I'm going to be honest, I did not know what mindfulness meant until I moved to the West decades ago.
Having had a religious upbringing during my younger years in India, I was forced to follow Hindu practices, which I completely hated then.
But after I moved to the West, I stumbled upon concepts such as mindfulness, zen, being present, etc -- none of those things made sense either.
I'm not a person with a great IQ -- I learn things through personal experience or observation.
I used to be a voracious reader, but none of the mindfulness mumbo-jumbo made sense to me until I stumbled upon The Power Of Now by Eckhart Tolle -- that book changed my life at a point I was at an all-time low in my life.
That book showed me the practical ways to stay present and in the moment - to silence my mind - I did not even realize my mind was making all the noise until I discovered this book. The over-thinker in me just shut up for the first time in decades. I experienced peace for the first time in my life. My journey of self-discovery started there.
Over the next few years, I drowned myself neck-deep into spirituality due to personal setbacks.
The reason I bring this up is everything - mindfulness, Zen, being in the moment, meditation, Hindu traditions, teachings of other religions, etc. - all started making sense to me after I learned about the power of the presence (thanks and much gratitude to Eckhart Tolle).
Once I experientially gained an understanding of who I am as a human being and the very phenomenon of life, every religious aspect I learned as a child started making sense. All dots connected -- including my skepticism, as that's what paved the way to dive deep within myself.
If the above experience is true for me, it is true for a lot of other people too.
People travel in their own timelines.
East, West, North or South - it doesn't matter who gets it right or wrong -- in my humble experience, people learn things only when they are READY to receive it.
The first step is to create awareness -- and I'm glad people are considering and talking about it in the West -- better than not being aware of it at all.
Let people explore and discover the truth themselves. If that happens, human consciousness will raise automatically.
Thank you for writing about such a brilliant topic, Sonaakshi. The sheer number of comments to this post speaks volumes about how much people resonate with it.
Wow, thank you for sharing such a powerful and deeply personal journey. Your story beautifully highlights how understanding often comes through lived experiences rather than external definitions or teachings.
I couldn’t agree more that people learn when they’re ready, and everyone has their own timeline. I also love your perspective that it doesn’t matter where the awareness starts—whether East, West, or anywhere else—it’s the willingness to explore and discover that matters most. I'm guessing since you moved to the west from India, you might have noticed that even people in India can have a distorted perspective of mindfulness or spirituality. So at the core, it really depends on the individual, regardless of where they are.
I'm hearing about the book you mentioned for the first time, but your feedback certainly inspires me to check it out. And yes, awareness is the first step! The more people talk, explore, and reflect, the closer we all get to understanding ourselves and raising collective consciousness. Thank you for this thoughtful and encouraging message—it truly means so much.
Happy to hear that you have experienced something similar with your grandparents. I too did not like to indulge much in rituals and prayers even until the mid-twenties, because I did not understand the point of it (or the significance behind it). For me, the universe and nature came before deities until I dived deeper into our traditions and realized that these are just means to connect to the ultimate source/power/universe/nature itself. So now when I do my regular pujas or mantra chanting, I know why I'm doing this and what it'll lead me to. Also, thank you for recommending this book, I'll definitely look into it!
There are no coincidences in life. Regarding the power of now, if you’re learning about it now, it’s not by accident - it’s coming into your life (and everyone else who’s reading and is drawn to it) at the right time.
I agree about Mr Tolle’s book…. Books. His very presence on video is also instructive.
I also agree with Sonaakshi’s key points.
Commodification makes the user think that something is being added or installed from the outside.
But, as you both know, we are just finding out what is already here. A process of progressive familiarisation.
I also cannot believe just how many people classify themselves as teacher$ or guide$ based on the fact they have been doing mindfulness practices for (hopefully) several years. On what basis are they equipped to educate hundreds of anonymous others they have never met?
Yes, there are a lot of people out there who're trying to teach/guide others.
Here's my perspective on this, and by no means I'm saying I'm right. It's just my perspective --
I've no comments about those who are not genuine. They're not in my control - I simply ignore them as that's IN my control. I don't waste my time with them.
