Heartfulness Magazine - July 2023 (Volume 8, Issue 7)

www.heartfulnessmagazine.com
July 2023
Total Health
DAAJI
Case of the
Weekday Blues?
POOJA KINI
Love
LLEWELLYN
VAUGHAN-LEE
Yoga for
Reconciliation
GEORGE OKURUT
E
N
V
I
R
O
NMENT
A
L
H
E
A
L
T
H
Healing

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Editorial Team — Elizabeth Denley, Vanessa Patel,
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Design, Art & Photography — Uma Maheswari G.,
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Anant Sharma, Ketut Subiyanto, Stonepic, The Alice
Tsai
Writers — Ichak Adizes, Babuji, Daaji, Karishma Desai,
Charles Eisenstein, Pooja Kini, George Okurut, A.
Padmaji, Sriram Raghavendran, Llewellyn Vaughan-Lee
Interviewees — HH 14th Dalai Lama, Uma Natarajan,
Valentina Tsarev, Srividya Varadarajan, Uttara
Venugopal
Support Team — Balaji Iyer, Subash Kannan, Karthik
Natarajan, Ashraful Nobi, Jayakumar Parthasarathy,
Nabhish Tyagi, Shankar Vasudevan
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Heartfulness

Healing
Dear readers,
In July our authors focus on various dimensions of health and healing – the healing of individuals,
communities, organizations, and the environment. Each one challenges the status quo in a different
way, whether that is in addressing the role of love in healing, identifying vital issues for the health
of the environment, understanding what yoga and meditation can do to heal us, and what will bring
reconciliation in war-ravaged poor communities.
Our contributors include His Holiness, the 14th Dalai Lama, Charles Eisenstein, Ichak Adizes, George
Okurut, Llewellyn Vaughan-Lee, Valentina Tsarev, Srividya Varadarajan, Uttara Venugopal, Uma
Natarajan, A. Padmaji, Karishma Desai, Sriram Raghavendran, Pooja Kini, and of course Daaji and
Babuji. They offer us a rich feast of thought-provoking insights that will hopefully push us all out of our
comfort zones into action and response.
And we say a big thank you to our super illustrators and artists who give this magazine its signature feel
and vitality.
Happy reading,
The editors
July 2023
Illustration by THE ALICE TSAI

inside
self-care
Dealing with Thoughts
Daaji
12
Anemia
Babuji
15
Yoga and Ayurveda as
Therapy
Valentina Tsarev, Srividya
Varadarajan, Uttara Venugopal,
and Uma Natarajan
16
The Miracle of Life
A. Padmaji
24
inspiration
The Journey of Total Health
Daaji
28
environment
How the Environmental
Movement Can Find Its Way
Again
Charles Eisenstein
68
Perspective
Sriram Raghavendran
75
creativity
Case of the Weekday
Blues?
Pooja Kini
80
what's up
82
Yoga and Mental Health
His Holiness the 14th Dalai
Lama interviewed by Guila Clara
Kessous.
36
Love and Prayer
Llewellyn Vaughan-Lee
40
workplace
Organizational Health
Ichak Adizes
48
relationships
The Heart's Wisdom
Karishma Desai
56
Yoga for Reconciliation
George Okurut
63
July 2023 7

DAAJI
Daaji is the Heartfulness
Guide. He is an innovator and
researcher, equally at home in the
fields of spirituality, science, and
the evolution of consciousness.
He has taken our understanding
of human potential to a new
level.
VALENTINA TSAREV
Valentina is Sivananda yoga
teacher, and an Ayurvedic and
skin beauty care therapist and
consultant. She has experienced
the benefits of yoga and
Ayurveda from a young age.
SRIVIDYA
VARADARAJAN
Srividya has been with the
Krishnamacharya Yoga
Mandiram for close to 10 years.
She conducts group classes
as well as individual therapy
classes as a yoga therapist and
Consultant. She is learning Vedic
chants for healing.
BABUJI
Shri Ram Chandra of
Shahjahanpur, affectionately
known as Babuji, was a
revolutionary spiritual scientist
and philosopher. He was the
founder of the present-day
system of Raja Yoga meditation
known as Heartfulness.
CHARLES EISENSTEIN
Charles is a writer, philosopher,
speaker and pioneer, who has
been exploring the need for
society’s transformation for
some years now. He has focused
light on our economic, social
and political systems, and the
need for us to move from a
paradigm of separation to that
of interbeing. His work can be
found at charleseisenstein.org.
HIS HOLINESS,
14TH DALAI LAMA
The 14th Dalai Lama, Gyalwa
Rinpoche, is the spiritual leader
of Tibet. He is considered a living
Bodhisattva; specifically, an emanation
of Avalokiteśvara in Sanskrit and
Chenrezig in Tibetan. He is highly
awarded, including the Nobel Peace
Prize, the Templeton Prize, and the
U.S. Congressional Medal.
Heartfulness
8

contributors
LLEWELLYN VAUGHAN-
LEE
Llewellyn is the founder of The
Golden Sufi Center. Author of
several books, he has specialized
in dream work, integrating
Sufism and modern psychology.
Since 2000 his focus has been
on spiritual responsibility
and awakening the global
consciousness of oneness.
UMA NATARAJAN
Uma is a certified yoga teacher
and spiritual coach with over 15
years of experience. She teaches
at the Sivananda Yoga Center in
Chennai, India.
ICHAK ADIZES
Dr. Adizes is a leading
management expert. He has
received 21 honorary doctorates
and is the author of 27 books
that have been translated into 36
languages. He is recognized as
one of the top 30 thought leaders
of America.
UTTARA VENUGOPAL
Uttara has been a qualified yoga
teacher and therapist for over
16 years, and with YogaVahini
in Chennai for over 12 years,
teaching individuals and groups.
SRIRAM
RAGHAVENDRAN
Sriram is a Heartfulness
practitioner and trainer working
in the tech sector. He enjoys
reflecting on his small, day-to-
day experiences to gain a deeper
insight into the principles of life.
GEORGE OKURUT
George is a yoga teacher working
with poor children in Kampala,
Uganda. He has created yoga
and mental health awareness,
improving the livelihoods of
people. George is certified from
S-VYASA Yoga University in
India, and Satyananda Children’s
Yoga at Yoga Pura Vida in
Tanzania.
July 2023 9

The great thing, then, in all education,
is to make our nervous system our ally
instead of our enemy.
WILLIAM JAMES

Dealing with
Thoughts
YES, YOU CAN DO IT!
D
ear friends,
One of the most common
complaints we hear from
newcomers to meditation is, “I’ll
never be able to meditate well, as
my mind is so busy with thoughts.
How can I focus with such an
active mind?”
In fact, rarely does anyone start
a meditation practice with
a regulated mind, otherwise
why would we need to learn to
meditate? It’s like saying we need
to know how to swim before we
can get in the water to learn to
swim – it takes practice! The
outcome of regular meditation
practice is a balanced, carefree,
focused mind.
The natural function of the
mind is to think
The natural function of the mind
is to think. Thinking is necessary
to live and to make wise decisions.
Thoughts are not the enemy. The
best approach is to accept them.
DAAJI dispels the myth that thoughts in meditation are bad, and
helps us understand how to accept our thoughts in a constructive
way, eventually leading to periods of thoughtlessness.
12

The mind is a powerful instrument
and will not be subdued by force.
If you try to use force to dispel
thoughts or push them down, it
will be counterproductive, for once
that force is lifted, the disturbing
thoughts will come back a
thousandfold. When you fight
with your thoughts, they become
stronger.
So, don’t try to avoid thoughts,
during meditation or at other
times. Simply remain unmindful
of them, and do not harbor the
expectation that “I must have a
thoughtless state.” When you are
watching a film, reading a book, or
focusing on a particular task, are
you disturbed by other thoughts?
Usually not. But that doesn’t mean
you don’t have them. You are not
attentive to them because what’s
happening at the time is taking
your attention and interest.
The same thing happens during
meditation. When you are more
interested in the light in your
heart, other thoughts no longer
bother you. Only if you give them
attention do they draw power
from you and remain, constantly
nagging.
Sometimes, you will experience
really intense thoughts and
emotions during meditation, and
this can be unsettling. The reason
this happens is that you repress
these thoughts and feelings in
the normal course of your days.
You push them down into the
recesses of your subconscious. But
that doesn’t get rid of them, and
they remain within you, coloring
your experiences and shaping
your behavior in subtle and not so
subtle ways. During meditation,
these thoughts rise to the surface,
like air bubbles in a pot of boiling
water.
Rest assured, they are in the
process of leaving, so try to
pay them no heed. They have
been inside you all along, even
though you weren’t aware of
their presence. You create space
when you meditate and they start
coming out. They are better out
than in! During meditation you
become aware of them.
When you are more
interested in the light in your
heart, other thoughts no
longer bother you. Only if you
give them attention do they
draw power from you and
remain, constantly nagging.
July 2023 13
SELF-CARE

Thoughts come only to
leave, so let them come
and go
So, simply let your thoughts flow,
although that doesn’t mean you
should indulge them. We often
indulge both negative thoughts
that worry us and good thoughts
that impress us. It is never good
because it reinforces them, creating
more heaviness in our systems.
If a thought does keep recurring,
despite your best efforts, ask
yourself, “What can I learn from
A time comes when you will enter
a state of thoughtlessness during
meditation. This will happen when
you dive into the subtlest realms of
consciousness.
Through the complementary
effects of the daily Heartfulness
Meditation and Heartfulness
Cleaning methods, you will bring
the heart to a peaceful state and
the mind to a restful one. Once
this is achieved, you will naturally
be able to regulate your thoughts.
Try it and see for yourself.
Meditation is much more effective
once you have been introduced
to the Heartfulness practices by a
certified trainer. You can find and
contact a trainer near you at www.
heartspots.heartfulness.org.
All the best,
Daaji
this?” Otherwise, be unmindful of
all thoughts during meditation,
regardless of their nature.
How? When you realize your
attention has wandered, remind
yourself that your thoughts are
passing like clouds in the sky and
gently return your attention to the
light in your heart.
Order can only be brought into
the mind’s busy-ness in the
subtlest manner.
Heartfulness
14
SELF-CARE

