Kiran Sawhney

So this is what I had for breakfast today morning 1 small helping of Upma- I have actually measured it with a small bowl as you can see. 4 pieces of watermelon 4 pieces of soaked and peeled almonds Calories: Upma- 166 4 almonds- 28 watermelon- 16 Total: 210 The calories in 1 cup almonds are 1000 and calories in 10 almonds are 70. So, considering  how many calories almonds contain , how can a food like this be good for you? Almonds Nutrition Facts  Even though nuts are known to provide a variety of protective benefits from a cardio health perspective, a lot of people avoid them when dieting, fearing almonds will keep them from losing weight. However, the  health benefits  of eating almonds  (and the benefits of nuts in general) reveal they actually aid weight loss! Almonds  nutrition facts:  Almonds contain high amounts of heart healthy monounsaturated fat and vitamin E and reduce LDL cholesterol levels, as well as the risk for heart disease. LDL choles...

Oils for Emotional Well-Being For an introduction to using essential oils to aid the emotions. Anger Bergamot, Jasmine, Neroli, Orange, Patchouli, Petitgrain, Roman Chamomile, Rose, Vetiver, Ylang Ylang Anxiety Bergamot, Cedarwood, Clary Sage, Frankincense, Geranium, Lavender, Mandarin, Neroli, Patchouli, Roman Chamomile, Rose, Sandalwood, Vetiver Confidence Bay Laurel, Bergamot, Cypress, Grapefruit, Jasmine, Orange, Rosemary Depression Bergamot, Clary Sage, Frankincense, Geranium, Grapefruit, Helichrysum, Jasmine, Lavender, Lemon, Mandarin, Neroli, Orange, Roman Chamomile, Rose, Sandalwood, Ylang Ylang Fatigue, Exhaustion and Burnout Basil, Bergamot, Black Pepper, Clary Sage, Cypress, Frankincense, Ginger, Grapefruit, Helichrysum, Jasmine, Lemon, Patchouli, Peppermint, Rosemary, Sandalwood, Vetiver Fear Bergamot, Cedarwood, Clary Sage, Frankincense, Grapefruit, Jasmine, Lemon, Neroli, Orange, Roman Chamomile Sandalwood, Vetiver Grief Cypress, Frankincense, Helichrysum, Neroli, Rose, S...

Continued from the Last post.. Q: But how to have people to get out from their anger because sometimes it is so difficult to be with them because of their anger? Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:  Yeah, how to help people come out of anger? Only through WISDOM! Knowledge, wisdom and meditation. Q: What if one of our levels of existence has been affected by shock or something, like memory, is it necessary to transcend and reach the self or how does that impact? Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:  >Meditation! Just exactly what you are doing - yoga, pranayama, meditation, it heals everything. See, we have given so much shock to our body, used it and misused it that it needs this kind of attention.  Similarly, we have used and misused our breath, our mind and our intellect that our whole system has been in Topsy turvy, in turmoil and all this gets stored in the memory but remember they all can be easily handled through the practice of meditation. Once you go to the SELF, it heals the memory also....

Recently, this card was hand delivered to me. First have a look at it. How very thoughtful. This is one card that I will cherish all my life. It is so special. It felt so special to receive it.  I truly think that this girl is an angel- God sent. I actually visualize her with her wings and wand, showering her glittering stars. She is so special. And I TRULY mean it. Ok another new thing in my life. I took my first Tango lesson and attended the first Tango party and enjoyed it so much. Here are a couple of pics that were shot at the party. Dress: Max Mara Tango sandals: A guy in Mumbai makes them on order.  Yes, I also took my first lesson of playing snooker. Liked it.

Sri Sri: Decision comes only when there is confusion. When there is no confusion then there is no decision. For example, if there is a piece of wood and a biscuit on your desk, you don't decide which one to eat, isn't that right? Decision is always about choice and choice is always confusing. So, all decision-makers are confused! (Laughter) Action is spontaneous when there is no actor. In you, there is an actor and there is a witness. An actor is either confused or decisive, but the witness realizes that the action is spontaneous and smiles. The more decisions you make, the more confused you are, and as a result you swing between pain and pleasure. The more the witness grows in you, the more playful and untouched you are. Trust, faith, love and joy all manifest in and around you. Are you confused, decided or happy now? Eberhard: Confusion is too strong of an expression. Is it not rather "choice"? Urmila: We are decided that choice is confusion. (Everyone laughs) Hans ...

What Sri Sri said today... 26 August 2010 Q: Basically I don’t really know how to say it, it’s a question I have been asking myself for a very long time and it might seem a bit awkward but as I look at the whole universe and see everything is interrelated, I really wonder how the human kind is really useful in the system and are we of any use while we are here? Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:  Very good question! What is the purpose of life, why are we here? And you know you should give a pat on your back. If this question has come into your life that means your intellect is mature. There are millions of people who live their whole life without even asking this question, ‘what is the purpose of life? Why am I here?’ They simply eat, drink, watch television, make love or fight, and die. They have no idea; they don’t even stop for a minute and think what life is? Who am I? What do I want? What can I do and how can I be useful? None of these questions even cross anybody’s mind; if it has come i...