But there are innumerable people who've felt something within them -- common people like us. Grace has touched them and they want to share it with the rest of the world. If I resonate with their TRUTH, I follow them. I don't look at their background.
I'm from the lands of eastern spirituality -- but I had to travel 20,000 miles away from India to get awakened in Canada, by Eckhart Tolle.
There's a beautiful saying in the Hindu scriptures that goes something like...
Don't look at the teacher -- look at their teaching. If you're conscious enough, even a stone can enlighten you.
I don't recall when and where I came across the above wisdom, but it stuck with me.
And that planted the seed for my mental health publication -- Germinate.
I believe mindfulness is accessible in many, many cultures across the world. It is a human experience that can be filtered through many lenses. I don’t think Indian or other South Asian traditions possess True Mindfulness versus anywhere else. Your point that mindfulness has been monetized and commodified in countries like the USA and others is certainly spot on. But people throughout the world have gotten there through their own approaches and many of us practice it—we may not chant or pray to a deity or count beads, but that doesn’t make it less legit.
Thank you for such a thoughtful comment and bringing in a different perspective to this conversation. I do agree that no South Asian countries own mindfulness; that would negate the whole point of seeing it as a way of life for all humans as a whole. The people in my country can be equally unaware to the truth and fall into commercial practices. The example of my grandparents chanting and praying was to show that mindfulness is a simple, free, and accessible practice that doesn't always require fancy products. As I later mentioned in my article, mindfulness is separate from religion because it is a practice we can embody regardless of our faith. I'm glad that the world is using mindfulness in their way, but at the same time, we all need a reminder to understand its true essence. I made a humble attempt at highlighting this. Thank you so much for your comment. I'm also constantly learning and growing through connecting with like-minded souls like you!
I often wonder how the West went East and then simplified everything to sell it differently.This is either outrageous or funny. If I were Indian, sometimes I would laugh at the Western variation of indian culture.☺️
It does bother me sometimes, especially what has become of practices like Yoga (read: dog yoga, beer yoga, goat yoga and all that). Many people in my country too are falling into these shallow practices. Hope we all embrace the true essence of mindfulness!
So, it seems that there is also "de-animalization" there.It started with covid times. Back to the low level of consciousness.I thought only the Western world was sinking, but apparently the East is too.
My own journey with mindfulness began not with an app or a retreat, but with simple moments of presence – watching my grandmother knead dough, the rhythm of her hands a meditation in itself. I love how you highlighted that mindfulness isn't about adding something to our already busy lives, but about finding the sacred in the everyday. It's a gentle reminder that we don't need to escape our lives to find peace; it's right here, waiting to be discovered in the simplest of things.
So glad you resonated with my post! Mindfulness isn’t about piling more onto our already full plates; it’s about peeling back the layers to notice what’s already there. And those quiet, seemingly ordinary moments often hold the deepest peace if we just pause long enough to feel them.
I loved hearing the stories of your grandparents and how they made spiritual practice an essential element of their lives. You've made many beautiful points in this piece. I feel there's power in having a dedicated sitting practice and, at the same time, I agree we need to bring mindfulness off the cushion, too.
I'm glad you enjoyed it.... I do agree with you that regular sitting practices like meditation are the most powerful things in the mindfulness journey, but for those who can't do it for some reason, there is still scope to be more conscious in their everyday life. I appreciate your thoughts on this!
I have a mindfulness practice in my life which doesn't have anything to do with either religion or any fancy apps or products. I have found that it's a state of surrender, listening to an inner voice and noticing the happenings around me without attaching any emotion or consequence to them. It has been about 10 years now, and has completely transformed my world view and contributed greatly to my mental health and well-being. Thank you for this piece. Love, Virg
Thank you so much for sharing this, Virginia! Your mindfulness practice sounds so simple and genuine—it’s amazing how you’ve kept it free of all the extra stuff that often gets attached to it these days. I love how you describe it as surrender and just listening to your inner voice. That’s such a powerful way to look at mindfulness—it’s not about doing more but about just being and noticing. Ten years of this practice must have brought such incredible depth and clarity to your life.
