MommyReturns

Ikigai-Chapter I

Ikigai- The art of staying young while growing old

Have you ever wondered why people who are physically fit, who are very conscious on their diet too, die very early. I was thinking on these same lines for a long time. This book finally gave me the answer.

We think Longevity is just associated only with physical fitness. But it has got a lot to do with the other aspects of life. This book will help you, in not only learning the art of longevity but also pave a path to find the love of your life-your passion. Every chapter of this book gives you little nuggets to lead a happy and healthy life. I highly recommend you to buy this book and I bet this book will definitely change your perspective towards life.

What is Ikigai?

Ikigai is the art of staying young, while growing old. It is the reason we wake up in the morning. In simple words it is the reason you live for.Having a clear defined ikigai brings happiness,satisfaction and meaning to your lives.

The Japanese island of Okinawa, where ikigai has its origins, is said to be home to the largest population of centenarians in the world. I watched a documentary in YouTube on the island of Okinawa and I was fascinated to see people even at the age of 100, were able to walk normally, dance their heart, socialize with their friends and most importantly they were happy beyond words.

When we have only seen people, who cannot even get up from bed at the age of 80, and perform their daily tasks but this was truly amazing to watch. Another surprising thing is people living in Japan, never retire. They keep doing what they love for life.

The striking feature of this book is the moment you open the first chapter they give you their secret of longevity.

When you read this book, keep a journal or notebook handy. This will help you figure out a lot about yourself. The first chapter opens with the basic question. What is Ikigai and how to find your Ikigai.

Answering the four questions below will help you take the first baby step towards longevity.

1.What you love?

2.What you are Good at?

3.What the world needs?

4.What you can be paid for?

PASSION

Once you have jotted down the answers, for what you love and what you are good at, look out for the answers that are common in both the questions. That is going to be your passion. We should note that “What you are good at” is where you have to create a list of things you can accomplish in significantly less time without investing a lot of effort. It is like something that you are naturally good at, than others.

For example,

What I love is blogging,singing, reading books, fitness, traveling,fashion designing, terrace gardening, preparing bioenzymes, teaching children and painting. But What I am good at is blogging, painting and teaching children. I am working on improving my other areas of interest. So the three skills I have mentioned, is something I can accomplish in significantly less time. So this is my passion.

MISSION

See what you love is what the world needs. For example, I love blogging and the world too needs a lot of bloggers. So this is my mission.

VOCATION

This world needs a lot of bloggers, but can I be paid for it? Yes I can be paid for my writing skills. Vocation is a strong feel of suitability to a particular occupation. So my vocation is blogging.

PROFESSION

Now we have to see what we are good at and what we can be paid for? Say for example, I love fashion designing, but I do not know to design. So I cannot be paid for it. This way, you can find your profession. So now I love blogging, painting and teaching children. I can be paid for all of the above. Hence this forms my profession.

IKIGAI

See what intersects in the answers for all four questions. There we have arrived at finding our happiness, our passion and this is something that is going to help us stay young. To me, it is blogging. I loose myself when I start writing and though I invest a lot of time, it rejuvenates me. Hence my Ikigai is BLOGGING.

Now what’s stopping you. Start pursuing your Ikigai and you are going to be happy for life. It will take sometime to complete this exercise. Stay patient. Get inputs from you family members and friends about say your best qualities,if you are unable to figure it out by yourself. You can also get necessary inputs from your life experiences. They act as a best guide, because you would have pursued something very passionately with josh but later you would have figured out, it doesn’t work best for you. So take some time to answer all the questions as this process is going to change your life.

Whatever you do, do not retire

In the hustle bustle of this world, we wake up to the call of our phone alarm and before even we realize it is morning, we have to run to the kitchen and cook, then get the children ready to school and rush to office in the long standing never moving ever stressing traffic. Once we reach the office, before we sit and take a deep breath we have to attend meetings, complete tasks before the deadline, have deliberate patience in trying to explain things to clients and co workers, though it is like sitting on a seat and working, it always seems like we are sitting on a SATI fire(facing the heat,right). Then after a tiresome day, when we return home, there we have all the household chores that requires immediate attention, winking at us. Once you complete everything, help children with homework, have dinner and when you reach the bed and before even you can think, if it was a happy day,did you do something for yourself,you sleep…. The same routine, when it continues for years , you feel someday you have to runaway from this stress and you eagerly start awaiting the day of retirement.

Image result for the daily work of a mom

We feel if we don’t retire and continue facing the same stress for years, we are going to die because of it.

But the most surprising thing about Japanese culture is they don’t retire.They say, when you have a purpose in life, that you love, that you are awaiting every morning with love to start working on it, you enjoy every moment doing it, you loose yourself and feel rejuvenated by doing it, then where comes the question of retirement. Such an amazing and powerful thought!!! Now I get your mind voice. Maybe they are doing what they love. They were lucky to pursue their passion. Let us also frame a life like them.To understand if our current job is our passion, answer these questions.

Are we doing something we love?

Are we awaiting the moment,to go to office everyday?

Are we enjoying our day at work where even hours seem like just minutes?

If your answer for all these questions is a

BIG NO, THEN YOU ARE NOT PURSUING YOUR PASSION.YOU ARE NOT AT THE RIGHT JOB.

When you pursue your passion, it turns into a beautiful bridge where your challenges meet your skill.

So every challenge is very interesting and you find innovative ways to resolve it. But when you are doing something that’s not your cup of tea, then the stress is going to kill you day by day. Stress is the root cause of all health ailments.

Now you would have understood, nobody other than you can design a life of happiness and longevity. So now break the cuff links of the job that you don’t like and take the risk to pursue something you love, something you don’t want to stop doing for the rest of your life. That’s the secret of a never retiring happy life.

Blue Zones and the island of eternal youth

Image result for blue zones of the world

Blue Zones are the geographic regions in the world, where people live the longest. These five regions were identified and analyzed in the book “BLUE ZONES” by Dan Buettner. In these regions, Okinawa holds the first place. People in the Blue Zones not only live long, but also suffer from very few chronic illness and inflammatory disorders. Women experience very moderate symptoms during menopause and the rate of dementia is below the global average. Analyzing the lives of people in the Blue Zones, we can find that their secret to longevity is diet, exercise, finding a purpose in life(Ikigai) and their social ties. They neither do any sternuous exercise and build six pack nor go on any fab diets. Their solution and approach towards life is very simple.

They fill their stomach only 80%, walk to all the places rather than depending on a vehicle, allocate time to socialize with friends, and work on their vegetable gardens.

The 80% secret

Why should we fill our belly only to 80%? Nowadays with the growing responsibilities even if we eat 100% we don’t feel full. Then where is the question of eating only 80%. First let us know why ancient wisdom advises against eating 100% full. Once we do overeating it will start wearing down the digestive processes. It will slow down the series of metabolic processes which produce energy. Have you ever noticed, you always feel dull and lazy after a heavy meal. This is the reason. Continuous overeating slows down your energy levels and you become lazy for the rest of your life. Now you got this concept. Next how to find our stomach has reached 80% capacity. That’s very simple, connect with your body and food. Your body will give you the signal when you are 80% full. But nowadays we watch TV or play on our mobiles while eating. Once you don’t mindfully eat your food, you are never going to get that signal. Eat for your well being and nourishment. Enjoy that process and soon you will witness, you have stopped gaining that extra pounds.

According to Japanese,the way the food is served also plays a major role. They present their meals in small plates. It gives an illusion that they eat more, but actually they eat less. In this way, the variety is more, quantity is less and you have fulfilling meal. Their diet is rich in tofu, sweet potato, fish, vegetables and in antioxidant rich foods.

MOAI: Connected for life

PC:https://www.bluezones.com/2018/08/moai-this-tradition-is-why-okinawan-people-live-longer-better/

Why are social ties important?

In small neighborhoods across Okinawa, friends “meet for a common purpose” (sometimes daily and sometimes a couple days a week) to gossip, experience life, and to share advice and even help with financial assistance when needed. They call these groups their moai. They set monthly contributions to the group and use them for the group activities. If a member of moai is in financial trouble, they are generous enough to help from the group’s savings. They do not meet for gossip and chatter. They support and respect each other.

“Each member knows that her friends count on her as much as she counts on her friends. If you get sick or a spouse dies or if you run out of money, we know someone will step in and help. It’s much easier to go through life knowing there is a safety net.”
From a Okinawa’s 100 years aged women

When we live in apartments, where we do not even know the name of our neighbor, the Japanese have built a strong community that motivates them for life. When you are lonely, the mere thought that you do not have a shoulder to cry on itself leads to stress. When you live in a healthy, happy and positively engaging network you are going to enjoy your time. Happiness helps increase life expectancy.