During his lifetime, BABUJI
shared a wealth of
knowledge to his associates
about the simple natural
remedies that he learned
and also discovered during
his life in northern India. This
month we share one of his
remedies for fever. 1
Babuji’s
Natural Remedies
Anemia
A
nemia is a common
condition around the
world, signifying a
deficiency of red blood cells
or hemoglobin in the blood,
resulting in pallor and tiredness.
It is called Pandu in Ayurveda
and can be brought on by poor
diet, poor iron uptake during
digestion, blood loss, and certain
diseases. It is treated by increasing
the hemoglobin content of the
blood. There are different causes
of anemia, e.g. iron deficiency,
vitamin deficiency, sickle-
celled anemia, aplastic anemia,
thalassemia, congenital anemia,
excessive physical effort, and
eating too many sour and salty
foods.
A small quantity of Chuna
paste or slaked lime (Calcium
hydroxide), the size of a grain of
wheat.
Juice from a pomegranate.
Mix the Chuna in a glass with
water and pomegranate juice.
Take this mixture every day for
nine months.
INGREDIENTS
METHOD
1
Please note that these remedies are not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Please seek
the advice of your physician or qualified health provider. The remedies may be used to complement medical treatment and
support recovery.
July 2023 15

YogaandAyurveda
forHealth
VALENTINA TSAREV, SRIVIDYA VARADARAJAN, UTTARA VENUGOPAL,
and UMA NATARAJAN are all yoga teachers who have experienced
the benefits of yoga and Ayurveda at a young age. Here they share
some key features of their use for health.

What is the definition
of health according to
Ayurveda, and what is the
relationship between yoga
and Ayurveda?
Valentina, Sivananda Yoga
Vedanta: Charaka was one of
the greatest Ayurvedic doctors
and Vedic scholars, and he asked,
“What is health, and a healthy
person?” He described a healthy
person as one whose doshas are
balanced. The three doshas – vata,
pitta, kapha – define our personal
constitution. Also, one whose
digestive fire or transformational
fire, agni, is balanced; one whose
dhatos, body tissues, are in balance
(we have seven vital tissues in our
body); one whose malas, wastes, are
eliminated normally; one whose
indriyas (senses), manas (mind),
and atma (soul or the self) are
calm and clear. Such a one is called
swastha purusha, a healthy person.
Yoga and Ayurveda are sister
sciences, and share the same
spiritual goals. They require us
to connect ourselves to the true
self – a healthy person has a
healthy physical body, a healthy
mind, and a healthy spirit. There
are two goals to Ayurveda: one
is to protect and maintain health
throughout the lifespan, and
the second is to cure diseases,
disorders, and imbalances in the
body and mind. The main focus is
the prevention of diseases and the
promotion of positive health. In
order to reach the main goal of our
life, to find our true self, to find
Christ Consciousness, we need to
be healthy.
Yoga as therapy
Srividya Varadarajan,
Krishnamacharya Yoga Mandiram:
There is a prevalent idea that yoga
is about convoluted postures, and
fit and slim people. But yoga is
more than physical fitness – it
is essential for us to perform
our duties, take care of our
responsibilities, etc. The body
should not be an impediment
toward our spiritual growth, so it’s
important that we are physically
fit, but the influence goes much
beyond that. While doing asanas is
important, asanas are only one part
of yoga. Yoga is beyond that. We
practice asanas with the breath,
the practice of pranayama, because
all that works at the level of the
prana in the body, which is the
life force. The prana in our body
is responsible for all the functions.
July 2023 17
SELF-CARE

So by doing asana and pranayama,
the balance improves, which
in turn makes all the functions
work better. Any abnormality in
the functions of the body will be
corrected because of the prana
circulating inside the body. So this
is the therapeutic reason for yoga.
Creating a healthy mind
Uttara Venugopal, Yogavahini:
Yoga is much more than asanas
and pranayama. It is a way of
living. Yoga has many, many tools,
including meditation, making
choices, speaking the truth, living
with cleanliness, not harming
anybody, and being happy and
content with whatever we have.
Some of these tools have been
taught to us when we were born
in our families, and later we learn
asanas and pranayama, especially
when we’re unwell these days.
So, today we are talking about
mental health. Take, these two
or three years of Covid. It was
a huge catastrophe, and people
are still struggling with what
Covid has done to them. Either
they have been affected by the
illness directly, or the fact that
the whole world was turned
upside down. It’s safe to say that
almost everyone was extremely
troubled. At the other end of the
spectrum, individuals have lifestyle
difficulties. For example, if you
are bent over a computer typing
or coding every day, you hardly
get up to move. This lifestyle
If you practice yoga regularly, the flow of
your prana is going to improve and help
your organs function better. And your
mental health will also improve; you will
be happier, not anxious and stressed out,
and you will live life smoothly.
Heartfulness
18
SELF-CARE

will definitely lead to physical
difficulties like back pain, your
slept will be affected, and you will
have digestion issues. A sedentary
lifestyle may lead to diabetes. And
all of these are going to affect your
mental state.
If you practice yoga regularly,
the flow of your prana is going
to improve and help your organs
function better. And your mental
health will also improve; you
will be happier, not anxious and
stressed out, and you will live life
smoothly. Your body and your
mind will not stop you from doing
what you need to do. Work for
yourself, for your family, provide.
It’s definitely going to help your
mental health.
Yoga and good health
Uma Natarajan, Sivananda Yoga
Vedanta: Twenty years ago, I was
diagnosed with a women’s health
ailment, and the doctor said that
there was no choice but to remove
my uterus. This came as a big
shock to us. When I approached
my first teacher she said yoga
could help. So, along with the
medication I also practiced yoga,
and then I became a yoga teacher.
It has given me confidence and
faith; faith follows from practice,
my teacher would say. Twenty
years on, I have not had my uterus
removed, and I’m functioning well.
I’ve personally experienced that
yoga can work on your internal
Yoga has many, many tools,
including meditation, making
choices, speaking the truth, living
with cleanliness, not harming
anybody, and being happy and
content with whatever we have.
July 2023 19
SELF-CARE

The five points of yoga – proper exercise, asanas; proper
breathing, pranayama; proper relaxation, savasana; proper
diet, vegetarian and sattvic; and meditation and positive
thinking. So, you can apply these five points of yoga every
day, to every aspect of life. You can practice yoga every
moment, just remembering.
organs, along with medication, and
after some time the medication
is not needed. When you’re
committed to the practice, it helps
on both the physical and mental
levels.
I used to be a high achiever and
get very angry and anxious about
winning at everything; there
was always a fear element in me,
always uncertainty. But after
practicing yoga and meditation in
the Sivananda discipline, I started
feeling calm and composed. There
was an automatic reduction in
anger, greed, jealousy, hatred; you
witness them slowly fade away
from you, and positivity comes
without much effort. If you
commit to the practice, you will
experience all this on your own.
When I’m teaching, the students
also receive the same energy. My
teacher always says that what you
have, you can pass on, and receive
the same kind of benefit.
How long does it take for
yoga to be therapeutic?
Valentina: Swami
Vishnudevananda, the founder
of the Sivananda organization,
was sent by his master Swami
Sivananda to the West, to spread
yoga. He was traveling in North
America and trying to teach
yoga the way he taught in the
Himalayas, but it didn’t quite work
because of the different energy,
different people, and different
lifestyles. So, he came up with
the five points of yoga – proper
exercise, asanas; proper breathing,
pranayama; proper relaxation,
savasana; proper diet, vegetarian
and sattvic; and meditation and
positive thinking. So, you can
apply these five points of yoga
every day, to every aspect of
life. You can practice yoga every
moment, just remembering.
You are not thinking about the
benefits, but whatever you do, you
can practice asanas or meditate,
or chant, say prayers or mantras,
exercise useful awareness. Once we
bring awareness to our practice, we
bring yoga to our life.
And remember the main goal
of Ayurveda is to find our true
self. If we just focus on benefits,
wondering how long it’s going to
take, we are going away from our
yoga practice, back to our senses,
back to our physical body; how
good do I look? etc. Once we
withdraw all the senses and bring
full awareness to the practice,
that’s when we start to get real
benefits. And those benefits help
us on the long journey to our true
selves.
Common ailments treated
by yoga therapy
Srividya: The prevailing common
problems are musculoskeletal
issues due to a sedentary lifestyle,
July 2023 21
SELF-CARE

Yoga helps you live well in community,
your energy helps other people, the way
you interact with friends, your spouse,
your parents, your children. It makes
things a lot more harmonious and less
difficult, that’s for sure.
Heartfulness
22
SELF-CARE

July 2023 23
Yoga for all ages and
levels of health
Uma: Step by step, more flexibility
develops, deeply into yourself.
Yoga is applicable to people of
all ages and all levels of difficulty.
For example, if you cannot do
double leg raises, teachers will
tell you an adapted way of doing
them, folding one leg and lifting
the other leg up slowly. When the
flexibility develops you will be able
to do it perfectly. The teachers
at Sivananda are trained to
understand each and every student,
their health constraints, their
ability constraints, and accordingly,
they teach.
Everybody can practice yoga,
and everybody can feel the
difference in themselves. If you
keep on practicing, you will feel
the benefits, and when you have
experienced the benefits, like me,
you become committed to the
practice.
Beyond health
Uttara: Practicing yoga doesn’t
stop you having problems in life.
Rather, it gives you the strength,
the energy, and the foresight to
cope with them very well. When
something impacts you, you won’t
react and let it affect you as badly
as it could. You don’t get sucked
down.
Yoga also teaches you to
understand yourself better, to see
where you are at any point of time,
and to go someplace better. For
example, practicing yoga regularly
has impacted the way I cook. Now,
that may sound like a silly thing,
but I’m feeding people better food.
My practice impacts so many
other people too. Very importantly,
it helps me maintain and develop
better relationships with others.
None of us live in isolation. Yoga
helps you live well in community,
your energy helps other people, the
way you interact with friends, your
spouse, your parents, your children.
It makes things a lot more
harmonious and less difficult,
that’s for sure. And who doesn’t
want to live like that?
To watch the whole discussion,
go to https://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=sAS9kqnbbtw
working so many hours; too much
time on a smartphone leading to
a lot of neck issues, back issues,
spinal issues, and knee pain.
Yoga therapy is different from
physiotherapy, because although
we give movements, we also
work at the breath level, we work
with prana, we work at the level
of the mind. Other problems
include acidity, asthma, wheezing,
irritable bowel syndrome, and
since the pandemic, in the younger
generations, there are a lot of
anxiety and depression issues.
We use all the subtle tools
of yoga, not just postures.
At Krishnamacharya Yoga
Mandiram, we address each
student individually to find out the
physiological and mental condition
of the student. We assess them
depending on where they live,
what kind of work they do, how
much time they have for practice,
etc., because sustained practice
is very, very important. If I tell
people to wake up every morning
at 5 a.m. and do one hour of
practice, it’s not going to work for
everybody. We consider all these
factors and offer an individual
specific program dependent on
the student and their ability. It’s a
holistic approach. We ensure that
we teach them well so that they
will practice on their own, daily,
which is the most important thing.
Ultimately, the goal is prevention,
to prevent future suffering. That’s
how we try to empower the
students.
SELF-CARE