Having read so many books and articles about the "necessary" posture for meditation, I asked myself, "Are amputees prevented from Enlightenment?" But that's a whole other subject. I believe I am enjoying mindfulness when I sit at the kitchen table in the morning and wait for my dogs to scratch at the door in the morning. I have no particular thoughts. I enjoy sitting in my wife's sewing room. When the dog(s) scratch, I come out of my reverie.
I love this version of mindfulness for you. This is how we learn to be self-aware and present in the moments by enjoying those small moments in life. Your question is about amputees and the necessary posture for meditation is important. It's true that meditation is a powerful practice that escalates your spiritual growth but even if someone can't do it, they can embody mindfulness in their everyday life, like you did. Thank you for sharing this!
You are very welcome. 50 years ago, when I learned yoga via PBS' Lilias, Yoga, and You, I could not twist my legs into the Lotus pose and even the Tailors' Pose was uncomfortable. Typically, when I meditate in THIS century, I partially recline on a nest of pillows and enjoy relief from pain and even get a taste of those otherworldly experiences and visions that I used to get from psychedelics.
That sounds wonderful! It's true that regular meditation practice can make you experience those altered states, just like the psychedelics. I'm glad you found a comfortable way to meditate that's suited to your individual self. That's what matters.
I had hoped to repost a link to the Moody Blues' THINKING IS THE BEST WAY TO TRAVEL, but my computer no longer co-operates when I try to cut-and-paste songs, but YouTube and/or Microsoft seem to be conspiring to make everyone buy Windows X!. Oh well. Ommmmmmmmmmmm
Sonaakshi, each time you hit the nail on head and bring forward such issues that seriously demand attention. On top of it. you present your views vocally, politely yet firmly. Mindfulness has been a part and parcel of our lives, in fact, an unknown habit silently and naturally shifted from generation to generation. We never had these applications and the mindful way of living does not need any of it. Loved this piece as always. You are an inspiration, my friend and your writings have the ability to bring the readers out of deep slumbers. God bless you!
Thank you soo much! Your appreciation means the world to me. I'm glad this post resonated with you and you got the message I was trying to convey. I'm a work in progress, constantly learning, and kind supporters like you inspire me to be better every day.
Your posts are always inspiring, Sonaakshi and I wait for them eagerly. My unbarred support is always with you and honestly, you are turning better and it is quite evident. 😊😊
I know right! Yoga has become a form of workout when it's so much more than that--a way to form connection between body,mind and soul! Let's hope we all embrace the true essence of these ancient practices so we benefit more from it!
Thanks for schooling me more on the roots of mindfulness and it's truest forms. I've come to it late in the game - exactly how you describe it. Through podcasts, You Tube and apps! It is amazingly helpful but I am also reading and learning more of the basics of Buddhism, yoga nidra and such like as I find that fascinating too, so hope to ground it as a practice for life. I'll share this great piece tomorrow in my newsletter.
Podcasts and apps are the starting point, and I'm glad to hear you're willing to learn more about the deeper truths in mindfulness. I haven't mastered the art of mindfulness either but constantly learning as I go and writing about my experiences. Happy to hear that you'd like to mention this post in your coming newsletter. Thank you for your constant support and encouragement!
I’ve felt the tension of mindfulness in the west of there being a ‘specific art or method’ to it but it’s a lifestyle. It’s imperfect consistent devotion to the deepest parts of us.
The most sacred part of it to me is simply having the thought. The thought to do yoga or pray or meditate because it’s an act of love.
Glad you could relate to it and thank you so much for your kind words! You've summed up my message well, that mindfulness is not a specific act or method but a way of life. And yes, doing yoga or meditation is totally an act of love--towards self and others who we connect to because you give out our energies out into the world. Thank you for your comment!
Thank you so much for addressing the elephant in the room! When Mindfulness started to be introduced in elementary schools here, that was my big question, how can mindfulness be commodified?? I have 15 minutes of meditation daily and prayer and it is me who is participating, not a guide book anywhere.Again at night, no one leading me in my relaxed mindfulness. Although, it may have led many Westerners to try Mindfulness, it has to be led from within and not guided from without!
Thank you for sharing this! I completely agree—mindfulness is such a personal, inward journey, and it feels strange to see it being packaged and sold like something external we need to buy or follow. Your daily meditation and prayer sound so grounding, especially because they’re led by you and not something external.