You can click the image below to buy this book.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Find your Ikigai
Blue Zones secret-Diet, Exercise, Ikigai and Social ties
Fill your stomach only 80%- Small plates,more variety
Form a community that nurtures you for life

MINDMAP OF THIS CHAPTER

Conclusion

This is a summary of the first chapter of the book Ikigai. I am doing a summary of every chapter. So stay tuned to Mommy Returns.

Why open or loose hair is bad for us?

I have always been skeptical when people ask me to tie my hair. I felt they are always unable to accept the latest trend and simply try to enforce all old school philosphies. When asked for reason,nobody gave a convincing reason. So I decided to research on this topic and was surprised to know a lot of facts. Hair on our head is there to do more than just to look good. Let us dive into the this topic and I am sure after reading this post you will have a different perspective about your hair.

Hair has an amazing power

You will notice all of our religious practises have got something to do with hair.

Staring from birth, when a child is born we tonsure on or before their first birthday.

When someone dies, the family member, who performed the last rituals end up tonsuring their hair in some religions.

Brahmins who recite mantras on a daily basis have a tuft of hair called Shikha at the back of their head.

Even in history it says that when Genghis Khan conquered China, he considered the Chinese to be very wise, intelligent people who would not allow themselves to be subjugated. He therefore required all women in the country to cut their hair and wear bangs, because he knew this would serve to keep them timid and more easily controlled.

So everything around us, is interlinked with hair. Let us demystify the significance of hair.

It is said that,hair acts like an antenna absorbing the energy around us. The cosmic energy enters through the ends of the hair, and transfers that energy to the nervous system which travels down the spine. A simple way to realise this is, when you encounter any threat you get goosebumps. It is because of hairs in action alerting the brain. Hair throughout our body has appropriate functions and send signals to brain.

As claimed by Yogi Bhajan, “when we allow the hairs to reach their full length the minerals and nutrients can then enter the spinal fluid. This aids in improving memory and elevating the energy levels.

By cutting hairs, we stop this useful flow as now the mineral and nutrients have to first work to grow back the hair again.”

Why should we not have unbound/loose hair?

Hair attracts negative energies to a greater extent. If you notice,Gods like Kali have ubounded hair as they are ferocious,violent and aggressive. When unfastened hair rub against each other and due to friction Raja Tama energy is generated.It becomes easy for the negative energies to release and store distressing energy in an individual with the help of this flowing Raja Tama energy.

Later, through effective spread of this distressing energy, the possibility of a negative energy entering the body of the individual increases.

When a woman leaves her hair open, the Raja component within her hair increases even further. An increase in the Raja subtle-component tends to make a person’s mind more fickle(not constant in thoughts) and also increases the tendency to be frivolous. You might notice in all mythological stories that when women unbounded their hair,there was a destruction. Panjali promised not to tie her hair until the Gauravas were killed. Sita Devi did not braid her hair till Ravanan was killed. When women leave their hair open there is a significant possibility of destruction. That’s why our elders always insist on tying a knot at the end even after hair wash.

This fickleness of the mind can be taken advantage of by negative energies to affect a woman and make her do and say things she normally wouldn’t.

What does science say?

All matter (solids, liquids, gasses) are made of particles called atoms. All atoms are made of sub-atom particles called “electrons”, “protons”, and “neutrons”. These sub-atom’s all have electromagnetic fields. That means all things are basically made of mini magnets.

Dirt, water, air, and even photons are all made of “mini-magnets”.Actually your entire brain is made of magnets that interact with each other. Your hair is like magnetic flux lines exiting your body. Your hair plays many important roles for your body. The least known role is that of antenna. Your hair is capable of sending/receiving information to and from your body exactly like a radio antenna, and exactly like the antenna described in biology. Your hair balances the body’s electromagnetic field and also attracts the energies around it.

So when you leave your hair open,you keep the antenna (your hair) more active to absorb everything from the environment. If there is negativity in the environment you are going to absorb it and get into trouble.

The Raja Tama energy id the same reason why men who performed the last rituals for their parents tonsure their head. Once someone dies, the body starts the process of decomposition. The environment in the home becomes Raja-Tama predominant because of negative vibrations emitting from the body of deceased. Our hair has a tendency to quickly absorb such waves. Hence the person has a tendency to suffer from headache,numbness and a lot of health issues. Men who actively participate in final rites are prone to get affected. That’s why they must shave off their head completely and others take a hair bath immediately after last rites. They even clean their home completely to avoid getting affected.

What is the ideal practice?

During the day hair absorbs solar energy and at night our hair absorbs lunar energy.

So coil your hair up during the day into a Rishi knot to energize the brain cells with solar energy and braid your hair in evening basically at the start of night and do not leave the ends of the hair exposed. That’s why in olden days they used Kunjalam or Kunjam to tie at the end of the hair. Loose scattered hair might attract energies and also practically cause split ends.

Now you might think,men always have loose hair. Won’t this concept be applicable to them.

At a spiritual level, men generally have less of the Raja subtle-component than women; hence they are less emotional and are also less sensitive. They also have a higher ability to fight with negativity. As a result, they are less prone to a subtle-attack because of their hair being cut. Men have a higher ability to imbibe Sattva component with short and open hair. It is therefore recommended for men to keep their hair short. Hair grown long by men increases the subtle-heat in their body and disturbs their inner stability. It also leads to men being more fickle minded.

You might have noticed Sadhus having a tuft of hair at the back of their head.

This is because our body has seven chakras, starting from the base, mooladara chakra to Sahashra chakra. The life energy(Kundalini) lies coiled in the base chakra and with the help of yogic exercises and meditation we can uncoil it and rise it up to reach Sahashra Chakra. A Brahmin’s final goal is to reach this final Union or state of perfection. To protect that Sahashra Chakra he retains a tuft of hair at the top of his head. It is believed that sun is the cleanest form of energy. So the rest part of his head is shaved to soak the rays of sun when he does Sandhayvandanam.

Braiding advantages

Braiding protects the hair to a greater extent from getting tangled.

Braiding applies a mild pressure on the hair roots that stimulate hair growth. If braided too tightly,it will hamper the whole process.

Hair breakage stops significantly.

Again hair growth depends a lot on genetics and your diet. If the other two components are proper then try braiding your hair and you will notice a significant difference.

Conclusion

Our ancestors say, braiding has a philosophy behind it. They relate braiding to a successful women’s character in a family.

For braiding,we part the hair into three divisions. The first division is her parents’ home(the home she was born) and the third division is her in law’s home. She is the middle division. If you notice,after braiding you notice only two divisions. The middle division becomes invisible. That means, a woman being in the middle of both her home and her in law’s home should braid it together into a family invisibly doing it. She holds the power to build or break a family🤩.

Pearls of Wisdom-Deivathin Kural-Advaitham

Deivathin Kural is truly the Voice of God. Only God can give us such a treasure of knowledge, which can lead us to the right path to attain eternal bliss. God talks to us through this book. I would say, this book should be a must-have in every household. In this chapter, MahaPeriyava not only explains what is Advaitham but also gives us the steps to follow to attain it.That’s the attribute of a best teacher. They teach the concepts and also guide us practically through the steps involved. Following all the steps mentioned in this chapter will keep you happy for life. The same concepts mentioned in this book, is what all the Amazon’s bestseller self improvement books too emphasize on. Our Acharya, has handed over this treasure with so much love a long time back. But we failed to connect with our roots and now we are searching in the whole world for it. It’s not too late.. There are lots of takeaways from this chapter for life. So please read till the end.

What is Advaitham

Our philosophy/ Sidhantham says there are two classifications.

1.Jeevathama-Jeevathama is something that you can see and feel.

2. Paramathama-Something you cannot see.(The God)

For example:We see all the different electrical appliances running in our home on a daily basis like fan, A/C, Washing machine, etc..But everything runs on a single entity called electricity. It is the same with our life. We are all different human beings. But we all run on the same electricity “THE PARAMATHMA“.

Paramathma has manifested into different beings, but the energy is one.

Since we are unable to see it visually, we are unable to believe it. You might question, how can I believe something that is not visible? The answer is simple.. Can you say why sweet is sweet? You have never seen it. But you tell that from your experience. The same applies here. To understand Advaitham, you have to feel to experience it.

