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Another book for me to share with you guys! I've been on this kick with books this year. My goal is to read a minimum of 7 in 2017. So, naturally, I have a lot of books to share. This one is The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo. I'm sure many of you have heard of this one, but I just wanted to give you a quick rundown of what it did for me. The whole premise of this book is basically a way of parting with quite literally stuff that is excess in your home. Marie Kondo helps you create a relationship with all the items in your house to see whether or not they spark joy in you or not. It's pretty cool how she has set up the whole theory and process. You go category by category dumping all of your contents onto the floor, picking up each one, and seeing whether or not it has a value in your life. The way she goes about it is quite amazing. Although I haven't gone about the whole process of tidying and discarding all of my excess things, I think this has really put a lot of things into perspective. I've been dabbling with minimalism in learning more and more about it. Again, I am in no means a minimalist, and I am actually far from it. But, at the end of the day, the message is something that I hold near to my heart. One of the 8 limbs of Yoga talk about santosha or satisfaction. Am I truly satisfied with what I have in front of me at this current moment? Or am I constantly reaching out for more and more and more? It's a hard balance for me. I swing from one extreme to the other. One of my 2017 resolutions was to decrease my extra spending significantly. Have I been successful at it? Eh. Kind of. I won't lie and tell you that I didn't have a weekend of splurge here and there, but with that intention in the back of my mind, I've seen major improvements. The key thing for me is living as true to what the Yoga Sutras say. They are a great tool to help guide us through this very external sensory world, allowing us and helping us go deeper and deeper inside. With all of this said, it's a process! I am neither advocating for everyone to turn into minimalists, nor am I saying that everyone should go and buy everything their hearts desire. At the end of the day, we have to do what feels right. In order to understand what that really is though, is we have to take those extra steps to go internal and dig deep within us. I highly encourage you guys to read this book though! It was a great perspective on all of the stuff we have around us. Ask yourself--does it truly bring you joy? What I'm thinking...probably not every single thing like you thought. See for yourself! Happy Reading!  I wanted to start a series here where I can feature some of my favorite things with all of you! What point is it to get excited over great products, finds, books, and other amazing things, if I can't share it with all of you! I hope this excites you, as it does me! This week, I wanted to share a book that I am reading. One that really has inspired me to be a more compassionate human being, and share the joy I feel with others (kind of what this little share is all about!). The Book of Joy written by His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Archbishop Desmond Tutu are two of my favorite people. The book leads you through conversations between these two men on the topic of compassion and joy. There are many obstacles that we have to get through as humans that get in the way of us and our true happiness--for example anger and stress. However, it is completely possible to do so. Through various techniques of acceptance and gratitude, we have the ability to move past all of these obstacles into true compassion and joy. Now, I know what you're thinking. Another "spiritual book" that is probably really boring. I mean that's pretty much the M.O. right? Well, truth be told it is completely the opposite. When I tell you that these two men talk as if they are just 2 old guys who have been best friends for decades, that is exactly what I mean. The impactful conversations tied in with the constant laughs share between them makes for a really great read, that will leave you just feeling good. Nothing less but just good. You will feel a deeper sense of connection to the rest of the world around you. I wanted to share a short passage from the book, one of just hundreds that I have shared with my family and friends. I hope you enjoy it. I find them to be more impactful for the world we are living in than ever before. The Archbishop and the Dalai Lama had revealed throughout the week one of the core paradoxes of happiness: We are most joyful when we focus on others, not on ourselves. In short, bringing joy to others is the fastest way to experience joy oneself. As the Dalai Lama had said, even ten minutes of mediation on the well-being of others can help one to feel joyful for the whole day--even before coffee. When we close our heart, we cannot be joyful. When we have the courage to live with an open heart, we are able to feel our pain and the pain of others, but we are also able to experience more joy. The bigger and warmer our heart, the stronger our sense of aliveness and resilience. I hope you trust me on this one, and find the time to pick up the book. I can guarantee it will bring more joy into your own life, even if for 5 minutes. take the time to nourish your fire, nishita   |
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