From nature we get all our blessings – the air we breathe, the water we drink, the food that nourishes our body, the shelter we get from this earth, the cure to our many ills and even the fuel that runs our economy. We get all this, and more freely and abundantly, we must gratefully acknowledge it. However, we never really sit and think twice about the mundane and yet vital parts of our existence. Are we grateful for every breathe we take, every glass of water, every bite of food?

During the course of our daily prayers, there is one short but vital prayer that we must pray, facing all the four directions. It is called the ‘Char Disa no Namaskar’, which roughly translated, means paying obeisance to all four directions and all of nature, therein. It is to be prayed first facing the South, then the East, West and finally, the North. It is, in fact, the only prayer that can be recited facing the North.

Whenever I have felt helpless, out of depth and completely overwhelmed by all my challenges, I have found succor in the ‘Char Disa no Namaskar’. Every time I pray to the four directions, I mentally include the mountains, glaciers, ice caps, rivers, oceans, trees and animals that fall in that region, as per my memory. I humbly send these my gratitude and ask to be empowered by their strength. I have felt blessed and revived with their magnanimous blessings. They help restore my health and resolve issues.

These are all experiences which I have had and which I feel duty bound to share with you. It is a personal view and has no bearings whatsoever on the translations of our scriptures. It is a deep and strong vibration which I feel and hope you will feel it too!