 |
Work Life Intention to live a fulfilled life |
| By:admin on Mon 23 Aug 2010 12:13 PM under Career and Money, Personal Success, balance |
Finding it hard to manage your life. Work, kids, home and Entertainment all can get overwhelming. And you find yourself without any time for yourself. And the inner voice starts talking to you. It starts telling you of how you have had no time to get enough sleep, get a manicure, go shopping or even meet your friends.
Then all the existing theories of Work Life fall apart when your kid falls sick OR you have some other urgent matter to take care of. Studies show that most frequently it is the mother who takes time off in the occasion of a kid falling sick – there piles up your work at the office and you are left with emptiness and deep rooted frustration.
If you have reading so far, then this is important for you.
1. Learn to talk to your inner voice: Life is all about energy. If you speak positively to yourself then most frequently you will not find the situation so grave.
Voice: “I am so tired since my kid fell sick”
New Thought: “I am grateful for the health of my family”
2. Meditate: There is power in meditation. Make ten minutes and do the japa. Japa is chanting God’s name in your mind when you meditate. This will calm you down and put you in a powerful mood.
3. Be Kind to yourself: If you need rest then get some rest. By being kind to yourself you give yourself the permission to re-energize. Make it a point to treat your body and spirit with kindness and not by determination and force. Don’t drive yourself nuts with completing the TO-DO list. Just do whatever is possible and leave some room for tomorrow…
|
Is it permissible to enroll in school while in B-1/B-2 status? |
| By:Indu Liladhar on Fri 20 Aug 2010 7:27 PM under Uncategorized |
No, it is not. Individuals in the US in B-1 or B-2 status are prohibited to study in the United States while in such status. The individual must first acquire F-1 (academic student) or M-1 (vocational student) status before enrolling in classes. Enrolling in classes while in B-1/B-2 status will result in a status violation. Furthermore, individuals in B-1 or B-2 status, who have violated their nonimmigrant status by enrolling in classes, are not eligible to extend their B status or change to F-1 or M-1 status. These regulations provide no exceptions.
How can I obtain F-1 or M-1 status?
If you currently hold B-1 or B-2 nonimmigrant status and would like to enroll in classes, you may apply for a change of status to F-1 or M-1, as appropriate, if:
- You have not yet enrolled in classes
- Your current status has not expired
- You have not engaged in unauthorized employment
To change your nonimmigrant status from B-1/B-2 to F-1 or M-1, you must file an Application to Extend/Change Nonimmigrant Status (Form I-539), and include the required fee and documents listed in the filing instructions.
Please Note: If you enroll in classes before USCIS approves your Form I-539, you will be ineligible to change your nonimmigrant status from B to F or M.
If you are applying to extend your B-1/B-2 stay and you have already enrolled in classes, USCIS cannot approve your B-1/B-2 extension because of the status violation.
|
Living Witout A Doubt |
| By:Dr. Rosie Kuhn on Thu 19 Aug 2010 1:08 PM under ASK Dr. Rosie, Entrepreneurship, General, Money and Lifestyle, Personal Success |
From Patricia P. Dublin, Ireland.
Dear Dr. Rosie,
I’ve been reading your column for the past couple of months and so appreciate the depth you bring through your words. Thank you!!!!
I’m losing my job at the end of September. My husband is still working but I’m so afraid there won’t be enough money to keeps things going while I find other work. I sometimes collapse under the anxiety and worry. How will this all turn out? How can I live with so much duress? It’s funny too, that I’ve lost my self-confidence. I just don’t believe that it’s all going to be okay. What do I do?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dear Patricia,
First of all let me say that it can feel scary going through what you are going through; the uncertainty, the not knowing, the doubt that it will turn out just fine. Whenever we come up against beginnings or endings it makes sense that fear will be close by; however, it doesn’t mean that there is a need to be troubled or worried. It just means that it feels scary.
