default

SIDDHARTH KAK

When a bird sings, do you analyze it? 

Siddhartha is the Director of Education and Civic Engagement and Curator of South Asian Art at the Peabody Essex Museum, Salem, Massachusetts, USA. He curates exhibitions and focuses on community engagement.

siddhartha-shah.jpg

Siddhartha Shah

<h4>SIDDHARTHA V. SHAH is the Director of Education and Civic Engagement and Curator of South Asian Art at the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, Massachusetts, USA. As a curator, he develops exhibitions that tell the stories of the artists, communities, and traditions of South Asia, as well as important moments in the history of the region, and what they reveal about nation-building and self-discovery. He strives to create alignment and synergy between the museum’s education and curatorial departments while focusing on community engagement and impactful programming. Here, he speaks with VANESSA PATEL from the Heartfulness Institute.</h4><hr>Q: Hello Siddhartha. Thank you for your time. You have been extremely busy with various projects. Can you tell us about one in particular – your role on the Board of the Anne Frank Center for Mutual Respect?SS: About ten years ago, I became close with clients who were involved with the Anne Frank Center. I told them that I had read Anne Frank’s diary three or four times, and it really impacted me. Then, I went to college in Amsterdam for a semester, right across the river from the Anne Frank house, so I have always felt a connection to her. They invited me onto the Board because they saw that I was deeply committed to human and civil rights. Anne Frank’s experience does not apply to the Jewish community alone; it is relevant to different kinds of struggles around the world, such as LGBTQ issues, with which I identify, and race, here in the United States and elsewhere. I got involved with the Anne Frank Center through this alignment of vision. My goal is to make sure that Anne Frank’s story reaches as broad an audience as possible.<hr><img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/art_service_community1_700x303_afbb166f97.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-07T11:23:35.291Z" alt="art-service-community1">Courtesy of the Peabody Essex Museum. Photography by Bob Packert<hr>Q: You have also developed a program for nurses to strengthen their observation and communication skills, using art to reduce anxiety and stress. Nurses and caregivers seem to be the forgotten people, and the impact on their mental health isn’t often addressed. How have you used the medium of art?SS: We take nurses through the South Asian galleries at Peabody Essex Museum, and we have them look at certain paintings. Then we talk about what they see. We also help them see what they don’t see. If you look deeper into paintings, there are things you may not notice. Then we ask, “How does this relate to your work?” “When you’re taking a diagnosis, what is the information you’re collecting?” We help them assess what they see and apply that to their relationships with their patients. In terms of the mindfulness piece, as you said, nurses and caregivers are forgotten, and we don’t think about the amount of stress they’re under, particularly during the pandemic.We have them look at two paintings by Ghulam Rasool Santosh, which are very simple geometric images with simple colors. They slow down and allow their eyes to wander over and across the paintings, noticing what associations they have. One of the paintings is predominantly black and one is predominantly white. At the black painting, we ask them to think about what associations they have with the color black; then we ask them to think about the same with the white. We tend to think of black as dark and negative, and white as positive, so I ask, “Can black feel expansive?” “Can white be so bright that it constricts your vision?” I ask them to flip their associations, which also have racial connotations. It is an exercise in perception of color and race. They realize that if they take a little more time, art can help them calm down.I curated another exhibition called Zarah Hussain: Breath, where a meditation on breathing is done through the paintings, and there is a digital animation that expands and contracts every five and a half seconds to help the viewers slow their breathing and enter a state of relaxation. We have eight paintings by the artist that are curated as four pairs; in each pair, one is an “inhale” and the other is an “exhale.” Then there is a room with the projected animation; it is generative so the color patterns vary every time. People enter this room, which is dark other than the projection, and they calm down completely and stay there for a long time. It has been wonderful to see.Also, we created a version of the animation online so that people could experience it from home during the pandemic. You can adjust the length of the breathing cycle and the color pattern. Whenever you need a break from meetings, you can turn on the animation.<hr><img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/art_service_community2_700x466_b0dc911c0f.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-07T11:24:29.335Z" alt="art_service_community2">Zarah Hussain, Breath Courtesy of the Peabody Essex Museum. Photography by Kathy Tarantola<hr><hr><h4>A meditation on breathing is done through the paintings,&nbsp; and there is a digital animation that expands&nbsp; and contracts every five and a half seconds&nbsp; to help the viewers slow their breathing&nbsp; and enter a state of relaxation.