Kashmira Shaw Raj is a professional Taichi and Qigong practitioner and teacher. Also, a successful clinical psychologist, psychic and healer, Kashmira runs ‘The Tai-Qi Touch’ with her husband, Dr. Brijesh Raj, a healer and a Vet. Taichi practitioners for over fifteen years now, they are instructors at the world-renowned Carlton Hill’s Tao Taichi Qi Gong organization, and Shibashi Instructors under Sifu Wing Cheung from the Feng Shui and Taichi Institute, Hongkong & Canada. The Tai-Qi Touch offers in-person and online classes for adults and children. For details, contact Kashmira at kash.shaw@gmail.com
The sun had long set, I was rushing home, tired and full of the day gone by. There weren’t many people on the road. And then I saw a sight that made me pause – an old couple sitting on the side of a narrow footpath. The old man in a simple shirt and pant opened a small, two-container tiffin, whilst his wife watched and waited. He then broke a piece of chapati and took a bit of vegetable from the other box, and lovingly fed it to his wife – a lady in a simple sari, who had clearly seen better days. She looked at him with love and happily chewed. Oblivious to the world veering around them, they kept to themselves and ate.
At 11:00 pm, watching this old couple feed each other, made my heart melt. Their special bond touched me, and I realized how lucky they were to light up each other’s lives; the caring and affection was clear. I silently said a small prayer for them to always remain so. Such people make life worth living. Despite their hardships, they make the heart smile, they show how small our tribulations really are!
“When was the last time I thanked all those who’ve made life beautiful for me?” Have I shown gratitude for having them in my life? These thoughts filled my mind. Our hectic lives make giving thanks, our last priority. Celebrating Mother’s, Father’s or the recently passed Women’s Day(s), is like a knock on our collective heads. A reminder to think about them. Honor them. Show Gratitude. Pity, is it not, that we need reminding?
Gratitude reflects how mindful we are. Try reading this whilst holding your breath. Should we not be grateful for the ease with which we’re able to breathe while doing other things, without giving it a second thought? It’s only when we cannot breathe easily, perhaps due to lung issues, that we understand the huge role our lungs play in our daily life.
Try jotting down the reasons you have to be grateful for; starting from your organs and organ systems and moving out to everything and everyone around you. Though the list is exhaustive and could take a whole day, there will still be some area left uncovered! For some, being grateful is being servile. That’s not so. Gratitude engenders humility and opens the doors for abundance. The more gratitude you show, the more reasons you’ll find to be grateful! In this manner, you can ensure to boost endless positivity in life.
We owe gratitude to many who may directly or indirectly have impacted conditions around us… Health workers who risk their lives and continue to serve in these difficult times; Parents who sacrifice so much for their children, as also Children, who sacrifice for their parents; kind souls who fed those who were starving; Nature – the sun, moon and stars…
Gratitude has a magical positive influence on our lives, our relationships and even our personalities. And it’s the easiest virtue to nurture! Start by showing gratitude to our inner self and our body… Try this:
Sit in a comfortable place and take deep breaths. Think about your heart and imagine how healthily it beats. Be grateful for the wonderful job it does. Then think of your lungs and go on to every other organ in your body. Thank your eyes for sight, ears for sound and so forth. You could get distracted, but try to focus and there will be much to thank! Think of nature. The lovely hue of leaves in the autumn. The beautiful weather we enjoy. The scenic mountains and the beautiful rivers. It’s all there. Don’t we feel energized and rejuvenated when we go to these places for a break?
Here’s some questions that will serve as food for thought… We thank the Lord above, but why not thank the living? What if we had no one to give to or receive love from? What if there was no sunshine and laughter? What if there was no kindness and help?
What a bleak and somber life we would all be living! It’s never too late. Start now. Look around. Stop seeing things in black and white. Life is truly colorful. Be grateful for the colors in your life! Jamshedi Navroz Mubarak to all!
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