A Self-Imposed ~ Wellbeing and Intelligence nurturing REHAB

Last sunday, at around 6PM, with acidity brimming up and the effects of hangover (which was tapered off already) being taken off with the sudharshan kriya practice which i was in the middle off, i made a resolve. I made a commitment and i was going to stick to it, NO MATTER WHAT. Oh dear god, i cant already believe what i am saying ~ how many times have i said these words to the biriyanis, tasty wraps and those chocolates and failed ever so miserably at it. And yet, this time it was very clear. It was as if i was just seeing something which was already there and i was not making it up. It was THAT clear. 

The meditation session was a weekly thing ~ i was in the middle of it and it was going to take another half hour to complete the sadhana. It is a roller coaster ride ~ the sudharshan Kriya. First off all i was very happy that i am in a ritualistic sadhana these days. Be it forceful or as a pleasure seeking practice - i had been pretty regular at it these days. 2 years. And now i am at the stage where - i do it atleast 5 to 6 times a week if not 7 times/ week. so, to all those who call me yogi.. the best i can be called is an "aspiring yogi". Considering the pre 2014 performance, my meditation consistency was pretty good. This "little" success tastes even sweeter mainly because me being a yoga teacher, me having chosen the path of yoga, the fan of osho, being the self proclaimed "truth seeker", the wayne dyer fan, and so on.. Even being all that.. I still couldnt bloody sit with my eyes closed for just few minutes ("meditate"), without plugged into music or audio book. That much need to escape facing my self? That was NOT ok and i had to over come it. It took years. NOW i can do that. I can handle the monkey mind. Well - cant handle the mind per se. But, i dont get bored so easliy while sitting eyes closed and not moving. I can patiently sit and wait. It has taken some time and effort to get here.

So - the resolve, you ask? To make peace with my own thought that says - "this is too trivial", "too embarrassing to share", "people in the world are actually battling bigger issues", etc - to appease that voice in me, i am posting this disclaimer. **We all have insecurities, "bad" habits, demons to transform, seemingly-small-but-has-taken-forever-yet-hasn't-transformed unworkabilitys in life. So i am not alone in overcoming an addiction (if you can call it that)*

I have decided to lay off this need to keep myself entertained. To keep myself off the shows (no clauses). To keep me off the movies (no clauses). Not just that. To stay off faceboook, whatsapp and phone in general (clauses allowed - as minimum as possible). I have done this resolve many times. So have you. So has he, she, and that person over there. We all have done it. Yet, why can't we seem to stick to it. SIMPLE. The person who makes the commitment is not the same person who has to take the action. The person who made the commitment comes from the space of clarity, the vision of what those actions could do. The person who has to take the action of following through the commitment ~ doesn't do so ~ because they are operating out of inertia (karma, sorta) ~ because they don't hold the clear vision any more ~ because of daily mundane things taking over ~ because bahits ~ because the familiar is comfort and we all want comfort (i think.. many people resort of alcohol or smoking or any other addiction.. just because it is familiar). I am breaking this. I am going to break this habit. I am breaking this karma chain. THAT IS YOGA, isnt it?

Now the real question is? Nobody asks it! But i know i am left with the question (It has been 72 hours and i have stuck to the resolve.. btw). The question is: WHAT AM I GOING TO DO WITH FREED UP TIME? So that question needs to be addressed strongly. I am going to use this in my weak moments to get power to stick to the resolve.

• Get bored. Get bloody bored. Let the mind struggle with that.. and then may be write a book or 2. Or may be find out the question for the answer 42. 
• Books. I know how many books are there which inspired me and called me to be read and are still in my book shelf waiting to be read
• Think! Just that!
• Day dream. (fortunately, I am my own boss. I decide when i sleep and wake up and i decide if i want to nap in the afternoon or not. YAY. This is where i feel i have done some thing right with my life.. haha)
• Learn new stuff ~ language? instruments?, 
• Yoga

All the best to me! May the force be with me!

Vegan High Protein Diet Checklist

I have been considering switching to vegan, raw, organic, whole and natural diet. The major problem seemed to be in getting the right amount of protein. So i researched. I use this template to design the raw materials to be cooked for the day. I will soon be posting a good wholistic 7 day diet plan as well.

