What is homeopathy?

My husband and I have been wanting to read about health and nutrition to get a better understanding of how our system works and when it breaks down.

Recently we bought the Readers Digest Special Edition on foods named "Foods that Harm, Foods that Heal" . We have also ordered another book named "The End of Illness" by David Agus from Amazon.

In continuation to our research, we watched this video series on Youtube about Homeopathy. It is a 5 part series and each video is 10 mins long. It was a very interesting watch.

The videos take us through the origins of homeopathy and how homeopathy is different from modern medicine.

Homeopathy is based on two principles:

1. The ingredients that cause the symptoms of the disease are used as a remedy for the disease. This reminded of the old Tamil proverb which my mom says often "Mulla mullala dhaan edukkanam" [A thorn should be removed with a thorn].
2. The ingredient is diluted to enormous proportions. One drop of the ingredient is diluted with 99 drops of water/alcohol. This is called 1C solution. The process is continued till the final solution is 30 C. It is based on a concept of "memory of water". 

There have been many debates in the scientific community about the effectiveness of homeopathic medicine. It is also thought of as a placebo and not a real medicine.

These videos were a revelation for me personally. It reinforced many of the concepts of Sri Aurobindo as illustrated by Sri Karmayogi.

Some of the concepts are:

• Infinity behind the finite (1 drop of the remedy cures the disease)
• Consciousness pervades everything (the memory of water)
• Our faith leads to our recovery (placebo)

Watch the series here:

Homeopathy - Part I



Homeopathy - Part II



Homeopathy - Part III



Homeopathy - Part IV



Homeopathy - Part V

Rabindranath Tagore - Documentary by Satyajit Ray

Yesterday, my husband and I watched a documentary on Rabindranath Tagore's life written and directed by Satyajit Ray in 1961.



The story starts with the founding of Calcutta in 1690, Queen Victoria's rule since 1877, Calcutta being the capital and a thriving metropolis and one of Rabi's paternal ancestor Panchanan migrating to Calcutta from Kanauj.

The story traces the life of Debendranath Tagore (Rabi's father), the life of Rabindranath Tagore right from his childhood, homeschooling, England visit for higher studies, inspirations, marriage, his resettling in rural Bengal near river Padma, his experiments with the educational system at Shantiniketan, the personal tragedies he faced in his life, Bengal's partition, his Nobel Prize for Gitanjali followed by knighthood, his role in the Indian independence movement, giving up of his knighthood after the Jallianwala Bagh massacre, the setting up of Viswa Bharathi, his plays, music, poetry and paintings. The story ends with the last days spent by Rabindranath in 1941 in his ancestral house at Jorasanko where he breathed his last.

The documentary is 51 mins long. Satyajit Ray's narration and direction are very powerful and you get a glimpse of the entire life of a great son of India in 51 minutes. Definitely worth watching!

Book for this week (26th March - 6th April 2012)

Source: http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41HDnHY6iYL._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-sticker-arrow-click,TopRight,35,-76_AA300_SH20_OU01_.jpg

Currently reading the book 'Crash Proof' based on the suggestion given by my husband. It is an interesting read so far. The book starts with how the economy of the U.S is shifting from manufacturing to services and how Americans are moving from saving to a spending lifestyle. The author brings forth the disadvantages of the present economy of the U.S and how the government is covering up the decline of economy. He brings out the ill effects of inflation, GDP, spending, trade deficits etc.

Started reading the book on 26th March and planning to finish it by April 6th.

Literary wishlist

I love reading. Constantly I am looking for interesting books to read. Reading is a full time hobby I can never get tired of.

I have always had a literary wishlist in my mind. Reading these books may take considerable time (even a few years). But here is my wishlist in no particular order:

1. Kalki Krishnamurthy - I have already read 'Ponniyin Selvan' and 'Parthiban Kanavu'

written by Kalki. His work encompasses a total of 10 novels and 75 short stories. I want to read all the works by this Tamil literary genius.








2. Sri Aurobindo - Sri Aurobindo's collected works including plays, poems, hymns, bengali writings, books equals 30 volumes (nearly 16,000 pages). I want to read it all. His works are unmatched. They belong to the future of mankind. No knowledge/work encompasses as much depth as Bhagawan's writings.

3. Bhagavad Gita - I want to read all the 18 chapters of the Gita fully (the English translation)

4. Mother - All the works of The Mother (of Pondicherry) has been collected in 17 volumes. Each of her writing is a gem. Would like to read it all.

5. Subramanya Bharathi - The collected poems, songs, stories written by Bharathi will be an immeasurable treasure to read and cherish.

6. Swami Vivekananda - The entire collected works of Swami Vivekananda running to 9 volumes.




Source of images:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Subramanya_Bharathi.jpg
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Sri_aurobindo.jpg
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:KalkiPhotograph.png

Srinivasa Ramanujan

Srinivasa Ramanujan has been an inspiration to me. He independently found nearly 3900 mathematical results during his short life time. His genius was recognised by G.H.Hardy.

Here is a 5 minute clip on Ramanujan's life:



The divine intervention
When Ramanujan was invited to Cambridge by G.H.Hardy, he refused to go to a foreign land based on his Brahmin upbringing. But it is said that, Ramanujan's mother had a vivid dream in which the family Goddess Namagiri commanded her "to stand no longer between her son and the fulfilment of his life's purpose".

Singing in the rain

Vadivelu popularised the "Singin' in the Rain" song in one of his comedy scenes.

Watch the scene on Youtube:



I did not know the source of the original song that he was singing. My husband knew the original song and played it on Youtube yesterday. Loved this version by Gene Kelly.



Singin' in the Rain is a 1952 American comedy musical film.

Why core fitness is important?

I attended a Pilates class at the Axiom gym a couple of weeks back.

I had already been attending a few classes at the gym. But it was the first time I went to a Pilates class. I had no clue how the exercise would be. The instructor constantly mentioned that Pilates is tuned towards strengthening the core. The exercises were really tough. The next day, the muscles in my abdomen, shoulder, back were sore. But I felt very strong and rejuvenated.

Source: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/91/Pilates_01.jpg/800px-Pilates_01.jpg

That's when I started reading about core. Core is your body minus your hands and legs. It is essential that your core is strong because that forms the real structure of your body including your abdomen, spine, pelvis, mid and lower back, hips, shoulders, neck etc.

Axiom gym offers Corefit classes twice a week in the evenings that focuses only on core. These classes are scheduled for half an hour. Yesterday I attended the corefit class. It was really good. I can feel a new balance and strength in my body. 

I also like the instructor(Rebecca) who conducts Vinayasa Yoga, Pilates and Corefit at the gym. I have attended all her classes and I am already addicted to it. She always makes one class very different from the other. She also challenges your body to reach the maximum capacity.

If you are into fitness and exercises, concentrating on strengthening your core may be one of the ways to remain healthy and strong.