</h4><hr><hr>Q: Wow! That’s lovely. It’s also calming.SS: It is calming, and it is significant because breathing is deeply connected with Covid-19, which takes away people’s ability to breathe. And it connects to the death of George Floyd here in the United States. He said, “I can’t breathe” as some of his final words. A meditation on the breath just seemed so relevant this past year.Q: A lot of what I am hearing is art in service of community, so I want to know what led you to take your professional practice to these spaces. You are committed to building community and mending wounds through art collaboration and respectful communication. How easy or difficult has it been to do this?SS: I entered PEM as the curator of South Asian art. After about two years, George Floyd died, and our museum responded like a lot of institutions by acknowledging his death. When I saw the message, something about it did not feel comfortable, so I told our director, “I come to you with full respect, but I need to say that I am not comfortable with the messaging. Here is a different way I think we could have messaged this.” That’s when he understood that I have ideas about engaging the community in a respectful way.That’s when we started talking about my other role as Director of Education and Civic Engagement, which is new for the museum. Ours is a very big museum with a large footprint, but, like a lot of museums, our relationship with the community is complicated. We are not reaching a lot of people. My work is to find out how we can reach them. It’s difficult because we don’t decide what the community needs; the community tells us what they need. I go out and ask questions, but they don’t know me or my agenda, and whether they can trust me. I have been asking questions for over a year and we have started a bunch of new initiatives based on these conversations. But we need at least two years to gain people’s trust before we will see any change.The process is slow, and we need to show that we are committed. For example, I have a conversation with the YMCA, find out how they feel about us, what they like and what they don’t like. Then our team discusses the feedback, and we go back and ask, “Have we heard you correctly?” If yes, then we tell them we are going to develop a menu of partnerships. We think of four or five ways we can work together, then show them and get their thoughts. We do this a few times before we commit to one partnership – not too many, because we first need to make sure we are doing it correctly. We implement that and then we reconnect to talk about what went well, what did not go so well, and then decide that in six months we will do another project based on the outcome. It is a very slow process, but it is helps us earn trust.Q: I love that you said it’s not up to you to decide for them what they need, but it’s a space for them to tell you what is important to them. Is this also where your drive to set up intergenerational initiatives comes from?SS: A lot of museums have an older audience, which is predominantly white, well-educated, and often wealthy. School groups also come on field trips, but we don’t have a lot of teenage involvement. It is hard to draw teens, and that is the age when I fell in love with art. So, how do we create connections between those who are already coming to the museum and those who are not?During the pandemic, two populations have been very significantly impacted: Young people, who could not see their friends, and older people, who were the most vulnerable and isolated. We wondered how we could bring these two communities together, so we created a virtual art-making evening once a month called Create Night. People signed up, we mailed the art supplies to them, and they came together online – old people, young people, artists – all doing art together for about an hour. They got to talk to people. That is a way to get intergenerational programs going.We also started a bilingual initiative, because we have a very significant Spanish-speaking population here. We also host English as a Second Language classes for adults, and a teen program for learning English. We thought, “Why don’t we have the Spanish-speaking teens run tours in Spanish and English to teach the older Spanish speakers about the museum?” The teenagers speak to the adults, and they engage with one another.<hr><hr><h4>We don’t decide what the community needs;&nbsp; the community tells us what they need.</h4><hr><hr>Q: That is amazing! You’ve put together two groups of people who are unlikely to interact with each other, creating an opportunity to discover what they can learn from each other. Is this what you meant about your plans to reach more audiences in “original and unexpected ways”? It also seems a great way to improve the footfall in the museum.SS: Exactly. We are looking at unexpected ways of doing that. Another project happened last Thanksgiving: Older people living in public housing needed meals delivered. We participated in a campaign to send cards with the food, wishing them love and care. Our employees and a lot of artists drew beautiful things in these cards, and some also asked their kids to get involved. The people receiving the cards didn’t meet the people who sent them, but there was a connection happening.<hr><img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/art_service_community4_cef74e8d1b.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-07T11:25:19.281Z" alt="art_service_community4">Gulam Rasul Santosh Untitled, 1983 Oil on canvas Gift of the Chester and Davida Herwitz Collection, 2001 Courtesy of the Peabody Essex Museum<hr>Q: That’s beautiful! I can just imagine the joy it must have brought people who are lonely and don’t have anyone else to call their own.SS: So lonely. Lonelier these past two years than most people have ever been in their lives.<hr>To be continued.<hr>

