The Mindful Break 2019

Posted on September 30, 2019September 29, 2019 by Modern Gypsy | 9 Comments

Ladies and gentlemen, The Mindful Break is back! What started out four years ago from my desire to cultivate a mindfulness practice, has become a regular feature that I – and many of The Mindful Break regulars – look forward to each October.

The need for a mindfulness practice

And for good reason. For one, it gives us a chance to connect on Instagram in a stress-free way, taking a moment to pause and breathe and share a slice of our life and thoughts with one another. It feels like a breath of fresh air in an otherwise stressful environment, as we juggle work, home, studies, families, social duties, and seemingly endless to-do lists. Instead of just vegging out on the sofa and binge watching Netflix, which just numbs us out and does us more harm than good, The Mindful Break encourages us to take a pause.Continue reading→

#WordlessWednesday: Through the window

Posted on September 25, 2019September 30, 2019 by Modern Gypsy | 14 Comments

I love taking photographs through the window of a moving car. As I point and shoot, I end up with a roll full of images – some blurred; some without any focal image or meaning; and some, like this one, that capture a sense of timeless, stark beauty.Continue reading→

#FreewriteFriday: What is the meaning of life

Posted on September 20, 2019September 30, 2019 by Modern Gypsy | 22 Comments

“At least three times every day take a moment and ask yourself what is really important. Have the wisdom and the courage to build your life around your answer.” ― Lee Jampolsky

We lead busy lives. Caught between work and home; juggling the needs of our family; and the incessant noise from addictive social media platforms clamoring for our attention, we often end up numbing out by binge watching serials on Netflix. It’s just so much easier to give in to the siren song of these companies after all.

And why wouldn’t it be easy? All of these companies – Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Netflix – use subtle and not-so-subtle psychology to keep us constantly scrolling and addicted to their platforms. We’ve become used to the instant gratification of a flurry of likes as soon as we post that photograph on Instagram, or to finding the next awesome series on Netflix.Continue reading→

#FreewriteFriday: What if

Posted on July 12, 2019July 6, 2019 by Modern Gypsy | 21 Comments

Can you imagine a time when you will go to theatre to watch a play. That you will meet the actors afterwards and compliment them on their acting. That you will forget that one of those actors is your daughter.

That’s what Alzheimer’s does to you.

Can you imagine a time when you will want, more than anything else, to go for a walk with your beloved. In the cool, crisp air. Eyes soaking in the greenery around you. But your legs cannot support you any more, they have the tremors. You may lose your balance and fall at any time.Continue reading→

How to bloom where you are planted + an intuitive painting demo

Posted on June 24, 2019September 7, 2019 by Modern Gypsy | 17 Comments

As motivational quotes go, bloom where you are planted is one of the most ubiquitous phrases. But what does it mean? And more importantly, how does one know that they have it in them to bloom where they are planted?

The phrase stems from the natural world, where you can find plants, flowers, and trees blooming wild and free, often times in areas where you would least expect them. Like the Ginko trees in Hiroshima, Japan, which survived the nuclear blasts. Or the deodar trees that grow at the Tarkeshwar Mahadev temple near Lancedown, but are not found anywhere else in the area, because they actually grow at higher altitudes.

What this seems to symbolize is that with the right attitude and resilience of spirit, we can find within us the strength to survive almost any adversity.Continue reading→

Depth year update

Posted on June 19, 2019June 19, 2019 by Modern Gypsy | 38 Comments

Six months into 2019, and I think it is the perfect time to pause, check-in with my intentions for the year, and course correct as needed.

At the start of this year, I happily embarked on a depth year {you can read more about what a depth year is here and my depth year framework here}, aiming to go deep in a couple of areas that are important to me.Continue reading→

The joy of doing nothing

Posted on March 14, 2019March 14, 2019 by Modern Gypsy | 26 Comments

How do you answer the question: What did you do today? Or over the weekend?

Most people I meet respond with the tales of dinners they went to, parties they hosted, sales they shopped at, or kilometers they jogged. In response to these stories, that are often filled with drama and anecdotes and news of the latest fashion or lack of good style options, my answer to this question is often: nothing.Continue reading→

On finding the strength to do difficult things

Posted on February 7, 2019February 3, 2019 by Modern Gypsy | 26 Comments

I took my introverted, hermit self to my neighbour’s house for a story telling session on Saturday. It was a session on performance art and spoken word poetry, along with a mini workshop on poetry writing in Hindi. I assumed that I would simply be an observer, but no – that was not to be.

Not only did I write my first ever Hindi poem, I recited it too. Not once, but twice. In room full of strangers. With shaking hands and twitchy muscles, because I really am not good with public speaking. Continue reading→

My depth year: planning my framework

Posted on January 21, 2019January 19, 2019 by Modern Gypsy | 23 Comments

Last week, I spoke about the idea of a depth year, and promised to share my depth year framework once it was ready. If you’re wondering what in heavens a depth year is, I suggest you read last week’s post first; I’ll wait!

Now that you’re in the know, here’s my framework. My aim is to go deep in a couple of areas that are important to me. One thing that I’ve decided to do slightly differently is this: I’m not necessarily equating a depth year with a no buy or low buy year. There are some areas where I have decided that a no buy/low buy year works for me, but in other areas, I may buy something if I feel it is needed to help me go deeper.Continue reading→

On my art table: Finding beauty in the darkness

Posted on January 17, 2019January 17, 2019 by Modern Gypsy | 19 Comments

There is beauty in the darkness, if only we are brave enough to find it!

But how often are we willing to even acknowledge our bad habits; our insecurities and fears; our anxieties. How often do we stop and reflect on our inner voice, and on how mean it can be sometimes…oftentimes? How often do we justify our bad behavior by blaming someone else for the way we may have acted out? We have a choice in every moment: we can choose anger or acceptance; irritation or flow.

This does not mean we have to put up with bad behavior – it simply is about how we choose to react to it. We can respond to situations by ranting and raving; acting out in anger or irritation…and often, that is our default. Or we can calmly address the problem at hand, or assert our boundaries and simply walk away from someone else’s drama.Continue reading→