So, how do you be with this uncertainty, this doubt without allowing it to drain you of every shred of capability and confidence you have?
The current paradigm we live in has us swimming in a pool of fear and dread. Few places on this planet are free from the anxiety of not knowing how it’s all going to turn out. There are pockets of people who do live in faith. They are the lucky ones. Well, let’s use more empowering terms. They’ve strengthened the muscles of faith and living without a doubt. They gladly give their problems over to a higher power. How did they do this? Good Questions. They decided that living in fear didn’t work for them, so they chose to take a leap out of a belief system that wasn’t working for them to one that supported them. How did they do that? It’s easy and at the same time not so easy.
Believe it or not, we’ve each created the reality we live in out of thin air. Most of us created a reality that was in synch with everyone around us. So if everyone around me believes that we should all be afraid, that we are all powerless, my own personal reality will most likely take on that belief too. At the same time, we have options, which can bring us to being empowered and to creating greater possibility, peace and potential.
What Good is Faith if it is Never Practiced?
My husband, Todd Zimmerman, asked this question of our trainees in one of our transformational coach training sessions. He got people’s attention. What good is faith if it is never practiced? We are talking about our personal faith, the allowing of ourselves to surrender powerlessness to some greater power; some people call this greater power God, Yahweh, Universal Consciousness, or it could be many deities that one turns their worries to. It doesn’t matter to me, it is what you choose to be your higher power.
Cultivating faith has been the most significant practices of my life. Allowing myself to turn my situation over to the Universe, which is my higher power, requires me to trust that it will be taken care of in the best possible way. It means I have to practice letting to and living without a doubt. This is a big practice. It brings up all the times when life didn’t go the way I wanted it to; it means struggling with relinquishing my will. I bet you are asking why would I want to surrender and relinquish my will.
Quite often my willfulness was attached to having things go my way, whether it was harmful for me or others – it didn’t matter. There were, and still are times when I’m not able to make a difference in my situation. Like you, Patricia, I found myself feeling hopeless and powerless. Todd’s question made me curious about faith, what it is and how to use it. As I write to you now I get the enormity of just being with the whole concept of faith, especially personal faith. Even though I’ve had years of practice in turning my will over to a higher power, it isn’t always easy and it isn’t always fun. So, suggesting this practice to you has me question – how does one even begin.
I grew up in the Catholic Church. The requirement of “believing in God or you’ll go to hell,” was not the same as choosing to practice believing. As children, how do we make believe? We imagine! We envision ourselves in different scenarios and play them out to the hilt. We do this all the time, and too often it is unconscious. I want my clients to choose to choose the beliefs that work for them and live into them without a doubt.
All of us, Patricia make believe and we make beliefs. We choose to see the world around us in a way that can make us afraid, angry, anxious, worried, or happy, relaxed, content, courageous – do you see what I mean? Each of us gets to choose, without a doubt, what is true for us. I can choose to believe that my life is going to be amazingly fun and prosperous, and practice living without a doubt. That means that when doubts arise, which they will, I choose in that moment what to do with them. I assess whether there is evidence of truth to that doubt. I then am at choice as to how to be with that doubt. Can I allow that doubt to lead me to further faith, as opposed to fear? That’s a big practice.
So many of us are in this question right now – what makes sense to believe in, where do I put my trust and faith? You get to choose. If what you’ve tried isn’t working for you, try practicing something you haven’t tried yet, such as living in faith. From this faith, what do you want to do? What do you want to make happen? Who do you want to be? In this moment, you get to choose how you want to create the rest of your life. Enjoy your exploration and the practice of living without a doubt!
It’s really important to have support around you. There are spiritual guides and coaches who are prepared to support you through your journey.
