- The document discusses a 60th birthday celebration for Swami Sukhabodhananda, known as the "Corporate Guru", who popularized teachings of the Bhagavad Gita and Upanishads for younger audiences. - It then introduces Amber Holmes, an American traveler visiting India who has visited over 40 countries. She sees her backpack as her "home". - The document also discusses World Health Day which focuses on the theme of food safety in 2015, highlighting the link between unsafe food and disease.

1. From the Founder's Desk
VOL: VI No: 1 ‐ April 2015
Dear Friends,
I happened to be at the 60th
birthday celebrations of Poojya
Swami Sukhabodhananda,
popularly known as “Corporate
Guru”, on 26th April 2015 at
Bangalore. I have known the
Swamiji for more than two
decades. In my reckoning, he is the guru who started
teaching Vedantic knowledge with a modern outlook. He
was the one who attracted youngsters to the classes of
Bhagavad Gita and Upanishads which were earlier
supposed to be in the domain of old people.
Swamiji exhorted people to relax their minds through his
very popular book “O Mind! Relax Please”. He
showed us how to "Look at LIFE differently". He taught
the young ones to “Learn Roar and Excel”. His
messages are many, and they lead one to a "RELAXED
LIFE" and to have "DIVINE APPROACH TO
MODERN LIVING". Swamiji’s strength lies in
expounding the eternal truths in a very simple, modern
and effective manner.
My pranams to Swamiji for blessing us on that auspicious
day.
I met an interesting visitor from the
US - an young lady by name Amber
Holmes, who had traveled to about
40 countries and presently is in
India. She happened to be my guest
for 3 days in Mysuru.
Her words are very interesting. She says “My bag is
my home”. She is very simple by nature and down to
earth and her small bag contains her day-to-day needs -
it becomes her home on her back. Her friendly
nature makes us feel that she is one of our family
members or close associates. We have presented a
detailed write-up on this lady with a magnetic
personality.
World Health Day is celebrated each year on 7th April
globally. The day marks the founding of World Health
Organization(WHO)and aims to draw attention to
important health issues facing the world.
Every year, the World Health Organization selects a
priority area of global public health concern as the
theme for World Health Day.
The theme for World Health Day 2015 is Food Safety, a
theme of high relevance to all people on the planet.
We have written an article on World Health Day 2015
with the theme Food Safety - “From Farm to Plate,
Make Food Safe”.
Wish you a happy reading...
B.R.Pai
“Take care of your body.
It’s the only
place you have to live.”
~Jim Rohn

2. It was sheer coincidence. Amber Holmes, on a visit to
India was at the Osho Ashram in Pune where she was
referred to Dr. Pai and Mysore. Lo and behold, she was
in Mysore in the last week of April and was hosted by
Dr. Pai. While Amber enjoyed the unique experience,
it was no less so for Dr. Pai himself. Here goes the
rendition…
About Amber: How do you describe Amber
Holmes? One might call her vibrant and colorful,
vivacious and bubbly, positive and exuberant and still
find oneself short of words!
Originally from Pennsylvania, Amber Holmes
graduated from Indiana University before obtaining
her business degree from France (reason why she is
fluent in French). Amber has done it all, an investment
professional who climbed many rungs of the corporate
ladder at AXA, JPMorgan & Fidelity for six years in
New York before giving it all up to take up her passion
for fashion; a fashion diva at the fashion capitals of the
world - the Big Apple and Paris, a travel junkie who is
into her 41st country of visit, a blogger and writer and
many more - all this even as she turns thirty. But her
calling, or as she would say now, her destiny, was
elsewhere. She quit her job and moved to Paris to
pursue her dreams of a career in fashion.
The Travel Bug: And then she caught the travel bug.
With Paris as her base, she visited over thirty countries
in Europe. She learnt new languages and met new
people, thriving on new cultural experiences, tasting
local foods and making friends. For one who was used
to an extravagantly glamorous lifestyle carrying 200
dresses as she landed in Paris, she lost everything in a
damp cellar. To her surprise, she didn't mind. She loved
to be a free bird. She transitioned to a backpack with a
mini home on her back. Amber simply fell in love with
travelling. She doesn't need too many things and can
live on a small budget. Showcasing her writing and
blogging skills, she lived in France for 5 years. Did she
have a blast! “I could have got any job any time”, she
said, being in the European Union with her English
language skills. Australia was her next port of call and
she enjoyed the company of a group of Chileans over
there.
