Dr. Bharat Desai's Blog

Windy Suzuki (Professor of Neural Science at New York University), 55, did research on the brain and found out that you can grow a bigger and happier brain with meditation and exercise. This neuroplasticity of new brain cells sprouting new connections and new blood vessels feeding more oxygen (fuel) to neurons could be done with food, exercise, focus, sleep care, games, and meditation at any age from childhood to even the elderly. Using advanced brain imaging techniques, researchers found out how wonders are done with the above six factors in improving memory, thinking skills, creativity, and reducing the risk of dementia. Avoid brain toxic agents like reduction in sleep hours, lack of activity, and multitasks. Nutritional Supplements and electrical stimulation of brain training programs are hardly of any help. Simple techniques to build a better brain. Food   Eating the right food and skipping the wrongs increases memory and thinking skills. Right Food: Fruits, plant-based diets –...

Over time, I have learnt and practised being accountable and better-organised in day to day life. That makes me disciplined and presentable with honour – any time and every time. I maintain day to day diary for the last seven years recording all the events and emotions. Reading the contents of the 2018 year diary inspired me to write the statement of account presenting activities of 365 days of the year. Daily Routine I consider my day starting at night, 9.30 PM, when I go to bed. I get up around 2:00 to 3:00 AM. That’s when I do my reading and writing work until I fall asleep again. That gives me more than 2 to 3 hours of study every night. I do clinical practice as an ophthalmologist between 9.30 AM to 1:00 PM in the morning and 4.30 to 7:00 PM in the evening. Yes, after lunch, between 1.30 to 4:00 PM there is a compulsory sleep, the classic after siesta, for about two hours. Morning hours, between 7:00 to 9.30 AM are “no work” time, spent in getting ready, reading newspapers...

Great damage is done to you if you say Yes when actually you want to say No . During a lifetime, we come across incidences in the day to day life where a critical situation arises and we wrongly say Yes  instead of No . This is about the analysis of all circumstances telling and teaching us why do we say Yes , how should we say No and most importantly, what are the benefits of telling No . No means no! (Photo source: indiatoday.in)

Our mind is nothing but a flow of thoughts, just like a river with flowing water. One’s personality is shaped by one’s thoughts. If our thoughts are good, we feel happy and radiate confidence and charm around us. Paying attention to managing one’s thoughts is a must. But, how to do that?

While alive, we feel the life to be full of problems and troubles. We remain stressed around even trivial issues. We keep searching for the problem-solving methods. Here is one answer.

Anger is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die. – Gautama Buddha We all know ‘Anger’ does not do any good to anybody. Almost all of us have dealt with it very closely, either as the recipient, the 'perpetrator' or often both. Then why do we fail to stay away from getting angry every off and on? Let’s take a deep dive into what anger is all about and if there is anything we can do to stay away from getting angry at all.

How does someone's habit bother you? What is your concern about a person's habit? Before discussing about the habits in general and bad habits in particular, I would like to reply these two questions. We, the humans, are social animals. We live together a life in a society with people around us. Many a times, the dialogue with any individual with bad habits irritates us, disturbs our mood and sometimes makes us angry. Thus the awareness about good manners without bad habits is highly important. You see, habits die hard. But the bad habits die harder!

A self-destroying compulsion, what really is Comparison ? We mean it as an evaluation of the similarities and differences of one or more persons/entities to some other persons/entities. So, it is an account of resemblances and contrasts as superior or inferior. We humans have an inherited habit of comparing ourselves with near ones, friends and relatives, usually after considering them to be superior in our imaginary belief.

We understand, only bacterias, viruses and fungi spread infection and they are contagious. But there are many behavioural factors that lead to their own spread, and we do not notice them. Actually, behavioural matters spread faster than we think.

I am happy to address my readers once again with a very important subject of day-to-day problems: Stress. Stress is a force that strains and deforms. People, events and circumstances take over you, and create stress. It is a physical expression of emotional insult. Emotions like Fear, Guilt, Shame, Anger, Worry, Guilt and Doubt lead to stress.  That practically covers every normal, routine emotion. Then, how can we deal with stress?

