.

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Silence. How do you practice silence? How do you define it? Can you let go of words, all words, and drop into silence. Take time to minimize internal as well as external dialogue. 

The day I was exploring the word was my b’day. I wasn’t quite sure I did justice to this word. So extended it to the next day as well instead of proceeding with the next word. 

When I think of silence, moments of feeling calm, centered and grounded come to mind. Is the absence of sound silence? Yes and no. You can sit in a room so silent that  you can hear a pin drop, yet if your mind is lost in stories and voices, you would hardly hear the pin drop, isn’t it? On the contrary, you can sit right in the middle of a noisy exhibition, yet if the mind is collected and focused, the noise outside hardly has an effect on you, isn’t it? So to me, silence is the absence of noise rather than lack of sound.

For today’s practice, I could not minimize words external to me during the course of the day due to the commitment that the day entailed. But I attempted to minimize the words within me. Unsurprisingly, I found that practice challenging. To be wordless, I had to be thoughtless. And if I was not thinking, what was I supposed to be doing? The answer was clear. Being. Just being. Living in the moment. Listening, smelling, hearing, and feeling more deeply. But of course, it was easier said than done. There were moments of feeling alive but it was a struggle to not use words. The mind was utterly lost. 

I know Eckhart Tolle says this a lot. To not label, to not use words, will heighten the experience of the moment. But this is in conflict with the practical wisdom associated with emotional intelligence, which says labeling our emotion is the first step to managing it. What am I missing? 

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Freedom. How do you define freedom? What freedom practices do you have in your life? What techniques do you use to give freedom to your mind, body, speech and energy? For today, can you bring freedom for every activity? 

To me, freedom is doing something out of choice, not out of compulsion. It is doing something because I want to, not because I have to. It is doing something because I enjoy doing it, not out of a sense of obligation. It is doing something for its own sake, not weighed down by expectations. 

Some practices that help me bring freedom in my activities – I reframe. I pause. I take step back and see if I can get perspective. I do it for my future self.

I attempted to bring freedom into my activities today. What that entailed was doing activities without resentment or bitterness. It meant embracing the activities for what they were. And I will admit that with that attitude there is freedom in doing even the mundane of activities. 

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Love. How do you define love? Even though it can be universal, it can be subjective depending on the experience you associate with it. 

To me, love is caring, kindness, empathy, and affection. It is knowing that you matter a whole lot to someone and vice versa. It is being there for each other. It is not giving up on someone.   

There are two things on the topic of love that I have heard and read that have stayed with me. The first one being, if you love something set it free. If it comes back to you, it’s yours. If it doesn’t, it never was.  The second one is words of wisdom a dear friend once shared with me. No matter how much you love someone, it is always good to have some space in between. I have thought about it often and have come to realize the beauty of that space. It is in that space that the relationship blossoms, where you love without suffocating, where you are detached and attached at the same time. 

It is also true in the name of love, we often act with a sense of entitlement.  We do not respect boundaries in the name of taking liberties. We confuse being there for someone as taking over their life. We expect too much and get disappointed easily.

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Resilience. What does resilience mean to you? How resilient are you when it comes to your life’s experience? 

To me, resilience is bouncing back. It is giving myself another chance. It is coming to terms with whatever it is I am holding on to – regrets, frustrations, disappointments and more  – and starting over with renewed strength, energy, and faith. To me it is the ability to move on after having processed difficult emotions. It is a gentle pat and a helping hand that I offer myself after a setback. It is looking deep within and finding inner strength to pick myself up. 

Today, I observed how my day is filled with opportunities to practice resilience. 

How often during the course of the day do we beat ourselves – I should not have done that, why did I not think of that, I should have done it sooner, I should have known and planned for it. The sooner we are able to forgive ourselves the more agile is our resilience. 

How often do we hold on to grudges, resentment, and baggage that leave us stuck? The more we let go, the more resilient we become. 

How often do we give into the ways of the mind – one more cookie, two more episodes, just for today – that prevent ourselves from being resilient? This one I struggle with quite a bit. I am quick to fall and very slow to pick myself up when it comes to temptations. The mind simply refuses to delay gratification.

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What does the word well being mean to you? Is it the well being of your mind, body and heart? Or is it a combination of three that contribute to your overall well being? 

To me, well being means feeling whole and complete. And to feel whole and complete, you need your body, mind and the heart to work in tandem, isn’t it? Our mind agonizes when the body is in pain. When the mind is in angst, it takes a toll on the body. 

