Merry Christmas!!!

I dream of a star,
I dream of a moon,
And the next morning when I wake up,
I watch my dreams come true…
(My song)

Dear friends, I dreamt of something so beautiful and I made a painting of it and now I am gonna to share it with you. Let me explain the meaning of my painting…

The above lines inscribed are:

The babies are asleep in thier warm blankets,
The night is so quiet and the moon and stars shine out,
Tomorrow morning the sun will rise again,
The birds will chirp again,
The flowers will bloom again,
The life will go on,
We will live again....
(My poem)

The buildings show that people have shelter (I have also explained in my poem that all the babies are safe and fine). There are windows decorated with colourful lights showing that the people are happy, healthy and wealthy. There is a small factory and an office building conveying employment. The factory is actually a small bakery with a chimney emitting smoke, showing that there are some people working for us even at night so that we get fresh bread to eat for breakfast. I mean to show gratitude for people whom I don’t know, even though they have contributed to mu life, no matter if it’s even in a small way. With this office building I mean to convey that there is economic welfare in the world and people are well employed.

There are lampposts and a well maintained road showing modernisation and infrastructure for the welfare of the people. However, at the same time there is harmony in nature (I have expressed it by mentioning that “the birds will chirp” and “the flowers will bloom”). The night and the dark sky with shining stars and moon convey peace – GLOBAL PEACE in the world. Everyone feels secured. There is also a church with a holy cross that looks so beautiful! With this I mean that religion is understood in its true sense and it is preserved in a truthful way. People understand the true value of it, and it teaches us to love and respect and bring equality between all humans coming from different backgrounds. It is no longer abused to spread hatred.

I further write that “the sun will rise again, life will go on and we will live again” conveying the message of HOPE. Life is so divine, its our teacher. Value it. Sometimes in midst of chaos, crowd and pollution I still see that there are always so many good things happening. I feel a sense of togetherness at times.

This is my dream. Of hope and love. Merry Christmas!!!

Shawshank Redemption

A movie worth wacthing!!

It’s one of the best movies that I have seen till now!. Shawshank Redemption is a story about a young vice president of the Maine Bank who gets wrongfully convicted of murdering his wife and her lover. It’s a carefully constructed story that shows the life of Andy (the person convicted) in the prison. He learns about life in a better way in the jail while teaching to others as well.

It shows about how the lives can be so cracked and worn in the jail. Insipite of 19 long years in the jail, Andy does not stop dreaming. His determination, conviction and willpower put me into thinking. There many interesting parts in the movie that convey a message of hope and faith in a beautiful and dramatic way. Finally, Andy gets redeemed and free from the prison life with his own efforts that took him 19 long years. It’s a very striking scene when Andy escapes, and as the scene unfolds the mystery of his escape, the movie becomes more interesting. I am sure you are going to feel more alive after watching this movie. It teaches us in the most amazing way that there is no word like impossible.

The movie is a great example of Yoga. It’s all about retaining faith in oneself and having a never-die attitude. It’s all about human capacity and the extent that a human being can rise up to. Andy uses all the opportunities to its best and gives a complete justice to the time. It shows that how important is time and sometimes we taking it for granted. If a human wants then he has the power to change misfortune into happiness. The inner strength and desire of Andy allows him to right the injustice that has occurred to him and he finally escapes form this adversity and gets his freedom and his life back. There are many interesting things that give a deeper meaning to the movie. I have thoroughly enjoyed it and I can say that I am not the same.

In short this movie is filled with a lot of energy and I completely adore the strength of this character called Andy. It’s a must see and a lesson for life. Well, it has shaken me up, so if you wish then try to get yourself shaken too :-)

Go ahead and watch it!!Yeah!

Cooking Rajma Chawal

Healthy Vegetarian Cooking !!!

– Easy to cook, great in taste –

It’s so easy and quick to cook some nutritious vegetarian recipe. And, they taste so great and its light on the stomach too. So friends, today I will share with you a delicious recipe of Rajma Chawal (Indian dish of kidney beans with rice) that I had cooked the previous day for my family.