As long as there is human life, there will be desire, sorrow, joy, enmity. Once you are relieved of such desires you reach the state of eternal bliss called, Moksha. When we start believing whatever we see is Paramathama(The God), nothing is going to affect us. We suffer because we are the poisonous snakes ourselves. Advaitham is the state of truth. You would have witnessed saints are not afflicted by any sufferings and mental agitation. It is because, they practice Advaitham. This world is an illusion and when you realize that, you experience containment.

There have been many researches done on this subject.There are two philosophies that were most prevalent in olden days.

1.Dvaitam

The Dvaita Vedanta believes was founded in 13th century by Madhvacharya. This Vedanta believes that God and the individual souls exist as independent realities, and these are distinct.

2.Advaitam-(Dva means two, A means Not. So Advaitam means it is not two)

The Advaita Vednta is a school of Hindu Philosophy which says god and individual souls are one and the same. Science also expounds the truth of Advaita. Actors might play different characters, but at the end of the day it is just a single person who plays the different characters. It is the same concept with Advaitam.

50 years ago,scientists discovered that all things are made up of 72 different elements. But all these 72 elements are not different from each other. They are the manifestation of the same energy.

So now we understand Brahmam is the only transcendental truth and this world is just pragmatic truth.

The scientists understood the truth of Advaitham, all elements are the manifestation of the same energy and misused it by preparing atomic bombs. This is why,in earlier days the secrets of Advaitham was passed on only to intellects by Gurus who will evaluate first, if they will make best use of it.

How to attain the Moksha?

Now that we know, what is Advaitham let us discuss how do we attain Moksha through Advaitham.

Once we hear the word, Moksha we think it is something that’s attained after death or it is something that can be experienced in Vaikundam or Kailash.

But MahaPeriyava puts it very beautifully, Moksha is not something you are going to attain newly. Moksha is like a state of truth in free form. Just as the space is spread all over the universe, it is encapsulated inside us in a pot(our body). Once this pot breaks, both becomes one. Worldly life is a delirium caused by the fever called illusion.

Let us consider, in our life, we first would have thought getting a job after school is going to give happiness. Once we get a job, after sometime we feel bored and think marriage would bring happiness. After sometime you get used to this routine and feel children bring in happiness. We search for happiness in everything that is materialistic.

But true happiness is inside you. Advaitham helps you seek that happiness in you.

MahaPeriyava gives us a step by step guide to reach that happiness.

Step1: Find the Eternal bliss

It is difficult to scrutinize every thought and things around us.We need our own experiences to get convinced.. We always clutter our home with unwanted things. Only during shifting home,we realize we have loaded our home with a lot of things that doesn’t spark joy. Though we know it is of no use to us,Ignorance doesn’t allow us to throw all unwanted things..So first and foremost, we should develop that detached attitude. Keep only things, people and emotions that spark joy.

MahaPeriyava says, more than being keen in keeping things we want, we should be ready to discard things that we don’t want. It applies to things and also our thoughts. Once we have identified what is essential for us, then go to Step 2.

Step 2:Develop Will power and Determination

Once we have decided what to keep and what to discard, we should also have the willpower to adhere to the process for a long time. Say you start on your fitness journey. You need that willpower to stick to diet and gym routine to adapt a healthy lifestyle. Otherwise you are going to soon meet failure.

Once you have decided some thoughts, people or things are not important, then never look back. They don’t spark joy in your life. A simple real life example is we always love eating junk. We know its not good for our health. Still we love to relish it and are unable to control ourselves. You need that Willpower and detached attitude to say “NO” to things that are not healthy for you. This is why we fail most of the times. We fall for the illusion in this world.

These illusions distract us from attaining moksha. What we need to build, is a super strong version of our self with phenomenal Willpower to stay on this journey to attain moksha.

Step 3: Results require Patience

Once we have developed the willpower to stay committed, next we should start enjoying the process rather than expecting the end result. Good things take time. Let us take the same example.. You have started your fitness journey. In three months you cannot expect a body like a supermodel. It takes time and lots of patience to wait for the result. Instead if you enjoy the process of exercising, you will start feeling good about yourself. Results will then be a part of it.

What you derive is a super confident happy version of your self. So stay patient and you will see yourself blossoming soon. You cannot attain moksha in one shot. It requires huge amount of patience.

Step 4: Stay away from Negativity/Distractions

Once you have developed the will power, you should learn how to handle distractions. Say you are on a diet and you go for a wedding. You get tempted with all sweets, and yield to it forgetting your diet, then you fail.

When we understand it’s not good, develop will power to stay away.

Once you are on your fitness journey and people around you say it is not going to work, then do not yield to such negativity.

When you are on the path to moksha there are a lot of distractions and you should figure out how to handle all the hurdles on your way.

Step 5: Do not get addicted to the happiness that your result gives

Say, you have lost 10 kgs and achieved your first goal. Everyone appreciates you for the transformation. You get addicted to the happiness that result gave you. Now for some reasons, you are not able to loose more weight as you were able to do in the beginning, this should not deter you from pushing hard. You should develop the will power to not get attached to any happiness that temporary results gives you.

Develop that anti fragile personality who can never be broken down or lured towards temporary joy.

Happiness is like a fixed deposit in your bank. Based on your good Karma, you stay happy. Once you have exhausted that fixed deposit, its time to suffer. But we should become an anti fragile person who cannot be carried away by the worldly pleasures. Develop the will power to stay away from things that are not permanent. When you stay unaffected by problems, at a point the problems will feel there is no impact on us. So they leave us ultimately.

Don’t expect and get addicted to results..

Happiness is inside you.Everyone’s research is in the outside world .Research yourself.Know yourself first then spend time analyzing others.Every janma, we are trying to learn how to find the path to happiness.

Be strong not to get distracted..

The beauty is when you try to leave everything and go, Maya doubles your troubles. Say, we think Sanyasis have to leave their home, not get married, devote their life to God. They are super happy. But when they leave their home, they get a new home called Mutt, when they try to leave all the happiness and sadness that life brings in due to work and marriage, what they get in mutt is they have worry for the welfare of the devotees. Now it is not just one family. So the Maya has tripled the problems when you try to leave it. Now what can be done? Nothing other than start enjoying it.

MahaPeriyava says the best Pariharam for all troubles is to start enjoying the troubles. At a stage, you will find that it stops affecting you.

MahaPeriyava says, once you follow all these steps mentioned above and reach the state of eternal bliss you will be blessed with six gifts.

Samam– Now you are a person with complete self control.

Damam– You learn how to control your senses. You do not yield to all the sensory pleasures.

Uparabdhi– Your mind and athma become interlinked with each other. You stay undisturbed by your surroundings.

Dhidhikshai– You develop Patience.. You understand process takes time and result is not your focus.

Asthigan– You become a self confident person.

Samadhanam– You enjoy the eternal bliss.

You have fought through every stage like rice inside the pressure cooker.. Now once the pressure is released, eat the food happily. That is Moksha.

Conclusion

Whatever you do,result will come only with blessings of divine power.

Without the divine power driving you, it is merely impossible to reap the fruits of success. You can attain this knowledge to reach the path of success only from two of them in this world- one is Guru and the other is God. Only a true Guru rescues you from the path of illusion and helps you understand that Happiness is innate and your ignorance is driving you to search outside. When the Guru and God becomes one, and by following these steps everybody is happy ,then how can Paramathma and Jeevatham be different.

It is one according to the philosophy of Advaitham.

If everyone attains this state of mind, everybody stays happy..If all experience the same happiness then how can it be two..It is one..That’s Advaitham..

How to setup a Montessori home Environment for kids

Why should you setup a home Environment for kids?

It is said that a child’s development is highly dependent on the environment in which it lives. Children between the age of 0-6 have an absorbent mind. What does that mean? Their mind is like a sponge, that absorbs everything from the environment. Just like you have a “Chitti Robot” at home and beware everything is being recorded and stored in subconscious mind.

I would say, I have become highly disciplined after becoming a parent😂

I am not frightening you. But just telling you the make the best use of this phase. I know many parents are intrigued to do it, but do not know how to setup an environment that is child friendly. Many parents I have met, think setting up a Montessori environment at home is going to shoot a big hole in their pocket. It’s truly a myth. Montessori is not just about materials,but it is a way of living. If you are not understanding the underlying philosophy and merely setting up activities,then what you are doing is not Montessori. Don’t worry.. This post is going to be your one stop guide for everything you need to setup a home environment with the all the links to buy the products. So let’s get started.

Let us first divide our kids room into four corners.

1.Activity corner

2.Reading corner

3.Music corner

4. Art corner

Also decide the color of your kid’s room. The color of the room is of prime importance as it should not distract the kids. Lots of jarring colors irritate them and every color has a color psychology behind it. So choose mild colors. Since my daughter likes pink, I have chosen mild pink color for her room. Pink is also known as a mentally calming color. The environment should be built in such a way that it is conducive for their growth.

