Mumbai has been my heartthrob since I first beheld it, when I was 14. Since then at least once a year I visited Mumbai until 2004. I have lived in Mumbai and worked in Mumbai and I have loved everything about Mumbai. Today with tears in my eyes and a bleeding heart I write of the pain I am in seeing my lover city, amidst this war. Nothing compares to what I am experiencing right now. Today is amavas here in the city of angels and I know a new chapter in world history is being written. History is being created right as we live it in each breath. God bless us All. Peace unto us all! Bhagavan ke ghar me der hai, andher nahin! I love you, Mumbai! Keep your chin up and your head high. Om shanti, shanti, shanti!!!

Hardships bring about humility or horrific thoughts. Right now as the world seems to be plunging downwards economically, I am suddenly seeing the niceness in some people whom I knew before and by their own admittance weren’t so nice. I have friends and clients who are undergoing treatments for what seemed incurable a few years ago. CANCER. Since the western doctors have written out death warrants on them, they are coming closer to how fragile human life is.

Just like a strong gust of wind can blow out a candle or spread a wildfire, so can an act of violence make a few violent and others turn to their faith. What is it that makes one get violent and smack or destroy their attacker, and what is it that makes one turn towards their faith, God to give them strength to continue.

Once a friend of mine had told me that I was stupid, because I was ultra nice. I had responded to that saying “thank God for a few stupid people, the rest of the “smart” people can continue to be who they are so the world is still inhabitable.” Of course he smiled and agreed to my response.

When something goes everyone is constantly looking for who to blame. The other day on ndtv, Sanjana Kapoor commented on the television that the Home Minister should resign as he is responsible for the attack on Mumbai. Throughout the India independent from the British Raj this has been the pattern, whenever something goes wrong a demand is made for the resignation of the person in power. Sometimes they take responsibility and resign and at times they resign by succumbing to demands from opposition members of the government.

Now does this mean that violence stopped, or the incident was not repeated there or somewhere else. Terrorists have no religion, the religion of a terrorist is terrorism. I remember in India when the Sikhs had started a movement in which they asked to form their own nation and separate from India. Every Sikh was called an atankwadi meaning a terrorist. In those days I was still a student and having a lot of time in my hand I used to read avidly. I read stories of so many freedom fighters in India, those who fought for the freedom of India from the British. The Britishers bore down on them as criminals. They were killed without trial and it was called encounter attacks. Some were tried and of course they were all sentenced to kalapani, another term for “Sentenced for life and imprisoned in the jails of Andaman Islands” I had seen footages or the prisoners who were young school going students who had attacked some british person, vehicle or office or was present in the scene or was a friend, classmate, cousin or brother of someone who had attacked and was pronounced dead before they physically died. They worked during the days in inhuman conditions and slept with their feet chained. When they walked their bare feet were chained so they would not escape, Where would they have escaped too. They were in a deserted island constructing the bungalows for the british officers and the prisons.

I used to wish that Punjab could never rescind from India else it would be the creation of another unfriendly neighbor like Pakistan, And if Punjab ever rescinded from India I knew that all those who are being labeled as terrorists in India now will be known as freedom fighters tomorrow in the new nation of Punjab. Thank God that such a thing never came of fruition. Punjabis are one of the best cooks, and the bravest of Indian men, besides being a community of handsome men and beautiful women.

Speaking of Pakistan, their demands and attacks on India have forever been irrational to me. They seem to be formed by a government who never seek peace for themselves or the world. Every Pakistani I ever met personally is a very amicable and hospitable person. But the government seems to have their wires crossed. There is no concept of democracy, every elected person in always over thrown by a military regime and assassinated or hung unjustly. And the fascinating part about this is that their biggest supporter has always been the US. After 9/11 US wrote off 2Billion dollars in loan money to Pakistan. The Pakistan President who is also their army head visited US and this was flashed in every news channel in US. The Indian Prime Minister visited US simultaneously and to my knowing he met only with certain members of the US government, the President of US, George W Bush never met with him and there was no mention of this visit in any news channel or prin t media in US. When Benazir Butto, the opposition leader of Pakistan visited US, she was introduced to the President as the Prime Minister of India. It is hilarious how ignorant and egotistical those who house the US White House are. The media in US though speaks of freedom of press, it is only what the government and those in power and with wealth will allow to be published. It is what will sell the company is allowed to be brought to the public. Pakistan being a non-democratic nation, why does US support it financially so it can house all of the worlds militants? Osama bin Laden still resides in Pakistan, why was Afghanistan plundered when all along he lived in Pakistan. Pakistanis burn American flags everyday on the streets and yet US pour in all our tax money into keeping that economy flourishing. Why? All Pakistani extremists in India walk around with US dollar bills in their pockets. They carry wads of these bills. HOW?