Kidney beans are rich in soluble fibre, so these are good in controlling cholesterol. They are a good source of protein, foliate, manganese and zinc. Kidney beana are also a good source of iron and potassium, thiamine, riboflavin, phosphorus and copper. The high soluble fibre in kidney beans helps to eliminate cholesterol from the body and helps to cleanse the digestive tract.

So I soaked around 350gm of kidney beans in water for overnight for around 10 hour. In the morning the beans were double the size and had turned soft but not chewable. Next step is to put the beans in a pressure pan with some salt and 6 cups (750 ml) of water for around 12 to 15 minutes on medium to low flame.

COOKING TIME (30 minutes)
INGREDIENTS (serves 4 portions)
· Rajma cooked in the pressure pan after overnight soaking
· 2 Medium sized onions (finely chopped)
· 8 Medium sized tomatoes (finely chopped)
· 5-6 big cloves of garlic (crushed or grinded)
· ½ teaspoon of red chilli powder (optional, only if you want it slightly hot)
· 2 tablespoon of Milk cream/ whole yoghurt
· Salt to taste
· 2 pinches of turmeric powder (if available)
· 2 tablespoon of peanut oil (or any other oil that you regularly use)
· Coriander leaves for garnishing

METHOD
1. Put oil in a deep pan and heat it, add onions and sauté them on a medium flame until they become golden brown in colour.
2. Add garlic and mix it well for a minute, lower the flame while mixing.
3. Add tomatoes and mix it well for 2 minutes on high flame and then let it cook for next 10 minutes on low flame until they are completely soft and mashed.
4. Add the boiled rajma along with the remaining water and stir well on high flame for 2 minutes. Add salt and turmeric powder and mix well.
5. Lower the flame and let it simmer for next 10 to 15 minutes to allow the flavours to mingle well.
6. Put a little milk cream to make the texture smooth and creamy and garnish it with coriander leaves.



And serve hot with some rice (you can drain the starchy water from the rice for a healthier option) and salad and some green vegetables!!



Nutrition values of Kidney Beans
Serving Size 1 cup (185 g)
Calories: 241
Protein: 15.1 g
Total fat: 0.8 g
Saturated Fat 0.2g
Polyunsaturated Fat 0.3g
Monounsaturated Fat 0.1g
Carbohydrate: 45 g
Fibre: 9.8 g
Calcium: 98 mg
Iron: 2.2 mg
Sodium: 442 mg
Potassium: 801 mg
Cholesterol: 0

Can you believe that such tiny beans from nature are power packs of nutrition!? So do try cooking it yourself!!

I will be back with some more interesting recipes for you guys!! Take care till then!

What is Yoga?

After so much travelling :-) .. let’s discuss a bit of Yoga Philosophy? So, what do you think about starting by the definition of Yoga?

Nowadays Yoga has become well-known by the practice of Asanas (Phisical Education), and, in this sense people go on subdividing Yoga, classifying it in ways such: Iyengar Yoga, Vinyasa Yoga, Power Yoga, Bikram Yoga, Hatha Yoga, Kundalini Yoga and so forth. Therefore Yoga became reduced to a system of Physical Training or Exercise and the Yoga subdivisions are nothing but the different styles in which these exercises are practiced and are named over their promulgators and advocates. So.. is it all about Yoga?

Not really!!! Yoga is a Ancient Science and taking it as sole physical exercise is a misuse of knowledge as it is stated in the Hatha Yoga Pradipika and as we will have a chance to discuss in a future post.

The purpose here is to clarify what Yoga really is and by this, offer some basic guide-lines (in posterior articles) to allow Yoga enthusiats to become more aware about how their practices should be done if they really want to practice Yoga.

So let’s see how Yoga is defined by it’s foremost and authentic exponent, the Sage Patañjali. In the Yoga Sutras, a classical work, Patañjali has compiled and systematized the knowledge regarding to the Philosophy of Yoga. This means that he has not created anything new. He has only organized and presented the knowledge in a systematic form, so that less evolved souls could follow the disciplines and attain the benefits of their application.