Activity corner

Why should you do activities with your kids?

I have seen many moms thinking on the same line, is activities really worth its time.Why not, allow them to enjoy their childhood. Why should we stress on learning when they are going to do this throughout their life. The answer is here…

A child is capable of learning anything and everything on Earth from the age of 0-6..As their mind is like a sponge, if we give them the best to learn, it is going to benefit them throughout their life. Do not always think of buying fancy toys and setting up shelves.

Say, a simple practical life activity like pounding, scooping, pouring, transferring is going to do a perfect job and it keeps them occupied for hours together.

Doing activity doesn’t mean they are not allowed to play or socialize with friends. Play is a child’s work. By setting up activities we are not going to test their skills, but build them. A child’s physical development and mental development should go hand in hand. So give some outdoorsy play and do some simple activities at home instead of giving them screen time. Also these activities promote independence. A child is able to handle the material on it’s own. This builds a happy and confident child.

So where to get started? Setup an activity shelf.

Philosophy behind activity shelf setup

An activity shelf serves their most essential PSYCHOLOGICAL need, the order. A child will pick up a tray with both hands and once she has done playing with it, she will put it back in the same place. She can always find it in the same place. This gives a sense of security to the child. You might have always noticed, children sense even the minute changes in the environment. They might throw a tantrum if any object is not found or misplaced.

It is because of their sensitiveness to order. If everything is in order, you can find a child calm and happy.

“… nature endows a child with a sensitiveness to order. It is a kind of inner sense that distinguishes the relationships between various objects rather than the objects themselves. … Such an environment provides the foundation for an integrated life.” – Maria Montessori, The Secret of Childhood, p. 55

You need not spend on fancy activity shelf. I have re purposed an old wardrobe as Montessori shelf. The top portion, I use to store all the supplies required to setup activities on a daily basis and the bottom part I use as Montessori Shelf.

All you need two to three shelves with partitions. Child should be able to freely pick up the material and put it back without any hassles. See what works best for you.

If you want to buy one, you can find them in the link below.

Note: This post is not sponsored.

https://kidoenterprises.com/cabinet-shelves-with-2-partitions/

In the activity corner you can setup many activities which can be mostly based on the following.

Practical Life: Pouring, scooping, transferring, screwing and unscrewing of lids, cutting, sewing, sticking,sweeping,mopping, etc.. Basically everything that they find in their day to day activities.

You would not believe, children love such activities as it involves a lot of repetition. Children learn a skill through repetition.

Do not help them or instruct them on how to do activities. This will spoil their enthusiasm. You can silently demonstrate or present the material once using slow and steady movements. Children should be able to absorb your movements. Once you present the material, silently observe the child from a distance. Interrupt only when the child is misusing the material.

So this will help them a lot in developing fine motor skills(Any of the motor skills that require greater control of the small muscles than large ones, esp. for hand-eye coordination or for precise hand and finger movement.) This forms the basis of writing. Once their muscles are well developed they can write easily.

MY DAUGHTER PREPARING CHAPATIS ON HER OWN

Sensorial: You can setup activities that improve their sensory perception. For example: Smelling tray(Olafactory sense)..Have different essential oils in small bottles. Help them identify the smell. You can also have tasting trays(Gustatory sense), mystery bags with shapes(Stereognostic sense), pairing same colors(visual sense), touching different types of fabrics(tactile sense)etc.. These are simple and easy to setup at home.

Reading corner

Books always tell something about us. They helps us connect with our inner self and the environment.

Books are a great source of knowledge without any harmful effects of television and mobile. Prolonged exposure to TV and mobile affects children’s cognitive skills.

But books are truly a treasure. Reading books to children that helps them connects with the environment and becomes an apt medium to explain even complex concepts.

Real life Example

My daughter was afraid of wearing shoes.. No matter how hard I try, she was afraid because she felt her legs are disappearing when she wore it and she might not be able to walk without legs. I tried explained her calmly but in vain.So, I bought a touch and feel book that talks about the different types of shoes, how it protects us, how beautiful it looks on us.. This book made her fall in love with it, and now we have 20 pairs of shoes. Books help you easily model their behavior. Read at least one book everyday. When you read a book to the child, always keep the child facing the book. Then just read and do not translate it to them. Let them enjoy the language, the diction in which you read and the eye catching illustrations will help them imagine the story. Soon you will find an ardent reader engrossed in books. Children love books and soon you could find them relating a lot of things from books in real life. Let us pass on the love of reading books to children without any expectations. Read just for the joy of reading.

You can give them a lot of books that improves their sensorial perception like touch and feel books, cloth books, etc..This helps them build an interaction with the book and they enjoy it the most. Books help to improve their concentration too..

I am doing Montessori activities for my daughter and I upload it in YouTube channel. I do a lot of activities for every letter sound, read lots of books with her and setup pretend play stations that we enjoy the most. You can check it out from the link below. I talk about a lot of books in every video. I have attached one video here to help you get an idea. You can subscribe so that you can follow the whole series.

Music Corner

Children are born with a musical bias. It fosters a lot of creativity and it is an artistic form of self expression.

Their taste is pure and untainted, just not like us based on favoritism, stars, reviews ,etc

Give them the music you love, because when they see you enjoying it, they naturally imitate it.

Child learns through imitation.The best thing is they are not going to comment on your voice or judge you. They are going to sing along and enjoy it the way you do.. Introduce them to good music and take them to concerts, festivals and live performances. Have a song for everything like doing dishes, cooking, cleaning.. This helps them widen their spectrum of creativity and they will amaze you with beautiful songs. If you are not comfortable singing songs, then you can play in a Bluetooth speaker. Do not encourage them to watch on television or mobile. That’s going to hamper the whole process. Play some musical instruments with them. You need not be an expert. Just enjoy the process. A simple xylophone/ mouth organ will do..

MY DAUGHTER SINGING

Art Corner

Art is a beautiful form of self expression. Art helps children invent new ways of thinking and it also improves their fine motor skills. I bought an easel when my daughter was 1.5 years old. From then on, I have seen her illustrating a lot of daily events, her school,birds,animals and now she is able to create her own stories. It is truly a blissful moment to watch her telling all cute mom and daughter stories.

India is always known for protraying it’s cultural and traditional vibrancy through folk art. Every part of India,has a unique style and pattern of art known as folk art. Some of the most popular ones are Madhubani,Warli,Lippan,Pattachitra,Tanjore painting,etc.. Exposing children at an earlier age to such rich traditional art work which will inspire them and boost their creativity.

Art acts as an medium to express their feelings and also it acts as a means of non verbal communication.

In this digital era, it is essential for our children to be very creative, as there are increasing problems which affects us in an incredible way and require innovative solutions.

Exposure to art builds that creativity.

PROMOTE INDEPENDENCE

The environment we build at home should nurture our child’s psychological needs.

For example, Place a hook like this at one corner of the room. Your child can daily hang their school bags there. This addresses their inner call for order in the environment. Such simple things make a huge change in their life.

An organised child is always a happy child.

Conclusion

I am quoting a sample budget below to help you get an idea of how much the whole setup will cost.

Activity Shelf-Rs.3000-5000-https://kidoenterprises.com/cabinet-shelves-with-2-partitions/

Bookshelf-Rs2000-https://amzn.to/382HleX

Easel-Rs.2000-4000-https://amzn.to/3bfTY8f

Books-2000(Find preloved books group in FB. You can get books by weight at cheaper price)

Activities(Toys)-2000

It will cost around 10 to 15k approximately to setup this environment. But consider this as an investment for your child’s life.

Once you give a healthy environment for the child you will see a calm,happy and a super confident blossoming adult

Valentine’s day gift Idea

I have always loved to add a personal touch to my gifts. I want it to be unique, convey a message and most importantly make the person feel very special. This gift is super easy to make. So let’s get started.

Things Required

1.Magic Mirror-

Click this link to buy: https://amzn.to/2Ub4Oq9

2.Photosheet-For printing the photograph

3.Printer

Procedure

Select and print a photo of yourself on a photosheet.

Cut it in round shape.

Fix it inside,on the top of the mirror.

Tada!!!Your gift is ready.

**Fix the round photo inside the** **frame**

The concept is when you show this gift to your love, as it is mirror outside,they see their reflection(Their face). But when you switch it on, they can see your face(photo).

The message we are trying convey here is, for the world it looks like you are just a single person but we always live inside you. You are always a combo of 3🙂🙂.We love you.