Art in service of community

<h4
 id="h-siddhartha-v-shah-is-the-director-of-education-and-civic-engagement-and-curator-of-south-asian-art-at-the-peabody-essex-museum-in-salem-massachusetts-usa-as-a-curator-he-develops-exhibitions-that-tell-the-stories-of-the-artists-communities-and-traditions-of-south-asia-as-well-as-important-moments-in-the-history-of-the-region-and-what-they-reveal-about-nation-building-and-self-discovery-in-his-role-as-director-of-education-and-civic-engagement-he-strives-to-create-alignment-and-synergy-between-the-museum-s-education-and-curatorial-departments-while-focusing-on-community-engagement-and-impactful-programming-in-part-2-of-this-interview-he-speaks-with-vanessa-patel-from-the-heartfulness-institute-about-yoga-meditation-art-and-growing-up"
>
 SIDDHARTHA V. SHAH
 is the Director of Education and Civic Engagement and Curator of South Asian
 Art at the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, Massachusetts, USA. As a curator,
 he develops exhibitions that tell the stories of the artists, communities,
 and traditions of South Asia, as well as important moments in the history of
 the region, and what they reveal about nation-building and self-discovery.
 In his role as Director of Education and Civic Engagement, he strives to
 create alignment and synergy between the museum’s education and curatorial
 departments while focusing on community engagement and impactful
 programming. In part 2 of this interview, he speaks with
 VANESSA PATEL
 from the Heartfulness Institute about Yoga, meditation, art, and growing
 up.
</h4>

<hr class="vertical-space1" />

<figure class="has-img-center" style="width : 700px !important">
 <img
 decoding="async"
 width="700px"
 alt="art_as_social_responsibility2"
 class="lazyload w-100"
 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/art_as_social_responsibility2_700x466_2b4c318074.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-10T05:40:31.704Z"
 />
 <figcaption>
 Courtesy of the Peabody Essex Museum. Photography by Kathy Tarantola
 </figcaption>
</figure>

<hr class="vertical-space1" />


 Q: So, Siddhartha, you’re also a Yoga practitioner and meditator, and you
 have spoken about psychospiritual wellness. Can you share a little bit about
 how you have incorporated this into your work?



 SS: I have been a
 pretty rigorous Yoga practitioner for twenty years, but I have basically
 stopped in the past year. Part of it was because of physical restrictions – I
 didn’t have a teacher here because of the pandemic, and I kept doing something
 wrong that was hurting my hip. No one was there to correct it, so even if I
 tried to do something simple, the next day I had pain.



 I also felt that I was too addicted to it. I understand that doing Yoga means
 I have a better day, but it got to the point where I could not have a good day
 if I did not do Yoga. That’s when I realized, “My relationship to this is not
 healthy.” But that’s also part of the practice – knowing when to tell myself
 that I need a break, because this is not doing what I need.



 Regarding meditation, it so happened that the week after lockdown started in
 March 2020, I started a meditation challenge for our staff. I said, “Okay
 everybody, the universe is telling us to go inside, so that’s what we are
 going to do.” For ten days I sent videos to them – just ten minutes of
 meditation each day for ten days. More than 70 people signed up, and some
 people said they wanted to keep going. So I said, “We’ll do a 21-day
 challenge,” and 40 people signed up for that. Since then, we do meditation
 every Monday morning before the work week starts, and every Friday afternoon
 at the end of the work week. It is open to anybody who wants to drop in, so I
 always have my Google Meet open. Sometimes nobody is there and I still attend,
 leaving my camera on, and I sit for twenty minutes. Other times, people come
 and join. It is just a service I now offer to staff.



 Q: I appreciate the sense that there are no expectations, no demands. If
 you feel the connection, the room is open. To me, that feels like true
 service, because there are no expectations in the intention behind your
 gesture.



 You’ve given me a 360-degree glimpse into your work world, although I’m
 sure there is a lot more that you are involved in. I know you started as a
 gallerist so I would love to know more about your journey, and the struggles
 you faced. Do you feel you are now in your dream job?