The Yoga Sutras comprehend 195 aphorisms (tersely sentences, but vigorously expressive observations containing a general truth) through which the Yoga Philosophy are exponded. In the first sutra Patañjali declares that from that moment Yoga is going to be explained for the benefit of all.

And in the very 2nd sutra Patañjali gives us the definition of Yoga as follows:

Obviously the knowledge of Sanskrit is necessary for grasping the meaning of the aphorisms. For that, we the help of different commentators and scholars, we can understand the above as follows:

yoga – union or joining (implying “means or use” and also “result”)
citta – the ordinary consciousness (personality-complex, including the different aspects of the mind, intellect, ego, emotions)
vrtti – the different states, fluctuations, modifications, behaviour
nirodhah – restraint, control, cessation

Yoga is, thus, Union achieved by restraining, leading to the cessation of the fluctuations of the ordinary consciouness.

But which Union is that talked about in here. I have heard Yoga students and practitioners repeating: Union of Body, Mind and Spirit. This is not wrong, but the sentence has already become a cliché. Deeper insight into the subject is lacking. The 3rd sutra explains clearly which Union Patañjali is talking about.

The translation of this sutra is:

tada – then, at that time (of Union)
drastuh – the seer, the self, the soul
svarupe – in its own, in its state
avasthanam – abide, dwell, get stablished, settle

Then, at that time (of Realization), the seer gets stablished in its own state.

Yoga is, therefore, a result: the state of union of the soul with it’s true essence; an outcome of the continuous practice of a system of disciplines. But Yoga is also the means through which this Union is achieved. In other words, Yoga is also the application or the course of discipline itself.

The next sutra explains what happen when the seer or the soul is not established in his own.

vrtti – the different states of the ordinary consciousness or the complex-personality (its fluctuations and modifications, moods and behaviour)
sarupyam – identification of, appearance of
itaratra – not at the state of realization, at other time, elsewhere

At all other times, the seer is identified with the different states of ordinary consciousness

In this state, it can not realise its own fundamental nature which is, by the way, divine in essence. That is the estate in which we normally live. We get identified with our body and mind and do not realise that we are a divine soul.

This makes me remind my childhood when I heard someone telling me that I had a soul and I was wondering what would be that thing. Later on I heard that the animals had no souls and I also learnt that when the Jesuits arrived in Brazil they believed that the indigenous peoples who lived there did not have a soul and that they could only attain one through the ritual of baptism. Today I think of what is more absurd: to think that the animals or the Brazilian Indians would not have souls or to think that we have one? The whole concept is wrong. It is not this “I” who has a soul. Not this body or mind that has a soul. But I am the Soul who uses the body and mind to operate in this material word and who gets completely identified to them (body and mind) in the states of ordinary consciousness.

Now the question is: are your Yoga practices helping you to realise your own divine nature, to achieve union, or are they making you more identified and attached to your body? If the latter is so, what you are doing is not Yoga.

Let's us practice real Yoga and get stablished in our own divine nature!!

Namaskar !!!

Wonders of Rajasthan

We really wanted to experience the beauty of Rajasthan, and now after coming back from a holiday from Udaipur, I can bet that there cannot be a place so majestic and romantic like it. Truly saying, I did not wish to leave Udaipur to go to my next destination. For sure, the beauty of this town has left all the tourists enchanted and thrilled. It’s a town with lakes and ghats (in the Indian subcontinent - a flight of steps leading down to a river or a lake) and an ultimate place to experience beauty along with Rajasthan history and tradition.

UdaipurSo here I rewind my experience of Udaipur. I and Daniel arrived to Udaipur station at 9.30 in the morning. The air was cool and the atmosphere was fresh. It was a bright and happy day and we took a rickshaw (tuk tuk) to check a few hotels. After visiting three hotels we finally decided to stay at Panorama Guest House situated on Hanuman Ghat in a quiet and tranquil area.