One thing I will continue to do is take care of my heath. Does this make me selfish. Probably but I am okay with it. One of my keys to health is to stay away from sugar. The product that so many have people addicted. Here are some facts about Sugar that you deserve to know. Sugar causes degeneration which contributes to fat and plague building up in our bodies. It depletes our body’s stores of Vitamins and Minerals Ex. Transport of Vitamin C It interferes with essential fatty acid Ex.  Inhibits the release of Linolic acid Lowers the function of the adrenal and immune systems Ex. Supports food allergies and destroys tissues Lacking in bulk and fiber Ex. Slows down speed at which food passes through the digestive tract.

Faith and Doubt Faith brings totality in you. It pulls together all the loose ends of your consciousness. It integrates your whole personality. Doubt scatters you. Doubt destroys you. Worries Washed Away You can do this as an experiment: when you are very worried or tense, just sit by a flowing river or gushing water and just keep looking at the water. You know, within few moments you feel as though like a magnetic pull, that your mind is being pulled in the direction of the flow of water...and in a short while all that anguish, delusion, whatever you had, [with] the flowing water it all flows away. You become fresh. Influencing All Levels When you meditate, you are not just bringing a harmony within yourself, but you are influencing the subtle layers of creation, the subtle bodies of all the different levels of existence in the creation. The Human Body There is hope for every soul, for every human being, to live unconditional love. That is why human body is so precious---because in th...

Vermicelli is a healthy, low calorie breakfast and you can make it anytime you want to make one pot meal. I use Bambino sevai made of hard wheat and semolina (sooji). You can add any number of vegetables to this to make it more nutritious. By using pre- roasted vermicelli, you can cut back on the quantity of oil used plus your labor. Recipe of Vermicelli ½ cup sevai (vermicelli) 1 tsp chana dal (Bengal gram) 1 tsp dhuli urad dal (split black gram) ½ tsp mustard seeds 2 tsp peanuts 1 onion- chopped 2 green chillies- chopped Vegetables like green peas and carrot (diced) 2 cup water 4 tsp oil Salt to taste ½ tsp turmeric powder 1. Heat 2 tsp oil in a non- stick pan and roast sevai till golden. Take out sevia from the pan. 2. Heat 2 tsp oil in the same pan and add mustard seeds. When they splutter, add chana dal and after 2-3 seconds, add urad dal, peanuts and broken cashews. Roast till light brown. See to it that they don’t get burned. 3. Add onion and green chillies. Sauté for few second...

Q: I know it is bad and yet I do it. Why do I do it? And how to get rid of this? Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:  You know it is bad and you still do it. Why do you do it, are you asking me? That is ok. You should wish that circumstances would change and know that opposite values are complementary. That gives you the strength. And, know that things change. There are only two reasons why you don’t follow knowledge or wisdom: First: Bad habits. Old habits don’t leave you so fast. Second: Your temptation of doing wrong gives some pleasure. For example, you know that eating too much of ice cream would increase your sugar level as your doctor has warned you, but your temptation says, 'No, I should eat that. Just one more day let me eat it.' You do it because it gives you pleasure. It is ok,  you can violate the laws as long as you are ready to take the consequences . Eating after 8 pm is not good, you know? But if you still do, then keep awake in the night, keep burping and keep suffering wi...

There are two types of compassion. One is the compassion of the wise, one is that of the ignorant. An ignorant person's compassion is on the fruit of an action whereas a wise person's compassion is towards the non-availability of knowledge. Compassion for suffering shows ignorance. Suffering comes because of karma, and if you believe in karma, where is compassion? One reaps the fruit of one's actions. If a judge has compassion for all the offenders then the jails will be empty. At the same time, are the judges cruel to the offenders? No; the judges' compassion is for the non-availability of knowledge, not for the suffering of the criminals. It is their karma. Often people think compassion is an act, an action. Know that compassion is your very nature. Then you will see that karma and compassion are not contradictory but complement each other. Suppose two people come to a hospital. One is suffering from starvation, the other is ill from overeating. What type of compassio...

I just read Shuchita's blog pos t and totally went into introspective mood. I thought, I had to write this. Career vs family responsibility for a woman. Generally, it is the woman who gives up on their high flying careers for the sake of family and gets financially dependent on her man. Sometimes, they are forced to do so by their families/partner/circumstances and sometimes they do it out of choice. They are devoted housewives, mother etc. But as their kids grow older, they look back and regret. They are financially dependent and sometimes less respected. On the other hand, if they choose their corporate jobs, they live in a guilt of leaving their small kids and spending less time with them. So how to strike a right balance? Well I can only talk about myself here. I had a similar dilemma. I am a very family person. My priority would always be my children, come what may. I could not have survived a corporate job when I would leave in the morning and see my child in the evening. I l...