 SS: When I was
 younger, my dream job was to be an art dealer. I did that and thought, “Okay,
 now I have my dream, but I am not done. Now what do I do?” That dream career
 ended years ago. I would say the struggle was mostly internal, but there were
 some external challenges. It was a different path than a lot of South Asians
 in the United States. My father and brother are both physicians. Most of the
 Indians we knew were either physicians or engineers, and that just wasn’t the
 path for me. I always felt supported by my parents, but there were a lot of
 questions like, “What do you do?”, “What do you study?”, and “What are you
 going to do with that?”


<hr class="vertical-space1" />

<div class="block-image">
 <figure class="has-img-center" style="width : 700px !important">
 <img
 decoding="async"
 width="700px"
 alt="art_as_social_responsibility3"
 class="lazyload w-100"
 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/art_as_social_responsibility3_700x365_4798062ce3.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-10T05:41:43.024Z"
 />
 <figcaption>
 Courtesy of the Peabody Essex Museum. Photography by Bob Packert
 </figcaption>
 </figure>
</div>

<hr class="vertical-space1" />


 There was one pivotal moment around the age of 25, when I was a manager of a
 gallery in California. I was really unhappy in my job. I called my dad,
 crying on the phone, and said to him, “I don’t know what to do.” He said
 to me, “I don’t know your field of study. If you were a physician I could
 guide you, but you made this choice for yourself and I can’t help you here.
 You need to decide what you are going to do.” And that was so empowering
 for me. I realized he was right – “I chose this path, and I am going to figure
 this out.” That was a moment of real empowerment.



 I have had many different careers, and my path has unfolded because I said yes
 to the right opportunities. I have never had a vision of where I am ultimately
 going to be. I never decided that museums were where I wanted to be. It just
 felt right, and I said yes to the opportunity. That happened with the Ph.D. as
 well. I had never formally studied Indian art, and I only wanted to study with
 one professor, Dr. Vidya Dehejia. So I applied to the program, and thought,
 “If she takes me, I’ll go, and if she doesn’t, I’ll continue here.” She took
 me on, and my whole life changed. Suddenly I was a student again at 35.
 Everyone else was in their early twenties!



 Q: And how has your experience been in the curatorial world of art
 galleries and museums, amongst that community of people?



 SS: It’s been
 different every time I have curated something, because it depends so much on
 what you’re working with. Here at PEM, curating has been such a joy because I
 get to work with an outrageously rich collection. It’s great fun. It’s the
 largest collection of modern Indian art outside India, and certainly one of
 the most important collections of modern Indian art in the world.


<hr class="vertical-space1" />

<hr />

<h4 class="has-text-align-center">
 I have had many different careers, and my path has unfolded because I
 said yes to the right opportunities.
</h4>

<hr />

<hr class="vertical-space1" />

<div class="block-image">
 <figure class="has-img-center" style="width : 600px !important">
 <img
 decoding="async"
 width="600px"
 alt="art_as_social_responsibility4"
 class="lazyload w-100"
 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/art_as_social_responsibility4_924812ecc5.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-10T05:42:45.809Z"
 />
 <figcaption>
 Gulam Rasul Santosh 1929 – 1997, India Untitled, 1973 Oil
 on canvas Gift of the Chester and Davida Herwitz Collection, 2001 E301212 Courtesy
 of the Peabody Essex Museum
 </figcaption>
 </figure>
</div>

<hr class="vertical-space1" />


 If I were curating it in India, I would do it in a different way, but I have
 to curate for an American audience that is not in a major city. So, how to
 talk about Indian masterpieces by a collection of artists that most people
 have never heard of here? The challenge is to frame it in a narrative that the
 public is going to understand. I speak in very general terms, so that the
 story of India replicates the story of America. For example, there is a
 version of the Ramayana that, depending on how you enunciate it, is both the
 Ramayana and the Mahabharata. It’s a Pallava-era poem by the author Dandin.
 The work has been lost, but apparently it composed a version of two different
 epics with the exact same text. This is how I speak about India’s diversity,
 and unity in diversity. Part of what makes India so unique are the different
 types of people there, but, like America, the biggest challenge to harmony has
 been the country’s diversity. I speak about it in these ways, and it is great
 fun, as you can apply the concept to India and America.



 Q: That is a great way to make it relatable. Ultimately, art is something
 that needs to be relatable because, as you said, so many people feel it is
 beyond them. You have made it really accessible and activated it in so many
 ways for your community. Thank you so much, Siddhartha.



 SS: Thank you,
 and I hope to see you here at the museum.


