It’s not that time of the year without…

It's not that time of the year without...the mindful break mindfulness practice

October wouldn’t be October without….The Mindful Break!

Yes, yes, I know what you’re thinking. It’s festive time, with Diwali – the largest Indian festival – around the corner. But for me, October has become synonymous with mindfulness.

Why I needed a mindfulness practice

October is a crazy-busy month at work. I’m usually up to my eyeballs in deadlines, with reports coming in to be edited faster than you can say Jack Rabbit. It’s also festive time, and I’m usually stressed about work, moping about not being able to enjoy the festivities, scrambling to keep up with Diwali shopping and decorating, and generally losing my sanity one moment at a time.

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The Mindful Break 2019

The Mindful Break 2019 Instagram Challenge

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→

September 2019: Tarot spread for the new moon in Libra

Tarot spread for the September 2019 new moon in Libra

The September 2019 new moon falls in the sign of Libra. The Libra archetype is closely associated with justice and maintaining balance in social interactions and within the self. They are the true diplomats among the zodiac archetypes, and focus on fair dealings in all their relationships.Continue reading→

#WordlessWednesday: Through the window

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

What is the meaning of life?

“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→

Intuitive painting process: Into the storm

The thing I enjoy most about intuitive painting is how closely the intuitive painting process starts to mimic life. By remaining present in the moment, trusting my instincts, and not allowing my mind to start dictating what happens next, the push-pull nature of this style of painting starts to reveal numerous life lessons.

I’ve spoken about the influences that informed one of my intuitive paintings in the video below, as I take you through the evolution of this painting from start to finish.

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September 2019: Tarot spread for the full moon in Pisces

Tarot spread for the September 2019 full moon in Pisces

The September 2019 full moon falls in the sign of Pisces. The Pisces archetype is highly intuitive and very open to the flow of creative imagination. This is the sign of creative dreamers and mystics and visionaries, which makes this full moon an excellent time to flex your creative and intuitive muscles.

Spiritually, the Pisces archetype teaches the principle of unity, of recognising the divinity within you. One way to understand this principle is by looking at creation – the creator {God, Universe, Source, however you wish to name it} created this Earth, the rivers and seas, the trees, birds, insects, animals, man. Similarly, man has the ability to create – and to create consciously. It is this ability that points to the spiritual truth of Pisces, that we are spiritual beings having a human experience. It is by accepting responsibility for consciously creating that you connect most deeply with the creator. Needless to say, empathy and compassion are the cornerstones of the Pisces archetype.Continue reading→

4 book recommendations for when you don’t know what to read next

4 book recommendations for when you don't know what to read next

At the start of the year, I had a goal to read two books a month. Quite a modest goal, considering I have read much more than that each month in years past. However, with art taking more of my free time, reading time has been squeezed – a trade-off that I’ve been quite happy to make.

If I am being honest, though, art is not the only thing eating into my reading time, social media is too – and I’ll probably share some of my own insights and ahas in a separate post.

For today, I’m sharing 4 book recommendations from the 15 books I’ve read so far this year. Continue reading→

When it rains

“Rainy days should be spent at home with a cup of tea and a good book.”
― Bill Watterson, The Calvin and Hobbes Tenth Anniversary Book

Or in my case, a sketchbook and watercolours.

But I must admit that I’m not a huge fan of the rains, especially in Delhi-NCR, and particularly on week days. Because when it rains, the roads invariably get flooded, and new potholes appear miraculously and there’s no way of knowing where they may have decided to spring up.Continue reading→

100 days of painting intuitively: an update

100 days of painting intuitively an update

When you take on a big project, accountability and tracking your progress – both the successes and the failures – is important to not only see how far you have come, but also to see what is working and what isn’t. As I approach the half-way mark of my 100 day project – 100 days of painting intuitively, which I started back in April, I figure the time is ripe for an update.

My 100 day project is taking longer than 100 days!

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