It was such an adorable hotel decorated with Rajasthani paintings on the walls. Our room was perfect, spotless, bright and absolutely clean with fresh linen and ample of pillows. The toilet was clean with hot shower, soap and tissues. From our window we could see the view of the City Palace, which was more than beautiful.

After getting fresh, we visited the lovely rooftop restaurant, from where you can have breathtaking views of Udaipur. Especially at night, when the whole town is lit up with soft lights, and the City Place looks more charming with golden light. It's a marvel which will keep your eyes glued on it!

At night the city lights would reflect on the lake waters making the scene so picturesque. To add to this, there are cosy seating arrangement on the rooftop with candle lights and colourful lamps at the background. It’s one of the most romantic places, and, to make the experience unforgetful were the sumptuous and mouth-watering dishes that the cooks had prepared for us. Well, I tried some Italian, Chinese and Indian cuisine and they were all fantastic.

So we ventured out to catch the charm of this town. We visited the huge Indo-Aryan Jagdish temple, which had an impressive work of architecture. It enshrines Lord Vishnu as Jagganath meaning the “Lord of the Universe”.



Then we headed towards the City Palace, zigzagging through the narrow lanes, though interesting lanes of Udaipur. City Palace is an enormous complex of lovely courtyard, balconies and cupolas. It is the largest palace of Rajasthan build by Maharaja Udai Singh II. There is a fantastic view of the city from the palace terraces.In the palace is situated the City Palace Museum.


It contains the Mor Chowk (Peacock Point) which showcases colourful peacocks mosaicked very elaborately in decorated patterns.

It´s certainly an evidence of the creative capacity of a human being. There is also the Manak Mahal (Ruby Palace) with attractive glass and mirror work. After, there is the Krishna Vilas (Krishna House) with an extraordinary collection of miniatures. Next comes the Bari Mahal (Window Palace) with artisitc windows (take a look below on the photo) and also an endearingly pretty garden in the centre.

The Moti Mahal (Pearl Palace) has delicate mirror work and the Chini Mahal (Sugar Palace) is well beautified with ornate tiles. There is also the Zenana Mahal (Women’s Palace) with colourful wall paintings. I was certainly highly fascinated with these sights and it was an experience to know the lavish lifestyle of the Maharajas.

There is also a Crystal Gallery in the premises with extravagant crystal chairs, sofas, tables and beds.. but if you want to see that be prepared to pay an extra Rs.500 per person !!! We missed going there.. as we were keener to catch a romantic twilight of the sunset in the background of the gorgeous Lake Palace, with the soft glowing lights reflecting on the Lake Pichola, with mountains fading in the horizon ;-). We were both spell bound and beholded with the sight of the Lake Palace.

Cool breeze flowing and the evening spreading its golden lights around... This memory brings out in me a better poet, so next time I better be with my pen and book!. It’s an unforgettable event to experience in a lifetime, and I had more reasons to rejoice of being a birthday girl and receiving this as a gift from my special one, my hubby. What can I ask for more? We wanted to take a boat ride but it was closed that day :-( . We weren’t disappointed as we had many things to catch up with. And yes, in the complex is a super deluxe hotel Fateh Prakash Palace owned by the present Maharaja Arvind Singh. Its very well built and adorned with gardens and lakes.

After, there was some shopping of traditional Rajasthani clothes. I must say that the collection in Udaipur is awesome. Hundreds of shops sprawling with the most interesting stuff that you can ever imagine. It’s truly a shopper’s paradise. We picked up a few miniature paintings (of elepahants, camels, horses ,etc.) some kurtas (really cool) and a lovely skirt, my gift :-)

We headed in to the decorated streets again. Daniel with his creative observation, led me to a roof top restaurant of a hotel which seemed to be on the highest. This came as a delightful surprise to me when I realized that I was on the tallest hotel (I think so) of the town that was lit with amazing lights. At a distance was the magnificent Jag Mandir and the Lake Palace shining and floating in the lake. What a superb treat for the eyes!!