<hr class="vertical-space1" />

Art as social responsibility

Siddhartha is Director of the Mead Art Museum at Amherst College, overseeing collections, acquisitions, exhibitions, and programs, and deepening engagement with the community. Shah is on the board of the American Council for Southern Asian Art and the Advisory Council of the Anne Frank Center for Mutual Respect.

SIDDHARTH SHAH headshot.jpg

Siddhartha V. Shah

<h4 style="text-align:justify;">SIDDHARTHA V. SHAH has been promoting art as a means of community engagement and social responsibility throughout his professional career. Recently he has taken up the role of Director of the Mead Art Museum, Amherst College, Massachusetts, and talks with VANESSA PATEL about how he is expanding his vision in this new college environment.</h4>Q: Hello Siddhartha, thanks for your time. Since last we met, you’ve moved to the Mead at Amherst. It's a different profile of people, right?SVS: Totally different. At Amherst College, the students are incredibly smart and talented. They can really think critically about art in a different way, and you can take more risks because college is about engaging with difficult conversations.&nbsp;Q: So how are you taking forward the community engagement that was so central to your last position at the Peabody Essex Museum?SVS: That will be a major part of what I do. The challenge is how to make the arts more available to people and democratize art museums. But the museum is in the middle of a college campus, so, if the community has a hard time accessing it, if they can’t park, if they don’t feel like what’s on campus is really for them, we’re limited. I’m hoping to advocate for the museum to move closer to town, to show that we are balancing the commitment to the educational mission and the civic responsibility of the college. This is a long-term plan as we want more people from the community to feel welcome. We want the general public to feel quite comfortable wandering in.Q: Are there specific projects that you are working on here?SVS: We are working on a public engagement project, an exhibition around American Studies and the idea of democracy, as well as the college being a place to develop the civic leaders of the future.&nbsp;I started thinking about Puerto Rico, which is essentially an American colony. The situation of Puerto Rico really brings into question whether the United States is a democracy, and whether our identity really is about freedom.<hr><h4 style="text-align:center;">To be in a space of beauty&nbsp; can shift the way we feel,&nbsp; how we open up, the way we connect with people.</h4><hr>This exhibition, from the Museum of Contemporary Art in Puerto Rico, is called “Tropical is Political – Caribbean Art Under the Visitor Economy Regime.” It addresses some of the issues around American identity. There are towns near here in Massachusetts that have the highest percentage of Puerto Ricans in the United States, like Holyoke and the city of Springfield. These are communities that have not felt welcomed at an elite college campus. So, my hope is that by doing this exhibition, talking about the situation of Puerto Rico and the Caribbean, that these folks will come to the museum and see their story. The labels will be in English and Spanish. This is one form of community engagement, through an exhibition that’s about the people who live near us.Q: I hope it expands for you the way you want it to.&nbsp;SVS: The first thing I did when I arrived was to check with the staff if they wanted to do a training on sensory accessibility, and they agreed. The museum is now certified as a sensory-inclusive museum, which means that we attend to the needs of people with invisible disabilities (e.g., post-traumatic stress disorder, a stroke, or on the autism spectrum). We have signs to inform them when there might be noise or flashing lights; we have noise cancelling headphones if they’re sensitive to sound. The next step is color accessibility, where we purchase special glasses. Folks who are colorblind don’t experience visual art in the same way. These glasses allow them to experience art fully.<figure class="image image-style-align-center"><img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/art_healing_slowingdown3_dd3fe7802a.jpg"></figure>Q: I’m sure it requires quite a bit of investment. Do you see this leading towards more partnerships with the larger community?SVS: Yes, although it’s going to take time. You can’t rush into community partnerships. You have to assess the risks, for example, where you could break someone’s trust. It takes time to earn the trust of people, performatively testing partnerships, seeing that everybody is happy.&nbsp;We’ve been doing an art project around mental health for students with learning disabilities and social challenges, displaying their work in the lobby. We have special hours because some of them are not comfortable being there with the public. It is a resource we share with them and we want them to take advantage of it. But we have to be really sensitive about how we partner with them. All these things take time.