US spends billions of dollars promoting how Russia was a threat to the world in the 20th century. In the 21st century they have started another campaign saying that China is a threat to the US economy. The U.S. has the personality of a hormone driven masturbating 17 year old male teenager.  A 15-17 year old male teenager feels that they know everything and everything they lay eyes on belong to them. Everyone must listen to them else they have no problem going against their parents and being disrespectful of their teachers and elders. This is how America operates. America

The World series in US that are played are games in between the states within the US states. I do not think there are Hawaiian or Alaskan state teams for American football and basketball. These championships must be called the 48 contiguous states of the US American football/basketball series.

I believe every Indian is responsible no matter where they reside each time India is attacked militarily or through terrorist attacks. How many India ensures their neighbor is happy and fed? There was a time when we did. We Indians are humble yet proud. We maybe poor but we never beg. What has happened to that country? Today the feudalistic system has been replaced by the credit system. Our parents, the children from the 40’s who are now in the 70s are the only generation who lived their lives debt free.

What is it in human being that make us reject our elders and take on what is alien? Every indigenous culture all over the planet abandoned their heritage to take on the western culture which made promises of freedom, but are the descendents of the Caucasian race truly free. Freedom is within the boundaries, or isn’t it?

- An Indian American

Saturday, November 29, 2008
7:01 AM PST )from Sharmila’s heart to yours – unedited J)

Phew! A deep sigh – is it one of relief, or a new beginning?

Yesterday I was visiting my friend Janet and she is undergoing chemo. Her hair had been falling off, so she had her husband and friend of 30 years, shave her head off. She laughed and pulled off her white woolen cap and said “look Sharmila, this is my new look.” Her hair had been falling off in lumps and so this was a better way out than having to pick up lumps of hair around you all the time.

Like most citizens of the world today, she is part of the new beginnings. She is consciously creating change in her life, in calculated controlled measures, one step at a time, and it is all beginning with cleansing.

I shared my grief with her about the horrific attack on Mumbai, my beloved city, my lover city. Mumbai loved me back as much as I loved her, if not more. She to me has always been a symbol of hope for every Indian. I know there are many people in India who have in the past told me, how much they hated or despised Mumbai, but I let them voice their opinions and left it as part of them. Mumbai has been the icon of financial freedom for most Indians. People in Mumbai come across as people who have the best of the best, they can do what they want when they want. Mumbai is the house of the famous Bollywood, the city which churns out the most cinemas every year.

Every Indian identifies themselves with their corner of the country,  but every Mumbaikar identifies themselves as a Mumbaikar. They are no longer a Bengali, a gujarati, a marathi or a malyalee, they are all from Bombay, from Mumbai.

Sitting today after my early morning meditation I still grief the pain and loss of India and Mumbai. I cannot fathom what the residents of Mumbai are still experiencing mentally and emotionally. The city was shut down for a day from business and on Friday morning, the stock market and every business office in Mumbai was reopened.

Yesterday morning when I showered, I sat in the bathroom with my towel wrapped around and I noticed the tag which said “Made in Pakistan, exclusively for Walmart Inc., Bentonville, AK”. For the first time in my life, I ripped up tag, looked at it, and dropped it in the trash. I sat and I wondered how could I have done this, when for 42 years I felt that Indians and Pakistanis are brothers and sister, Hindus and Muslims are brothers and sisters. And no matter how our government operated politically, ethnically we are one. I have been firmest believer of this thought, idea and opinion. I speak Urdu and I have had a Pakistani colleague who became my friend too and it was always very pleasant times I shared with him and I still have beautiful memories of our times together. He was born in Bangladesh and during the Bangladesh independence movement their family migrated to Karachi in Pakistan. His parents were born in India and during Indian / Pakistan partition, they moved to Bangladesh, since Bangladesh was East Pakistan and they were from an eastern state. So how can you say Pakistanis and Indians are different or separate from each other. It is just like saying my brother is not me and my sister is not my brother. When we walk next to each other on the street, no one could tell one from the other, except when we flash our passports to mention our country of origin or nationality.