India: Her first contact with India was her first friend in
her first job, Krishna Rani from Pune. Amber is so
passionate about everything - she refers to countries
and places personally too, as though they are living
beings. She refers to 'her' India in glowing terms.
Amber's visit to India starts off her Spiritual journey.
Her 41st country of visit, she simply soaked in the love
and vibrant energy she has received here. It is a
humbling experience, she says. In her own words,
“Amazing India is just so astoundingly imperfect, it's
mesmerizing. In fact, her beauty lies in her
imperfections…and my god…she is breathtaking!
Her spiritual roots date back thousands of years,
and you can feel it in everything, everywhere, and
every person you meet. Meditations, Yoga,
Ayurveda, Pranayama, Om, gods, peace, love,
compassion… these are all integral elements of
India. I am learning and loving so much each and
every day…”. She attended Baba Ramdev's pranayama
classes and learnt breathing techniques. She recounted
her experiences, at the Osho ashram in Poona, where
her best friend Krishna Rani 's mother lives.
Recalling her emotional Hampi visit, where she had
spent a week with people “who had nothing, but
gave me everything”, she realizes that nothing and
everything are two sides of the same coin. She feels
at a loss for words to describe her immense experience
in India.
Spiritual Journey: In her latest avatar, Amber's quest
for spirituality has taken wings. Widely read too, she
has the 'Biology of Belief' (Bruce Lipton) for unleashing
the power of consciousness and thinks in a
'Blink'(Malcolm Gladwell). She answers the eternal
question “Why Me” with “Why not Me”. What is not in
my control, I let go, she says. She exudes so much
positive energy; she says she has no fear in her life -
nothing to worry.
Believing in fate and karma, she referred to how she
was heading to Nepal before she decided to extend her
stay in India, when tragedy struck Nepal. That is
synchronicity for you. “Nothing is random; every step I
take is pre-ordained, pre-destined, it is what it is, I am
The NowHere Girl: Amber's Amblings

3. 2...
so happy.” She feels she has a lot to give. She is blessed,
she feels. She believes in reincarnation too.
Amber literally lives 'The Power of Now'. She doesn't
believe in life goals and would rather live the moment.
This is the secret of who she is. Now is the never ending
moment - always present. She believes in the magic of
Giving; what you give comes back manifold. If you give
happiness, you receive happiness. One just has to still
one's mind to reach higher consciousness and open
oneself to receive.
Chaos theory: She has her own version of the Chaos
Theory - she loves India; which she says looks chaotic to
the outsider, but everyone is beautiful from the inside,
everything is perfect. She believes in embracing life's
imperfections. We are not to be fazed by bouts of chaos.
After all, as Dr. Pai would say, in the event of order
turning into disorder, structured intervention at certain
points, can provide breakthroughs and lead to creativity.
East Meets West : “The Western World proclaims itself
superior due to its technology, medicine, education,
cleanliness, etc… but has a lot to learn from the buzzing
East. Life is so joyous, so beautiful, so generous, and so
imperfect; proving that Nature protects and nourishes
us if we can only learn to allow it.” Amber questions the
West's over-emphasis on the physical body; After all we
don't have brain in our arms or heart in our limbs! She
would like to marry Western technology with ancient
Eastern wisdom towards the collective whole.
About her host: In a passing reference to her host in
Mysore, Amber sees Dr. Pai as a humble being who is
doing all it takes to bring about the amalgamation of
India's ancient Wisdom, Spirituality and Swasthya with
modern western technology.
Namaste': She has some very 'keep-it-simple' mantras -
Live life 100% with zero fears and zero anxiety. Be
happy! Amber concluded with Namaste', quoting, that
which is divine in me acknowledges and honors that
which is divine in you. And thus we bid goodbye to the
SunShine girl, Amber Holmes…
Unsafe food is linked to the deaths of an estimated 2
million people annually including many children. Food
containing harmful bacteria, viruses, parasites or
chemical substances is responsible for more than 200
diseases, ranging from diarrhoea to cancers. That is
why WHO is promoting efforts to improve food safety,
along the food chain from farm to plate, on World
Health Day, 7 April 2015.