&nbsp;Q: With so much social upheaval around us, what are your thoughts on the role of art in navigating through our current issues, for instance, the fears around climate change? Is there something that art can offer as a means of support?SVS: There are a lot of different ways to approach this. Regarding fear around climate change, art can present solutions. Can art address this in ways that are communal? I’ve heard of some artists who make coral reefs out of knitting, so other folks can come and participate. It is a co-created practice about something at risk because of climate change. There are creative ways you can present issues.&nbsp;There are ways to present race and social justice with art in ways that words can’t. There’s a lot of sensitivity about using the wrong language and not wanting to hurt people. Art can communicate some of these complexities visually, touching a much deeper place.&nbsp;The flip side is that you can trigger people’s sensitivities. You may need to have content warnings, for example, “The next object engages issues of racism and sexual violence. The reason it is here is because there are aspects of these topics that need to be presented and engaged. If you wish not to engage with this material, then you might want to go to a different area of the museum.” You need to give them the option to engage or not.Ultimately, it’s all about visitor experience. You have to balance the objects and care for the objects, the correct presentation and history, and the visitor experience. Museums have historically prioritized objects. Now they’re shifting, and I’m someone who is all about the visitor experience; objects support that. For the visitor to have a good experience, they should have the option to engage as they wish, rather than being confronted with something they aren’t prepared for. What do you want to learn about? Here are your options, now choose your own adventure.<figure class="image image-style-align-center"><img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/art_healing_slowingdown4_88e16d4db8.jpg"></figure>Q: You have talked about including spiritual aspects like empathy, connection, and wellness. You used to do meditation at the Peabody. Is that something you’ve brought here too?SVS: Not yet, since I’m the director and because of the power dynamic. But nothing has changed around my commitment to wellness and the role of the arts. There are a lot more college students seeking counseling services than when I was in college. Since the pandemic, a lot of students are seeking mental health support. I see an opportunity for the art museum to be a space of healing, rejuvenation, restoration, rest, and slowing down. All these are aspects of the same thing.&nbsp;I noticed in myself a connection between internet scrolling (doom scrolling) and anxiety. There’s so much news and the images are changing. I become like a zombie, mindlessly scrolling until I’m completely agitated. And if I’m experiencing that, there must be a lot of people experiencing it, potentially worse than me, because they might not even be aware.&nbsp;The museum can be a space of slowing down; not just swiping past an image, but looking deeper, more closely. If people are having an experience of looking at images and slowing down, it is the complete opposite of looking at images frantically, whether it’s a dating app or Instagram. A space to slow down can really support mental health.<hr><h4 style="text-align:center;">The museum can be a space of slowing down;&nbsp; not just swiping past an image,&nbsp; but looking deeper, more closely.&nbsp; If people are having an experience of&nbsp; looking at images and slowing down,&nbsp; it is the complete opposite of looking at images frantically,&nbsp; whether it’s a dating app or Instagram.&nbsp; A space to slow down can really support mental health.</h4><hr>We do have a Counseling Centre on campus, and my understanding is that people can go for one-on-one sessions and group therapy sessions, like survivors of sexual violence, Alcoholics Anonymous, Overeaters Anonymous. I’m wondering if we can offer the museum as a space for some of these groups to meet, because we have an old wood-paneled room that can be completely closed and private; it is a beautiful, cozy room, a great safe space to engage in a facilitated conversation around a challenge. I’m exploring that too.Think about the stress of exams. I remember what it was like, paired with trying to find a job when you graduate, maybe coming from not much money, and feeling like you are now going to be responsible. Those pressures as well as body image issues, questioning sexual identity, are really intense for students.Q: I think the old support systems have practically crumbled and disappeared. They seem to have become redundant. There is a need for support systems with anonymity and lack of judgment, completely open and supportive. I really hope your idea takes shape, because that room sounds like a lovely place, a haven.SVS: Yes. I don’t know if it’s the same for everybody, but I find beauty really healing. When you’re sick, hospital doesn’t feel or look like a space of healing. It’s sanitized and cold and smells bad, and there are machines beeping. Even a therapist’s office can feel unwelcome and stark. To be in a space of beauty can shift the way we feel, how we open up, the way we connect with people. So, I’m hoping that this beautiful room can be used in that way.Q: Thank you again, Siddhartha.