Pakistan’s president Mussharaf was born in India and India’s prime minister Mr Singh was born in Pakistan. So it is like “let’s smack the left arm for hurting the right”. Each time we try to smack the other, we hurt ourselves while trying to hurt the other. So where does it end, now that we are here? More importantly where do we go from here?

Hatred never ends hatred only love dissolves hatred. This love must be unconditional in nature, absolute unconditional love, with no strings tied, attachments or expectations.

I know in my heart that every human being who is sane, wants to be loved, wants to be happy and wants to be at peace. When I say sane, I mean sane. There are those who are insane and not undergoing any treatment or receiving assistance in getting back to functioning normally as a contributing member of the human society.

All acts of violence comes from unstable mental attitude. Violence surpasses all forms of rational reasoning. So in order to combat and dissolve violence is love the answer? Can we love someone who is hating us. Socrates in Dan Millman’s biographical movie (The peaceful warrior) said “Love who is the hardest to love.” How profound! Yet, so simple! …. To be continued.

I was 14, it was fall and I had first visited Mumbai with my family. It was love at first sight. I liked what I saw, heard, smelled, tasted, touched. Every fiber of my being was enthralled in this mahanagari, this megapolis which we then called as Bombay. This was Oct. 1980. It was our diwali holidays and we were visiting Bombay, Pune and Goa. In our entire trip that I was away from Bombay I wanted to be back in Bombay. I could not wait to get back.

My sister and I used to go the roof top of the building in which my uncle lived. This was Chembur, an eastern suburb of Mumbai. We would watch the vehicles come down the Highway from Pune. To me it seemed like balls of fire coming down the mountains in pairs, these were headlights of the buses, trucks and cars arriving at Bomaby through the pass.

Looking back I am amused at how long an affair I have carried out with my lover city Mumbai. Mumbai is special in the sense those who live in Mumbai, love it, those who don't have mixed feelings. Most of these people who I have met or spoken to who say they do not like Mumbai, have never been to it, or speak of the crowd they see in movies, tvs or train stations in the passing. Just like LA or New York, those who do not live here can't know what it means to be in New Yorker or resident of the city of angeles (my new home, Los Angeles).

Today as I heard, saw and read of the horror of the sabotage of Mumbai, my heart is back with my old lover. I am still thrilled by this city that swept me off my feet in the first glance. This city I have always wanted to live in, this city I have always belonged to emotionally and mentally. The only city of India I have ever connected myself with in my life, besides Los Angeles.

I was born in Guwahati, Assam, India and will always be from Guwahati, but my true love has always been Mumbai. Since 1982, I have visited Mumbai every year and in 1990 I took up a job in Mumbai. In 1992 Mumbai was my last city of residence before I left India. Since then I have always returned to Mumbai once every year until 2004, when I set up home and shop in Los Angeles.

I know the time has come to return to my old lover. I am mourning her loss today. The entire morning I watched the news on my powerbook. I spoke to my brother, sister and my parents. I even called up my friend from 20 years ago, with whom I walked the streets which are splattered by sharpnels and blood today.

I used to walk on marine drive every morning at 5. Every morning at Nariman Point, which we named LandsEnd, I did my Surya namaskar (sun salutations). My friend  and I used to  sit on the parapet  and  talk about "nothing".  We grew up together, I had to call him to mourn together with him, the pain of our  city, Mumbai. Every evening after work, we would walk up to marine drive and feed ourselves moong-phali (roasted peanuts still warm in the newspaper cones), chana (spiced dry roasted bengal grams), or soaked grams and peanuts spiced up with onion, cilantro, salt, pepper, dry roasted cumin powder, green chilli and lime juice drizzled over it. At times when we wanted to spoil ourselves we had bhel puri or chaat and the best of all was corn roasted on hot charcoal spiced with lime juice, salt, red chilli.

Roasted corn was my favorite since it was seasonal. Being born and raised in Assam one of the rainiest state of India in the eastern foothills of the himalayas, I still love the rain. The visual, auditory and kinesthetic experiences are beyond anything else that has ever brought me comfort. To add to the delight of the rainy day, roasted corn was what could be called cherry on the icing in the west. Some of the vendors added a dash of garam masala or roasted cumin powder to spice up this treat. Roasted corn and rainy days are synonymous to me. Waiting at a bus stop alone or with friends I would enjoy my corn on cob cooked this way. The corn was my companion which I savored on these rainy days and I did it every evening while waiting for my bus, rickshaw or train, it did not matter. The best part of rainy days were this taste, an olfactory and gustatory luxury.