The outer part(mirror) represents his external appearance. The inner part with photograph represents his heart❤️

To the man,who carries us inside his heart, we wish u a Happy Valentine’s Day, is the message.

If you cannot get the concept, then it could simply be gifted as magic photoframe.

Let me know in the comments how you liked this idea.

Enjoy this Valentine’s day with your loved ones..

Stay blessed..

Pearls of wisdom -Deivathin Kural

The Deivathin Kural is a set of seven volumes which features the discussions, discourses and and anecdotes of Mahaperiyava compiled by R.Ganapathy. I would rather call it pearls of wisdom.True to its name “The Voice of God”, reading this book will make you feel that the God will be your best mentor guiding you in choosing the right path in life to attain moksha. These seven volumes are a treasure we have been immensely blessed with and it has got very simple nuggets to follow, to lead a happy life. It helps you decode all the religious practices and understand the science behind it. You will truly be amazed with all the goodness this book has got to offer you. I am honored and happy to write this post. I have planned to do a series of all seven volumes with his blessings. Do not forget to tell these stories to your kid. It will mold them into the most responsible citizens of this world.

Click the image below to buy this book.

Chapter 1-Vinayaka

Embodiment of Simplicity

Nowadays parents are trying to give their children a very luxurious life. Children get most of their desires fulfilled and get accustomed to such a lifestyle.

But being the eldest son of Parvathi and Parameshwara the Gods of this Universe, Pillaiyar is an embodiment of simplicity. His temples showcase his simplicity.

His temples neither have rich canopies above nor look like palaces, he sits under a peepal tree with open sky above. He lives in small temples in every street. You can never find this distinctive feature in any other God’s temple. Being simple makes you more approachable. So he is widespread in Tamil Nadu and other parts of the world showering his grace on his devotees.

The secret behind his Name

When you are simple and approachable people like you the most. So they consider him “Pillai” (which means son) as their own son.

Since his parents own this Universe and it is inappropriate to call him Pillai,so we call him Pillaiyar to show respect. ” He is the first son of this Universe.

The younger son of Parvathi and Parameshwara is Subramanian(Murugan or Kumaran). We call him KumaraSwami or Kumara Kadavul where Kumaran means son. But we do not call him Kumarar as the respect we give to Pillaiyar is unique and distinct.

His form represents the Universe

Pranavam(OM) is the origination point of this universe. It is believed that all living organisms originated from Pranavam. Though Vinayaka is a child God, he is the origination point. If you visually take a closer look at Pillaiyar, you can observe that with his Elephant face and little curved trunk he looks like Pranavam. That is why, we worship him first before we start any pooja. He is the Ultimate and if we get his blessings, we are definitely going to reap success.

Showers his blessings on devotees

Here MahaPeriyava, tells us a small story to help us understand how Pillaiyar uplifts his devotees.

Avaiyar is an ardent devotee of Pillaiyar. One day Avaiyar was meditating by concentrating on Vinayaka’s Pranavam form and also was singing Vinayakar Agaval in his praise. It is said that one who recites Vinayaka Agawal daily, attains the highest form of wisdom. While she was deeply engaged in performing the pooja, Sundaramoorthy Nayanmar and Cheraman Perumal Nayanar asked her to wind up the pooja soon as they desired to take her to kailash. But Avaiyar said very stturbonly, You may go as you please, just to join you I cannot speedup my pooja. “To me this pooja is Kailash”.

So Sundaramoorthy Nayanmar and Cheraman Perumal left to Kailash. Once she completed her elaborate pooja, Vinayaka appeared in front of her. He carried her in his trunk and transported her to Kailash before Sundaramoorthy Nayanmar and Cheraman Perumal Nayanar reached. There they all sang “Thirukailaya Gnana Ula”. It is true that

If you pray to him with utmost sincerity and devotion he will make even the impossible happen.

The reason behind breaking coconuts for Pillaiyar

Vinayaka is pleased only when you offer the most valued, as the highest form of sacrifice. It is said that Vinayaka once asked his father, Parameshwara, the God of Universe, his head as a form of sacrifice. So Parameshwara created coconut, which also has three eyes like God Shiva and we break coconuts to please Vigneshwara. Breaking a coconut signifies our readiness to offer him the highest form of sacrifice. This practice of striking the coconut and breaking it into pieces is very unique to TamilNadu and MahaPeriyava beautifully adds that the broken pieces of coconut belong to kids. In 1941 he was observing Chathurmasya in Nagapatinam. It was customary to break coconuts there. A lot of children gather there and sometimes people do not find space to break coconut. One of MahaPeriyava’s disciples said the children not to crowd the place as he was afraid if they would rush and fall on MahaPeriyava. But one child in the crowd firmly replied that the coconut broken for Pillaiyar belong to us. Nobody has got the right to deny this. Pleased with his answer, MahaPeriyava says the coconuts broken for this Pillai kadavul belongs to our pillaigal(Children). The right to God’s Prasad belongs to children. Also there is a philosophical reason,the outer shell of the coconut is like our Ego and when we break it, we can reach the water like nectar(Happiness). Vinayaga is an embodiment of a lot of Philosophical truths.

Why is Pillaiyar fat?

Ganesh Way — SRC:https://ganeshway.blogspot.com/2011/03/avvaiyar-gets-transformed.html

We have never seen any other God having a bigger physique than Ganapathy. He has an elephant like head, big trunk and a large stomach. In Sanskrit we call him “Stula Kayar” means he looks big like a mountain yet he is a child(Pillai). What does he convey from this? A child should eat well and look healthy. A Sanyasi(sage) cannot eat like a child and build a big body.

A child should never skip its food as it is essential for its growth. This child God holding Modhak in hand, conveys this message to the world.

Pillaiyar’s Vehicle

Most Gods own a vehicle like bull, tiger, peacock, etc.. But Pillaiyar uses mouse, as his vehicle. You might think he is having a dispropotionate vehicle compared to his size. But he tells this world that a God’s might or valor must not be determined based on the vehicle he owns. It must be the vehicle who should get respect because of the God. It is said that Ganapathy sits light on the mouse to suit its strength and does not give it any pain but all it gets is the respect. He demonstrates to the world that

Though he has a huge body, he will sit light in his devotees heart. Once he sits in your heart you will gain respect automatically.

The symbol of sacrifice

Every animal, takes pride in its body parts. A Yak prides in its tail, a peacock prides in its feathers and a Elephant’s pride is its mighty white TUSKS. But in order to write MahaBharatha, Ganapathy broke his tusk. What does that mean?

For the sake of writing Mahabharata which expounds Dharma, it is insignificant to sacrifice a tusk which just adds to his own beauty and pride.

Once Ganapathy used this tusk to kill an Asura. Now he has used it as a pen to write Mahabharata. The Lord doesn’t need an instrument. But

This episode signifies that we should be ready to sacrifice anything that we pride in, for the sake of justice.

I know most of us in this world will never get bored of enjoying the beauty of moon, ocean and Elephant. Especially children love Elephant a lot and mostly their favorite book is ” Gajapathi Kulapathi”. That’s why Vinayaka has taken the Elephant figure, so people experience the bliss everytime they see him.

The secret behind his birth

When a raksha named Bhandasur casted the Vigna Mantra to destroy Ambal’s army, Lord Shiva casted a joyful look at Ambal, as a result Vinayaka was born and he helped his mother destroy the Asura.

Why Thopukaranam for Pillaiyar

Once MahaVishnu was meditating deeply in Vaikundam. At that time, pillaiyar who entered Vaikundam in a joyful mood and was fascinated by the Sudharshana Chakra in Vishnu’s hand. He playfully snatched it from his hand and started running. MahaVishnu could not get it back from Pillaiyar due to his extraordinary strength. At one stage, Pillaiyar had put the Chakra in his mouth. Perplexed Vishnu, wanted to do something to get back the Chakra. So he started doing Thopukaranam(holding his hears with his hands) in front of him. Pillaiyar laughed uncontrollably and the Sudharshana Chakra fell down. It was intially called “Thopi Karanam” Thopi means “by the hands” and Karanam means “ears”. Holding ears with hands. Eventually by usage, it became Thopukaranam. now we call it “Superbrain Yoga“

Conclusion

Irrespective of any pooja you do, you will start with praying to Lord Ganesha. Only if he bestows his blessings you will be able to progress in your path without any hindrance. The most beautiful part of Deivathin Kural, is it combines Spirituality with philosphical reasons. There are amazing takeways from this book for your life. You get the whole seven volumes at Kanchi Mutt at the price of Rs.5000. There are also a lot of free resources available where you can download all the volumes or follow MommyReturns for this series.

