Microhabits Vision Board -2023

A month back, our sweetest Nikunj di, on behalf of super amazing os.me team, came up with #bebettermewithosdotme. It sounded terrific! At once, I got into my space suit and started exploring the internet “cosmos” for some of the habits that I can include in my Vision Board. That’s when I realised I was doomed. Courtesy – Discipline.

Nah nah! I am not saying that I belong to some superhuman race. The thing is, for most of my life, I have struggled with deep depression and suicidal tendencies. Mother Divine, however, has blessed me with a highly empathetic and understanding mamma (and my Badrika waale cool-cool Swami!) Whenever I used to suffer the dark nights of soul, mum use to induct me into some kinda ‘military training’ at home. She says,

Discipline can heal anything. Depression is just a tremendous force that you have channeled in a wrong direction. Bring it towards the right stuff. And you will find yourself back into the light.

And, so, discipline has been my life now; more as a defending shield from unwanted emotions and tendencies. Many of the microhabits out there have already been a part of my daily routine for a long time now. Check out this 4-article-series, From a Lazy Bum to a Superwoman or Man.

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, and Part 4.

But I wanted to play along 😭

So, I decided to take some expert advice and asked myself (My poor sense of humour I know😛), “In one word, what do you want to manifest in your life right now, gurrrrllll?”

In an instant, the heart said, “A cup of tea with Him.” (Did I share my intense desire with you all? Yes, sir. Yes, ma’am. Here. Go read and melt into Him, you lovely humans! English peeps, scroll down that poem. You will find the translation as well ♥️ Always at your service!)

We inculcate the microhabits to be a better versions of ourselves, right? My definition of better version is –

मन्मना भव मद्भ‍क्तो मद्याजी मां नमस्कुरु ।
मामेवैष्यसि सत्यं ते प्रतिजाने प्रियोऽसि मे ॥ 18.65 ॥
man-manā bhava mad-bhakto
mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru
mām evaiṣyasi satyaṁ te
pratijāne priyo ’si me.

Always think of Me, become My devotee, worship Me and offer your homage unto Me. Thus you will come to Me without fail. I promise you this because you are My very dear friend. (Shrimad Bhagwat Geeta Chapter 18 Verse 65)

Hear the meaning (and more!) from my Baba Himself♥️

So, here are my microhabits for 2023 for the 1st 3 months. Have included meditation, exercise, writing, nature-walk, waking up early, no screen time before bed and all those goody-goody things but have moulded them into Sadhanas to stay in His/Her bhaav the whole day, the entire month, the complete year. (Posting it a month late because Jan was hectic with Navratri and Sri Suktam❣️)

Jan – Sit at exact time for 4 Sandhya sadhanas

In the video, Bhagwat Katha Part 5, my master said very strictly, “Either sit at the same time for Sadhana or don’t sit at all.” It was a severe blow on my laziness. Just because the Divine loves us unconditionally and keeps forgiving all our negligence, it doesn’t give us the right to take the Spiritual Path so lightly. The Divine doesn’t need our Sadhanas. He/She just needs our love. Prabhu bhaav ke bhookhe hain! My mind understands that the Sadhanas are to train and discipline it. But, who follows! Not anymore. I decided to tame this lazy pup this Jan and was 80% successful in forming this habit. Still a long way to go. 😒 80 isn’t 100. The OCD aunty in me is going crazy with all her maggie-hair standing up like that of Einstein’s. 🤯 

Feb – 30 mins. Night-Nature-Walk while singing for Narayana

Feb is my month. I am going to my Maakhan-Mishri’s home. My home.❤️ It’s my initiation plus it’s Maakhan’s night in His Shiva swaroop on 18th. So, the entire Feb, I will make it a point to spend atleast 30 minutes in dark amidst Nature with my beloved, Narayana. 

Nights are especially magical. In that stillness of night when everything loses its identity and turns pitch dark, in the all pervading Oneness, I feel Mother Divine most strongly. The trees turn dark. The animals are dark. The houses are engulfed into darkness. The humans can no more be distinguished as different from each other. They all turn into darkness. I become darkness. Nothing exist except that hauntingly silent darkness. Only S(h)e exists. May be that is why Ma is called “कालरात्रि महारात्रि मोहरात्रिश्च दारुणा।”

So, decided. I will be spending minimum 30minutes alone with my Maakhan Mishri and will sing for Him under the clear starry night sky at Ashram as well as at home the entire Feb.

Mar – Watch the Sunrise and chant Lalita Sahasranam.

As Sanatanis, we are essentially Nature-worshippers. For us, all that we see around us are direct manifestation of the Divinity. Reason? Agar pratyaksh me in ishwar nahi dekh paa rahe toh paroksh mein kya hi dikhengey! If we are not able to perceive the Divinity in the evident and manifested reality, how, on earth, can we realise Him/Her in the ulterior and unmanifested!

Sun, along with fire, wind, water, trees, cows, ox, mountains and hills, rivers and all other shades of Nature are considered the direct manifestation of Mother Divine. One of the four pillars of Sanatan, the Savitr Gayatri Mantra, is addressed to Sun (the solar deity of sunrays, Savitr, to be precise). Wanna know more about Gayatri Mantra? Here.

So, Mar will be spent by starting the day with the holy names of my Jaan, Mother Divine (No, sir. No, ma’am. Neither your girlfriend nor your boyfriend is your Jaan. DEVI is the actual Jaan, the Prana, the Lifeforce), while we both watch the Sunrise together everyday.  Another reason behind this is:

Sun reminds me of the red dot, Bindu, in middle of Sri Chakra, the energy field of Mamma Divine. Baindhav vaasini, Mamma, along with my Shiva, resides in that Bindu as Shiv-kaameshwar aankastha (Sitting on the left lap of Shiva). Being a big, red dot itself, Sun reminds me of Mamma and Shiva’s home, their Union as One and my ultimate reality. 

I will come up with the details of the next 3 months in March. As they say “Under commit. Over achieve.” (🤭 Mann Ko behlaane ke liye, Ghalib, yeh khyaal bhi achchha hai.)

Ending the post with a this heartfelt prayer to Mahadevi and Narayana:

जपो जल्पः शिल्पं सकलमपि मुद्राविरचना।
गतिः प्रादक्षिण्य-क्रमण-मशनाद्या हुति-विधिः।।
प्रणामः संवेशः सुखमखिल-मात्मार्पण-दृशा।
सपर्या पर्याय-स्तव भवतु यन्मे विलसितम्।।  

Oh, Divine Mother, may:

– My prattle be your prayer,
– All forms, movements, and stillness of my body in my daily life be holy gestures (mudras) of your worship,
– My loitering be clock-wise revolution (pradakshina) around you,
– My eating and breathing be offerings of holy oblations in your worship,
– My lying down be prostrations to thee,
– And in the sense of surrendering my very own self unto you, may all the pleasures I enjoy in life, be offerings in your service.
May all the actions of mine be your worship!  (Soundarya Lahari. Verse 26)

मेरी चारों वाणियों से कहा गया एक-एक शब्द प्रार्थना बन जाये,
मेरा उठना, बैठना तेरी साधना की मुद्रायें बन जाये,
मेरा हर एक कदम तेरी प्रदक्षिणा हो,
मेरी भूख तेरी आहुती हो,
मेरा लेटना तेरा प्रणाम हो,
मेरे सभी भौतिक सुख तेरी एक पुकार पर न्योछावर हो जायें,
मेरे द्वारा किया गया हर एक कार्य तेरी पूजा बन जाये!