Heartfulness
24
The Miracle of
life

July 2023 25
Six years ago, A. PADMAJI found herself confronting a frightening
health diagnosis. Today she is in remission, and she shares her
journey and her gratitude for the role allopathic and complementary
medicine and Heartfulness played in her recovery. This uplifting story
is a testament to her faith.
O
n February 7, 2017,
at 55 years of age, I
was diagnosed with
stage three bilateral breast
cancer. Chemotherapy started
immediately, and then a double
mastectomy was done, with
chemotherapy continuing after
surgery. A total of 17 cycles were
given, followed by medication
and radiotherapy. During the
treatment, I developed severe
vomiting, loose motions, hair loss,
weakness, hand-foot syndrome
(hands and feet were black and
dried), and I had drainage on both
sides for nearly four months as a
complication of the surgery. Due
to weak immunity, I developed
tuberculosis in the liver, and
was kept on anti-tuberculosis
medication for eleven months.
I also took herbal medicines for six
months, and my husband gave me
vegetable juice daily, early in the
morning. All my family members
supported me with their love and
affection.
Then, on October, 2022, I had a
PET scan and other blood tests.
All the reports came back normal.
I had come out of my turmoil
successfully because of
Heartfulness and the continuous
communications and blessings of
Daaji during each and every stage
of my recovery. A Heartfulness
trainer gave me sessions daily,
using the Heartfulness Cleaning
technique, which has done
wonders in my life. Heartfulness
Meditation improved my
willpower, confidence, and positive
thoughts, which in turn led
me to come out of my problem
successfully.
Daaji’s guidance and support
were marvelous throughout these
difficult times, both regarding
my spiritual practice, as well as
his team’s referrals to specialist
allopathic doctors and naturopaths
in the field. The doctors and
Heartfulness trainers worked
together, and as a result, I am a
living example of how a disease
like cancer can be cured.
One night I was feeling very
distressed. At 5 a.m. I saw Babuji
near the side of my head. He was
sitting on a chair cross-legged,
continuously looking at my chest
for quite some time. Throughout
the following day, and for many
more days, even till now, I
remember that blissful movement
with tears.
After my cancer was cured, I
received an invitation to meet
the Honorable President of India
on November 7, 2022, to receive
a national Florence Nightingale
Award for nursing. I have no
words to express my love and
gratitude.
Illustration by LAKSHMI GADDAM
SELF-CARE

Understanding happens when we proceed
with right thinking. And what precedes
right thinking is right attitude. Do you really
want to understand another person? Listen
carefully.That’s where the heart comes into the
picture. Our next evolution as human beings
is all about this – whoever uses the heart will
survive, and the rest will not.
DAAJI

28 Heartfulness
THEJOURNEYOF
TotalHealth
DAAJI speaks about the role of the heart in healing, and the
important aspects of a healthy life. He explains the concept
of total health and how we can attain it through yoga.

T
he words “healing” and
“health” are connected. We
heal not just the body, but
also the emotions that scar our
hearts. You can remove the scars
from your skin, but the scars
in your heart are very difficult
to remove. In Heartfulness, we
all know that the removal and
the healing of our samskaras, of
our inner conditioning, are very
difficult.
For example, how to remove
mis-understanding? What is
behind the misunderstanding
of others, or understanding
others correctly? Understanding
happens only when we proceed
with right thinking. And what
precedes right thinking is
right attitude. Do you really
want to understand another
person? Listen carefully. That’s
where the heart comes into the
picture. Our next evolution as
human beings is all about this
– whoever uses the heart will
survive, and the rest will not.
Nature works in a very different
way, where the subtlest, the
finest survive, and there is no
way you will be able to survive
in the future if you don’t use the
heart.
What is the role of the heart?
Now, science also acknowledges
it and there are some great
books on this topic. One is The
Heart’s Code by Paul Pearsall,
and another is The HeartMath
Solution by Doc Childre and
Howard Martin. When you
have a problem at an emotional
level, because somebody
misunderstands you, you will
remember it all your life. But
if you let go from the heart, if
you forgive that person, you will
have no problem. So we have to
learn this art of using the heart,
being empathetic and more
forgiving. Then the evolution of
consciousness will happen.
Let’s take the example of sleep.
Deep sleep is also a type of
consciousness where Delta
waves are measured. Now,
if you don’t cultivate yama
(the removal of unwanted
tendencies) and niyama (the
cultivation of noble habits),
the first two limbs of yoga, you
will destroy your inner hygiene.
Would you go to a restaurant
where there are a lot of flies and
mosquitoes, where the kitchens
are not hygienic and the person
serving you puts his fingers in
the water bottle and expects
you to drink from it? You would
avoid such places. Our inner
hygiene is just as important, and
it is hijacked by our weaknesses.
Take the yama of asteya: if you
try to steal something from
someone, be it their money, their
partner, or their ideas, you will
not have inner hygiene. Also,
if you cultivate the niyama of
santosh, contentment, it will help
to maintain your inner hygiene.
Lacking inner hygiene, you will
not be able to sleep. Lacking
inner hygiene, you will not
enter the state of samadhi.
Lacking inner hygiene, you will
not have viveka, buddhi, the
discriminating faculty. And if
you cannot discriminate, you
cannot differentiate what is
right from wrong, what is cause
and effect, what is good and bad
for yourself. These things will
not work without inner hygiene.
How to make your heart and
mind conscient? It’s only
through meditation. Close your
eyes and start with reflection.
If meditating on God is too far
for you, begin with reflection
and try to center yourself. The
29
July 2023
INSPIRATION

Sanskrit language has a beautiful
word, swasthya, meaning health.
But it’s not mere health. Swa-
sthya means one who is settled
within, in the higher self, in the
soul, in the center of their being.
Such individuals, despite a
headache or fever, remain settled
within themselves. They are not
irritated or dejected, just because
they are inconvenienced by fever
or headache. They’re settled
within. There can be tornadoes,
hurricanes all around, but they
remain centered. They’re safe.
Our attention is too much
on the periphery, too much
on the body. If you pay too
much attention to your bodily
health you’re sure to become
sick, you somehow attract
what you don’t like. People
obsessed with physical health
always attract diseases. AIIMS
has done research on sattvic,
rajasic and tamasic gunas, and I
would like to refer to it because
these trigunas are fascinating
subjects. Just as the three
subatomic particles (proton,
electron and neutron) constitute
the entire universe, the three
gunas are a spectrum in which
consciousness plays out. Your
consciousness will be filtered
accordingly. For example, a
person dominant in tamas is
generally agitated, irritable,
and angry; the consciousness
of a person dominant in rajas
generally gravitates towards
what is pleasant, they love
to relax. But each guna has a
purpose; for example, if tamas is
not activated at night, you won’t
sleep.
The right guna needs to be
activated at the time required. If
you say, “I’m so tired, and need
to rest,” and you want to develop
the sattvic guna at that moment,
it will not work. It is also not
something that you can order –
it is either who you are or not.
How can you instantly mutate
from a sattvic state to a tamasic
state, or tamasic to sattvic? It’s
very challenging. That’s why yoga
comes into the picture, where
you can develop the mastery of
switching gears. This switching
gears has nothing to do with
yama, niyama, asana, pranayama,
etc.; it is all about shifting from
one level of consciousness to
another level of consciousness,
30 Heartfulness
INSPIRATION
So we have to learn this art of
using the heart, being empathetic
and more forgiving.

