Are you ready?

April 26, 2013 By

Here’s a big question. Where do you see yourself in 10 Years? What are your Long-Term Dreams and Desires?

Really take a moment and think about this.

What if I told you that you didn’t have to wait 10 years, but you could start manifesting your dreams and desires TODAY!

I’m serious. I’ve never been so serious, and this is coming from a detail-oriented, practical, somewhat skeptical, Virgo brain.

I welcome you to check out this week’s video, where I offer you a simple strategy (that you can do right now!!) to begin to turn your Long-Term Dreams into Short-Term Reality.

This strategy comes out of my years of experience in social movement organizing, where the trick is to be able to see far and wide in the future, while knowing exactly what you need to do right now to make your Long-Term Dreams a reality.

What begins to happen when you think so far in the future is that you have to stretch your brain and your conception of time and space shifts. [Read more...]

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Getting Out of Your Own Way

April 8, 2013 By

This phrase, “Getting out of Your Own Way” has been coming up a lot for me recently.
 

I thought I would share some reflections on this, as maybe it is also something that will resonate for you.

 
What does it mean to “Get Out of Your Own Way”?
 

For me it means not letting self-doubt and self-criticism stop me from TAKING ACTION on my Soul’s Mission.
 

And because the Universe likes to keep things interesting for us, it is often just at those moments when we begin to align with our soul’s mission and begin to REALLY find and speak our truth that we subconsciously start to block ourselves and Get in our Own Way!
 

“Who do you think you are?  You can’t do that?  What are THEY going to think?”
 

Can you relate? [Read more...]

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Intimacy and Sisterhood

March 26, 2013 By

The topic of Sisterhood seems to be very present for me, and others, right now, so I thought I would offer some reflections.

As you know, I recently returned from India, which was an incredible experience on so many levels.

One of the most endearing experiences was the level of intimacy and love I experienced in my relationships with my Indian sisters and brothers.

India is such an incredible country, built on a very strong social fabric and deep bonds between people.

As an example, one thing that touched me so much in India was how men and women referred to each other on the street or in shops.  In my ancestral state, Gujarat, men were referred to as “Kaka”, meaning ‘my father’s brother’ and women were referred to as “Masi” meaning ‘my mother’s sister.’

It is common throughout India that children would refer to any elder as Uncle or Auntie.

People greeting each other as family without even having met before, how beautiful is that?! [Read more...]

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All Beauty Contains Darkness

March 15, 2013 By

I have touched down in Los Angeles. After 10 soul-filled weeks in India, I have to say that new insights and truths continue to open up to me everyday.

 

One big insight has come out of how darn confusing it has been to be back.

I was really ready to come back, but then in being back I didn’t want to be back, but I didn’t want to be in India, and then I didn’t want to feel sad to be back, but I did feel sad, but I also felt happy and grateful and then it was day here and night there, so I felt tired during the day, and I forgot how to dress here and I didn’t really like my cooking anymore (need more spices) and, and, and…

You kind of get where I’m going with this?

So out of all this THINKING, here’s the insight. I just had to BE! Oh my Goddess, I just had to BE, without judgments, without labeling my feelings, thoughts, emotions, desires, experience as ‘good’ or ‘bad’, ‘right’ or ‘wrong’. I just had to BE.

Ah….

Do you ever have experiences like that? When there is so much going on at different levels in your life that you can’t really do anything but simply be? [Read more...]

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The Mother

March 4, 2013 By

I can’t believe it!!! I have come to the end of my trip. I feel all is coming full circle. This past week, I had the chance to visit Auroville and the Aurobindo ashram in Puducherry. Aurobindo, a political revolutionary turned spiritual master, was very influential for me in his little pocket book The Mother. Through his, and his counterpart, The Mother’s teachings, I have deepened in my understandings of the connection between personal and social transformation and devotion to the Great Mother to bring about this transformation. It’s such a great blessing that I had the opportunity to visit with my wonderful mother, a doctor turned social change maker!!