No.	Item	Protein	Perday
1	Mung Dal ( 1 cup = 202g) (cooked)	14
2	Masur Dal (pink Lentils) (1 cup)	18
3	Garbanzo beans (Chickpeas/ kabuli Chana/ Konda kadalai)	15
4	Protein Powder (1 scoop)	25
5	Bulgur (Dalia) (100g, cooked)	3.1
6	Quinoa (1 cup)	8
7	Roti (1 no.)	3.5
8	Spinach (100g boiled, boiled) @INR 4	3
9	Broccoli (100g boiled, boiled) @INR 28	2.4
10	Kale (100g boiled, boiled) @INR 45	4.3
11	Greenpeas (100gms, boiled)	5
12	Mung Bean Sprouts (1 cup)	5.3	5.3
13	Alfalfa Sprouts (100g)	4
14	Lettuce (100g)	0.9
15	Cucumber (100g)	0.6
16	Tomato (cooked) in one tomato (100g @INR 3)	1	5
17	Onion (Sauted) (100g)	1	3
18	Cabbage (100g)	1.3
19	Cauli Flower (100g)	1.8
20	Carrot (100g)	0.8
21	Beans (100g)	1.9
22	BeetRoot (100g)	1.7
23	Oats	6	6
24	Cashews (16 cashews = 1 oz.)	4.4	2.5
25	Peanuts (28 peanuts = 1 oz.)	6.5	3.2
26	Almonds (23 almonds = 1 oz.)	6	10 / day = 2.6
27	Walnut (14 walnut halves = 1 oz.)	4	2
28	Pistachios (42 full pistachios = approx 18 peeled?)	6	3
29	Raisins (60 raisins = 1 oz.)	0.9	0.1
30	Hemp seeds/ Powder (1 tbsp)	5.3	1 tbsp = 5.3
31	Flax Seeds (1 tbsp ~ 7g)	18	1 tbsp = 1.3
32	Sunflower Seed (100g)	20
33	Pumpkin Seed (100g)	19
34	Watermelon Seeds (100g or 600 seeds approx)	28
35	Chia Seed	17
36	Sesame Seeds (Tahini?)	6.5
37	Cumin seeds (Jeera/ jeeragam) (100g)	18	1 tbsp = 1.1
38	Mustard seeds (kadugu/ Rai ~Sarson )	26	1 tbsp = 1.6
39	Poppy Seeds	18	1 tbsp = 8.8
40	Watermelon (100g)	0.6
41	Apple	0.5
42	Coconut (100g)	3.3
43	Coconut Water (100g)	0.72
44	Hummus (1 tbsp)	1.2	1.2

Diet Update 26 October, 2014

Ever since i did my diet experiment in the beginning of last year, I have been getting more conscious about what i eat. Conscious about how it affects my body, my mind, the environment, what causes more ease and grace in life, what kinds of food causes the body strength and flexibility, etc. With so many people around the world experimenting on food and diet, i have found that the VROWN diet is the best thing and also i have written about it in my earlier blog, almost a year back. Here is the link.

However, there is lots of challenges to switch to that diet. Things like taste, attachment to old food habits, lack of motivation and time to learn the new way, inability to make the maid to cook food with less oil :( and cost (eating high protein vegan diet is like 4 or 5 times expensive), almost zero support from social group (not complaining, but comparing with the people i hang out with, i seem nutty ;) ). 

So, my new found inspiration to want to cook and my long time to desire to eat healthy food consistently have made me to start cooking by myself. I am going to be sharing my journey of learning and progress. And i am going to take whatever help i can get from field experts. Anyways, i am open for help.

You can educate/ help/ interact with me with any of the following ways:

• With new recipies (Don't give me a recipe book, I can find millions online. But i want recipies consistent with my situation).
• I am looking at hitting 150 grams of protein a day through vegan sources. I am tracking my protein consumption as best i can. Currently i am consuming about 70 grams a day. I still consume milk, butter milk, paneer and some other milk products but going forward i would like to reduce them
• Cost effective sources to get the raw materials (fruits, vegetables, etc). kale and broccoli are super expensive
• Cheer me up
• Correct my mistakes
• Challenge me with questions about my method.