I think for some, apps and guides can be a starting point, but real mindfulness has to come from within, doesn’t it? It’s amazing to hear how you’ve built such a natural, inward practice....it’s such a great reminder of what mindfulness is truly about!
Fantastic article! I love that your Dadi and Naana have been such a positive influence in your life. It's beautiful that you woke up to them sitting silently in devotion and practicing mantra. 😍🙏💖
I'm curious, did you ever sit down and join them?
I love teaching mantra and mudra meditations to children. Imagine a world where everyone starts their day in such a peaceful way! This is my vision and mission with my Rainbow Warriors book collection and family yoga classes. 🌈🧘♀️
The long power outages comment made me chuckle! 😂 This is one of the things in India that helped me to cultivate patience. 🙏
Thank you for sharing this evocative piece of writing. I felt like I was there with you! 🥰
Thank you for sharing. This reminds me of something my good friend and yoga teacher taught me. She teaches Kundalini yoga.
She told me how most places in the US only teach the physical aspects of yoga. You might go to the gym and do some stretching exercises. The meditative parts are not emphasized or are omitted.
This info was a shock to me. That seems to remove a central part of the practices.
I think that the as you say the idea of taking components of a practice and turning them into apps or other pieces that you purchase does commodify things. I like your notion of thinking of it as a gift.
I'm going to be honest, I did not know what mindfulness meant until I moved to the West decades ago.
Having had a religious upbringing during my younger years in India, I was forced to follow Hindu practices, which I completely hated then.
But after I moved to the West, I stumbled upon concepts such as mindfulness, zen, being present, etc -- none of those things made sense either.
I'm not a person with a great IQ -- I learn things through personal experience or observation.
I used to be a voracious reader, but none of the mindfulness mumbo-jumbo made sense to me until I stumbled upon The Power Of Now by Eckhart Tolle -- that book changed my life at a point I was at an all-time low in my life.
That book showed me the practical ways to stay present and in the moment - to silence my mind - I did not even realize my mind was making all the noise until I discovered this book. The over-thinker in me just shut up for the first time in decades. I experienced peace for the first time in my life. My journey of self-discovery started there.
Over the next few years, I drowned myself neck-deep into spirituality due to personal setbacks.
The reason I bring this up is everything - mindfulness, Zen, being in the moment, meditation, Hindu traditions, teachings of other religions, etc. - all started making sense to me after I learned about the power of the presence (thanks and much gratitude to Eckhart Tolle).
Once I experientially gained an understanding of who I am as a human being and the very phenomenon of life, every religious aspect I learned as a child started making sense. All dots connected -- including my skepticism, as that's what paved the way to dive deep within myself.
If the above experience is true for me, it is true for a lot of other people too.
People travel in their own timelines.
East, West, North or South - it doesn't matter who gets it right or wrong -- in my humble experience, people learn things only when they are READY to receive it.
The first step is to create awareness -- and I'm glad people are considering and talking about it in the West -- better than not being aware of it at all.
Let people explore and discover the truth themselves. If that happens, human consciousness will raise automatically.
Thank you for writing about such a brilliant topic, Sonaakshi. The sheer number of comments to this post speaks volumes about how much people resonate with it.
Very well-written! :)
Wow, thank you for sharing such a powerful and deeply personal journey. Your story beautifully highlights how understanding often comes through lived experiences rather than external definitions or teachings.
I couldn’t agree more that people learn when they’re ready, and everyone has their own timeline. I also love your perspective that it doesn’t matter where the awareness starts—whether East, West, or anywhere else—it’s the willingness to explore and discover that matters most. I'm guessing since you moved to the west from India, you might have noticed that even people in India can have a distorted perspective of mindfulness or spirituality. So at the core, it really depends on the individual, regardless of where they are.
I'm hearing about the book you mentioned for the first time, but your feedback certainly inspires me to check it out. And yes, awareness is the first step! The more people talk, explore, and reflect, the closer we all get to understanding ourselves and raising collective consciousness. Thank you for this thoughtful and encouraging message—it truly means so much.
Thanks for your kind words. I think you summarized my core message really well.