Author of Self-Empowerment 101
http://www.dailyom.com/cgi-bin/courses/courseoverview.cgi?cid=68
|
Yoga – Top 5 FAQs. |
| By:admin on Wed 18 Aug 2010 12:33 PM under Yoga |
FAQs on Yoga
Dear people,
Hope some of you have started to believe in the multifold benefits yoga offers and started practicing! I have found some of the questions commonly asked by students about yoga in my class. I thought I would share this with you all. I will share 5 FAQs every post so that you can become knowledgeable about this wonderful discourse. Below are the first five.
1. What is yoga?
The word yoga, from the Sanskrit word yuj, means to yoke or bind and is often interpreted as “union” or a method of discipline. A male who practices yoga is called a yogi, a female practitioner, a yogini. The Indian sage Patanjali is believed to have collated the practice of yoga into the Yoga Sutra an estimated 2,000 years ago. The Sutra is a collection of 195 statements that serves as a philosophical guidebook for most of the yoga that is practiced today. It also outlines eight limbs of yoga: the yamas (restraints), niyamas (observances), asana (postures), pranayama (breathing), pratyahara (withdrawal of senses), dharana (concentration), dhyani (meditation), and samadhi (absorption). As we explore these eight limbs, we begin by refining our behavior in the outer world, and then we focus inwardly until we reach samadhi (liberation, enlightenment). Today most people practicing yoga are engaged in the third limb, asana, which is a program of physical postures designed to purify the body and provide the physical strength and stamina required for long periods of meditation.
2. What does Hatha yoga mean?
The word hatha means willful or forceful. Hatha yoga refers to a set of physical exercises (known as asanas or postures), and sequences of asanas, designed to align your skin, muscles and bones. The postures are also designed to open the many channels of the body – especially the main channel, the spine – so that energy can flow freely. Hatha is also translated as ha meaning “sun” and tha meaning “moon.” This refers to the balance of masculine aspects – active, hot, sun – and feminine aspects – receptive, cool, moon – within all of us. Hatha yoga is a path toward creating balance and uniting opposites. In our physical bodies we develop a balance of strength and flexibility. We also learn to balance our effort and surrender in each pose. Hatha yoga is a powerful tool for self-transformation. It asks us to bring our attention to our breath, which helps us to still the fluctuations of the mind and be more present in the unfolding of each moment.
3. What does Om mean?
Om is a mantra, or vibration, that is traditionally chanted at the beginning and end of yoga sessions. It is said to be the sound of the universe. What does that mean? Somehow the ancient yogis knew what scientists today are telling us – that the entire universe is moving. Nothing is ever solid or still. Everything that exists pulsates, creating a rhythmic vibration that the ancient yogis acknowledged with the sound of Om. We may not always be aware of this sound in our daily lives, but we can hear it in the rustling of the autumn leaves, the waves on the shore, the inside of a seashell. Chanting Om allows us to recognize our experience as a reflection of how the whole universe moves – the setting sun, the rising moon, the ebb and flow of the tides, the beating of our hearts. As we chant Om, it takes us for a ride on this universal movement, through our breath, our awareness, and our physical energy, and we begin to sense a bigger connection that is both uplifting and soothing.
4. Do I have to be vegetarian to practice yoga?
The first principle of yoga philosophy is ahimsa, which means nonharming to self and others. Some people interpret this to include not eating animal products. There is debate about this in the yoga community – I believe that it is a personal decision that everyone has to make for themselves. If you are considering becoming a vegetarian, be sure to take into account your personal health issues as well how your choices will affect those with whom you live. Being a vegetarian should not be something that you impose on others – that kind of aggressive action in itself is not an expression of ahimsa.
5. How many times per week should I practice?
Yoga is amazing – even if you only practice for one hour a week, you will experience the benefits of the practice. If you can do more than that, you will certainly experience more benefits. I suggest starting with two or three times a week, for an hour or an hour and a half each time. If you can only do 20 minutes per session, that’s fine, too. Don’t let time constraints or unrealistic goals be an obstacle – do what you can and don’t worry about it. You will likely find that after a while your desire to practice expands naturally and you will do it more and more.