--

As 26 octv 2014, on its been 1 week of successfully cooking healthy VROWN diet everyday. 

I pretty much made same type: Dal, Mix veg curry (Sabji). Considering the fact that i had to get the vegetables, wash them, learn to cook them and make them, i am really happy even though it lacked variety. Although, i threw in the some variety definitely.

This is the general pattern of cooking i followed.

Steam cook in pressure cooker: Dal, dalia and Vegetables

Base Tadka: Fry with little oil: 4 onions, 4 tomatos, herbs, spices and masala.

Dish 1: Add 1/2 base tadka to the steam cooked dal.

Dish 2: Add 1/2 base tadka to the steam cooked vegetables

Dish 3: Dalia or Roti or oats

Dish 4: Spinach, Broccoli, kale, tomato and Pudina blended juice: Steam cook (in pressure cooker) spinach, kale and brocolli for a single whistle (10 mins approx) and juice it with 4 tomatos, pudina and salt.

( I was also having a little bit of coffee and tea with milk, cookies, noodle (just once), green tea)

Approx protein consumption/ day: 70g

Targeted: 150g/ day.

--

My Ideas for next week:

• Peanuts (poha)
• Include 8-hour-soaked almonds
• Going from 2 meals/ day to 4 smaller meals/ day
• Kabuli channa (Garbanzo beans)

Review: Fireproof

Upon Rachana's insistance, I decided to watch this movie. Given the fact that it is me who is a recovering movie-aholic, a movie suggestion from her didnt go unnoticed. I had to watch it.

So i saw the movie, with her by side. First 10 minutes was spent in laughing at the pathetic acting, a non existent mainstream-movies-quality story telling and background scores. She got a bit pissed off as little did know that i knew better to judge the movie soon, that i knew to be patient enough and that i was going to give the entire movie my attention.

Then, after the initial 10 minutes, i was striken, no more laughs (at the movie). I was fully sucked in, thoroughly enjoying it.

It answers many questions like:

• What it means to be unconditionally loving and derive pleasure from the act rather than from being loved back?
• The true meaning of life (or in relationships) is in giving, not having wealth, not acquiring knowledge
• How to be a source of life, inspiration, love, fun?
• What it takes to win the heart of someone? Especially win over the heart of someone who has grown to hate you?
• How spirituality offers the awesome ways to impress a girl :)
• What it takes to save a marriage? (Marriage in truest sense)
• What the hell does it mean to be commitment?
• Patience. Patience. It sets an example of patience. I can not emphasize it enough. I do not mean the kind of patience where the world (people) treat you wrong and you doing nothing about it because you were a wuss. This kind of patience destroys the inner soul, inner warrior. No. Not that. How to patient and still be exuberant, alive and while letting the inner warrior grow. The kind of patience where you wait for the plant to grow and not expect it to germinate the next day. The wise kind of patience. 
• How to learn unconditional loving that divine is already teaching us ~ everyday ~ every second. (The scene where the father and son converse and the father stands under the jesus cross and that scene explains the answer to his son's questions. I loved that scene too much).

It has Christianity references, but i found them to be spiritual rather than religious. So, i didnt mind it. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1129423/

I ended up appreciating the relationships that i have in my life. I started recognizing where people are being truely  loving without expecting any thing in return. My mom, dad ~ in his own not-so-expressive ways, my brother, rachana, aiswarya, and more.

In conclusion, i'd say: Don't ask so many questions. Just schedule and watch it. 

Or.. If you have time for transformers latest movies or 300 part 2 or the twilights or Spidermans... uff... what nots.. If you have time for them all and gonna watch those types again.. then.. Good luck with your life!!

Weddings, West Coast and The Mountains

"The art of travel is to deviate from the plans" - from the movie The Art of Travel. 