and that can only happen when
you have control over your heart
and mind.
Heartfulness goes beyond the
mind. As long as we remain
within the realms of mind, we’re
bogged down by knowledge and
logic. Knowledge is good, but
it’s not enough. Take knowledge
of God, for example. We may
say, “God is there,” but this is
superficial knowledge. Who told
you so? “My mother told me so,”
or “My father told me so,” or
“My shastra speaks about it.”
But when you do experience
God, through spirituality,
then it’s a different matter
altogether. And is it enough
to experience God once in a
while? It’s like visiting a very
rich friend and enjoying their
hospitality for three months.
You have the experience of what
richness can offer, but would
you then not wish to become
rich yourself? And so we move
from knowledge to a higher
level of experience, and then to
becoming. Becoming is also not
the final stage, according to the
yoga shastras. From becoming
we move to a state of being,
and being is also too much of a
burden, so we move to a state of
non-being.
This is the journey of total
health, where even bliss becomes
a burden. We’re talking of
freeing ourselves from disease.
You may think that means
it is all about shifting from one level
of consciousness to another level of
consciousness, and that can only
happen when you have control over
your heart and mind.
31
July 2023
INSPIRATION

having bliss, joy, and laughter,
but bliss is also a kind of a
disease according to yoga. We
must transcend all these things.
People have misunderstood two
words, dhyana and meditation.
According to the Oxford
Dictionary, meditation is to
focus your mind on one object.
But God is not an object, and
meditation is all about God. You
have to transcend your mind.
Let the mind be left behind,
though the mind has a very
special role to play.
The mind is not our enemy,
it can be our best friend, but
eventually it will not carry the
burden of bliss. In our shastras,
we often talk about Sahasra Dal
Kamal – the thousand-petaled
lotus above the top of the head
in the middle. Knowing the
location will not help you, you
have to experience it, but it is
not the ultimate, it’s only where
you feel the ultimate bliss,
sat-chit-anand. Anand becomes
too heavy for the spiritual
system. Dhyana takes us not
only beyond the mind, but also
beyond bliss.
You renounce bliss. It’s easy to
renounce what you don’t like,
but renouncing Sahasra Dal
Kamal and going beyond is
a different matter altogether.
Heartfulness offers such a
journey, from the heart chakra
to the atma chakra to the fire,
water, and air chakras, and many
Dhyana takes us not only
beyond the mind, but also
beyond bliss.
32 Heartfulness
INSPIRATION

chakras are there beyond these
in an experiential way.
How would you measure the
consciousness of a person who
is in the turiya state? The turiya
state is when you are in deep
sleep state but are fully aware.
Scientific measurements are
there through EEG, and when
you see the delta waves, you
will conclude the person is in a
deep sleep state. How will you
know that the person is aware?
You have to ask questions to
that person. And then, the
fifth level of consciousness is
turiyatit, where a state of deep
sleep with awareness remains
even with open eyes. Turiya is
where you attain the deep sleep
state with awareness with closed
eyes. In deep sleep you’re not
aware at all. I hope, I wish, I
pray that one day science will
be able to measure this frontier
instrumentally. Deep in my
heart, I feel that it cannot be
measured, but let’s see how
science turns out.
It will be wonderful if, instead
of measuring through machines,
one measures such possibilities
through oneself. These are
individualistic. Medicine,
whether it is Ayurveda or
allopathy or any other field
of medicine, works on a large
scale. If you give a pill for a
headache, it should work on
most human beings. But when
you give a method in yoga,
depending upon that individual’s
mindset – whether it is rajoguna
or tamoguna or satoguna – it
changes from person to person.
When we all meditate together
with Transmission, we will never
have the same experiences as
each other; everyone will have a
unique experience. And for one
person, the same Transmission
will not work in the same way at
different times. Each moment
is unique. Transmission plays
a very specific role with our
consciousness.
Excerpts from a talk given at
the international Heartfulness
conference, “An Integrative
Approach to Health and
Well-being,” at Kanha Shanti
Vanam in December 2022.
The full talk can be viewed at
https://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=NURlOlwyEK8&t=7248s
from 1:35:30.
33
July 2023
INSPIRATION
Illustrations by JASMEE MUDGAL

Yoga and
Mental Health
Heartfulness
36

HIS HOLINESS the 14th DALAI
LAMA met with UNESCO Artist
for Peace, Dr. GUILA CLARA
KESSOUS, on May 8, 2023.
Evoking her commitments
to UNESCO, Dr. Kessous
asked about issues such as
equality and women’s rights,
intercultural dialogue, the
societal role of art and the
importance of yoga for mental
health. Here is an excerpt from
the conversation.
GCK: Your Holiness, do you think
yoga has a real role to play in
addressing the mental health
and psychological suffering felt
by so many people on the planet
right now?
HHDL: Yes, I do. Yoga, which is
an art of discipline, has its place
in responding to the complexity
of our world. If I make a gesture,
I go beyond my intellect, which
makes me suffer, by concentrating
on that gesture. If this gesture is
followed by ten people, not only
do those people go beyond their
intellect, but they each release an
awareness of belonging to a whole,
to a collective gesture. This is
the genius of yoga. We think it’s
gesture, but it’s humanity.
GCK: In your book, New Reality:
A Manifesto of Collective
Responsibility, co-written with
the remarkable Sofia Stril-Rever,
you describe yoga as a kind
of new language that would
enable us all to communicate
differently, to transcend our
physical and mental boundaries.
How can we achieve this
degree of understanding, of
“interdependency,” as you like to
call it?
HHDL: You are a UNESCO
Artist for Peace. You know what
it means to want to help others,
to want to save others. This can
only be done if we leave behind
the desire to perform. Many
people think that doing yoga
implies doing the right postures.
... Many people think that doing
meditation is forcing them to
absolutely think about nothing.
But in fact, everyone should be
their own barometer. Each of us
is capable of knowing where we
stand today and where we stand
right now. That’s what being
July 2023 37
INSPIRATION

The only thing that
will keep us going in
our difficult times is
the awareness that
we are all products
of generations and
links in the human
chain. By being
aware of this
filiation, of this
feminine part within
us, we return to our
healthy matrix, and
heal ourselves.
“mindful” is all about. It’s being
there, fully there, with what you
are today.
GCK: So, for mental health, yoga
is not a way of distracting from
illness, of pretending it doesn’t
exist, but of living this moment of
painful life. So, how can we avoid
sinking?
HHDL: By connecting with our
universal mother being. I’m aware
of your commitment to women’s
rights, and you’re right – as long
as we don’t recognize our being
connected with our inner mother,
there will always be war. By
connecting to that part of us that
honors us and makes us worthy
of being human. We all have two
eyes, a nose, a mouth. ... We each
and every one of us can say we
are crazy. The only thing that
will keep us going in our difficult
times is the awareness that we
are all products of generations
and links in the human chain. By
being aware of this filiation, of this
feminine part within us, we return
to our healthy matrix, and heal
ourselves.
GCK: Does it mean that our
disease comes from the way
we function in the world? Does
our state of mental health
depend on our ability to extract
ourselves from this world of
efficiency?
HHDL: Absolutely. We have to
get out of the vicious circle of
performance, profitability, and
productivity. Our being is not
made for that. Our being is unique
and needs to be treated as such.
Leaning toward ourselves gently
with a smile, as we would do
toward a newborn in the cradle
who is discovering his body’s
capacity for flexibility, its treasures
of suppleness. This is what yoga is
all about. This is what heals.
GCK: Can this healing be
achieved through artistic or
cultural means?
HHDL: This healing comes
through attention. Attention to
oneself. Attention to others. That’s
what art and culture are all about.
A way to be attentive, to capture
a moment of oneself in otherness.
It’s what we should cherish above
all else. It’s what makes us human
... and it’s why your UNESCO
home is so important.
For more information:
https://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=nLmzlBurfNM
July 2023 39
INSPIRATION

LLEWELLYN VAUGHAN-LEE looks back on a life of learning about love in
its many forms and faces, from the most human to the most esoteric,
and what it means to him that love is the source of all that exists.
Love&Prayer
Heartfulness
40

O
ne of my favorite
practices, a prayer, is
to imagine placing the
world within my heart and feeling
the love that infuses everything –
every bird and butterfly, the trees
and the ocean, the chipmunks that
have just reappeared in the garden
after their hibernation, the bleary-
eyed child waiting for the school
bus I pass on my morning walk.
Everything, every dream, every
cloud passing, is infused with love,
is an expression of love. Love is
the source of all that exists, is all
that exists. This primary mystical
awareness is stamped into my soul
and consciousness, following me
throughout the day, and especially
in the early hours of the morning,
when prayer takes me, when the
world of thoughts has faded away
and the heart’s presence is all that
matters.
Scientists may tell us that our
universe began thirteen billion
years ago with the Big Bang,
when from an infinitely hot and
dense single point matter came
into existence. But mystics know
a different truth: from the unborn
and undying emptiness, existence
is constantly being created as a
flow of light and love that then
becomes physical form. And this
love remains the foundation, the
essence of everything – every
particle and every star. It is the
primary energy, power, presence
within the created world. And it is
our divine nature, always evolving
and changing within our body and
soul, even as it remains constant.
In today’s world, we associate love
with personal relationships. We
seek for it in a lover, experience
it through the tenderness of a
mother’s touch. We often associate
it with passion, desire, or sex,
even though its essence is quite
different. I never knew love in my
own childhood, never heard the
words, “I love you.” I don’t think
my parents even knew they existed.
Instead, it was a cold middle-class
childhood of boarding school
and cold baths, endless sports on
muddy fields. But in my late teens
love came calling, singing out its
name, drawing me deep within the
heart.
INSPIRATION
Love calls to us in many different
ways. As Rumi says:
sultan, saint, pickpocket
love has everyone by the ear
dragging us to God by secret ways
While most people seek love in
the tangle of human relationships,
I first experienced love and the
longing for love sitting at the
feet of my teacher, a white-
haired Russian woman who
had just come back from India
where she had been trained by a
Sufi master. In her small room
beside the train tracks in North
London, this invisible essence was
present, tangible. This is what
was awakened in me through the
simple practice of sitting at the
feet of my teacher and meditating
on the heart, following the ancient
Sufi tradition of divine love, the
secret of secrets.
Love speaks to our soul and to
our body. Love includes all the
senses – taste and touch, smell,
sight, and sound. Love by its very
nature includes everything. It can
July 2023 41