In my next post, I will post another 5 FAQs. I am enthused to answer your questions and wish you a healthy life. Stay Tuned.
=====================================================
Article Contributed by: Dr. A.N. Usha Rani is currently living in Bangalore, enjoying life as a home maker. Yoga is her passion. She teaches yoga and helps people to love and live their lives through yoga. Believes in living in the moment and being happy all the time. Usha holds Bsc( bachelor of science) from MadhyaPradesh and BDS (bachelor of dental surgeon) degrees from Bangalore University,India. She can be reached at ushaarunankush@yahoo.com
|
7 Tips for Saving Money |
| By:InvestmentYogi on Mon 16 Aug 2010 7:12 AM under Uncategorized |
Do you want to save more but feel helpless about your spending habits? It is a dangerous situation as it may lead to debt and keep you away from meeting your financial goals. The following simple tips can help you rein in your spending and take control of your finances.
Create a budget
Spending without knowing how much you are spending and where is the first sign of a problem. Making a budget doesn’t necessarily mean that you spend less, either. What it helps you to do is understand your spending patterns and focus on the priorities.
Follow these steps to create your budget:
- List out all the fixed monthly obligations like EMI, utility bills and monthly membership fees, etc and pay at the beginning of the month.
- Keep aside a small percentage for emergency fund
- Think of the target saving amount for this month (including the amount you want to invest). These amounts should be put into savings and investments at the beginning of the month
- Subtract (1+2+3)above from your monthly take home (after tax) earning
- This is the amount left for eating out, movies, clothes, partying etc
- Since your disposable amount will be limited you can try and keep a check on entertainment and other expenses
- Maintain a log for the expenses of the month and review it at the end of the month.
- If you see problems in meeting your savings, investment objectives or if entertainment, luxury expenses are too much, change the allocation
Set a Goal
Have you seen small kids saving money in their piggy banks for buying their favourite toy? Most children do so which is also the first step towards goal setting. Our psychology remains the same even when we grow up. Once you set some goals and write them down, saving for it will come naturally to you. Therefore think of realistic goals which you want to achieve like buying a car, house, vacation, cruise or giving some expensive gift to parents, spouse. Then you can start saving for them consciously.
Self-discipline is the key
Creating a budget is not a solution in itself. The key is inculcating self discipline. When you allocate funds for bill payments, savings and investments, there may be little left for spending on other activities. But sticking to this plan may require a lot of self control and discipline. You also have to think where your priorities are.
Cash is king
One trick to help you to control your spending is to pay for everything in cash. Try to avoid paying by credit cards as it become s a habit difficult to control. Paying cash helps you realize how much you are truly spending, so you tend to spend less. Other alternatives are debit card, online transfer or cheques. When the money goes out of your account you tend to be more careful about your expenses.
Think out of the box
When it comes to gifting or impressing our friends/relatives we tend to splurge. But there can be many other ways to spend less but still impress. For example gifts should be chosen in way which touches someone’s heart and need not be expensive…something which shares memories and experiences. Similarly it may not be necessary to have dinner at expensive restaurant. Having a great time is more about making the other person comfortable and making the time spent memorable.
Vacation on a shoestring budget
There are many cheaper and alternate ways of going for a vacation which are more fun and memorable. Try camping, adventure tourism or just backpacking with friends. It eliminates 2 of your biggest expenses viz. hotels and travel. India is full of trekking trails, natural beauty and wild life. Explore these locations and get going. Such trips are also a great way of learning more about our country.
Be a bargain hunter
Whenever you need to buy some big ticket items like accessories, electronics, flight tickets etc keep these simple rules in mind
- Stay away from impulsive purchase. Modern retail stores are designed to tempt you make you spend at the point of sale.
- With your coveted item in mind start looking for suitable SALE or bargain. Patience can be a virtue here and help you save some money
- Try online shopping. There are some extremely good deals available at many e-commerce sites
- Last but not the least try online search for the best deals.
Source: www.investmentyogi.com