Here are some pics of Auroville, check out the most amazing banyan tree ever. All the tree trunks that you see are actually branches of the tree that have grown to the earth. It is the official center of Auroville and close to there is the big dome, called Mother’s Temple, a place to meditate and concentrate on the divine. Jai Ma!!
Keep reading for one of my favorite passages from The Mother
[Read more...]

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What is Social Change? Inspirations from my Mom

February 28, 2013 By

This is the last video I will share during my journey in India. I wrap up my journey with a heavy heart and such deep gratitude for the blessings of the past two and half months.

I have had the opportunity to spend the past ten days with my amazing mother, who has come to India to dive deeper into the next phase of her life to create social change in the world.

For her this means carrying out her dream to help poor children and families who are living in and around the slums of Mumbai to have access to education, clean water and proper sanitation.

Inspired by my mother and my own desire for social transformation, my question to you this week is what is your vision of social change and how do you see yourself carrying this out?

I have created a short video that offers a simple and practical framework and exercise to begin to implement the change you want to lead in the world.

[Read more...]

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Journey to Kumbh Mela

February 28, 2013 By

This was an experience of a lifetime, so filled with joy, blessings and challenging to the core. I was called to the Kumbh, I found out in being there it was to become humbled by the devotion and hearts of Ma Ganga’s devotees. People walking for hours, days, carrying bags on their heads, many with thin slippers or no shoes at all. Bodies, bodies, bodies, people everywhere, about 35 million on one day to bathe, purify and hope to escape the cycle of re-birth. I felt spirit in the hearts of the souls I walked with, and for the first time understood with more grounding that spirituality cannot be taught from the robes the swami’s and gurus adorn upon themselves and preach from. It is already here in our hearts and only to remember. Jai Ma for her blessings that we could take another dip.

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Mama Desai has touched down in India!!

February 27, 2013 By

Mama Desai has touched down in India!!!

I will be spending the last few weeks in this special journey here with my mom. She is supporting me in recovering my health :) and I am supporting her and her mission to begin philanthropic work in India.

After more than 30 years as a practicing physician in the US, she wants to give back in the country of her birth. Yesterday, we visited a wonderful organization called Door Step School. This organization helps poor children in Mumbai and Pune slums to go to school. I remember visiting their first school in a Mumbai slum when I was six. It was a make-shift room built of tin panels. Since that time they have blossomed to over 200 school sites and 500 staff under the leadership of the amazing, dynamic woman you can see her in the picture. She has so much energy!!

As we learned yesterday, their work is now focusing a lot more on serving the children of migrant workers. Migrant workers migrate for work and in many cases are construction workers. All throughout India there is a HUGE construction boom going on…malls, high-rise apartments, industrial parks, you name it. And most unfortunately the construction workers, or migrant workers (many of who are women), are very poorly paid, live in horrible conditions and migrate along with their children who will never have the opportunity to go to school because they go from construction site to construction site. [Read more...]

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Devotion

February 12, 2013 By

What does devotion mean to you?

For me devotion has saved my life, it has brought me closer to understanding the love and power that exists within me and all beings. It has brought me into a place of peace, humility and deep service in Birthing my Mission and calling in the world.

In this week’s video I offer you a definition and four simple steps you can take to go deeper into your path of devotion in order to birth your Mission and Movement in the world.


[Read more...]

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Heart of Education is the Education of Heart

February 4, 2013 By

In any given day on this trip there is so much experience, angst, love, devotion, heartbreak, serendipitous grace.

It is often said that India is the land of paradox, and if you make up your mind that “India is….” it’s exact opposite will be also be true. This is my experience here, on any given day there are moments that my heart expands and breaks, expands and breaks…

I left my ancestral state of Gujarat and got to spend the last couple days with my dad who was visiting. It was special to connect with him in the place he grew up and help his movement to uplift the village. He’s a great man. I will carry the memories, the students, the AMAZING WOMEN, my grandmother’s spirit, family, neighbors, healing, MA with me and through me until I return again soon.

I wanted to share some photos of the wonderful memories. I had an opportunity to address the community the last day and spoke especially to the women. I brought back the messages of Gandhi who came from the same state and who’s legacy of India’s independence we were celebrating. [Read more...]

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