INSPIRATION
be found anywhere, because it is
everywhere. The mystic uncovers
the simple secret: that in truth love
flows through everything – sweet,
tender, aching, knowing, as well as
dark and passionate. And as this
primal energy, this greatest power,
awakens within us, within our
heart, our soul, always it draws us
deeper into its own mystery, into
the secret of oneness, what the
Sufis call the unity of being.
My own journey took me from
formlessness to form. As an
intense young man, when I first
met my teacher I only looked
for love within the heart in deep
meditation. But then I fell in love
and was awakened to the beauty
of a woman, to the feminine side
of love and longing. I had been
drawn into this mystery by the
eyes of a woman and a longing in
my heart. The tangle of her hair,
the softness of her body, had taken
and taught me what spiritual texts
could not. Divine love is a spiritual
and physical experience, and in a
woman the two are united, body
and soul.
The Indian poet and princess
Mirabai knew this secret. She was
in love with Krishna, her “Dark
Lord,” and she left her palace
to dance before him. She had
experienced the soul’s rapture with
her Dark Lord, and speaks of the
body’s “hidden treasures”:
O friend, understand: the body
is like the ocean,
rich with hidden treasures.
Open your innermost chamber and light its lamp.
Within the body are gardens,
rare flowers, the inner Music;
within the body a lake of bliss,
on it the white soul-swans take their joy.
And in the body, a vast market –
go there, trade,
sell yourself for a profit you can’t spend.
Mira says, her Lord is beyond praising.
Allow her to dwell near your feet.
In her words of rapture are one
of the deepest mysteries of the
feminine: how in her body are
“gardens, rare flowers, and the
inner Music.”This is not just
erotic imagery, but alludes to the
secret of creation, and the beauty
and wonder that belong to this
essential substance. Without this
quality of the feminine there
would be no joy, the magic of life
would not be present. Colors and
fragrances would fade into dull
gray days.
And now, as an old man, I find
this secret of creation all around
me. It walks with me beside the
bay in the early morning, as I
follow the quails scurrying down
the path, the baby rabbits hopping
out of sight, the coyotes stalking in
the nearby field, and the glimpse
of a river otter, its nose just above
the water. And in the depths of
night I know this love both in the
emptiness and the world of forms.
I was born a stranger to love,
did not know its meaning, even
its existence. Over twenty years
passed in a grayed-out world
before desire for Truth took
me to love. And now, all that is
really left a lifetime later seems
to be this quality of love that
sustains me. After so long a
journey – often tired, longing just
to rest – I return to love. Or love
returns. And this love includes
everything. It belongs not just to
a human relationship, or to an
inner relationship with God; it is a
love that is everything, that flows
Heartfulness
42

RELATIONSHIPS
through all that exists – sweet,
tender, aching, knowing. Or just a
simple presence within the heart, a
soft warmth that sometimes brings
bliss.
And love is free, a gift to each of
us. Even if it costs blood and a
broken heart, it is still free. Love is
life speaking to its beloved and the
beloved speaking to life. And in
that conversation so many things
can happen, so many miracles can
be born – the small unsuspected
miracles that we often do not
notice, like a moment of sunlight
through the clouds, a flower
blossoming from the sprout of a
seed, a smile from a stranger. This
world is steeped in this divine
quality that is waiting to be born,
to be brought into existence, to be
loved into being. And just to be a
part of it is enough, is a story that
sings in the heart.
Yes, the world is full of discord
and suffering, tears and blood, the
bomb falling on a marketplace,
the mother whose starving child
is dying in her arms. This pain
is real. And I do not attempt to
understand how this is all born
from love, is an expression of
love. I do remember once, when
I was deeply praying for those
suffering, a still voice came into
my heart saying “You think I do
not love these people?” But how
all suffering belongs to God and is
also an expression of divine love is
a mystery my mind cannot grasp,
even if my heart has been taken
to places where only this deeper
oneness is real.
And so, when I wake in the
night and pray for the world, I
am especially drawn to places
of darkness and pain, to war
and injustice, those fighting or
demonstrating for freedom, those
without food or shelter. And in
my heart I also feel the Earth
being torn apart – species and wild
beauty lost. Through it all the love
remains, the one constant, the only
true solace, the deeper knowing of
our divine nature: that we are all
born from love and will return to
love.
This journey has taken me from
formlessness to form, to life’s
unending multiplicity, beautiful,
numinous, and most ordinary.
And then back into the infinite
emptiness of the beyond. Love
cries and often my heart feels
broken. I sense that love is really
all we have to give, and the
meaning behind every experience
that touches the soul. Love is life’s
greatest gift and our greatest gift
back to life. And especially at this
time, life, the Earth, is calling out
to be loved, to be held in the heart,
so that this thread of love that is
present throughout creation can
support it in its crisis, so that a
new story for humanity and the
Earth can begin to be woven into
the fabric of existence.
Heartfulness
44

INSPIRATION
So, in the night, in the empty
hours after midnight, traditionally
known as the “Hour of God” or
“the Night Prayer,” when prayers
are especially powerful, I turn
my attention to the Earth and
the heart, to the flow of love
that comes from the beyond into
existence, knowing only that this is
a mystery to which I belong, felt in
the tender touch of a loved one as
well as the vast spaces where stars
are born.
Illustrations by ANANYA PATEL
July 2023 45

Workplace
We think of
organizational health
as more than just
culture or employee
engagement. It’s the
organization’s ability to
align around a common
vision, execute against
that vision effectively,
and renew itself
through innovation and
creative thinking. Put
another way, health is
how the ship is run, no
matter who is at the
helm and what waves
rock the vessel.
ROB THEUNISSEN
Illustration by STONEPIC

DR. ICHAK ADIZES pulls together more than 40 years of experience and knowledge in
organizational consulting to give us a simple overview of what is needed to create
and maintain a healthy organization that can weather the ups and downs of any
marketplace.
Organizational
Health
JUST THINKING AND FEELING
Heartfulness
48

WORKPLACE
T
his is the beginning of
my forthcoming book on
the theory and practice
of organizational therapy. First,
it will present a definition of
organizational health. Then,
what makes it sick, and which
of the dysfunctionalities are
normal, abnormal, or critical, and
why. Next, it will discuss how
to treat the dysfunctionalities or
organizational maladies contingent
on where the organization is on
the life cycle.
It is all based on my work in the
field and my observations and
clinical work in developing the
theory and applying it in practice.
It was tested in almost every
industry, in over 52 countries, and
in organizations from start-ups
to Fortune 100s. Adizes-certified
associates validated that the theory
and practice are transferable and
achieve the same results I would
have achieved if I had done the
work. It is thus a scientifically
proven methodology to heal
organizations and bring them
to their peak performance (see
Adizes.com for testimonials).
In this piece, I define what I
understand is a healthy system.
The principles presented here
apply to different types of
organizations, for and not-
for-profit, public, private, or
government, and it applies to
families or countries as well.
It is a scientifically
proven methodology
to heal organizations
and bring them to
their peak
performance.
July 2023 49

The organization is
growing through
synergy, and this
growth is
sustainable
because there is
symbiosis.
WORKPLACE
Defining health
A healthy organization is symb-
ergetic, both symbiotic and
synergetic.
Symbiotic means that the
components that comprise the
organization have a mutually
beneficial interdependency. For
that to happen, there must be
mutual trust that each contributing
element believes, has faith, and
trusts that there is a common
interest and that it will eventually
benefit from the interdependency
to which it contributed.
Synergetic means that the above-
mentioned contributing elements
exchange information and learn
from the exchange, and thus, create
a new value as an outcome of
that learning. For that to happen,
however, there must be a diversity
of complementary subsystems,
functions, that complement each
other with their differences in
knowledge and information.
In short, the components of
the organization collaborate
and cooperate to create value
from which they benefit. The
organization is growing through
synergy, and this growth is
sustainable because there is
symbiosis. The components that
contribute to the system benefit
from their contribution.
Heartfulness
50

WORKPLACE
The importance of
complementary
diversity
An organization without diversity
(each part of the organization
just repeating existing knowledge
or just reinforcing available
knowledge or information) does
not stimulate an exchange, cross-
pollination which creates new
information and knowledge.
The diversity, however, should be
complementary. Each component,
sub-system, or function
contributes what the others do
not have, or are not strong in.
differently. Otherwise, there’ll
be no constructive exchange; and
without such an exchange, there
will be no learning; and without
learning, there will be no creation
of new value.
But it cannot be any old
complementarity. It must be
such that the complementary
subsystems make the total system
both effective and efficient in the
short-term and the long run. A
system that is not both effective
and efficient in the short and
long run is not healthy. It is either
ineffective now or in the future, or
inefficient now or in the future.
It means the weakness that one
subsystem has, another one has it
as a strength.
Take a marriage. A healthy one is
a complementary team. Where one
partner is weak, the other is strong.
For instance, one partner is an
imaginative risk-taker. The other is
conservative, detail-oriented, and
risk-averse. Together they make
better decisions, balancing each
other. It will happen, however,
only if there is mutual respect.
Respect means to follow Emanuel
Kant – each party recognizes
the sovereignty, the undeniable
right, of the other to think
July 2023 51

WORKPLACE
The indispensability
of mutual trust and
respect
A healthy organization is both
effective and efficient in the
short and long run. For that, it
is comprised of a diversity of
complementary sub-organizations
or functions.
Different functions achieve
different goals. For instance, in a
business organization, marketing
should focus on long-run
effectiveness, sales on short-run
effectiveness, culture development
on long-term efficiency, and
Human Resource Management on
short-term efficiency.
The subsystems, the
complementary functions, inhibit
each other. The short-run focus
competes with the long-run,
and vice versa, and effectiveness
inhibits focusing on efficiency and
vice versa. In order to collaborate
and cooperate, and thus create
value, they must operate in a
culture of mutual trust and respect.
It is an indispensable prerequisite
for synergy and symbiosis.
To enable symbiosis, there must
be a perception of common
interests derived from a common
vision and values. For synergy, the
organization must be structured
correctly. Each function should
not be mitigated structurally
by other conflicting roles (for
instance, marketing must be
separate from sales.) The correctly
structured diversified organization
must exchange information with
mutual respect. There must be a
systemic, disciplined decision-
making process that nurtures it.
Furthermore, people that staff the
organization, those that exchange
information, should be people that
command and grant respect and
trust. Without mutual trust and
respect, the conflicting diversity
of the organizational functions
and the styles that lead them will
generate destructive conflict. The
exchange will be dysfunctional
rather than constructive,
symbergetic.
Heartfulness
52

