Anuradha Sridharan

 Will consuming information and knowledge make an impact on our behaviors? Will the right information motivate us to make changes in our lives? Will information alone suffice or is something more required to sustain behavior change? As someone who loves to learn about different aspects of health, I strongly believe in the power of information and knowledge gleaned from multiple sources. When I started researching about artificial ingredients that are added to packaged foods, the information I came across was convincing enough for me to make changes to my food preferences. Over time, the changes and habits have become ingrained and I'm no longer tempted by a pack of chips or cookies. When I read about how technology players are exploiting psychological vulnerabilities and our inherent biases to get us hooked on social media and other platforms, it made it easier to consciously reduce my attention and time spent on digital platforms. I'm currently reading this fantastic book ...

  There are different facets of self-care. As we grow older, a certain facet takes precedence over others due to life circumstances, new roles, and responsibilities. For eg, When you are dealing with a certain lifestyle disorder, taking care of your nutritional requirements becomes a priority. When you have transitioned to the role of a new parent, getting a few hours of sleep whenever possible becomes a priority. When you are going through a difficult situation in life, getting a few minutes to take deep breaths and ground yourself becomes a priority. As I thought about my current priority when it comes to self-care, the word that struck me is FLEXIBILITY.  Being in my early 40s, flexibility is what I intend to prioritize from a self-care point of view. To be specific, flexibility across four different aspects of life. Flexibility of body Due to poor lifestyle choices in my 20s, my body had become extremely tight and stiff. Thanks to Yoga asana practices, I slowly regained my...

 As a mother of a tween girl, I'm being introduced to new-age vocabulary these days. New words, new phrases, new reactions, and whatnot! Two words that D uses often are "whatever" and "doesn't matter". Sometimes in the middle of a serious conversation, she would give an "I don't care" reaction with one of these two words. While it is funny mostly, it does get irritating at times. On one such occasion last weekend when she used "whatever", I asked her, "Why do you like this word so much?" She replied, "Mummy, this word is so powerful. Let's say, a problem comes. If you are not scared and you say "whatever" to it, the problem will feel roasted and run away". I was taken aback as it was that thathuvam (philosophy) moment that often happens at our home!🙂 Isn't this "whatever" attitude in a way helping to cultivate a mindset of equanimity - a state where we swing to neither extremes of becom...

 This book can be called as a prequel to the book " Raja Yoga Yatra 1 " by the same author. Before understanding the purpose of Raja Yoga and its eight limbs, we must understand the nature and workings of the mind. Once we become aware of the stages and functions of the mind, management of this powerful mind becomes more plausible through techniques of Raja Yoga. The author states that life is an expression of the mind - it guides every action, reaction, idea, thought, desire and expectation. Since it plays such a pivotal role, understanding its nature and behavior is so crucial. The mind is the manifest aspect of consciousness and it comprises of four functions. The correlation of these 4 functions with their respective tattwas (elements) is such an eye-opener: Ahamkara (Ego) - Earth Chitta (Memories) - Water Buddhi (Intelligence) - Fire Manas (Fickle mind) - Air The author elaborates on these four functions in detail and how to manage each of them. He then explains the diff...

  I remember this incident from a couple of years back. I had recently joined a startup and we were playing Secret Santa during Christmas time. I was the Santa to a Marketing team member and I had no clue what his interests were. I enquired with a couple of his teammates but didn't get much info that could help me choose the right gift. I went ahead and bought a book related to Marketing. When the gift opening day arrived on Zoom, I realized that this person doesn't read any books. It was a "bulb-u" moment for me!🙂 I'm terrible at selecting the right material gifts, especially if I don't know the interests of someone. My criteria for gift selection are oriented toward utility: A gift has to be useful and not merely sit on a showcase or inside a locker. A gift shouldn't be given for the sake of formality. A gift should have a longer lifetime value. If we know a person's interests, material gifts are easy to select, order, and ship to anywhere in the wo...

