Ashima

Ashima

  • Joined: December 30, 2018
  • Articles: 22

Hope is a Strong Muscle

hope is a strong muscle
Hope and courage are the two things I pray for daily in my practice. Courage to face the realities of my circumstances now, and hope in humanity, hope in present and hope of future. I choose to step into each moment with an intention to strengthen my hope muscle!

When do we find calmness?

zen koan beginners mind
“After the wind stops I see a flower falling. Because of the singing bird I find the mountain calmness.”

Normally I would not understand a Zen kōan so easily but this one instantly hit home.

As the lockdown restrictions ease and slowly the freedoms I took for granted, return, it is invoking a sense of adventure and also finding a calmness that was always there!

Choosing my own colors…

your heart knows the way, rumi
"On a blank sheet of paper, draw or paint your colorful dream for a new world."

When I sat down with my colors, I realized I didn't even allow myself the freedom to choose my own colors. As I challenged my own resistances to paint the sky whichever color I wanted, to paint the mountain whichever color I wanted, it led to opening up of new possibilities and breaking up of a fear to go against the assumed "should"s I live in.

No heat, no mangoes

joy and despair come from same source
I often (all the time!) complaint about the heat. And then I find myself dunking my teeth into a sweet mango and realize that this mango won't be so sweet if it wasn't so hot. It led me to think that most often the source of joy and of despair is mostly the same! Something to ponder upon.

No heat. No mangoes!

My intention for the new year

smile cards in park

As we turned the corner and the calendar flipped from 2018 to 2019; everyone around started making resolutions. As someone one said,”there is nothing magical about the year changing but is does provide a clear break; an opportunity to start…