Once you start reading it, I bet you will definitely treasure it for life.

Stay happy and blessed!!!

Ishu

Postpartum hair loss remedy

During my pregnancy, I observed my hair loss was significantly less. But after giving birth to my child, I witnessed hair falling in clumps and it was very depressing, as I already had very short hair.

So I wanted to research on this topic to identify the cause and find the remedy to immediately control the hair fall. So please read the entire post as this is a wholistic approach.

Postpartum hairfall cause

When you are pregnant, you have high levels of estrogen(female sex hormone). This peak in estrogen level decreases your hair loss significantly. This high levels also increase blood volume and the blood circulation which causes less hairfall. That’s why many witness their hair growing well during pregnancy.

After your baby arrives, your hormone levels significantly drop. Your hormone levels will be back to normal within 24 hours, except the lactating hormone. The sudden drop in estrogen makes you loose hair in clumps. But not to worry, this condition will not last long. If you correct your diet and use the hair oil recipe from this blog, I can guarantee you can definitely control hairfall significantly. You can see the changes in less than three months. Your hair will start getting back the glow and will grow in a healthy way.

So mommies,now you know the reason for hair loss, is not the stress of looking after a newborn.

Diet

If you take a helathy postpartum diet, it will predominantly fix most of the issues. Include lots of vegetables, fruits and leafy greens in your diet. As you are going to feel hungry most of the time, binge eating of unhealthy food may result in various issues. I took this part very lightly and gained a lot of weight during this time. Your body is recovering and you also have a newborn demanding your fullest attention. So if you plan appropriately and stick to a healthy diet, it will regulate your breastmilk supply and also avoid from becoming obese.

Water

Drink plenty of water.Staying hydrated is the key to avoid most health issues.It will also help you in increasing milk flow for breastfeeding.

Vitamins

Postpartum vitamins are very essential. You will be given Vitamin D,B6,B12,Calcium and iron supplements. These vitamins help to boost immunity and RBC production hence keeping you energetic. Studies say lack of Vitamin D is one of the reasons for postpartum depression and if the mother is deficient there are chances that baby might also be deficient. I know most of the time, we forgot to take such supplements ignoring it without knowing how useful it is. At birth infants have very low vitamin and the baby depends on you through breastfeeding to meet it’s daily needs. B12 is very essential for baby’s developing nerves. Nobody tells you all this. So without realizing it’s importance we do not follow it.

Hair Oil recipe(Take 1 tsp of every oil)

Ingredients

Coconut oil

Onion seeds powdered

Flax seeds oil

Olive oil

Almond Oil

Neem Oil

Hibiscus Oil

Vitamin E capsule

Trichup Oil- https://amzn.to/37Du2kX

Onion seeds

The protein that is required for hair formation is Keratin. This protein formation requires sulfur and onion seeds are rich in dietary sulfur. Methylsulfonylmethane is the absorbable source of sulfur found abudantly in the onions. Autoimmune hair loss conditions like Alopecia can also be treated with regular application of onion juice.

Ask for kalonji in NaatuMarundu Kadai or Tamil Marundu kadai and buy as required. Then powder the seeds and add in warm coconut oil. Filter if required after two to three days. If you find this process tedious, you can also use onion juice.

Coconut Oil

Coconut oil is a natural product jam-packed with various minerals, nutrients, and antioxidants which are incredible for hair growth. Just some of the most stimulating nutrients include vitamin E, vitamin K, and iron. It has the property of deeply penetrating in the hair making it hydrated, supple and soft.

Flax Seeds

Flax seeds are rich in Omega 3 Fatty acids. They nourish your hair well, making it les prone to damage. It also prevents premature greying. It is also rich in Vitamin E which prevents hair from becoming brittle and prone to damage.

Olive Oil

It is greatly know to treat split ends and its anti inflammatory properties makes it ideal to treat dandruff problems. It strengthens your hair follicles and prevents hair loss greatly.

Almond Oil

Almond Oil is rich in Vitamin E ,D, B1, A , B2 and B6. It makes your hair super strong. You will get a lustrous silky soft hair. Almond oil has high quantities of magnesium to promote hair growth.

Neem Oil

As most of us are aware, neem oil has antifungal and anti bacterial properties preventing dandruff and lice problems. It is best used to treat frizzy hair. It promotes a healthy scalp and also removes split ends.

Hibiscus Oil

Hibiscus oil is rich in Vitamin A and C. It prevents premature greying and makes your hair very soft.

Vitamin E capsule

It is rich in antioxidant properties which will make your hair look fresh and healthy.

Trichup Oil

It is a 27 year old company. It is a combination of Til oil, coconut oil and 14 different herbs. It restructures and repairs the hair completely. If you have hair loss due to straightening or coloring, you can use this oil to promote hair growth.

How to use it?

In a small pan mix all the oils except hibiscus oil and cut the vitamin E tablet and mix only the essence then just warm for 10 seconds. It should not be heated, as heating kills the natural properties of oil. Once its cool, add hibiscus oil(hibiscus oil should not heated) and gently massage it on your scalp. If you massage gently it will improve your blood circulation. Leave it for 10- 15 minutes. Then wash with a mild shampoo or you can even use soapnuts or shikakai. Air dry your hair. Do not use hair dryers. Use it continuously for three months once or twice in a week. You will see your hair growing better than ever before.If you are allergic to any oil, please avoid using it.

If you cannot source all the ingredients, just Kalonji, coconut oil, Trichup oil will do a perfect job.

Conclusion

Now are you happy baby?
We have found a solution!!!

Any health condition should always be treated inside out. You should eat well and externally provide proper nourishment.

So without a proper diet whatever you apply on your hair, you are not going to see results. So please be mindful about following the whole process I have mentioned as everything is interdependent.

Stay blessed and have a happy life.

If you are looking for more Ayurvedic recipes keep following MommyReturns.

Teakwood Furniture

I know there is a craze building on, for antique decor. Teak gives a rich look when to your antique theme.

When you hear the word teak, two things flashes instantly in your mind. Expensive and Elegant.. Definitely many of us would have seen teak wood furniture mostly in palaces and imagined “What a lucky King he might have been”. So be that King in your own home. This post will guide you with all you need to know about teak and most importantly where you can get it.

Note: This is not a sponsored post. I am writing from my own experience.

Why should I go for Teak?

The lightweight MDF Furniture that we buy nowadays,can’t even withstand 10 years. But teak lives longer than you. It is a gift, a kind of legacy you can pass on to generations. The natural grains, the rustic brown color and the majestic look it has, transforms your space instantly into a royal palace. The beauty of nature is its imperfection. It might not be perfect like a machine made one. But I feel only that feature makes it stand unique. Teakwood furniture looks very natural. They go well with any vintage or antique decor. Last year, we bought a Teakwood Dining table and Cot.

OMG!!! It changed the way our home looked. This piece of furniture became the point of attraction for many visitors and nobody has left us without falling in love with its beauty.

So if you can allocate some budget, to bring home this beauty, then please please please go for teak.

Why is Teak so expensive

Teak wood takes 20-25 years to mature into a tree large enough to harvest. Because the heartwood is the highest quality of wood and the most desirable for furniture, it can take 40 years to get a large enough tree to produce the desired grade ‘A’ teakwood. Time costs money, which means that your teak wood furniture will be priced higher than a softer, less expensive wood.

Benefits of Teak

All woods have oils and rubber. Teak is the only wood that can retain it’s oils and rubber even after it is being felled. The tight grain of the wood makes it possible.

Teak is known for its astonishing longevity and it is incredibly attractive. In olden days it was a status symbol to own teak furniture.

It is said that Britain rose to powers, in 18th century because they used Teak for ship building. The rot resistance property made it an obvious choice for warships and it lasted over 100 years with a benefit of being maintenance free.

Literally every part of the teak tree acts as a medicine. The roots are used to treat urinary tract problems.

The flowers are used to treat nausea.

The bark is widely used for treatment of Diabetes. It also has termite resistant properties which keeps it away from insects. I have never seen a insect coming near our dining table.

Flower and seeds have diuretic properties while the oil from the fruit seeds promote hair growth.

In Indonesia the saw dust of teak is burnt as incense.

If you apply a paste of this powdered wood it cures any type of headaches instantly.

Ayurveda considers this as a good laxative, a sedative for uterus and cures piles.

In Asia, a decotion from the leaves of the teakwood were widely used in the treatment of menustral problems and haemorrhage and gargling with that decotion even cures sore throat.

