I was born and brought up in Patiala, Punjab. I built my connection with water in 1990. I was in 8th standard aged 12, when I read a chapter on Paani (Water) in my Punjabi language book. The seed of care for environment germinated in those impressionable years of my life. The affection with nature and environment kept on growing. This bond has grown like relation with a sibling. I care for environment out of love, not out of moral duty. Initially it started with closing the overflowing water taps, then urge became earnest for closing all overflowing taps of water, waste generation, chemical going into soil and pollutants entering into the air. I have been volunteering for bringing sustainability in the communities I belong to. Navigating through this life, I had developed some physical issues of Asthma, backache and underweight.
Dec 26 2019: The previous day, I had come back from hospital. I was diagnosed with lungs TB. It was third burnout in last 5 years as if it had become a pattern after every couple of years. The mental fatigue would show up as some physical issue. In 2015, it was Pranic healing, meditation and volunteering that helped me recover. In 2018 I took help of mental health professionals also, to become better.
At this time the intensity of failure feeling was too high. My whole concept of life was shaken. I had kept my financial occupation an average and had not done any savings. I was not seeing anything beyond on how would I support my family. Though I had been living an eco-caring life without air conditions and had worked hard in bringing eco-alignment in operations of few premises, still I was feeling unaccomplished. I had also been doing my meditation, breathing and physical exercises, reading books, journaling, writing gratitude and eating naturally grown plant based food. The questions "Where do I go wrong? Who can help me? I wish my father were alive" again surfaced and bothered me more than the actual physical ailment.
My gloomy look pained my wife Riti, she told me "Would not our kid be looking for your support when she will be navigating through her life.. she must not miss you the way, you miss your papa… c'mon come out of it". Her words deeply touched me. With the first impulse, I opened Youtube and started searching for some energy healing technique to come out of the situation at hand. Through an ad, I reached to Vishen's masterclass with Anondea Judith. That followed masterclass after masterclass from Mindvalley. My hope of getting better and stronger started turning into certainty.
On 6th Jan 2020, I boarded the Mindvalley Lifebook Online (by Jon & Missy Butcher) journey. Listening to Jon on Health and Fitness in the first week, I realized my vision and purpose as " I have strong, muscular, weight appropriate, & athletic body. I want the freedom to do all the things I love to do: climb, hike, cycle, run, ski, dance, adventure sports, speak to large audiences and engage them with high energy. My body is self-healing and always full of abundant energy." As part of my strategy, I reached out to my friend, Zeal Sharma who is a Nutrition Educator. She shared evidence that eating a varied plant based diet with whole grains, and beans will easily meet my daily protein needs. She also shared that a relatively common disease associated with animal protein-based diets is in-fact osteoporosis. She helped me with weekly plan of 6 meals a day. She suggested me to happily include wheat and other gluten items in my diet plan , which I had left before the disease struck me. She said "Eat the grains and legumes that you have eaten most of your life".
In parallel, I had decided to complete my allopathic medicine course for 6 months. I was visiting Dr Neetu, the lungs doctor for my regular checkup. She was also my neighbor at that time. She did not regularly see the patients at her home. However for me, she managed time. On top of it she used not to charge me. She was doing her best to help me cure. Knowing me she told me "Please do complete the 6 months medicine course religiously and work on increasing your weight." She would tell me "You are into the trouble because of less intake of food, those who eat well have a better immunity and do not attract infections". She advised me to take dairy food and protein supplements, and even if possible eggs also. The doctor suggested the marker of recovery from the disease is gained weight. I used to eat all fruits, veggies, protein rich millets, and grains, however the weight was not just moving beyond 57kg. Out of concern and care, Dr Neetu would pull me up "I will not see you again if you do not start eating protein 110g per day or find some other doctor." Every time, I went to her I would spew out most of the next day. For last 4 years I had endorsed environmentally aligned food. I was carrying a belief for few years "what is good for ecology is good for health, and vice versa, what is not good for health is not good for ecology". I was not much upset because weight was not going up rather because my belief was shaking. It seemed to me, this was my last chance to continue on plant based diet. I could not find a single person who had gained weight without supplements and being on plant based diet. I was feeling like a left hander in right handed world, where every study is done to lose weight.
The only anchor to my belief in this diet struggle was Zeal. She cared for my belief and rescued me every time, I used to get stress out. Zeal shared "The essential amino acids can come from different plant foods consumed in a day. But the old idea that certain combinations of plant foods - the complementary pairings must be consumed together isn't true." With the evidence she provided, I was confident of our plan; the meal plans, staying hydrated, sun exposure of 20 minutes, moderate exercises and adequate rest. She said, "Feeling good and energized is a better biomarker than only focusing on weight gain." I only took Vitamin B12 as a supplement not even included soya in my regular diet.
Zeal recommended that I work with a sports doctor or enroll in an online program to help gain muscle mass in the right way.
Jon improved my journaling activity with his statement. "For information in, there should be a information outlet by way of writing or sharing." I had been writing my journal for few years, however the reason Jon gave me brought the utmost regularity in journaling.