Friday	6 June	Mumbai to trichy by train. 12 AM to next day 8.45 AM. Heather, Nora, Rishi, Justina and i. Shaili to join most likely. Tickets booked. Cost (INR)  Travel: 500 or 1500 , Food: 300,  Lodging: 0
Saturday	7 June	Arrive at trichy at the morning 9 AM. Rachana Joins us in trichy. Shop saree for heather.
Saturday	7 June	Chimman reception 7PM onwards. Party at night. Stay at trichy
Sunday	8 June	The Chimman Wedding 10.30 to 11.15AM.
Sunday	8 June	Travel back from trichy to madurai/ paramakudi (3 to 5 hours by cab). Reach gokul marriage venue. Aiswarya joins the travel team. ABC MAIDEEN MAHAL, 'D' Block Stop, Bharathi Nagar, Ramanathapuram - 623 503.
Sunday	8 June	Gokul Reception. SUPER DUPER PARTY at night. Stay arranged by gokul.
Monday	9 June	THE BIG BANG GOKUL WEDDING
Monday	9 June	Yoga session in the evening.
Tuesday	10 June	Madurai - Rameswaram - Madurai - 11 hours. 6 AM to 7 PM. Rachana and I are going. Likely to join: Heather, Dan, More gokul's friends
Wednesday	11 June	Madurai (830 PM) to Bangalore (515 AM). Bangalore (6 AM) to Hubli (130 PM) Cab pick up form from Hubli (10 - 12 RS/KM) to Dandeli wildlife sanctuary 4 PM. kamat Yatri hotel (600 for 2 people+ 150) http://www.dandelimasti.com/Hotels-and-Homestay-in-Dandeli.html
Thursday	12 June	4.30 to 8.30 AM = govt orgd Safari (400 INR) Wildlife, Nature, Adventure sports. Reach Kumta by night and settle. (Tolls: )
Friday	13 June	Kumta - Jog falls - Kumta. Either this or explore kumta.
Saturday	14 june	Kumta to Karwar = 2 hours. Check out karwar. Islands. etc. Karwar to goa = 1 hour. Night stay at Goa
Sunday	15 june	Goa - Dudhsagar Night stay at Goa.
Monday	16 June	Leave Goa by 1PM. Santi, Ice, Heather, Dan leave towards Delhi. Sudharshan, Zia and Shoaib leave the travel leave for bangalore.
Tuesday	17 June	Train (Goa to Delhi)
Wednesday	18 June	Arrive at delhi early morning. Start for Himalayas.
Thursday	19 June	Himalayas - leh, ladakh, (valley of flowers if possible). Cab Delhi - Leh - Delhi. It takes about 2 days approximately to reach leh. So we can stay over at manali, srinagar and any other spots and reach leh. so we could get about 3 days to spend in Leh. Aparently the drive from delhi to leh and back is awesome.
Friday	20 June	Himalayas. In Leh. Approximate budget in himalays. INR 2000/ day. consider food, travel, stay. So if it is 7 days = 14000. I am working on reducing it.
Saturday	21 June	Himalayas. In Leh.
Sunday	22 June	Himalayas. In Leh.
Monday	23 June	Himalayas. Start back to delhi
Tuesday	24 June	Himalayas. Start back to Delhi.
Wednesday	25 June
Thursday	26 June	Heather to reach Isha, Coimbatore. by 1PM.

Western Ghats

FAQs:

Cost?

INR 20000 to 30000.

Considering food, travel and lodging as the primary expenses, i would say 1500 to 2000 a day. I am trying to reduce it much further as my budget is not as big as my dream though. The more the merrier: 7 will be a good number. 

Prior planning, prior booking, in depth negotiations will bring the price down much. So please give me confirmations soon.

How many confirmed people so far?

1. Santhanam (me)

2. Aiswarya (through out)

3. Heather (through out)

4. Sudharshan (till 17th)

Tentative

Zia (Himalayas)

Aasta (Himalayas)

Aasta Husband (Himalayas)

Dan Dan

Albert Zhou

[Himalayas FAQ] Is this going to be a trek?

Not really. We will probably get to major places by cab or public transport and explore the local area. There are some monasteries, beautiful lake, and lots of places to go about. 

[Himalayas FAQ] Are these dates fixed?

I am not organizing tour guide. I am also new at this. Only thing is i have been to himalayas (on a 12 days trek at 5.5KM altitude) and dharamshala. So i can probably negotiate better. However i am also new to the place and going to explore. 

So, this is a rough plan. One or two days it can vary.

Plus, indian railways, and bus systems dont exactly operate on times. So we stick to the plan as best possible.