The quinones in it’s sawdust are highly resistant to fungi making it ideal for the tropical conditions.

It’s weather resistant property makes it the best choice for outdoor furniture.

I have mentioned the benefits, only to get an idea about the value of Teak.

Most of all, when you bring this beauty home it always delights you with an earthy smell. This smell is due to the heavily embedded oils in it’s wood. Smelling it on a daily basis keep you away from lots of health issues.

The Heartwood of the teak has a special type of resin that makes it water resistant and prevents from decay.

Do not use chemical cleaners on Teak. It reduces it’s life. Use Salt water to clean it. That’s why it was the obvious choice for ship building.

The thick fibers can easily be cut and you can sculpt it into mind-blowing designs. This is never possible in other type of woods. When you have a piece of furniture that is unique and long lasting, owning it gives you a lot of pride.

Major teak producers

The major teak producers are Indonesia, India, Myanmar, Philippines and Malaysia.

Mayanmar’s teak has the largest teak forest in the world and there two long living teak trees.

Indonesia’s teak is considered to be of the highest quality.

Where can I get it?

Do you know you can get the highest quality teak from Indonesia at Chennai? Curious to know..Check this shop Timber Avenue Adyar. They import Teakwood furniture from Indonesia via ship and deliver at your place. Most of all, they give you a lifelong support.

It is Teakwood exclusive showroom and I bet you would fall in love instantly with their stunning designs. They are free to customize but you should be ready to accept the waiting time. We waited for nearly 8 months to bring our Cot home. Showroom pieces will be instantly delivered. They have wide range of furniture and home decor pieces all made from teak. If you are looking for antique decor, this shop is your one stop solution.

I can vouch for it’s quality and the intricate designs always are eye catching.

Own a furniture you will be proud of and pass on to your generations.

If you are going to buy in some other shop check for it’s authencity. You pay a bomb, and if you don’t get original teak then it’s going to disappoint you. Check with a carpenter and ensure if it is Teakwood or not as there are many frauds going around this. There many tests like grain test, checking the Heartwood color,etc..So if you have decided to buy teak,keep this point in mind.

Note:If you are someone who constantly gets bored in few years of using a furniture and want something new then don’t go for it. Teak will last a legacy and it comes with that price.

Conclusion

Kerala Palaces have always been an attraction. The richness,the elegance, the stunning designs are something that instantly makes you fall in love with it. Why not experience that richness at your own home..Give it a try.You will definitely love it❤️

Sources for benefits of teak

The Incredibly Long Life of Teak

https://home.howstuffworks.com/home-decor/decorating-styles-techniques/teak-wood-furniture1.htm

My Fitness Journey

About the FAT ‘ME‘

I was never fit from the day I know myself.

Food was more of an emotion and being deprived of good food is what I define as depression.

Body shaming was part and parcel of my life. I had faced many humiliations to break me down and shatter me into pieces. But later I learnt to ignore it with time. I was afraid of pursuing everything literally everything, because my physical appearance was playing havoc with my self confidence.

I wanted to be a fashion designer, build a brand for myself and even do research in the field of medicinal clothing. I could not give wings to my dreams as what haunted me the most was the fear to face people because of my abnormal appearance. A good personality was very important for that field is what people told me, when I discussed with them about my dreams.

Mostly many people, who are now successful business owners or an expert in other fields were definitely once an Engineer. I followed the baton and I too became an Engineer..

That hurray moment!!!

And I am the first Engineer in my father’s family. People around me were happy with my progress. But something was killing me from inside.

I was neither physically looking good nor mentally happy, because what I was doing, was not what I wanted in life. So I decided to address these problems desperately.

I tried all the fad diets on Earth, and had a very very bad experience with slimming centers. I realized there no shortcuts to weight loss. I could not give up on good food so finally I gave up on my attempts to get fit.
But over a period of time, I learnt even to accept this “FAT ME”

As I was settled in my career,my parents decided to get me married. I was frightened to the core due to the fear of rejection. Now I am going face harsh comments from people who are going to make not only me, but the whole family ashamed.

Why am I telling you all this? I want you to understand how obesity leads to a low self esteem over a period of time. So please don’t stop reading.

But Thank God, my life changed. I met the love of my life. This man loved me, beyond my physical appearance. He loved me and still loves me for the person I am and never failed to admire my talents. For the first time in my life, I started feeling good about myself. He too was obese, so we were on the same page in life. Wedding happened. I was living a very happy life and I gave birth to a daughter.

During my pregnancy, when people asked me if I wanted a boy or girl, I tell them I want a healthy baby who is not obese by birth. Such are my scars that are eternal etched in my heart.By this time, you would have got the fear that haunted me the most. God was kind enough to grant my wishes. I gave birth to a daughter who was not obese by birth. That was the most blessed day of my life.

THE FALL

But the next problem was my postpartum weight gain. We both moved from overweight to extremely obese category as the newborn demanded our complete attention and we were unable to do anything about our health. We were at 140 kgs together. Yes 140, that’s really an alarming number. Over a period of time we fell prey to all health ailments. This led to depression and a very low self esteem.Wherever we go, people showered us with advises. We thought we could reduce our weight easily. But what was lacking in our life now, was the time to do something for our own selves with the growing commitments.

THE DISCOVERY

Unable to find a way out, I decided to do Anusham pooja as I believed, only God could help us at this point in time. I did the pooja for 48 days isolating myself from everything. I watched and read only about MahaPeriyava. That was where I noticed, something was common in every video or book I read.

” If you want to find success in life, first find the best mentor who could guide you. Once you have found them, trust them beyond doubts and dedicate yourself to the process without focusing on results. If you follow this, success will embrace you.

On the 49 th day post pooja, we saw a YouTube video of

BIGLEE MURALI(Mr. TamilNadu) about how to address postpartum weight gain issues in women. We loved his explanation, as he was digging deep through the roots of the problem to find a solution. We instantly decided, he would be our mentor. We trusted him and believed he is God sent savior to us. We contacted him through Instagram and met him in person and explained our problems. That was a very jovial conversation. He is such a humble and down to Earth person I have ever met. Then we started our journey with him in WhatsApp and we named our group MISSION SLIMPOSSIBLE. I truly love that name, as merely seeing the name of the group gave me a lot of motivation as it had, SLIM, IMPOSSIBLE and POSSIBLE.

THE RAISE

We knew the plan he gives us, is going to require a lot of dedication, will power and a very good support system to adapt it as our lifestyle. So as a couple, we decided on three things.

1.Plan ahead

Why do I inisist on planning?

If you are not planned for something, surely the stress would steal the joy of doing it. Over a period of time we would give up, to save us from the hassle.

Our diet plan changes weekly. So to avoid the practical difficulties on weekdays,we would stock all the essentials required for our diet during the weekend. If our diet plan changes on weekdays, we would rely on BigBasket. This saved us from most of hassle during weekdays.

Luckily we both knew cooking. So, we started trying interesting recipes without oil to make our diet more interesting. You know what, when you do something as a couple you enjoy it the most. You experience a sense of feeling that you are not left alone and you can support each other in this venture.

2.Build a support system

We were free to ask for help, when required. You might think I am naive to include this point. But why am I telling you this? If you do not build a support system, you are most likely to fail. The initial josh of doing something new, might pull you for a period of time,but later you are going to face the heat. When we felt tired, frustrated we reached out to our parents for help. We might be ashamed to ask for help, that’s what our culture taught us. But when you ask, you will be surprised to find it makes your life easy. In a family or community when you help each other you experience a beautiful bonding. Our parents and our family is always our pillar of strength.

3.Never Ever Give Up

We gathered all the broken pieces of ourselves together to build a new anti fragile personality. Every pain was not only building muscle, but sculpting a new strong, better version of ourselves.
Many were skeptical with the idea of seeking help from a fitness coach. But we felt, it is an investment for life.

Secondly,we were seeking the help of a legend. His time is something that is invaluable. So,we never wanted to disappoint him at any cost. This thought was pushing us from inside when we were about to give up.

We saw each day as a new opportunity to improve ourselves and make the most of it. We not only wished for a healthy body, but glad we were working for it.

THE FITNESS JOURNEY

Our coach made very gradual changes in our diet and gym regime. It was simple and easy to follow. We were eating more than before, but to our delight we were shedding the extra pounds.

Whenever we felt like quitting we reminded each other about why we started. During this process we understood, Previously,how badly we were abusing our body by eating junk and without exercising. A little progress everyday was adding up to the big results.
Over a course of time, we started loving our new lifestyle.

