As December sets in, everything around you oozes of cheer, joy and happiness. Daily life seems to get a boost of excitement when you see that preparations for the celebrations have begun all around – be it Christmas, New Year’s or weddings. However, amidst all the December enthusiasm, there may be people who are feeling low, depressed and lonely.
This post is always my favorite post of the year because I ritually sit down with a nice cup of tea and I can indulge myself in reminiscing about all the wonderful people I saw in therapy, about their movement and growth, about all the work we put in as a team, the activities we did and all the articles we wrote thinking of all of you who read this space regularly.
Mental peace, and how to achieve it, is probably one of the most sought after things in the mental health area. This is with good reason, all of us need moments of peace. Ironically though, the pursuit of peace causes more frustration in one too many of us, especially in those moments where we are genuinely feeling bad, distressed or hurt.
It’s that time of the year again when every building is dotted with lanterns, diyas and lights…and not to mention, when it’s okay to eat as many sweets as you want to!
Diwali is here! The festival of lights is a much loved one across ages and communities. No wonder then that no exchange in these 3-4 days would be complete without “Happy Diwali” 🙂
Apart from the festivities and fire crackers, there is a deeper meaning that Diwali would hold for each of you. To some it would mean hope, whereas for some, joy.
For Diwali, we at Inner Space decided to come together and share with you what Diwali means to each of us in the team. Penning this down was a soothing experience and helped each of us connect with what Diwali truly meant to us.
The Mental Health week 2012 is here and just as last year (We highlighted 7 most effective Mental health tips during mental health week 2011), this year again we have a post a day lined up for you for all the seven days.
The theme we have decided to focus upon this time is mindfulness exercises, to help you understand how to be mindful. So every day, for a week starting from today, you will have one technique, one practice or exercise that you can reflect upon and attempt to enhance the joy of just living-mindfully.
At times that’s all you need to do.
Pause is a way of nature, it’s part of the natural flow of life. After every breath you take in and let out – you pause, after every word you say you pause. In fact everything that seems like a seamless continuation is actually filled with numerous small pauses, coming together harmoniously to make us feel that everything is in continuity. The reel of a film has individual shots, each shot separate from the other. Our very cells have spaces – pauses – between them. Have u ever felt the need for this pause, this space?
This is a small story, holding a big message.. Hope It Inspires You 🙂
A Professor began his class by holding up a glass with some water in it.
He held it up for all to see & asked the students “How much do you think this glass weighs?”
’50gms!’….. ‘100gms!’ …..’125gms’ …the students answered.
“I really don’t know unless I weigh it,” said the professor, “but, my question is:
What would happen if I held it up like this for a few minutes?”
‘Nothing’ …the students said.
‘Ok what would happen if I held it up like this for an hour?’ the professor asked.
‘Your arm would begin to ache’ said one student.
“You’re right, now what would happen if I held it for a day?”
“Your arm could go numb; you might have severe muscle stress & paralysis & have to go to hospital for sure!” … Ventured another student & all the students laughed
“Very good. But during all this, did the weight of the glass change?” Asked the
professor.
Tip 7: Be Mindful
I have spoken about mindfulness before, but I cannot stop raving about the benefits of this simple concept. Mindfulness, as someone said, is about paying extra-ordinary attention to ordinary experiences. Simply put, mindfulness is about being in the present completely and fully.
We specialize in combining psychotherapy with deep wellness practices like mindfulness and meditation and creating a customized mental health plan for individuals and organisations.
We specialize in combining psychotherapy with deep wellness practices like mindfulness and meditation and creating a customized mental health plan for individuals and organisations.
A young woman from another country moved with her family to live for one year in a town near the monastery. When, in the course of the year she discovered the monastery, she would periodically visit to have discussions with the Abbess. The Abbess introduced her to meditation, which became very meaningful for the young woman.
When the family’s year-long stay was drawing to an end, the young woman asked the Abbess, “In my country there is no Buddhism and no one has even heard about meditation. How can I continue to learn and deepen the practice you have started me on?”
The Abbess said, “When you return home ask far and wide for who, among the wise people, is recognized as having the greatest ability to listen. Ask that person to instruct you in the art of listening. What you learn about listening from such a person will teach you how to further your meditation practice.
― Gil Fronsdal, A Monastery Within: Tales from the Buddhist Path