The most beautiful gem Vishen gave me through his book is "Its the Universe that comes to us with an idea at a particular time, if we don't take action it would go to somebody else". Before I listened to Vishen, I was unknowingly stacking up resentments of my idea un-acknowledgements . One such was: I had been spreading the message of getting reusable crockeries instead of air polluting disposable crockeries, in food serving events since 2016. Sent out the word to borrow the crockery from Gurdwaras (Sikh place of worship) for the events. A fellow volunteer launched a free crockery in middle months of 2018. Only few days back then, she had enquired about getting crockery from a Gurdwara for an event. She did not collaborate with me or even mention my name as a passing remark in acknowledgement. I thought such a thing did not bother me.
When I listened to Vishen, I got aware that I had been stacking up such resentments in my mind. It was a Satori moment for me. I realized "Its not about through whom the idea is implemented, its all about the change the Universe wants. The intent and idea is just the starting point, Its lot more about how it is executed and followed through". The insight brought a chill of happiness crossing through my whole body. What I wanted is being done. There is a lot to do in climate action. A way too many people must become channels of new solutions in their own unique ways. My friend has done the execution amazingly well. So far, she has inspired many volunteers to join her in crockery bank movement and must have saved half a million of plastic disposables going to landfill. I am so grateful to her for becoming such a beautiful channel. Vishen completely diluted my wants for acknowledgments and helped me clear my resentment stack. The message literally relaxed me and freed me from small & big competitions.
March 4, 2020, I started four quests in parallel.
After concluding the quests, towards the last week of April, I started doing two-three quests in parallel
In past few years, I have delivered 60+ sessions & workshops on climate action and environment sustainability to over 1500 participants in places of faith, residential societies, schools, markets, municipalities. Engaged with diverse stakeholders and implemented eco-solutions in various premises. During this period I have overcome so many social, budgetary and cultural challenges. I have been instrumental in bringing eco-alignment in events and regular operations of a Gurdwara , residential society and a famer's market. (Events as big as with 15k footfall Link). I felt accomplished. Its been a year since I did the exercise for the first time, I carry a sense of fulfillment. The story you are reading right now is in actual my reverse gap exercise :)
I have started avoiding even smaller lies like 'I have a call'. It has become rather lot easier speaking my truth with myself and others. I have very few complaints in my head, as a result judging and validating has reduced considerably. No more stacking of resentments and so no need to forgive anymore. No more dwelling on negative thoughts. I feel liberated, and there is happiness in me. I am presently working on aligning my financial occupation to the agenda of my soul. I don's have the forgiveness phase any more in my mediation practice.
1. I wake up between 4 to 4.30 am in the morning. Drink two glasses of water.
2. Read the messages from the gratitude circle (whatsapp group started by a MV student Mansi Jain in June 2020. We are 12 in the group. We are expanding ourselves in gratitude with each day)
Start the MV quest or channel on my mobile. In parallel I do my longevity exercise, followed by my favorite yoga poses.
3. Drink a glass of water, and start breath work (Pranayama) in my balcony ,while gazing the rising orange Sun. Then I meditate. My meditation is porridge of Six phase, M word and grounding :)
Savor the mangoes or apples or any other seasonal fruit engaging all my senses
4. I journal my diary, then write in my laptop. After every 45 minutes or so, I eat fruit. I take 3–4 servings in the morning. One fruit at a time.
5. After couple of hours , I mop and my wife brooms the floors while we both chat. Dr Rao's statement "Passion is in you, not in the job" inspired me to do regular cleaning at home. Alexa plays hymns in the background. I just use a liter of water to mop the floors.
6. Its around 8.30 by this time. I write my personal and professional tasks for the day (Steven inspired me to write my Todo list). I open my mail box and send the office meeting invites.
7. Then I go to my society lawn. I do my Donna Energy routine, standing barefoot on the grass, followed by Being affirmations on chakras. Then walk on grass while completely there with all my senses. Barefoot on grass is all weather practice may it be scorching Sun or heavy rain or chilling wind, I am there.
8. I come back home, have a glass of water and head to take bath. While in bath, I have either quest playing in background or I am laughing a loud. When there is hot water in geyser, I have my hot and cold bath (As Ben recommended)
9. Through the day I take plant based cooked, uncooked servings and water, adhering to food combinations. Keep on ticking my tasks one at a time with mindfulness. Personal task also feature playing hop scotch or table fussball or any other fun session with my kid. During the day, any negative comment or thought is just deflected with the question "What this has to do with agenda of my Soul?"
10. In the evening sometimes go for walk with my wifey or do some social call, while my kid cycles.
After dinner, I do oil pulling and write my gratitude messages in the Gratitude whatsapp group. After a family chit chat or storing sharing or playing board game, I then sleep.
With all this, the Physical fitness started showing up. I cycle, run, play badminton, squash and have amazing energy levels.
In this period of association with MV. I have overpowered the struggles of years: underweight to optimal weight, excellent fitness levels, gone asthma, no backache, better gums & teeth health. I enjoy my plant based diet. Here is my last fitness test in January that speaks on my reversal of age.
By Feb 2021, I had consumed most of the content out of quests and channels, still I renewed my yearly subscription. It has become a habit listening MV daily and setting the tone for my day. Every time I repeat any of the quest, I draw a new meaning that is most relevant at that time. There is not much change in my external dialogue but the inner dialogue. I have framed a new belief system with help of MV "The Universe comes to us with ideas", "Gratitude and complains can not co-exist", "Awareness is the healing energy" "Being in the present moment is the blessing", "The kind of questions I ask, the Universe answers accordingly" "Happiness in now with reverse gap", "Invest in the process, not in the outcomes"