I still wonder how can someone guess what will work best for our body, when we, who have been living with this body for a long time don’t know. That speaks of his profound experience in this field.He also taught us many tips and tricks to manage our weight, post family functions. When he says, we will loose this extra pounds after the function in three days, our body will definitely see that change. HE IS TRULY A GENIUS. I fall short of words to praise him. We were regular in our diet and gym schedule and the hardest part was we were missing it, if we could not follow it on particular days due to unavoidable circumstances.

The hardest thing is to start doing it. Once you are doing regularly, it is the hardest thing to stop.

Now people started noticing that we have reduced weight significantly.

They started calling us an inspiration. This motivated us a lot. We are humbled and delighted to hear that over and over again.
Once you see results, it definitely becomes an addiction.

WE LOST 40 KGS IN 8 MONTHS..

It was unbelievable for us.We built solid good eating habits and exercising daily without fail. Our body became a reflection of our lifestyle. We understood our body is our true life partner and enjoyed the process of taking care of ourselves.

Though we have made a significant progress, our heart was yearning for that moment to see 99 kgs in our weighing scale.

The double digit dream was the toughest. We were hanging in there for a long time.

Our coach helped us a lot, and one day it happened. Tears of joy rolled..I could never describe how happy we were. The hardwork, the dedication gradually touched the sea of success.

That is the best moment of my life.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Acceptance

First in the beginning we learnt to accept that we were not respecting our body. This acceptance was the first step which led us to find a solution.

This body was the one, which helped me bring my child(love of my life) to this world. This body was the one that has suffered and silently tolerated the most abuse, when I overeat or do not give it proper sleep. It has been working for me, tirelessly right from my birth. What it requires was some additional care, a good diet and proper exercise. This was the major realization that paved the way to our fitness journey. The biggest hurdle in our life, is to start something new. Once we start we’re definitely going to follow it forever.

Enjoy the process

Many evaluate their progress with results. But when you are looking to build a new lifestyle, you cannot keep looking for results. If you do so, you are going to give up half way through. The interesting thing about our life is, it is unpredictable. Anything might deter you tomorrow. But the key is to even embrace the imperfections. Let us understand, it is ok to be not ok. Once we adhere to this mindset, we will start loving the kind of person we are. We can build a STRONG, SUPER CONFIDENT YOU.

The results will just be a part of it. I learnt it the hard way. But I feel proud that I started.

Celebrate

Celebrate even your smallest wins. I have learnt this from my experience. Because when you are stressed your body fails to cooperate with you and if this happens continuously,then you are most likely to give up in the middle.

Even if you have lost only 500gms this week, pat on your back to have taken the first step. Give your body the confidence that you are with it. If that happens, your body will repay for your effort. There is a significant connect between mind and body. If your mind is not convinced your body is not going to do the job. So keep yourself happy.

Stay away from negativity and build a community of like minded people,who can truly motivate you. This will improve your mental strength. Physical fitness has a lot to do with mental fitness.

Conclusion

I am not an expert yet. I am learning everyday and grooming myself with the lessons learnt from my own scars and downfalls. I had failed miserably many times but I never gave up. It was my determination which has created a stronger version of myself. Let others views never make an impact on you.

Love yourself, you will see your life blossoming beautifully.

If you liked my post, I would be very happy to hear from you. So let me know in the comments.Stay happy and stay blessed.

Loads of love❤️

Ishu

Pooja to attract wealth

This Pooja is done to attract wealth and prosperity..You may wonder,if doing a Pooja will make you a rich person.. Definitely not…This Pooja will help only if you are putting in hardwork but not seeing appropriate results due to various situations…

Sometimes even if we work hard there are some negative vibrations and planetary effects that creates hurdles and prevents us from achieving our goals.. Worshipping God helps you break all the hurdles and definitely spiritual power will act as a immeasurable source of strength to land at your dreams in a short period of time…

Who are we going to worship?

We are going to worship the Lord of wealth, Lakshmi Kubera..Let us know about Lord Kubera before we proceed to the Pooja..

Vishrava was the grandson of Lord Brahma..He had two wives Mandakini and Kaikasi.Mandakini’s son was Lord Kubera and Kaikasi was the mother of Ravana,Kumbhakarna and Vibhishana.

Lord Kubera was the king of Lanka.Once he came to see his mother in the Pushpak Viman(Aircraft).Ravana wanted to acquire the aircraft from Lord Kubera, so he did a penance and impressed by him,Lord Brahma blessed him with a vast kingdom. Then Ravana began to torment his step brother Kubera and acquired Lanka and the pushpak viman.. Lord Kubera then went to his grandfather Pulastya.He told him to go to the river banks of Ganges and pray to Lord Shiva.. Lord Shiva was pleased with him, and blessed him with a boon that he will become the God of Wealth. Kubera became the king of Alankapuri and amassed a lot of treasure. In Sanskrit the name “Kubera” means monstrous or deformed. True to this, Lord Kubera is portrayed having fat dwarf body. He has only 8 teeth, three legs and his left eye is yellow in color. Reckoned as the gold bestower, Lord Kubera is often worshipped with Goddess Lakshmi on Dhanteras day during Diwali for wealth and success in life. You can also start this Pooja on a Thursday and continue for 48 days if you are facing any major financial crisis.

Pooja procedure

Pooja items

1.You can print a photo of Lakshmi Kubera or buy an idol. That’s completely your choice.

2.Lord Kubera loves money. So for this Pooja,you can collect 108 coins of RS.5 or Rs.10 denomination or you can also buy Kubera coins.It is said that you should make the jingling sound of the coins to please Kubera when you are performing the Pooja.

3. Then u can buy the Lakshmi Kubera Yantra..This Yantra when energized with Kleem mantras is said to attract wealth. It is available in Giri traders shop or you even get it online or you can simply put a kolam of that Yantra. The embossed patterns on the Yantra is said to bring you and Lord Kubera in contact. The configuration is in such a way that each row will sum upto 72. This is said to be a magical number to attract wealth in life.

4. Then buy Kubera deepam. You get it in Amazon. This is a special deepam meant for this Pooja.

5.You can also buy Lotus seed Japa Mala(Thamarai mani Malai) for meditation. Lotus seeds is the favorite of Goddess Lakshmi and is said to bring wealth.

Now we have collected everything, let us proceed to the Pooja part.

Time of Pooja
This Pooja should be done on evenings at 6.00pm. You can start it on a Thursday and continue for 48 days or do only on Dhantheras day during Diwali.

Idol facing direction

Kubera is said to be dwelling on Himalayas facing the South direction. So place the idol in South direction and you pray to him from the North direction. According to vasthu it is always ideal to keep property documents in the south West corner of your home to avoid financial crisis.

The Pooja is very simple and hardly takes 15 minutes of your time.

I usually start my Pooja with praying to Lord Ganesha. He is said to destroy all the hurdles. Then I have kept Lord Shiva,since Kubera is the worshipper of Lord Shiva. I have Goddess Lakshmi and I always keep SaiBaba..Basically before I start pooja,I pray to all these Gods, to remove all the hurdles and help me continue this Pooja successfully.

Then I do abhishekam and dress the idol. Kubera’s favorite color is green, so I dress the idol in green.

You can skip this step if you don’t have time.

Then next you can chant the 108 mantras by offering coins for every mantra. Do not forget to make the jingling sound. If you are not able to say this mantra, just chant “Om Kuberaya Namah” 108 times. It is just your true dedication and connection with God that will make your Pooja successful. I am giving all the steps because in case you have time, you can do it in an elaborate way. Feel free to tweak according to your convenience.

Next you can download this app from playstore for free and chant the Kleem mantras. They are said to energize the Yantras. Post this pooja,keep the Yantras in your locker where you store your cash.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.golemtechapps.kubermantra

Then you can offer any neivadhiyam or food to God.

End with lighting camphor and namaskaram.

You can also keep navadhaniyam to please the navagrahas in the Pooja.

Temple to visit

There is a Lakshmi Kubera temple in Rathnamangalam. It is a very beautiful temple where Lakshmi Kubera is dressed with lots of money lavishly. Please do plan a visit at the beginning or at the end of the Pooja. If u go before you begin the Pooja u can get the idol and yantra there at a cheaper rate than Amazon.

Conclusion

Three years back, we wanted to sell a property that was not giving us good returns. However hard we try, nothing materialized. I did this Pooja for 48 days continuously and post that within two months we were able to sell it for a good price and invest in our dream home. This Pooja brings a lot of peace and wealth. Invest in your hard work and do this Pooja and the spiritual light will guide you through the path of wealth and prosperity.

All the best!!!