Check whether you have any one of the following: You have stopped long walks, though you are not physically unfit. You have started eating more than you were eating for last few years. You have stopped learning new things and studying. You have started counting your assets and bank deposits. You have accepted and started liking your obesity and big abdomen. If any one of above is "YES", you are mentally an OLD-PERSON needing mental care or your end is imminent.

In a lifetime, we often face a situation called PROBLEM. And facing this makes us tense and stressful. I am trying, in this article, to come out with a formula for this state of mind. I will try to be precise, but I shall expect you to be with me all the while – your full attention and total concentration is a must.

Caution ! Beware of television serials (soap operas), news channels and panel discussions on different issues. They will disturb your psyche, sleep and thought process. They will make you think and worry with stress all the while.

OSHO's 3-step Medication Technique 1. Breathing : 10 minutes Sit in a comfortable relaxed position with back straight at 90 degrees with the base and keep your eyes closed without pressure on lids. Take deep breathing in and do deep breathing out for 10 minutes. Pay attention to breathing only. 2. Total acceptance and non-resistance : 10 minutes While continuing to pay attention to breathing, you hear sounds of birds, children, vehicles and such things around. Just do not get disturbed because of noise, instead, accept them as being natural and accept them without resistance. You will feel a great depth of meditation. 3. Egolessness : 10 minutes Being aware of sounds as accepted and paying attention to breathing, think I am nobody, think I am not anywhere and be egoless. Continue thinking that you are a droplet becoming ocean by falling into the ocean. You will feel united with GOD and feel one with GOD… a desire of many to be so. Do this for half an hour before...

Ask yourself. " What do I really want? " Take a piece of paper, a pencil and an eraser. Jot down, from your mind, 10 things that you want from your life (things that will make you feel happy). For example, things like: Happiness and peace of mind Being loved and well-being Good health Lots of money Loving spouse/children and their happiness Power and position in job/profession Nice house Lovely holidays Good education Good workplace

We do not fail for the want of skill per se. We fail because of our: unconsciousness, permanent unease (restlessness), lack of concentration, and sometimes, lack of interest in the work we do. Then, all one needs for success in whatever one does is:

Mind your mind! Or you may need a psychiatrist at the earliest. If you cannot love and respect any one of the following (whatever their nature, economic or intellectual level may be) - Parents, Parents-in-law, Son/Daughter, or Son/Daughter-in-law, consider checking your thought cycle and revise it. Or else, you may be nowhere.  You may lose your most important life support following your method.

Any profit and loss account statement should end with precise brief balance sheet telling what was the final outcome; similarly any detailed report should end with conclusion telling what did you really gained. I will do that. What did I learn here? I will reply this question precisely. I cannot and do not want to boast of gaining ENLIGHTENMENT, but I can say with full humility, I have learnt a lot. They have changed me.

Raj means kingdom, the place where The King rules. Yoga means meeting, relation or joining together. So, Raj-Yoga is a technique of meditation leading to peace and happiness and thereby uniting oneself with supreme power-soul. The practice of Raj-yoga leads you to happiness for yourself and for those whom you interact by your inspiring source of positivity. The aim of Raj-yoga is to provide a means by which you can become the master of your own mind and your own destiny and thus acquire constant peace of mind.

Reference: Practical Meditation (by Brahmakumaris) Continued from: Karmic Theory (Law Of Karma) The Law of Karma, of action and reaction, is spiritual sphere and is absolute. It states: For every action there will be an equal and opposite reaction. Opposite, of course, means opposite in direction. Whatever interactions I have with others, I receive the equivalent in return. This means that, if I have given happiness, I will get happiness in return and if I have given sorrow, I will receive sorrow in return. Thus the law is simple and when understood in full depth, it can give insight into the significance of events in my own world and in world at large.