Our next site was Bagore Ki Haveli that is famous (I shall say world famous, because to my amazement it was stuffed with around a hundred of foreign tourists) for its artists presenting some unbelievable performances showcasing Rajasthani folk dance, music, clothes and other creative skills. It’s a must see for foreigners as well as Indians. It’s fabulous.

( The artists are brilliant with dexterity. Hats off for them!!)

We didn’t know the meaning of getting tired this day. We were energised with the show. In the lane there is a cool place to hang out called the Buddha Café, made up of bamboo walls serving hot beverages, chocolates and pastries (do visit it if you want to sip something and feel cosy). One thing, that is very right to say is that Udaipur is really a touristic town. The people are really used to see foreigners parading from different countries. Ofcourse, there are some ups and downs, but I certainly felt comfortable here with these people.

Rats were running in our stomach till then, and the best place to have dinner was the rooftop retaurant of our hotel. Scrumptiously amazing food, candle light, open sky, warm staff, great ambience and the lovely City Palace in front of us. God!! We thoroughly relished each and every moment of this evening. Coming ahead were the days filled with a lot of travelling :-))))

Kumbhalgarh
The next day we rented a private taxi to visit Kumbhalgarh and Ranakpur. Kumbhalgarh is a massive fort built by Rana Kumbha in the 15th century situated on a height of 1100m in the Aravalli mountain range. It was a very important Mewar fort where the rulers used to take shelter in times of danger. This is also a birth place of the great warrior of Mewar, Rana Pratap Singh.

The fort has perimeter walls that go up to 36 km in length and is said to be the longest wall after the Great Wall of China. This fort is a dramatic structure allowing the tourist to understand the high level strategy that was devised by the ancient rulers to protect them from their enemies.

Oops..sorry! This is a video shot in Rajasthan, 

just placed in an incorrect order..but enjoy!

There are beautiful Shiva, Ganesha and many other temples in the premises. We also met a bunch of foreign tourists (this place is really famous with the foriegners) here and they looked very much amazed by the grand fort.

Ranakpur

Soon after, we droved towards the famous and internationally praised, a gem of the gems, the Ranakpur Temple. There are no words to describe the real beauty of this white temple made up of 1444 exceptionally carved marble pillars. There is a long story behind the making of the Ranakpur temple. Its construction took place from 1446 to 1496.

Unfortunately with the passing years and the onslaught of time and element, along with the destruction by the foreign invaders much damage was done to the shrine. Only when Anandji Kalyanji Trust refurbished the temple and made facilities, the pilgrims and the tourists were able to take the opportunity of seeing this wonder. There can be no doubt that it can be also a wonder of the world. And now, as I witnessed there were hundreds and hundreds of foreign tourists (keeping on pouring in huge groups) examining and praising the unmatched carved pillars. World renowned architects and sculptures have praised the delicate grace of this temple. The temple's architecture and balance is not the least affected inspite of its loftiness. The artistic sculptures and the myraid oranate festoons with delicate carvings - all these are works of spiritual art. As I approached them, I got oblivious of all else but except of this masterpiece. !!!

Ranakpur temple is a Jain temple dedicated to Bhagavan Adinath where thousands of Jains come here for a pilgrimage every year. It is such an exceptionally large temple that it can take hours to understand the complexity of the different structures of marbles.

The pillars are so geniously arranged in such a manner that none of them obstruct the view of the idol. The vast expanse of the structure includes four artistic entrances (from which only one is open to the public). It is a three story building which enshrines four huge white marble images of Bhagavan Adinath facing all the four directions on each level, therefore, it is popularly known as Chaturmukh Jain Temple.

Fortunately we met a Jain priest who further explained us that the temple consists of 76 smaller domed-shrines, four assembly halls situated in all four directions, and, 84 subsidiary shrines giving the message to a human to liberate from the 84 lakhs cycles of birth and death and attain salvation. The domes and ceilings of the temple show innumerable carvings depicting incidents from the past. The artists have given these carvings life and movement with their marvellous workmanship. And, after all this may all say, again as I said earlier, that this artistically chiseled masterpiece could certainly take its place as one of the Wonders of the World.