 Staying true to the tagline of this book - " A Monk's Guide to mindful parenting ", the author has beautifully brought up various situations in parenting where mindfulness is much needed. Some of the lessons from this book were eye-opening and I could resonate with my experiences as a mother. For eg, in the very first chapter, the author shares this insight - " When parents are too excited to introduce something to a child, the child almost always rejects it ". I was nodding my head, wondering "How true!" :-) The book is divided into 3 sections - Understand, Build and Nurture. The "Understand" section focuses on 4 key aspects - dealing with lies and demands (child's issues), how to manage anger and attachment (parent's issues). Instead of creating fear or shame, parents can use the power of love and acceptance to build trust, which will prevent the child from lying. The author's life example of lying and the response of his fath...

  I've recently been pondering over how much our values influence our lives. When you ask yourself, "Why do you do what you do" across all aspects - be it our thoughts, words, actions, behaviors, and all life decisions (major or minor), it all eventually boils down to this answer - VALUES. Sometimes, we compromise our values for various reasons - societal pressures, temptations, external influences, the need to impress someone or to be part of a group, etc. But if you notice those CONSISTENT patterns in your thoughts, behaviors, or decisions, VALUES play an influential role. I have taken up this exercise of jotting down all my values as I unravel them one by one. Here's the list in no particular order: Good Health Time Authenticity Humility Punctuality Simplicity Hard work Spiritual Sharing my gifts Freedom Responsible Frugality Effective use of resources Continuous Learning Seeking knowledge Balance This list will not remain static and is bound to evolve. Also, the p...

 When I first started reading this book in Aug 2022, it opened my eyes to multiple facets of Yoga philosophy - panchakoshas, pancha pranas, Chakras, Nadis, Swara Yoga, the role of Pranayama and the different practices. It is a comprehensive guide that talks about the importance of prana and practices to expand and control it. This book is divided into three sections - philosophy, physiology and practice. The Philosophy section sets a basic context on different aspects that impact prana or are impacted by prana. Many of us presume that prana is equivalent to breath.  Prana is the life force in motion. It is present in every aspect of creation. Breath is an external manifestation of prana. Breath practices can help prana to flow freely. The blockages in the level of nadis and chakras need to be cleared and purified so that prana can flow and energize different parts of the body and brain. It was fascinating to read about the benefits of pranayama, especially nadi shodhana and th...

 Today is the 19th birthday of my blog🙂 A heartfelt gratitude to the readers for all the support and love over these years! What started as a casual exploration of a new tool (Blogger) back in 2004 has turned into one of my passions. In the initial few months, it was all about connecting with a group of friends. We would write something in our respective blogs, comment and make fun of each other. This period was way before FB and other social media platforms came into the picture🙂 Blogging became a way to chronicle experiences, travel, books, and past moments. There used to be certain blogs that would provide weekly prompts - Sunday scribblings, 3-word Wednesdays, etc. I remember looking forward to such prompts and writing every week in the form of short stories or amateur poetry. Apart from content, it was also fun playing around with different themes and templates that Blogger(and other 3rd party sites) used to offer. I tried to monetize through Adsense for a few months, but it...

 Last year, around the same time, I was mentally quite exhausted. Multiple challenges in 2021 and 2022 contributed to increased stress and worry. Couldn't keep up with my Yoga practice on a consistent rhythm. Lost my flexibility, strength and stamina. I used to go for regular Yoga classes during 2015-2020, but the 1.5-year break resulted in my body turning stiff. My hamstrings were super tight and my shoulders felt so heavy. I remember one morning I tried doing "Anjaneyasana" (low lunge pose) and struggled so much. What used to be a comfortable pose felt so painful. I cried that day, thinking about the loss after years of practice. In that same week, I stumbled upon Satvic Yoga's 21-day Level 1 program scheduled to begin in June. Decided to adopt a beginner mindset and restart from scratch. The flexibility that I had lost came back in a couple of weeks of practice. I followed it up with Satvic Yoga Intense (Level 2) program in July. Apart from the asana practice sessi...