World Health Day 2015: Food Safety
"From farm to plate, make food safe.”
Plenty of food for thought, isn't it?
KEY FACTS
 Access to sufficient amounts of safe and nutritious
food is key to sustaining life and promoting good
health.
 Unsafe food containing harmful bacteria, viruses,
parasites or chemical substances causes more
than 200 diseases ranging from diarrhoea to
cancers.
 Foodborne and waterborne diarrhoeal diseases
kill an estimated 2 million people annually,
including many children.
 Food safety, nutrition and food security are
inextricably linked. Unsafe food creates a vicious
cycle of disease and malnutrition, particularly
affecting infants, young children, elderly and the
sick.
 Foodborne diseases impede socioeconomic
development by straining health care systems and
harming national economies, tourism and trade.
 Food supply chains now cross multiple national
borders. Good collaboration between
governments, producers and consumers helps
Ms. Amber Holmes & Dr. Pai along with Gurudev
@ Osho Centre, Srirangapatna

4. From Medication to Meditation
Meditation is a very popular term in this stressful and
competitive world. So what is meditation? There are
many definitions. There are many types of meditation
techniques. In simple, meditation is the art of
looking within and the science of doing nothing.
The goal of meditation is to focus and quiet your mind,
eventually reaching a higher level of awareness and
inner calm.
To learn meditation there is
no need for you to go to a
therapist or teacher thrice
a week. It is so simple
and natural. It is just
simply sitting. Of course,
there are many techniques like listening to some music,
chanting mantras, observing breathing, focusing on
light etc. Choose the technique suitable for you.
Please note that meditation is a natural process. We
are not doing meditation. Meditation just
happens.
Apart from the spiritual benefits, meditation allows you
to heal yourself. In fact, the Latin root of the word
meditation, mederi, means "to heal." It is an effort to
heal afflictions of the mind. When the mind is calm,
alert and totally contented, healing can happen.
It is said that the root of an illness is in the mind or
consciousness. So, by attending to the mind, clearing it
of any disturbances, the recovery speeds up.
Why does meditation work? Some researchers say
that by training the mind to focus on the present
moment, meditators limit the impact of regrets about
the past and worries about the future and this reduces
stress. How true it is. Our past is like an out-dated
cheque which we cannot encash. Our future, like
a post-dated cheque, is unsure. The present is
the cash in our hand which we need to use
judiciously.
Doing whatever you are doing with awareness is
mindfulness. Mindfulness helps you to live in the
present moment, enjoy things more and get
things done. Mindfulness enables us to be aware of
our thoughts and emotions so we can make wise
choices and respond better to different situations.
Mindfulness can bring in life-changing benefits.
Mindfulness has been clinically proven to to reduce
stress, blood pressure, depression and anxiety, and
also helps people to sleep better, work more
effectively, and improve their professional and
personal relationships. It can even help people to cope
with chronic pain!
Meditators also increase their ability to keep things in
perspective - whether suffering a debilitating medical
condition or dealing with a life crisis. And naturally,
such effects show up in the brain's physiology.
We all know that taking rest is the best medicine.
Meditation takes us from activity into silence, giving
our body a very deep level of rest. Rest is how the
body heals itself, which it does by throwing off the
stress, fatigue, and toxins accumulated during our
daily life.
The most significant health benefits of
meditation are stress management, better
sleep, lower blood pressure, improved cardio-
vascular function, improved immunity, and the
ability to stay centered in the midst of all the
turmoil that's going on around you. Meditation
helps you do less and accomplish more.
Are medication and meditation mutually exclusive? Is
it either this or that? Certainly not! They are mutually
supplementary and complementary.
Medical science too has started to veer around the fact
"Do not treat the disease, treat the patient."
Neither can meditation be complete without
medicine, nor can medication be complete without
meditation, since man is both body and soul.
The invisible body is the soul; the visible soul is
the body. Body and Soul are two different states of
vibrations of the same entity. Even if a disease starts
from the outside, its vibrations are echoed all the way
to the soul. Whatever happens to our body, its ripples
reach the soul.
Delving deep into the relationship between mind,
body and health, Osho saw inter-connectedness
between the three. He suggested the way out from
our dis-ease: Meditation from within and Medication
on the outside.