My first spiritual diet lesson is to consciously smile. In the book Peace is Every Step, Thich Nhat Hanh says smiling helps us approach the day with gentleness and understanding. I remember trying this when I was a teenager. Back then, I had read somewhere that 15minutes of smiling continuously every morning made you a happier and more pleasant person to be with. When I was 16 I was definitely not a pleasant person to be with. Ask my mom. I was the quintessential teenage rebel with a frown on my face and questions in my heart. I was always angry and irate. So when I read that piece of instruction to smile I decided to take it up as a challenge. I remember waking up early and smiling continuously for 15 minutes while i took a shower. It ended in a jaw ache, I tell you and I stayed as irate as ever.
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| Does my baby foot make you smile? |
Today though, I feel profoundly grateful for the simple advice . In fact I find myself knowing what he means when he says smiling brings gentleness and understanding into our lives.In his book, Thich Nhat Hanh asks us to have reminders in our everyday life to help us smile, say you look at your clock, it should remind you to smile. You can have a flower or a quote on your desk/on a wall to remind you to smile.
My reminder to smile has been the face of my little baby girl. When I read what the author had to say, I just had to think back on all the moments when a smile from Anika got me to smile as well. Today, I made a conscious effort to acknowledge how I felt every time I smiled. This awareness about smiling helped spread awareness in everything I did. Every time I got angry I became aware of it, every time I yelled today, I became aware of it. Awareness certainly helped me adjust my perspective. Does smiling plunge you into gentleness and understanding? What does smiling do for you?
I leave you with a meditative tag from Nhat Hanh's book:
Breathing in, I calm my body.
Breathing out, I smile.
Dwelling in the present moment,
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I love this post aarathi. Not just cause your baby's foot did make me smile. But cause how the little things change our day.
ReplyDeleteI was just thinking today of the things that make me smile.
If I do write that post, do you mind me linking yours? :)
Give baby anika a kiss from me. And laugh your pretty laugh today.
Big hugs!!
Hey babe! Glad you smiled. I would love to your read your blog on things that make you smile and go ahead and link mine up too, It'd be such a pleasure.
ReplyDeleteHugs back!
and srinidhi! what does smiling do for you?
ReplyDeleteIf nothing else, smiling reminds me of things and people in my life I am grateful for and suddenly life seems a better place :) :*
ReplyDelete:-) I totally agree.Thanks for writing back!
ReplyDeleteSmiling is communicative for me.
ReplyDeleteSometimes when my eyes meet with random women on the street I smile. I am almost moved to tears sometimes when she smiles back. I wonder why. But it is powerful!
I smile when I see babies and children. It really makes me happy, makes my day.
Lovely post babe.
I have been doing yoga on and off for the past few months. I am so much better when I do it.
The spiritual diet is an inspiration.
Hey P! Thanks for writing. I love when I get smiles back on the street. As a new mom, when I am out for walks with my baby I get many smiles and there is almost a mutual understanding in the smiles I get from women who are with their kids. Its lovely!
ReplyDeleteThree things help smile to originate from deep inside the heart.
ReplyDelete(1) A state of "Surrenderfulness" or Bhakti Yoga. Actually this is the key point in Vasishtadwaitam practiced by Iyengars.
(2) A mental "Attitude of Gratitude".
(3) State of Active acceptence - "I accept this moment as it is".
When any one of these is predominant as a state of mind the others including smile from heart are not far behind! That's why you happened to write about smile the very first day you began your spiritual diet. I wish you steadfast persistence for 21 days of spiritual practice and hope that it becomes an effortless lifestyle thereafter.
thanks for the blessings dad! I was struggling to put in words how I understood Nhat Hanh's piece about smiling differently this time over. You did so much better in your comment than I did dad. You were able to get to what makes me smile, on a deeper level, I think that was the missing piece of expression and you completed it for me. Thanks! I couldnt have started or stayed persistent in the diet (three days now) without you! Love you!
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