So if you liked what you have just seen.. please keep in touch.. because we are organizing a budget group trip for everyone and we also invite people from different country to experience this unique tradition of India. For further enquiries on this group trip please contact us on +91 9821 231306 or +91 9821 505029 or email us on info@butterflyyogi.com. Please, don't forget to leave your comments! :-)

Take care for now. Namaskar !!!

Vipassana Meditation

Hi guys.. I have just come back from my second 10 days Vipassana Meditation course, in Dhamma Giri, the headquarters of Vipassana International Academy in Igatpuri, and would like to share with you about this experience. Have a look at the pictures from Dhamma Giri complex. (Pictures of the Meditation Halls are not allowed.)

For those who don’t know, Vipassana is a technique of Meditation taught in ancient times by Gotama the Buddha himself, and preserved (in Burma) in its pristine form by a long line of teachers descended directly from the Buddha and it was brought back to India by S.N. Goenka, or Goenkaji as he is widely and respectfully referred to.

The technique involves the following observances and practices: Sila (morality), Samadhi (concentration) and Panna (wisdom).

And for those who think meditation is an easy job… that you just need to sit cross-legged and do nothing… you will be surprised to know that Vipassana Meditation is a hard work and that the 10 days course calls for a lot of effort and discipline.

In Goenkaji’s own words, one has to “work diligently, ardently, persistently, patiently but continuously, observing sensations throughout the body and remaining equanimous, understanding the technique properly, purifying the mind, to work out one’s own liberation from misery”.

More about the Technique

The technique of Vipassana is a simple, practical way to achieve real peace of mind and to lead a happy, useful life. Vipassana means "to see things as they really are"; it is a logical process of mental purification through self-observation.

From time to time, we all experience agitation, frustration and disharmony. When we suffer, we do not keep our misery limited to ourselves; instead, we keep distributing it to others. Certainly this is not a proper way to live. We all long to live at peace within ourselves, and with those around us. After all, human beings are social beings: we have to live and interact with others. How, then, can we live peacefully? How can we remain harmonious ourselves, and maintain peace and harmony around us?

Vipassana enables us to experience peace and harmony: it purifies the mind, freeing it from suffering and the deep-seated causes of suffering. The practice leads step-by-step to the highest spiritual goal of full liberation from all mental defilements.

About the Course

The standard meditation course in this tradition is a residential course of ten days’ duration. The participants commit themselves to staying on the course site for the full ten days, observing a rigorous timetable, maintaining complete silence (Noble Silence) among themselves for the first nine days.

(Individual Cells for Meditation around the main Pagoda)

At the beginning of the course, we take the five precepts as given by the Buddha to householders: to refrain from killing, to refrain from stealing, to refrain from telling lies (one of the reasons for the Noble Silence), to refrain from sexual misconduct (which involves the maintenance of complete celibacy for the duration of the course), and to refrain from taking any intoxicants.

We start with the practice of Anapana Meditation, that is, the observation of natural breath. On the fourth day, when some concentration has been gained, we switch to the practice of Vipassana Meditation, the systematic observation of the entire mind-matter phenomenon through the medium of bodily sensations. On the last full day, we practice Metta-bhavana, that is, loving kindness, or sharing with others the merits we have gained.

Important aspects of the practice during the course

Noble Silence – (means silence of body, speech and mind) one abstains completely from communication with others whether vocally, or physically by glances or gestures. By doing so one becomes capable of approaching mental silence.

Adhitthana – (means strong determination) to sit in a comfortable position of your choice for a full hour, observing sensations and remaining equanimous with a strong determination that you are not going to open your eyes, hands and feet.

Awareness and Equanimity – They are like the two wings of a bird. They should be equal in size and strength, otherwise it can not fly. In Vipassana is the same, being aware and equanimous should be the same in size and strength, otherwise it won’t work.

If you want to do a 10 day course of Vipassana Meditation you can get all information you need and make the reservation online at http://www.vri.dhamma.org/

That's it for now. You can write to me if you want more details and tips for the course. Take care.