How comfortable are the journeys?

If you are and indian, then you know. Otherwise, i am planning on budget travel. That means sleeper class in trains mostly. It is not going to be comfortable. But if you have travel spirit, it will be memorable.

What about healthy food?

If you are around, i will guide you. I have an experience of travelling with a Australian-american.. so.. trust me.. i know.. :)

I am a vegetarian, and i will find out tasty healthy indian food anywhere. 

Stock up on nuts, protein powders, etc

Mainstream.. I love it.. i hate it.. i love it.. i hate it..

Mainstream places are safe. But boring too..
Places that aren't polluted by humans are risky.. But rife with adventure..

Mainstream has consumed me.. Everywhere in life.. In what to think.. how to think.. what topics to discuss with friends.. the political jokes.. the movies.. the tv shows..

There is little room for me to think new thoughts.. 

thoughts and epiphanies that come to me.. while in a surreal moment while watching a movie.. at some peak moments of meditation.. while meeting a stranger and talking to him.. while i see a facebook update from a friend who is doing something very non-mainstream.. 

All those epiphanies and legendary thoughts die .. the moment i get back to my life.. my life filled with mainstream.. thorugh TV, friends, family, and every thing that is constant in life.. that i meet everyday... 

I don't complain though..

Mainstream gives me a sense of comfort.. 

To create really solid habits.. 

To create really solid character..
which.. 

is my guidance when I delve into the unknown..

into the wild..

into the non-mainstream..
While i take the road less traveled by..
While i fight back in places when nobody around me..

So as much as i hate mainstream.. for when i stick to it.. i am only mediocre at best..

It allows me to be okay with mediocrity in certain areas of life.. 

and i go ahead and strive for excellence in other areas...

 

The lightman's Affirmations Vs the Darkman's Excuses

We all have heard the saying.. we are our own worst enemy. There are 2 parts of us. One is the person who thinks possibility ~ the dreamer ~ the angel ~ the optimist ~ the light (wo)man

The other is the one who come up with excuses ~ the pessimist ~ the wuss ~ the lazy ~ the demon ~ the procrastinator ~ the reality-check-giver ~ the dark (wo)man

The more we align with the light, the more we are motivated towards taking action. Even if we fail, we pick ourselves up and move towards taking action. we see the light in any situation. 

The more we align with the dark, we tend to give up, we lose sight of our goal, we stop dreaming, we loathe our selves, we get into addictions to run away from selves, we don't have the courage to face the facts and align with the truth.

Every time we want to have something, we get stopped because of those excuses made my the darkman. 

Replace the dark man's excuses with light man's affirmations. It is pretty fun actually when you try this in uncomfortable situations. start small and then move on to the big things. Experiment and let me know how it works out for you.

For Excuses	Affirmations
It will be difficult	I have the ability to accomplish any task that i set my mind to do.. with ease and comfort
Its going to be risky	Being myself involves no risk. It is my ultimate truth and i live fearlessly.
It will take a long time	I have infinite patience when it comes to fulfilling my own destiny
There will be family drama	I would rather be loathed for who i am than loved for who i am not
I dont deserve it	I am a divine creation. A piece of god. How could i be undeserving?
Its not my nature	My essential nature is perfect and faultless. It is to this nature that i return to
I cant afford it	I am connected to an unlimited source of abundance
No one will help me	The right circumstances and right people are already here and will show up on time
It has never happened before	I am open and willing to attract all that i desire beginning here and now
I am not strong enough	i have access to unlimited assistance. My strength comes from my connection to my source
I am not smart enough	I'm a creation of the divine mind, all is perfect and I am a genius on my own right.
I am too old/ I am not old enough	I am an infinite being. the age of my body has no bearing on what i do or who I am.
The rules wont let me	I live my life according to divine rules
Its too big	I think only about what i can do now. By thinking small i accomplish great things.
I don't have the energy	I feel passionately about my life. And this passion fills me with excitement and energy
Its my family history	I live in the present moment by being grateful for all my life experiences as a child
I'm too busy	As i unclutter my life, i free myself to answer the calling of my soul
I'm too scared	I can accomplish anything I put my mind to because i know I'm never alone.

Thanks to Dr. Wayne Dyer for this!