I did want to also comment about your observation of your grandparents - it reminded me of my own childhood.
I did the same - sat and observed their prayers and religious practices. But that got me into trouble. They made me do it too. Lol.
I did not like that they forced me to chant mantras/do prayers.
But everything was etched in my unconscious mind even though I did all those things reluctantly then.
Fast forward to today, I cannot thank them enough for the difference those practices have made in my life.
Speaking of Power of Now, it's a must-read book - Eckhart Tolle created a mass awakening in human consciousness years ago that continues to this day.
The power of this book lies in its simplicity - it's dialled down the essence of spirituality in such simpler terms, anyone can grasp.
Happy to hear that you have experienced something similar with your grandparents. I too did not like to indulge much in rituals and prayers even until the mid-twenties, because I did not understand the point of it (or the significance behind it). For me, the universe and nature came before deities until I dived deeper into our traditions and realized that these are just means to connect to the ultimate source/power/universe/nature itself. So now when I do my regular pujas or mantra chanting, I know why I'm doing this and what it'll lead me to. Also, thank you for recommending this book, I'll definitely look into it!
I echo your sentiments, Sonaakshi.
There are no coincidences in life. Regarding the power of now, if you’re learning about it now, it’s not by accident - it’s coming into your life (and everyone else who’s reading and is drawn to it) at the right time.
Thank you for subscribing/supporting my work 🙏
I agree about Mr Tolle’s book…. Books. His very presence on video is also instructive.
I also agree with Sonaakshi’s key points.
Commodification makes the user think that something is being added or installed from the outside.
But, as you both know, we are just finding out what is already here. A process of progressive familiarisation.
I also cannot believe just how many people classify themselves as teacher$ or guide$ based on the fact they have been doing mindfulness practices for (hopefully) several years. On what basis are they equipped to educate hundreds of anonymous others they have never met?
Great perspective, Frank.
Yes, there are a lot of people out there who're trying to teach/guide others.
Here's my perspective on this, and by no means I'm saying I'm right. It's just my perspective --
I've no comments about those who are not genuine. They're not in my control - I simply ignore them as that's IN my control. I don't waste my time with them.
But there are innumerable people who've felt something within them -- common people like us. Grace has touched them and they want to share it with the rest of the world. If I resonate with their TRUTH, I follow them. I don't look at their background.
I'm from the lands of eastern spirituality -- but I had to travel 20,000 miles away from India to get awakened in Canada, by Eckhart Tolle.
There's a beautiful saying in the Hindu scriptures that goes something like...
Don't look at the teacher -- look at their teaching. If you're conscious enough, even a stone can enlighten you.
I don't recall when and where I came across the above wisdom, but it stuck with me.
And that planted the seed for my mental health publication -- Germinate.
Great discussion, Frank! Thank you!
Regards,
Guru
Thank you
Thanks for sharing some core memories! I love it: mindfulness as a way of life!
I believe mindfulness is accessible in many, many cultures across the world. It is a human experience that can be filtered through many lenses. I don’t think Indian or other South Asian traditions possess True Mindfulness versus anywhere else. Your point that mindfulness has been monetized and commodified in countries like the USA and others is certainly spot on. But people throughout the world have gotten there through their own approaches and many of us practice it—we may not chant or pray to a deity or count beads, but that doesn’t make it less legit.
Thank you for such a thoughtful comment and bringing in a different perspective to this conversation. I do agree that no South Asian countries own mindfulness; that would negate the whole point of seeing it as a way of life for all humans as a whole. The people in my country can be equally unaware to the truth and fall into commercial practices. The example of my grandparents chanting and praying was to show that mindfulness is a simple, free, and accessible practice that doesn't always require fancy products. As I later mentioned in my article, mindfulness is separate from religion because it is a practice we can embody regardless of our faith. I'm glad that the world is using mindfulness in their way, but at the same time, we all need a reminder to understand its true essence. I made a humble attempt at highlighting this. Thank you so much for your comment. I'm also constantly learning and growing through connecting with like-minded souls like you!