A healthy
organization is
integrated
externally and
internally.
WORKPLACE
To summarize, a healthy
organization is symbergetic – both
synergetic and symbiotic.
To generate symbergy, the
organization must have a culture
of mutual trust and respect.
For that, there must be:
Common vision and values,
A correctly diversified
complementary organizational
structure that will make the
organization both effective and
efficient in the short and long
run,
A systematic, structured
decision-making process,
Leadership positions staffed
with people that command and
grant mutual trust and respect
and whose style matches the
requirements of the function
they lead.
Validating health
The health of an organization can be validated with the following
formula:
needs to respect and trust the
economic, political, and social
systems within which it operates,
and be a trusted trustee of the
physical environment it operates
in. Otherwise, resources will be
withheld, depleted, or corrupted,
making integration with the
market and society more and more
difficult.
To summarize, a healthy
organization is integrated
externally and internally. It
does not waste the fixed energy
available. It is symbergetic, for
which a culture of mutual trust
and respect is needed. For that,
common vision and values,
correctly designed diversified
organizational structure, systemic
disciplined decision-making
process, and leaders that command
and grant respect and trust are a
must.
Just thinking and feeling,
ichak@adizes.com
https://www.ichakadizes.com/post/
defining-organizational-health?mc_
cid=5eac6efbe3&mc_eid=4db2768c23
A healthy organization serves
clients for which the organization
exists in the short and the long
run.
That is measured by the external
integration of the organization
with the environment in which
it operates. For a business
organization, it will be market
share or repeated sales. For a
country, the ratio of immigration
to emigration. For a marriage, the
desire to stay or split the marriage.
For an individual, the rate of
career advancement.
Since energy at any point in time
is fixed, any energy wasted because
of internal disintegration reduces
the energy that can be dedicated
to external integration.
A culture of mutual trust and
respect minimizes disintegration
and the waste of energy. And
that applies both to internal and
external environments.
To integrate itself with the market
and the society the organization
operates in, there must be a
relationship of mutual trust
and respect, or clients will not
be repetitive. The organization
Health =
External Integration
Internal DISintegration
f
Illustrations by ALEXDNDZ
July 2023 53

Reconciliation is more
beautiful than victory.
VIOLETA CHAMORRO

The
Heart’s Wisdom
KARISHMA DESAI shares her
unique perspective on the
integration of HeartMath
and Heartfulness practices
and research, and how this
collaboration leads us to a
bright future.

I
n a world where stress has
become an all-too-common
companion, finding effective
ways to navigate its challenges
is essential. Dr. Rollin McCraty,
Director of Research at the
HeartMath® Institute, offers a
compelling reminder: “Stress is a
form of hurried aging.”
No one wants to age rapidly,
yet many of us, particularly
in high-pressured corporate
environments, grapple with
stress. As a coach, my mission is
to explore and offer evidence-
based methods to alleviate
stress and build resilience. This
passion led me to become a
HeartMath Certified Trainer.
HeartMath practices guide us
toward coherence, a harmonious
state in which the heart, brain,
and body operate in perfect
sync, fostering mental clarity,
emotional equilibrium, and
elevated overall performance.
Utilizing biofeedback devices,
coherence can be measured, and
regular practice results in an
enhanced capacity for resilience.
Transforming emotional
landscapes for health and
happiness
This inspired me to perceive
my body as an energy system
that expands and replenishes
its energy reserves to maintain
optimal functioning. I soon
realized that these reserves
are intimately linked to how I
manage my emotions. We have
all experienced the ebb and
flow of energy as it rises with
uplifting emotions and depletes
with draining ones.
To understand my emotional
landscape, I noted down the
emotions that depleted my
energy reserves. As I delved
into my journal, I discovered
numerous negative emotions
constantly playing in the
background, from fears of
job loss, health concerns, and
missed promotions to daily
frustrations like traffic jams,
mounting household chores,
and minor setbacks at work.
These unwarranted fears and
stressors were depleting my
energy reserves, while uplifting
emotions such as joy, gratitude,
and contentment were far fewer
in comparison. No wonder I
often felt drained before the day
was even over, weighed down by
these invisible energy leaks.
Take a moment to reflect on
your emotional landscape:
How do your personal negative
thoughts and worries affect your
energy levels?
Can you identify instances
where uplifting emotions like a
shared laugh with a loved one,
an accomplishment at work, or
a quiet moment of appreciation
have boosted your vitality?
By recognizing the impact of
both draining and uplifting
emotions, you can take the first
step toward cultivating a more
balanced and energy-efficient
state. Through HeartMath
practices, I discovered how to
preserve my energy and reduce
57
July 2023

the drain from costly emotions.
As a trainer, it is my privilege to
share these powerful techniques
with others seeking to master
the art of energy conservation
and wisely manage their
emotional investments.
Emotional landscapes and
heart rhythms
During his recent address
at the Integrative Health
and Well-being Summit in
December 2022, organized
by the Heartfulness Institute,
Dr. Rollin McCraty explained
the profound influence our
emotional landscape has on our
heart rhythms. Positive emotions
like care and appreciation
generate more coherent patterns,
while negative emotions like
anger and frustration yield
incoherent ones. This revelation
underscores the importance of
consciously cultivating positive
emotions.
I can attest to the transformative
power of intentional positivity.
A few years ago, I navigated a
challenging health crisis, and
made the conscious choice
to surround myself with an
atmosphere of gratitude and
appreciation. This positive
outlook not only expedited my
healing journey but also laid the
foundation for a purposeful and
harmonious life that continues
to unfold.
HeartMath practices guide us
toward coherence, a harmonious
state in which the heart, brain, and
body operate in perfect sync,
fostering mental clarity, emotional
equilibrium, and elevated overall
performance.
RELATIONSHIPS

The heart’s magnetic
influence
Dr. McCraty then went on to
say how each heartbeat produces
a magnetic field that can be
measured as far as three feet
outside the body. Our thoughts
and emotions are broadcast by
this magnetic field. It’s like our
magnetic fields communicate
with each other before we even
start conversing with someone
verbally.
Can you recall a time when
you felt an inexplicable sense
of warmth and comfort in the
presence of a friend or family
member, even before speaking to
them?
Conversely, have you ever
experienced unease around
someone without an apparent
reason?
As we strive for personal
coherence, we can positively
influence the energy fields of
others. I’ve observed how my
meditation practice creates a
calming atmosphere at home,
possibly due to the magnetic
field I generate. If we can affect
our immediate environments
in this way, can we extend our
influence beyond our homes?
The answer is a resounding yes.
Each of us plays a crucial role in
shaping the world around us.
HeartMath research shows that
when we achieve a coherent
state, we become more attuned
to one another and the
Earth’s magnetic field. This
interconnectivity underscores
the view that we are all deeply
linked, revealing the profound
extent of our harmonization
with the planet and each other.
In pursuit of this goal, the
HeartMath Institute invites
heart-centered practitioners
to join their complimentary
Global Coherence App,
fostering a worldwide movement
to promote individual and
planetary well-being by
radiating love and compassion
across the globe. Together,
we can bring a shift in global
59
July 2023
RELATIONSHIPS

It supports the
notion of the
heart’s connection
to a higher field or
matrix,
transcending the
boundaries of
time and space.
consciousness, ushering in an era
of increased peace and harmony.
Science as the language
of mysticism: unveiling the
energetic heart
As a practitioner of Heartfulness
for over two decades, and a
trainer, I have been captivated
by the enigmatic nature of our
hearts. When we speak of the
heart in this context, we refer
not only to the physical organ,
but also to the deeper abstract
energetic heart that serves as the
seat of human wisdom.
I have often sought scientific
explanations, to both validate
the personal and intimate
experiences of the energetic
heart, and also to bridge the
gap for skeptics who better
comprehend the language of
science. I wanted to find a
scientific framework that could
reinforce my unwavering faith
in the heart’s extraordinary
wisdom, while also extending
the understanding and benefits
to those needing scientific
backing. My heart was overjoyed
when I first encountered Dr.
McCraty’s statement in the
book, Science of the Heart,
“There is compelling evidence
to suggest the physical heart is
coupled to a field of information
not bound by the classical
limits of time and space.”This
evidence originates from a
rigorous experimental study
that demonstrated the heart’s
ability to receive and process
information about future
events before they occurs. It
supports the notion of the
heart’s connection to a higher
field or matrix, transcending the
boundaries of time and space.
This revelation bridges the gap
between science and spirituality,
inspiring us to delve deeper into
the heart's boundless wisdom
and potential for transformation.
This energetic inner heart
establishes a connection to my
higher self and forms the very
essence of my Heartfulness
meditation practice.
Together for change:
combining efforts for
global peace
As we journey together in
Heartfulness, we strive to
reach the tipping point of a
positive shift in the evolution
of global consciousness,
mirroring the vision of the
HeartMath® Global Coherence
App. With open hearts, these
complementary practices are
coming together for both
personal and planetary well-
being.
The importance of collaboration
and harnessing the power of
our collective efforts for the
greater good is the need of the
hour. By coming together in
our Universal Prayer for the
61
July 2023
RELATIONSHIPS

Embrace the ripple effect
and the profound impact of
heart-focused practices,
contributing to a connected,
compassionate global
community.
restoration of peace and faith in humanity, we can
magnify our positive intentions, creating a world of
connection, compassion, and love that will endure
for generations to come.
Nurturing inner and outer connections:
heartful practices
• Embrace heart-centered practices: Begin
each day with heart-focused breathing and
Heartfulness Meditation.
• Pursue complementary techniques: Combine
practices for a harmonious mind, body, and
heart connection.
• Master emotional self-regulation: Engage
in intelligent energy management to
achieve emotional balance.
• Cultivate positivity and coherence: Activate
positive emotions and sustain a meditative
state to reach coherence.
• Unite for a higher purpose: Collaborate
with others to promote world peace and
harmony, transcending individual goals.
Embrace the ripple effect and the profound
impact of heart-focused practices, contributing
to a connected, compassionate global community.
Together, we build a better future for generations
to come.
HeartMath is a registered trademark of Quantum Intech
Inc. (dba HeartMath Inc.). For a list of HeartMath-
owned trademarks go to
www.heartmath.com/trademarks.
Heartfulness
62
RELATIONSHIPS

GEORGE OKURUT is a yoga teacher in vulnerable communities. He works
with poor children in Kampala, Uganda. These projects have created yoga
awareness, and mental health awareness, improving the livelihoods of
people. George is a certified yoga teacher from S-VYASA Yoga University in
India, and Satyananda Children’s Yoga at Yoga Pura Vida in Tanzania.
Yoga
for Reconciliation
63
July 2023