When I left India in 1992, I grieved leaving Mumbai more than leaving my family behind. In every aspect Mumbai was and still is me. Every year I landed in Mumbai airport in Andheri and despite the hassles of the custom people, the porters, the taxi drivers in the early mornings, carrying sleepy or over active children and an over demanding husband I was OK, because I was in Mumbai. I had left her behind as Bombay and a few years I returned to Bombay until she turned into Mumbai. I used to be a Bombayite and now I am a non-resident Mumbaikar.

I have been known to get philosophical on every issue, and I know some good will come out of this carnage, but at this moment I am grieving and I believe I have every right to grieve and mourn.

In 1993 Bombay was burning from communal violence and I had casually mentioned that whenever I leave a city, havoc is let loose on that city. In 1978 we left Guwahati, 1979 and 1980 saw terrible clashes on the city which altered the state of Assam, politically, emotionally, mentally and the beautiful romantic scapes of the streets, villages, hamlets and towns forever. People altered their beliefs and faith, hopes, dreams and desires. In 1990 I left Vadodara and there was blood on the streets and alleys. I was horrified, my second hometown was bleeding. In 1991 I left Bangalore, once known as the garden city of India, there was murder on the streets, bus depots and train stations, people were fighting over the rights to the water of Cauvery river. The politicians would rather see the water being drained into the Arabian Sea than flow into a neighboring state to water their fields and towns. I came to America a year later and was amazed at how Americans had taken the water of the mighty Colorado river, trapped it in the Hoover Dam and watered four states. I was pleasantly shocked how people in the west knew how to work for what is good of the nation. I wondered what would it take for India to  incorporate a similar attitude in their decisions and lifestyle, know that the nation is one and not make a river a property of the state but a gift of God to the people of the land, a nation and wherever the river chose to flow.

In 1993 the riots in Bombay shocked me but I said in all my ego of a 26 year old "whenever I leave a city, the city is at war, there is disaster." The last time I said this was in 2005 when I left Dallas and in August Katarina hit the shores of New Orleans, people in Dallas complained how it had become hard for them to feel safe because of the refugees of Katarina. I am sure there were 100s who were grateful for the hospitality but the fews 10s who vandalized Dallas and Houston were featured in the media to cause common terror and panic among the local residents. Until a few months ago I mentioned my trail of moving out of cities and the city going through trauma.  All that came of being totally at the effect side of the equation.

Today I am grateful for my angels carrying me out of a place before disaster struck it. Right now all I know is how much Mumbai has been a part of who I am even today.

The streets I walked on are bleeding. People are shocked. I do not know right now what can I do to ensure that such calamity never strikes any other corner of the planet ever again. I am familiar of the butterfly effect and I send all the love and light through me and in me, to this old lover city of mine. I miss you Mumbai, YES and I still love you, just as much if not more.

Imagery is a process, a journey which our mind is experiencing constantly through our waking hours and all states of sleep. When you wake up from a dream how do you know if it was real or a dream? And what is real and what is not? Our mind does not realize the difference between "reality" and fantasy.

Every thing that exists began with the thought. Every human being has an active imagination.
As you think so you become....   We have all heard this at some time or other during our life time.

Our thoughts create our reality. Our thoughts are energy forms which we call emotions. Our thoughts do dictate our emotions and feelings. And our emotions affect our physical experience. So by controlling our thoughts we can alter our emotions and choose or create our experiences.

In order to experience imagery for therapeutic purposes, first a hypnotic state is created. A state of hypnosis is a trance like state. Bypassing the critical barrier in our mind, the conscious and the sub-conscious mind are more aligned. The client gets into a receptive state is open to suggestive imagery and acting on it in real life experience.

All athletes use visualization to achieve their results, this is imagery. First they see themselves achieving their goals in their mind's eye, another term for active imagination and they repeat this process or journey repeatedly until they see it with their open eyes and the world watches it with them. We can tweak our visualization or imagery journeys as we progress closer and closer to our goals.

Just like life is a journey, so is achieving success a multi-step process. Depending on how large our goal is the longer our journey is. Small goals can be achieved in one session of imagery, but goals that are more complex will require many sessions.

As hypnotherapists, we understand suggestibility, sub-conscious behavior and know how to access the unconscious mind. We have a strong base from which to work. Using hypnosis we access the sub-conscious mind and hence the imagery process is more effective.