I often wonder how the West went East and then simplified everything to sell it differently.This is either outrageous or funny. If I were Indian, sometimes I would laugh at the Western variation of indian culture.☺️
It does bother me sometimes, especially what has become of practices like Yoga (read: dog yoga, beer yoga, goat yoga and all that). Many people in my country too are falling into these shallow practices. Hope we all embrace the true essence of mindfulness!
Beer yoga! Yes, I've heard about it too - how appalling. Never heard of dog or goat yoga - atrocious!
So, it seems that there is also "de-animalization" there.It started with covid times. Back to the low level of consciousness.I thought only the Western world was sinking, but apparently the East is too.
My own journey with mindfulness began not with an app or a retreat, but with simple moments of presence – watching my grandmother knead dough, the rhythm of her hands a meditation in itself. I love how you highlighted that mindfulness isn't about adding something to our already busy lives, but about finding the sacred in the everyday. It's a gentle reminder that we don't need to escape our lives to find peace; it's right here, waiting to be discovered in the simplest of things.
So glad you resonated with my post! Mindfulness isn’t about piling more onto our already full plates; it’s about peeling back the layers to notice what’s already there. And those quiet, seemingly ordinary moments often hold the deepest peace if we just pause long enough to feel them.
Thank you for commenting!
I loved hearing the stories of your grandparents and how they made spiritual practice an essential element of their lives. You've made many beautiful points in this piece. I feel there's power in having a dedicated sitting practice and, at the same time, I agree we need to bring mindfulness off the cushion, too.
I'm glad you enjoyed it.... I do agree with you that regular sitting practices like meditation are the most powerful things in the mindfulness journey, but for those who can't do it for some reason, there is still scope to be more conscious in their everyday life. I appreciate your thoughts on this!
I have a mindfulness practice in my life which doesn't have anything to do with either religion or any fancy apps or products. I have found that it's a state of surrender, listening to an inner voice and noticing the happenings around me without attaching any emotion or consequence to them. It has been about 10 years now, and has completely transformed my world view and contributed greatly to my mental health and well-being. Thank you for this piece. Love, Virg
Thank you so much for sharing this, Virginia! Your mindfulness practice sounds so simple and genuine—it’s amazing how you’ve kept it free of all the extra stuff that often gets attached to it these days. I love how you describe it as surrender and just listening to your inner voice. That’s such a powerful way to look at mindfulness—it’s not about doing more but about just being and noticing. Ten years of this practice must have brought such incredible depth and clarity to your life.
Having read so many books and articles about the "necessary" posture for meditation, I asked myself, "Are amputees prevented from Enlightenment?" But that's a whole other subject. I believe I am enjoying mindfulness when I sit at the kitchen table in the morning and wait for my dogs to scratch at the door in the morning. I have no particular thoughts. I enjoy sitting in my wife's sewing room. When the dog(s) scratch, I come out of my reverie.
Life is good.
I love this version of mindfulness for you. This is how we learn to be self-aware and present in the moments by enjoying those small moments in life. Your question is about amputees and the necessary posture for meditation is important. It's true that meditation is a powerful practice that escalates your spiritual growth but even if someone can't do it, they can embody mindfulness in their everyday life, like you did. Thank you for sharing this!
You are very welcome. 50 years ago, when I learned yoga via PBS' Lilias, Yoga, and You, I could not twist my legs into the Lotus pose and even the Tailors' Pose was uncomfortable. Typically, when I meditate in THIS century, I partially recline on a nest of pillows and enjoy relief from pain and even get a taste of those otherworldly experiences and visions that I used to get from psychedelics.
That sounds wonderful! It's true that regular meditation practice can make you experience those altered states, just like the psychedelics. I'm glad you found a comfortable way to meditate that's suited to your individual self. That's what matters.
I had hoped to repost a link to the Moody Blues' THINKING IS THE BEST WAY TO TRAVEL, but my computer no longer co-operates when I try to cut-and-paste songs, but YouTube and/or Microsoft seem to be conspiring to make everyone buy Windows X!. Oh well. Ommmmmmmmmmmm
Sonaakshi, each time you hit the nail on head and bring forward such issues that seriously demand attention. On top of it. you present your views vocally, politely yet firmly. Mindfulness has been a part and parcel of our lives, in fact, an unknown habit silently and naturally shifted from generation to generation. We never had these applications and the mindful way of living does not need any of it. Loved this piece as always. You are an inspiration, my friend and your writings have the ability to bring the readers out of deep slumbers. God bless you!