M
y journey with yoga
started in 2016
when I came to
Kampala. I went to one of the
dance communities and was
introduced to yoga practice;
I felt so attracted by it. The
trainer, Bobby, told me that I
would learn much more if I went
to the National Theatre. There
I met a lady called Bibotag,
who explained the mentorship
of yoga. In 2017, one of the
teachers gave me a scholarship
to be qualified as a yoga teacher
for children at Yoga Pura Vida.
When I came back to
Uganda from Tanzania in
2018, I developed my inner
understanding and study of yoga
to share with my community.
I come from a background of
domestic violence, trauma, stress,
and depression; and I was also
a victim of the war in northern
Uganda for almost two decades.
So yoga offered me a lot. When
I blend yoga with dance, it
gives me calmness and a deeper
understanding of myself, so
that I can be someone who is
more transformative with my
community.
What transformation happens
with yoga?
I found a lot of transformation
and help through yoga. I had
an accident as a child, while
pushing a vehicle that was stuck.
I slipped, my legs went under a
tire and the car rolled over my
back. Afterward, I couldn’t bend
my back much. But I started
to practice yoga regularly, and
now I can flex my back, I can do
everything with my back. I’ve
benefited from yoga in other
ways too, like now I can control
my emotions, I know what
I need, and it has built self-
confidence, because before I had
so much anger, even with my
family, that I couldn’t so much
as talk.
Now I can stand in front of
my community, share with my
community, and through yoga
I have helped some from my
community to develop inner
peace. We have that need for
inner peace to understand more
of ourselves, to believe more in
ourselves.
So I’ve achieved a lot of things
through yoga, including new
friendships, and meeting people
I could never have expected to
approach.
Yoga in Africa
In the middle of Africa, which
is really quite wild and remote,
yoga is still very new. I’m trying
to create awareness by taking
yoga into different communities,
and there are many challenges.
Uganda is a Christian country,
and people feel that we are
trying to bring an Indian belief
system or religion into Uganda.
But with a smile and with my
energy, I tell people my story –
where I come from, what I’ve
gone through, and how it has
changed my life. When they
hear how it has helped me
transform, and how it will help
them, they begin to listen.
My generation has gone
through domestic violence, and
because of peer pressure they
are smoking, drinking, and they
forget their life generally. That
is what I’m working on now.
I collaborate with different
organizations to give them
scholastic material, so that they
can even go back to school. The
more we motivate young people,
the more they will believe in
something. I have tried to work
with people in education; if they
keep practicing yoga, with time
they will understand the health
benefits.
64 Heartfulness
RELATIONSHIPS

I use yoga to
teach my
community to be
healthier in body
and mind; not to
be traumatized by
the alarming
situations going
on in the country
and the economy.
Illustrations by JASMEE MUDGAL
Being a yoga artist in the
community
Being a yoga artist is like being
a dance artist, and it means a
lot to me. But the business side
is difficult because it’s hard to
find clients who subscribe to
the teaching. It will be hard to
sustain unless a big organization
sponsors me to reach out to
communities.
I come from a community
with high crime rates, where
peer pressure drives young
boys to smoking, young girls
to early marriage, pregnancy,
and prostitution, and there’s a
lot of domestic violence. I use
yoga as a tool to transform my
community positively, giving
them hope. We have a lot of
young mothers and children
with little money, who cannot
easily get medical help. When
they practice yoga, they grow
healthier so that the small
amount they earn from their
work can buy other things.
I use yoga to teach my
community to be healthier
in body and mind; not to be
traumatized by the alarming
situations going on in the
country and the economy. I’m
so happy to be sharing yoga
in Uganda, even if it’s still a
challenge.
The people here really need this,
but they find it very hard to find
time, and they cannot pay. I call
many organizations around the
world to sponsor these projects,
and really appreciate those who
support us to reach out to more
communities, including schools.
Yoga is how I earn a living, and
I need sustainable work, perhaps
as a certified teacher for children
and adults in Uganda, where
people can come to practice and
feel at home with other people.
To watch the whole talk, go
to https://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=x02ojzfR7OY.
65
July 2023

Water is life’s mater and matrix,
mother and medium.
There is no life without water.
ALBERT SZENT-GYÖRGYI
Illustration by ANANYA PATEL

How the
Environmental
Movement
Can Find Its Way Again
CHARLES EISENSTEIN challenges our current understanding of
environmental sustainability, and asks us to reconsider our approaches
and practices to environmentalism. He also dares us to realize that it
will only work once we become nature lovers.

I
f we are to focus our attention on a single
substance, it should be not carbon dioxide
but water. Beyond greenhouse effects, water is
crucial in the ways the world maintains conditions
for life to thrive. One function of water is as a
vehicle of heat transport, part of the physiology
of this living planet. Please watch the animated
video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B-
oJyInmTTo&t=2s about how plants influence
local and global temperatures through the
movement of water.
This video, along with companion pieces on
the biotic pump and hydrology, comes from
an emerging understanding among many
environmentalists that we have made a scientific,
strategic, rhetorical, and political error by
reducing the ecological crisis to climate, and the
climate crisis to carbon. Earth is best understood
as a living being with a complex physiology,
whose health depends on the health of her
constituent organs. Her organs are the forests, the
wetlands, the grasslands, the estuaries, the reefs,
the apex predators, the keystone species, the soil,
the insects, and indeed every intact ecosystem
and every species on Earth. If we continue to
degrade them, drain them, cut them, poison them,
pave them, and kill them, earth will die a death
of a million cuts. She will die of organ failure
regardless of the levels of greenhouse gases.
That is why, if I may be so bold as to make a
prediction, that we will see increasingly dramatic
derangement of weather patterns over the next
few years. Indeed it has already begun. Floods,
droughts, fires, anomalous heat, cold, wet, and dry
at the wrong time of year will intensify, even in
the absence of significant global warming. Such
is already the case. I’m sure you’ve noticed. The
weather has been weird the last few years; in some
places, devastatingly so. Yet, global temperatures
(according to the most reliable measure, satellite
measurements of the lower troposphere) are about
what they were in 2016. The overall trend since
measurements began is definitely a warming trend
(about 0.13 degrees per decade), but it has not
been accelerating.
Herein lies the strategic error. Having hitched
the environmental wagon to the global warming
horse, what happens if the horse stops running?
It won’t mean that our environmental problems
will have been solved. It won’t mean the crisis has
been averted, if temperatures stop rising. That is
because the core of the crisis is not warming, it is
ecocide – the killing of ecosystems, the killing of
life.
The video and its companion videos illustrate
clearly some of the ways this happens. Destroying
soil and plant life, and all the other ecological
actors they nourish and depend on, leads directly
to flood-drought cycles that then get blamed
on global warming. The complex, homeostatic
feedback loops that maintain stability unravel.
The loss of the Amazon can bring drought to
Colorado. The loss of rainforests in Borneo and
Sumatra might cause drought in China. The loss
of the Congo causes floods in Nigeria. Everything
is connected to everything else.
ENVIRONMENT
69
July 2023

ENVIRONMENT
Calculating our way to love?
I was hiking yesterday near my home in the
Carter Preserve. Dead trees are everywhere.
Almost all the oaks are dead. Elsewhere in the
state, tracts of old-growth oak have been clearcut
to make way for utility-scale solar farms. Let’s
put that in quotes, “farms.” Conservationist and
entomology professor Douglas Tallamy has this
to say, in response to industry advocates who
claim that the ecological benefits of solar “farms”
outweigh the benefits of a forest.
“Cutting down an existing solar plant, which is
a tree, in order to build an artificial one is just
ridiculous,” he said. “It’s more than energy. Solar
doesn’t feed a single bird, it doesn’t manage the
watershed. The only ecological value is capturing
energy from the sun, which is what plants do,
but it’s not passing it on to rest of the food web.
It’s the plants and animals around us that run
the ecosystems that we all depend on. I know
we want renewable energy, but we’ve got enough
land that has already been leveled. Put the solar
arrays on rooftops. Put them on all the destroyed
properties we already have. Don’t cut down
existing forests. It’s totally antithetical to the goals
of conservation.” 1
What is the basis of industry’s argument that
a solar “farm” is better than a forest? Carbon
math, that’s what. They add up the sequestration
numbers of a mature forest and compare it to the
fossil fuel equivalent of the photovoltaic output.
This is an extreme yet all-too-common example
of what happens when we define “green” in terms
of carbon dioxide. Further extremes are on the
horizon. What happens if, as some think likely,
70 Heartfulness

ENVIRONMENT
carbon capture technologies reach economic
feasibility? Already, carbon math sometimes
brings perverse results, as with nearly useless
carbon offsets. Carbon math vastly underestimates
the ecological utility of forests, given the role they
play in the water cycle and Earth’s physiology.
Inevitably, then, when carbon math defines
“green,” the forests will suffer.
None of this is to say that greenhouse gas
emissions are benign. The degradation of Earth’s
ecosystemic organs renders her less able to cope
with changes in atmospheric gas composition.
The additional thermodynamic flux through
an already unstable system exacerbates existing
instabilities. Moreover, from the living Earth
view, there are plenty of reasons to curtail fossil
fuel development that have nothing to do with
CO2 or methane. Strip-mining, drilling, fracking,
burning, offshore oil development, and so forth
devastate ecosystems, poison whole landscapes,
destroy habitat, acidify rain, contaminate water,
and risk catastrophic spills.
The solution, though, is not to shift industrial
civilization to another, equally- or more-damaging
energy technology. We have instead to consider
matters of scale and purpose. Scale: rooftop
solar is different from utility-scale PV fields.
Farm-based biogas reactors are different from
industrial-scale monocrop biofuel plantations.
Micro-hydro is different from mega-dams. In
each case, the former fits into an ecological
relationship to the specific beings, human and
otherwise, of a place. As for purpose, do we
really need to produce more and more energy
forever? Does it really contribute to human
well-being? Bigger houses, more weapons, more
stuff, the whole developmentalist technological
program that separates us ever-further from life
and matter… what does it serve? Ultimately, the
“solution” to the ecological crisis is not technical.
It comes from reclaiming basic values and
changing our relationship to nature.
Commenting on the clearing of forests to
build solar arrays, Tellamy wrote, “It’s totally
antithetical to the goals of conservation.” Yes.
The environmental movement needs to return
to its roots. Conservation does not mean to “use
more slowly” or to “save for later.” What the word
really means is to serve with. To serve together. To
serve what? To serve life. It is a rhetorical error to
frame environmentalism in any other way than to
One no longer needs be a nature lover to
support the aims of environmentalism...The
result is that environmentalism has been
hijacked by people and institutions who are
not nature lovers. We see where it leads:
nature dies in the service of “sustainability.”
73
July 2023