Every human carries their own unique symbol and images in their mind. Each of these images have their own unique interpretation which is unique to each of us as an individual or as a group. The images are created based on a person's response to life and their own suggestibility. Identification of these images is very usefil in providing suggestions to the sub-conscious mind.

e.g. in dream therapy, it is important to understand what an image means to the client at that given time of their life. The meaning of a symbol is unique for each person. A therapist can help the client find that metaphorical meaning but it has to be the client's interpretation. Correstive therapy is a good way to get subconscious messages from the client as well as to degine their images and symbols.

Meditation has many benefits, even those who do not meditate are aware of a few of them. It is in the 10th month now since I opened up my doors to those seeking HEALING through meditation. Besides healing we receive benefits like:

• STRESS REDUCTION
• RELAXATION
• MORE ENERGY
• GOAL FULFILLMENT
• BEING CENTERED
• FINDING PEACE
• STAYING CONNECTED
• INTROSPECTION
• RELIEF FROM PHYSICAL PAIN
• ENHANCED RELATIONSHIPS
• BEING IN BALANCE
• CREATING CHANGES...

and so much more has been mentioned by those who attend. Now we are all ready for a higher level of challenges and rewards. I am stepping up and calling all those who are serious about finding the answers and making the changes they know can happen, effortlessly, efficiently and effectively.

We will be meeting for 90 minutes in which you will learn to meditate consciously, using something very simple your breath. You will learn the gift of forgiveness and acceptance and how to incorporate this in your everyday life. You will learn to connect with your higher self. In the end we will have Q & A sessions, where you will receive answers that are pertaining to your situation right in the moment.

No politics and No religion, please, I stay away from both. Should anything negative come up in comments or conversation, you will be assisted in reframing it.

This is a spiritual space and group and we will respect that, to keep the energy flowing and growing.

The charge has been set so we know we are amidst only serious spiritual seekers who are here for their own personal growth and spiritual enhancement. Your payment will be refunded ONLY if the meetup is cancelled.

We can discuss anything and questions can be on any topic related to the body, emotions, mind and spirit. Using transpersonal psychology, sub-conscious behavior, neuro-linguistic programming, mind-body connections, quantum physics, hawaiian shamanism, time empowerment techniques and scriptures and philosophy from India, you will always find answers to things as simple as:

1. Health - Weight Management, Addictions, Habit Control, Fitness, Pain Management etc.
2. Wealth - Success, Prosperity, Abundance etc.
3. Relationship strategies - Personalities, Expectations, Compatibility, Destiny etc.

And anything else that is personal and pertinent to you.
Very soon we will be doing this on conference calls and webinars so you can be anywhere in the world and still participate.

Gandhi said "Be part of the change you wish to create."

Are you? I know when pain is more than gain, you will join us.

Aum*Peace*Amen*Aloha!
Humbly in service,
Sharmila Murthy
http://yoga.meetup.com/647
www.sharmilamurthy.com
805.275.2289
lifepathguidance@yahoo.com

Where
Healing Sanctuary @ Sharmila's
763 Roswell Ct Ventura, CA, 93004 805-275-2289
When: Thursdays 7:00PM - 8:30 PM RSVP mandatory

The door will open at 6:50 pm and remain open until 7:05. I'll be there.

Note: If there is anything personal you are seeking answer to, here is your chance for annonimity. I shall respond to one question per person per gathering. At times the responses to a question can help many besides those who ask. So, please send in yours.

"Ha" or your breath... Do you know that all your power lies in your breath? Come find out how? And WHY? All the energy you attract and flow through you, can be used to manifest all your dreams and desires. Weatlh? Health? Relationships? Fame? Success? and so much more.... Come learn how to transform the energy that flows through you and transcend in life so may to receive all that you richly deserve. [b]Healing through meditation is taking on a new dimernsion. Come be part of this ascension.[/b] Experiencing HEAVEN ON EARTH is possible, but it all begins with you, a choice, a decision. When will you make yours? Would you like to be empowered in your life? Begin a journey of introspection, self-discovery to enrich your life and those of your loved ones. It is a time for releasing and receiving. Healing yourself so you may heal those around. A donation to keep this event on-going is appreciated. For any enhancement a proper exchange in energy is mandatory.[b] We only get as much value as we put into it.[/b] If you can't be present, send in your request and we shall have your request and essence in our midst. Come, share, rejoice, MORPH! Love-peace-blessings!!! 805.275.2289 lifepathguidance@yahoo.com (bring your own blanket(s) & pillow(s).... water too if needed. [:)]

Now T.O.M. is an acronym for Theory of Mind.