I am not quite sure it stops with the self though. I think our well being is intertwined with the well being of our near and dear ones or for that matter humanity at large. We have been witnessing that with the pandemic, isn’t it? The pandemic is wreaking havoc in India. Even if we are fine and dandy here, do we feel whole and complete knowing that our family and friends back home are at risk? Our own well being is distorted when the well being of our loved ones are affected. 

On the flip side, our own well being has an impact on the well being of those around us. When we are anxious we get the people around us anxious. When we are calm and collected, we infuse confidence with those around us.

Today, I decided to take care of my well being. I decided that I was going to focus on self-care. Do what I can, how much I can. If there are unfinished tasks, so be it. If I am behind on commitments, so be it. I felt content, grounded, and centered. I felt a sense of equilibrium restored. The world outside had not changed, but the world within shifted. Even if only for the time being.

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Content. What does the word content mean to you? Are you content with yourself just the way you are? For today,  can you be content during any activity you undertake? See this feeling of contentment changing the tone of your day. 

To me, content equates to a sense of ease and being at peace with who I am and what I have. I am surrounded by people who love and  accept me for who I am. I have enough material things and what I do not have, I do not crave. So yes, I am content. Am I content with myself for the way I am? I am constantly trying to see how I can become better. A better person, and better at what I do – work, hobbies or otherwise. However, this striving to do better does not come from a place of discontent, frustration with current self. Rather it comes from a place of acceptance of who I am, and from the belief that I am capable of growing. 

I tried practicing contentment today. Atleast for the first half of the day. I felt content when I did the task I undertook well, not halfheartedly. I found contentment when I gave my all to the task at hand. I felt content when I listened to my conscious self and acted on the priorities it led me to. I felt content when I knew I had done my part.

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Touch. What does the word touch mean to you when it comes to your awareness of yourself and the world around you? Are you aware of the sensation of touch from moment to moment – be it with your body, mind or awareness? Can it be on your forefront today? 

To me, touch is primarily one of the five senses, the one that wraps me in warmth. When I use my sense of touch I am grounded in the moment. I love the touch of soft cheeks of my ten year old. I love how when my sixteen year old holds me in a tight embrace. I find it soothing to sense my belly inflate when I breathe in and feeling my breath as I exhale. I love the touch of hot water in the shower. I love the blue sleep robe that keeps me warm. 

No, I am not aware of my sensation of touch at all times. But the times I feel it, the mind and the body are in the same place. Here and Now.

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Balance. What does the word balance mean to you? How do you balance in your mind, body, and energy? Are you aware when you are out of balance? What do you feel when you are imbalanced? How do you bounce back to equilibrium? 

Balance is one of my favorite words. To me, balance is having it all in moderation. It is the opposite of being consumed by one thought, one feeling, one action, one interest. To me balance is having room for and being able to have a variety of experiences. 

How do I balance my mind, body and energy? Energy is what I do not know to balance. I use my energy aggressively till I do not have an iota left. Once I am done, I am done. In terms of body, I am not quite sure how that can be measured? Perhaps, I can use it in the context of dance. I am balanced when I am not thinking. The moment I think, the moment I let my mind wander, my body becomes unsteady and shifts unintentionally. Balance of the mind, needless to say, is the hardest to crack.

Are you aware when you are out of balance? What do you feel when you are imbalanced? Stress, irritation, frustration, burn out, wanting to withdraw myself from the outside world and just focus on self care. These are signals that tell me I am out of balance. 

Ironically, the day was completely out of balance. I started work at 8 in the morning, and had to work past midnight. The only way I could find equilibrium was to focus on work, and make progress. Some days are like that, we are consumed by just one thing. It happens. But life has a way of balancing it out. 

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Edge. What does exploring edge mean to you? Are you aware of the edge beyond which you feel uncomfortable, unsafe? Physically, mentally or energetically?

It’s interesting. I ended the last line of the last post as “…it is easier to go with the voice of the mind because it tells things that please you as opposed to the voice of intuition which is always guiding you to the right path…” what I had in my head but left it unsaid was that the voice of intuition pushes you out of your comfort zone. It is almost like today’s word completed yesterday’s word. 

To me, the edge is the boundary of where my sense of comfort ends . Exploring the edge means going beyond my comfort zone. Going beyond what is easy and doing the work that matters. I think I am intuitively aware of my edges and I resist going beyond that. I am afraid to explore what I am not familiar with. I am risk averse and like to play it safe.

I would love to challenge beyond what is feels comfortable. How can I get there?