Wisdom from the Master: "Opportunity to Strengthen Our Young Despite the Pandemic"

The Master

" ‘Om Namah Sivaya’ to all parents,
I hope you are following all measures to keep yourself and your family safe during this deadly crisis. 

Besides the worry of the pandemic itself, I am sure 21-days of lockdown must seem like a very trying proposition indeed! A sudden break seems to have been applied to the very core of our lifestyle—be it on the work front, in our social activities, as well as basic domestic comforts. Besides, you have been “locked down” with your children/spouse indoors for 21 days!
You can react to the current situation in two ways:
(1) Get bored and/or spend hours and hours on phone, WhatsApp, Facebook, etc. (and discuss the boredom or the crisis!)
OR
(2) Turn this into a golden opportunity and give your children and family something that they will cherish for the rest of their lives.

Before the crisis, many of you have felt bad that you were not able give time to your children. Now you have been given the gift of time. But the biggest question is, how to use it?
I would like to share some ideas that will not only make the 21 days enjoyable, but will also build a very strong connect between you, your children, and your home.

Karma Yoga: This is a very important part of our culture. Karma Yoga simply means selfless work. It has several benefits: it helps build character, develops empathy for others, and makes one responsible and self-reliant. Now that most of you don’t have maids to do household chores, and you have to do it yourself, get your children involved in it.
Depending on the age of your child you can give them simple tasks like folding clothes, making the bed, arranging their own bookshelves or toy cupboards, or bigger tasks like helping you mop/sweep, wash utensils, wash clothes, etc. You can even get your children to help you cook.

Joy of Reading: Not in mobiles, tabs or kindle! Let your children read proper books—Storybooks, Comics, and even their school books. If your child is very small to read, then you read out some stories to them.

Share knowledge/Skill: If you have any skill like dancing, singing, sewing, crafts, drawing, playing any musical instrument, etc. then teach it to your child. Your child will have increased respect for you and everyone will have a great time. You can also explain the meaning and importance of Indian festivals to your child.

Play together: The entire family is home, so play Antakshari, have a great time. It is much better than watching TV together.

Educate about Family Lineage/Background: This is perhaps one of the most important things that I would advice you to do. Your child needs to know about your family: their grandparents, where they came from, their struggles and/or triumphs, and share any incident that would have a moral for them. Show them photographs. 

If you do these things, you will find there is enough and more to keep you all constructively engaged throughout the day. You don’t have to do all of this every day. Make a time table for them. The timetable should include:

• Early wake up and sleep times
• Time for meals
• Time for the above activities
• Time for practice of martial arts or yoga
• Time for meditation (15 minutes before sleeping)

This timetable will help develop a discipline that will stay with your family even after the crisis comes to pass.

I always say that every situation presents itself with opportunities. But this particular opportunity is being presented to us in the face of what is perhaps the biggest crisis faced by humanity in recent history. Which is why you must make the most of it and put it to constructive use.

Even now, thousands of our fellow citizens are working day and night and risking their lives to bring our lives back to normal. We owe it to them to let them do their job and not make things more difficult for them. And so, please:
Stay Safe: Do not venture out; not even for morning walks/jogs, small gatherings in your building or colony to beat boredom, etc. Do not even invite people home.

Limit the use of the internet and phone: Bandwidth has been reduced because of high amount of surfing by those sitting at home. Please understand that the internet still remains vital for emergency workers, the government, and those working from home to support their families and their business/trade, etc. Avoid unnecessary surfing/streaming and making phone calls. Limit it to not more than 2 hours per day and that to not at once.

They say education begins at home. These simple steps that you will take in 21 days will do wonders to mould your children into responsible, intelligent, and caring human beings.

I would like to hear your feedback on this post from time to time. Also, if any of you or your children are doing something else innovative and useful with your time, please share it by commenting on this post.

Be well, stay healthy. My blessings and best wishes are with you and your entire family.
Om!”
 — Acharya Dr. M. J. Pillai

Wisdom from the Master : “Don’t let the “Lockdown” Lock You Down!"

Acharya Mahendranath (The Master)

" ‘Om Namah Sivaya’ to all my senior students,
I hope you are all keeping yourself well and taking good care of yourself and your family.
I am giving you this message at the very beginning of the 21-Day lockdown period, in order to help you manage your health and mental/emotional wellbeing and create a good atmosphere at home.
Twenty-one days may seem like a long time to be confined to your home. But it is possible to pick out silver linings in this dark situation. Here are some of my suggestions:

I. Family Matters!
You have been given a very good opportunity to connect with your family and your home.

1. Daily Chores: I am sure most of you do not have household help (maids, etc.) now. So, help your mother/wife/sister with daily chores like washing utensils, sweeping/mopping, washing and drying clothes, etc. If possible, distribute work and you will enjoy working together!

2. Help with cooking! I have always said, “avoid junk food”. Now thanks to the curfew, you can enjoy healthy home-cooked meals for 21 days! But don’t be a burden on your mother/wife/sister. Lend a helping hand. For those of you (especially my boy students) who do not know cooking, it is the best time to learn!

3. Clean the Junk: Usually we reserve Diwali, Eid, or Christmas to make our houses spic and span. Now you can use this time to clear out junk. You will be surprised at the amount of junk that would already be accumulated, even in your phones!

II. Be with Yourself
This is also a very good time to do things for which you normally do not get the time.
1. Read: Not in your mobiles, tabs or kindle! But read books—paperbacks, hardbound, magazines, comics—that you may have at home. Read technical books that will increase your professional skills and also have fun with comics, etc.
2. Learn new skills: Use this time to learn skills that are relevant for yourself, your house, or in your profession. For example, learn how to fix simple things at home, polish your language skills, etc.
3. Practice: For most of you who found it difficult to keep up practice, you now have 21 days to practice every day! Practice Martial Arts, Practice Yoga, Practice Reiki Healing, Do meditation. You will see the difference in yourself in 21 days!

III. Be responsible
The world is undergoing a crisis and thousands of our fellow countrymen are working very hard to bring us out of this calamity. In this time, you need to exercise responsibility.
1. Reduce use of Internet: Internet bandwidth has been reduced because of high amount of surfing by those sitting at homes. Please understand that the internet still remains vital for emergency workers, the government, those working from home to support their families and their business/trade, etc. Avoid unnecessary surfing and try to limit internet streaming to not more than 2 hours a day, and that too not 2 hours at a stretch.
2. Avoid WhatsApp/Phone Calls: Again, bandwidth is scarce, so do not waste time talking on the phone, or chatting or spreading messages on WhatsApp, Facebook, etc. Keep some limited time for this.
3. Stay safe: Stay indoors. Take care of your family. Keep yourself updated with the news. And no matter how much someone compels you, do not yield to temptation or boredom to roam outside the house with friends, etc. Do not go out for morning walks and jogging, do not participate in outdoor group activities, do not invite people home, and discourage others also from doing so.

IV. Follow a time table
The best way to achieve all of this is to make a time table and, most importantly, follow it! You can organize your days well. Get up early, sleep on time, do all the things I have said above and you will experience a sense of balance and understanding; the two things that I have always said are very important in life.

For those who are working from home: Do not sit for long time at a stretch. Stand up from time to time. Look away from the computer screen and outside the window to relax your eyes. Take a walk around the house every couple of hours.

I would like to hear your feedback on this post from time to time. Also, if any of you are doing something else innovative and useful with your time, please share it by commenting on this post.

Be well, stay healthy. My blessings and best wishes are with you.
Om!”
 — Acharya Mahendranath