Thank you soo much! Your appreciation means the world to me. I'm glad this post resonated with you and you got the message I was trying to convey. I'm a work in progress, constantly learning, and kind supporters like you inspire me to be better every day.
Your posts are always inspiring, Sonaakshi and I wait for them eagerly. My unbarred support is always with you and honestly, you are turning better and it is quite evident. 😊😊
Totally agree. The same is done with yoga. It has become commercialized.
I know right! Yoga has become a form of workout when it's so much more than that--a way to form connection between body,mind and soul! Let's hope we all embrace the true essence of these ancient practices so we benefit more from it!
Yes, indeed!
Thanks for schooling me more on the roots of mindfulness and it's truest forms. I've come to it late in the game - exactly how you describe it. Through podcasts, You Tube and apps! It is amazingly helpful but I am also reading and learning more of the basics of Buddhism, yoga nidra and such like as I find that fascinating too, so hope to ground it as a practice for life. I'll share this great piece tomorrow in my newsletter.
Podcasts and apps are the starting point, and I'm glad to hear you're willing to learn more about the deeper truths in mindfulness. I haven't mastered the art of mindfulness either but constantly learning as I go and writing about my experiences. Happy to hear that you'd like to mention this post in your coming newsletter. Thank you for your constant support and encouragement!
You’re very welcome
Beautiful words, beautiful art, from one of my favorite places on Substack, I mean the internet, I mean the universe. 😊🧧✨
Thank you sooo much! Your comment made my day, and your kind words inspire me to keep writing.
This is so beautifully said!
I’ve felt the tension of mindfulness in the west of there being a ‘specific art or method’ to it but it’s a lifestyle. It’s imperfect consistent devotion to the deepest parts of us.
The most sacred part of it to me is simply having the thought. The thought to do yoga or pray or meditate because it’s an act of love.
Glad you could relate to it and thank you so much for your kind words! You've summed up my message well, that mindfulness is not a specific act or method but a way of life. And yes, doing yoga or meditation is totally an act of love--towards self and others who we connect to because you give out our energies out into the world. Thank you for your comment!
Thank you so much for addressing the elephant in the room! When Mindfulness started to be introduced in elementary schools here, that was my big question, how can mindfulness be commodified?? I have 15 minutes of meditation daily and prayer and it is me who is participating, not a guide book anywhere.Again at night, no one leading me in my relaxed mindfulness. Although, it may have led many Westerners to try Mindfulness, it has to be led from within and not guided from without!
Thank you for sharing this! I completely agree—mindfulness is such a personal, inward journey, and it feels strange to see it being packaged and sold like something external we need to buy or follow. Your daily meditation and prayer sound so grounding, especially because they’re led by you and not something external.
I think for some, apps and guides can be a starting point, but real mindfulness has to come from within, doesn’t it? It’s amazing to hear how you’ve built such a natural, inward practice....it’s such a great reminder of what mindfulness is truly about!
Fantastic article! I love that your Dadi and Naana have been such a positive influence in your life. It's beautiful that you woke up to them sitting silently in devotion and practicing mantra. 😍🙏💖
I'm curious, did you ever sit down and join them?
I love teaching mantra and mudra meditations to children. Imagine a world where everyone starts their day in such a peaceful way! This is my vision and mission with my Rainbow Warriors book collection and family yoga classes. 🌈🧘♀️
The long power outages comment made me chuckle! 😂 This is one of the things in India that helped me to cultivate patience. 🙏
Thank you for sharing this evocative piece of writing. I felt like I was there with you! 🥰
Thank you for sharing. This reminds me of something my good friend and yoga teacher taught me. She teaches Kundalini yoga.
She told me how most places in the US only teach the physical aspects of yoga. You might go to the gym and do some stretching exercises. The meditative parts are not emphasized or are omitted.
This info was a shock to me. That seems to remove a central part of the practices.
I think that the as you say the idea of taking components of a practice and turning them into apps or other pieces that you purchase does commodify things. I like your notion of thinking of it as a gift.