Yo Yogi
By Life Positive
August 2006
Time out with Ananda
The Power of Om
‘Close your eyes and recite the following syllables with me. And pay attention to your body while doing this, for each syllable will emerge from one part of the body,’ said Ananda. ‘Aaaa’, ‘Uuuu’, ‘Mmmm’, they all recited.
‘Well?’ he asked. ‘Where did ‘Aaaa’ come from?
There was a slight pause but it was Mithu who was the first to touch his stomach and soon, everyone followed.
And where did ‘Uuuu’ come from?’ The hands went to their hearts.
‘Mmmm?’ Now, it was the head. ‘Excellent,’ said Ananda.
‘These are the principles of life – Aaaa is creation – creation of energy that begins with the stomach, Uuuu preservation that happens through the heart and Mmmm is …
‘Destruction’, chipped in Mithu.
Ananda smiled ‘Yes, Mithu. But this destruction is constructive destruction or rather, transformation. We can transform ourselves by transforming the thoughts in our head, but this does, of course, require destruction of the negative thoughts.’
Awestruck, the children recited ‘Om’ with renewed vigor.
Did you know?
Learning from the bestInstead of agonizing over the environmental problems caused due to plastic waste, Alka Zadgaonkar, a chemistry lecturer from Nagpur, began to think of a creative solution.
Applying her knowledge of chemistry, she has come up with a process that returns them to their original form without any harm to the environment. Encouraged by her husband Umesh, she has implemented this process in Nagpur and now, the Indian Institute of Technology, Mumbai, has shown interest, and so have many others from India and abroad.
Interestingly, her son Akshay became the world’s youngest Microsoft Certified Software Developer (MCSD) at the age of 12! The entire family traveled to Seattle to meet Bill Gates. Clearly, the family knows how to pursue and achieve its goals.
Laugh out Loud
A school inspector asked the class, ‘If the length of the platform is 200 meters and the speed of the train is 100 kilometers, what should be my age?’ Noting the absurdity of the question, a clever student answered, ‘Fifty years, sir.’ The answer was absolutely correct.
The inspector was astounded. He asked the boy his method of calculation. ‘Simple, sir,’ the boy replied, ‘I have an elder brother aged 25 and everybody calls him half mad!’
Pratik asked his classmate, ‘Do you know how to keep a foolish person in suspense.’
‘No, you tell me,’ said the classmate.
‘I’ll tell you some other day,’ replied Pratik.
Mum: ‘Rahul, where are you off to now?’
Rahul: ‘I’m going to join the army.’
Mum: ‘But, legally you’re only an infant.’
Rahul: ‘That’s all right. I’m going to join the infantry.’
The Crafty Crow
The ‘common’ crow is unusually intelligent. Crows have the ability to relay information over great distances and live harmoniously in societies, often sharing food with the others. They also perform a very useful function by eating others’ waste. They are nature’s scavengers. So treat them with respect. They deserve it.
Poems that Please
The Rubber Band Effect
Gouri and I have been the best of friends,
Or that is what I thought.
Till I heard her tell Radha that
She was the friend she sought.
I thought of all the times I had,
Tried so hard to win her love.
Buy her gifts, help with homework too…
How could she do this to me? Oh, how?
I controlled myself all that day,
But the minute I entered home,
And saw my Amma’s kindly face,
I burst into tears… I felt so alone.
Amma patiently heard my woes out
I have never been too big for her lap.
And explained to me ‘The Rubber Band Effect’
That helped fill that lonely gap.
‘What happens when you pull a rubber band?’
She asked, ‘And then you let it go?’
‘It elongates and then comes back to size.’
I answered, quizzically raising a brow.
‘The rubber band, in its original state
Is how your life should be.
Just be sincere… you will receive all that you deserve
And a life that is tension-free.
If you pull yourself like the rubber band
And scheme to get things your way.
You will get what you want, but like the band going back
It will be taken from you one day.
Sincerity is the key, my dear.
What comes to you will be truly yours.
What goes was never meant to be.
But remember, both are gifts from the Lord.’
Archana Savnal
(Courtesy: The Chitrapur Sunbeam)
Grandmother’s Tales
How to Conquer bad Habits
Once a thief came to Prophet Mohammed and said, ‘Oh prophet of Allah, I have many bad habits. Which one of them should I give up first?’ The prophet said, ‘Give up telling lies first and always speak the truth.’ The man promised to do so and went home.
At night the man was about to go out to steal. Before setting out, he thought for a moment about the promise he made to the prophet. ‘If tomorrow the prophet asks me where I have been, what shall I say? Shall I say that I went out stealing? No, I cannot say that. But nor can I lie. If I tell the truth, everyone will start hating me and call me a thief. I would be punished for stealing.’
So the man decided not to steal that night, and gave up this bad habit. Next day, he felt like drinking wine. Just as he was about to quaff down a glass, he said to himself, ‘What shall I say to the prophet if he asks me what I did during the day?’
And so he gave up the idea of drinking wine. In this way, whenever the man thought of doing something bad, he remembered his promise to tell the truth at all times. One by one, he gave up all his bad habits and became a good Muslim and a very good person.
Mind Blowers
In the Pipeline
A table tennis ball fell into a pipe. The pipe is only a bit wider then the ball, so you cannot use your hand. How will you take it out, with no damage?
Answer: Pour water on it. The ball will float to the surface.
One for All
A basket contains five apples. How can you give them to five kids so that each one has an apple and one apple stays in the basket?
Answer: Give four kids an apple each and give the fifth one the basket containing one apple.
Slow Victory
A man tells his two sons to race their camels to a distant city to see who will inherit his fortune. The one whose camel is slower will win. The brothers don’t know how to prove this and wander about slowly and aimlessly until they ask a wise man for advise. On hearing him, they jump on the camels and race as fast as they can to the city. What does the wise man say?
Answer: He asks them to switch camels. As both wish to prove that their camel is slower, they make the one they are riding run as fast as possible.