make it about love of nature, love of life. No one
becomes an environmentalist because of all the
money they will save. No one calculates their way
into love. And the changes that we will need to
make to restore Earth’s aliveness from its current
depletion will require a degree of courage and
sacrifice that comes only from love. We will not
be coerced or bribed into them.
A veteran activist once told me of a meeting
he attended in the 1980s in which a group of
leading environmentalists decided to adopt the
term “sustainability” into their core lexicon. “We
wanted to sound scientific,” he said. “We didn’t
want to use words like ‘love’ or ‘precious’ and be
dismissed as tree-huggers. We wanted to give
people a rational, hard-headed reason why we
should protect nature. We thought that appealing
to the beauty and sacredness of nature wouldn’t
reach the people who were destroying it, so we
tried to make it about their self-interest instead.”
Around the same time, global warming entered
the awareness of the environmental movement,
growing over the years to become its defining
issue. At first, global warming (now called climate
change) seemed a boon to the movement. Now
we would be able to force corporations and
governments to do the things we’d always wanted,
appealing not just to sentiments about nature’s
magnificence, and not just to concerns over the
health of some subset of people downwind, but
to the survival of civilization itself. One no longer
need be a nature lover to support the aims of
environmentalism.
Let that last statement sink in. One no longer
needs be a nature lover to support the aims of
environmentalism.
The result is that environmentalism has been
hijacked by people and institutions who are not
nature lovers. We see where it leads: nature dies
in the service of “sustainability.” Forests are cut
for solar farms. Landscapes are sacrificed to pit
mines to extract lithium, cobalt, silver, rare earths,
etc. for decarbonization. There is an awful lot
of money in the sustainability industry. It is the
same story as before. Meanwhile, we neglect
the priorities that are highest from the Living
Earth perspective. The energy and funding and
attention goes toward “saving the world” by
reducing CO2. Neglected in comparison are the
sea grass meadows. The peat bogs. The mangrove
swamps. The beavers. The elephants. The whales.
The sharks. Yet all of these are vital to planetary
physiology.
To be continued.
Reprinted with permission by the author from
https://charleseisenstein.substack.com/p/how-the-
environmental-movement-can#footnote-1-110660236
1
https://ecori.org/2021-6-2-for-better-or-worse-
statewide-oak-tree-mortality-changes-ris-landscape/
ENVIRONMENT
74 Heartfulness

M
y career took me to work in a paper mill
in Africa for a year. The factory was in
the middle of a dense forest, 750 kms
from Dar es Salaam, the capital of Tanzania. The
facility was self-sufficient, providing food and
accommodation, and there was no need to step
outside the premises. In fact, we were advised not
to venture into the forest since it was full of wild
beasts and considered dangerous. We all took this
as a dictum and rarely ventured out; even when
we did, we would never lose sight of the factory
gate and return as quickly as possible.
One evening, a friend and I were taking a stroll
that took us to the factory gate. We walked
outside and came to a small stream. Usually, we
would have turned around and walked back, so
perhaps it was the engaging conversation or the
confidence in each other’s company that made us
cross the stream without thinking. We walked a
little on the other side of the stream, but when we
looked back we realized we could no longer see
SRIRAM RAGHAVENDRAN shares a personal
story of crisis, courage, and the clarity
that gave him a solution in a life and death
situation.
PERSPECTIVE
75
July 2023

the factory gate. It was the moment when alarm
bells started to ring.
“It is difficult to find your way back in a forest.”
We had heard this a million times, but never
really understood it. Now, we were experiencing
it. We turned around and walked back, but could
not locate the stream. Every tree looked just like
the next one, and a few minutes later we were
unsure if we were retracing out steps correctly.
Conferring with each other made it clear that we
were lost.
Dusk was setting in, and we knew that in 30
minutes it would be pitch dark. With the chirping
of the birds, the unrecognizable sounds of the
forest grew louder in our ears. My friend was
beginning to panic, and I felt a growing chill.
I had been practicing Heartfulness for about 20
years at the time, and many times I had wondered
what effect this daily practice of meditation had
on me. The effect is so imperceptible that we
sometimes assume it has no impact at all. Of
course, there was no thought about the impact
of meditation at that moment, only an awareness
about my situation and my inner state. While I
was experiencing anxiety at the conscious level,
there was also a sense of calm within. I was
worried but not flustered. I instinctively sat down
to gather my thoughts, not furiously searching for
a solution but quietly reflecting on what was to be
done.
Within a couple of minutes, the fog lifted. I
looked around, found a suitable tree, and climbed
it to a height of 25 feet. This additional height
gave me the perspective to see the lights of the
factory in the distance and locate the stream. In
our attempts to walk back, we had strayed farther
away from the path. With this clarity, it took us
only a few minutes to reach the stream, cross it,
and walk back to safety.
I took a long silent walk alone that night (within
the factory premises this time!), reflecting on
what had happened that day. Though the drama
had lasted less than 20 minutes, it felt so much
longer. The gravity of the situation struck me. We
had certainly faced a crisis, a moment of life and
death.
How do we act in these moments of desperation?
Do we keep our heads or do we lose them? It
depends very much on how we have prepared
ourselves to deal with life. As we practice
meditation for years, we develop a sense of calm,
the noise in the head tones down, and our inner
strength grows, though we rarely perceive any
of this amidst our busy lives. The way I behaved
that day, the depth of response, the resilience in
keeping a cool head while facing a moment of
truth, offered a revelation on the residual effect of
meditation over the years.
Each meditation is like depositing a penny every
day in your piggy bank. You do not think about
it but just keep doing it. Inevitably, you will come
face to face with moments of crisis. You may
worry and fret, and it will eat into you. If you have
been diligent in contributing every day to your
own piggy bank, you will open it to find a treasure
inside, beyond your wildest dreams.
As we practice meditation for
years, we develop a sense of
calm, the noise in the head
tones down, and our inner
strength grows, though we
rarely perceive any of this
amidst our busy lives.
ENVIRONMENT
76 Heartfulness

77
July 2023

If more of us valued
food and cheer and
song above hoarded
gold, it would be a
merrier world.
J.R.R. TOLKIEN
(THE HOBBIT)
Photograph by
PABLO MERCHÁN MONTES

POOJA KINI shares one of her simple superfood salads to
brighten up your Monday and give you a burst of nutrients.
S
ometimes, ordering delivery
can seem like the only way
to get a filling lunch on a
busy Monday. But eating well
doesn’t have to require thinking
too much – it’s just about keeping
the right things in your pantry.
This salad is packed with
superfoods and color. Arugula
is full of Vitamins C and K,
beta-carotene, and magnesium.
Blueberries are rich in antioxidants
and anthocyanins. Cherry
tomatoes contain lycopene, while
extra virgin olive oil is full of heart
healthy fats.
Another plus? Chopping is
optional and you don’t have to
make a dressing. This is a lunch
that looks good and makes you feel
even better. It also takes 5 minutes
to put together, so you can really
take your time and enjoy it.
INGREDIENTS:
Arugula
Blueberries
Cherry tomatoes (optionally
cut in half)
Extra virgin olive oil (make
sure you’re using a good
quality one!)
Goat cheese or feta cheese
Lemon
Salt and Pepper
Honey
METHOD:
Add your arugula to a bowl, then
add in a handful each of blueberries
and cherry tomatoes.
Sprinkle in a good amount of your
cheese of choice.
Top with a pinch of salt and freshly
cracked pepper.
Squeeze lemon over everything.
Finish with a healthy drizzle of olive
oil and honey.
Case of the
Weekday Blues?
The Easiest Superfood Salad
Eat Some Blueberries
Heartfulness
80

Master the habit of meditation
The Heartfulness app offers daily
practices to awaken the potential for
a joyful existence. Download it at
heartfulnessapp.org
Heartfulness Yoga
Teacher Training Course
Learn to teach the eight limbs of
yoga. Merge the traditional art of
yoga with a modern professional
approach.
heartfulness.org/yoga/
Designing Destiny by Daaji
#1 BESTSELLER
How meditative practices lead to
changes in lifestyle, both personal
and in relationships, which lead
to greater freedom in designing
our destiny.
designingdestiny.com
Meditation Masterclass
In these 3 online masterclasses,
you will learn the practical
benefits of meditation and other
yogic practices. Masterclasses are
available online each day after you
sign up and accessible throughout
the day.
heartfulness.org/masterclass
The Wisdom Bridge
by Daaji
From the bestselling author of The
Heartfulness Way and Designing Destiny
Daaji offers nine principles to
guide you, the reader, to live
a life that inspires your children
and your loved ones.
wisdombridge.com
Find Your Community
Find a trainer or meditation
center near you!
heartfulness.org/en/
connect-with-us/
Heartfulness
82

Learning,
The Heartfulness Way
Explore simple Heartfulness
practices through our
self-paced courses for
beginners and advanced
learners alike.
learning.heartfulness.org
HFNLife strives to bring products
to make your life simple and
convenient.We offer a set of
curated partners in apparel,
accessories, eye-care, home
staples, organic foods and more.
The affiliation of our partner
organizations with Heartfulness
Institute helps in financially
sustaining the programs which we
conduct in various places across
the world. hfnlife.com
HFNLife
July 2023 83

Heartfulness Magazine - July 2023 (Volume 8, Issue 7)

Heartfulness Magazine - July 2023 (Volume 8, Issue 7)

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