Art, healing, and slowing down

Simmi is a Professor at the Department of Philosophy, Delhi University. Her Ph.D. was in feminism and ethical philosophy, and her M.Phil. in Gandhian philosophy. She is the author of Gandhi’s Law of Conscience (2001) and The Married Monk: From Experience to Beyond, which is soon to be released.

simmi.jpg

Simmi Valecha

The four eternal truths

simon-sinek.webp

Simon Sinek

Integrity

Intention

Simonne Holm is the founder of the Alkaline Institute. She helps people discover plant-based cooking through classes, retreats, and her cookbooks. www.alkaline-institute.com

SIMMONE-HOLME.jpg

Simonne Holm

<h3 class="p1" style="text-align: center;">Vegan, plant-based, organic and gluten-free</h3>
<h4 class="p1" style="text-align: center;">LEMON MARINATED&nbsp;KALE
 SALAD</h4>
<h5 class="p1" style="text-align: center;">INGREDIENTS</h5>
<h5 class="p1" style="text-align: center;">6 leaves of lacinato or dino kale 
 1/2 red grapefruit 
 1 lemon, the juice 
 1 small beetroot 
 1/3 red cabbage 
 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil 
 1 fresh red chili 
 salt and pepper</h5>

<hr class="vertical-space1">
Wash all vegetables. Thinly slice the green&nbsp;kale and mix in a bowl with the juice from 1&nbsp;lemon
 and 4 tbsp oil.
Massage the green kale with your hands for&nbsp;a few minutes, to make it soft. Cover and&nbsp;refrigerate
 for 1 hour or longer – overnight.
In a new mixing bowl add thinly sliced&nbsp;red cabbage and spiral sliced (or grated)&nbsp;beetroot then
 marinate it with lemon and&nbsp;olive oil for 1 hour or overnight.
Before serving, slice the red grapefruit&nbsp;and cut off the peel. Cut the slices into&nbsp;triangles and
 mix it with the green kale.&nbsp;Add the finely sliced chili, salt, pepper and&nbsp;more extra virgin olive oil.
PS refrigerating overnight makes the kale&nbsp;really delicious.
<hr>
<h4>To find all the&nbsp;recipes in Volume 2, Issue 1</h4>
<h4><a style="color: #d4aa20;" href="//www.heartfulnessmagazine.com/subscribe/"
 target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">SUBSCRIBE &amp; DOWNLOAD</a></h4>
<h4 style="text-align: center;">ALKALINE-INSTITUTE</h4>
<h4 style="text-align: center;">Photos &amp; recipes by Simonne Holm 
 alkaline-institute.com</h4>
<hr>

Alkaline kale salad & pumpkin bread with chia & herbs

<h4 style="text-align: justify">
 SIMONNE HOLM shares her passion for fresh, alkaline foods, and
 especially for healthy green drinks full of chlorophyll.
 </h4>
 <hr class="vertical-space1" />
 
 <img
 alt="Good Health"
 class="lazyload w-100"
 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/good_health1_7f8160f0a4.jpg?updated_at=2023-03-31T06:27:19.074Z"
 />
 
 <h3>CHLOROPHYLL</h3>
 
 <img
 class="img-float-right has-img-center-in-mobile lazyload"
 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/good_health2_cf3039c0e6.jpg?updated_at=2023-03-31T06:28:13.573Z"
 alt="good-health2"
 />Chlorophyll is the green colour we see in green plants. The pigment.
 Photosynthesis is a process used by green plants to transform light
 energy, from the Sun, to stored energy.
 
 
 Chlorophyll is one of nature’s riches sources of important nutrients.
 Its rich green pigment is vital for the body’s health.
 
 
 All green leafy vegetables and grasses are high in calcium, iron,
 magnesium, vitamin C, many B vitamins and protein.
 
 
 Chlorophyll has the power to regenerate our bodies at the molecular and
 cellular level.
 
 <ul>
 <li style="text-align: justify">
 Use a juicer or a high speed blender.
 </li>
 <li style="text-align: justify">
 Buy the alkaline vegetables and fruits.
 </li>
 <li style="text-align: justify">
 Make 300 – 500 ml of green juice or smoothie every morning, for your
 day.
 </li>
 </ul>
 <h3>
 SOME ALKALINE FOODS TO HAVE IN YOUR KITCHEN
 </h3>
 <h4>
 Vegetables<img
 class="lazyload w-100"
 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/good_health3_eb6ef3d92c.jpg?updated_at=2023-03-31T06:29:41.728Z"
 alt="good-health3"
 />
 </h4>
 <h4 style="text-align: justify">Fruits</h4>
 
 <img
 class="lazyload w-100"
 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/good_health4_a2409fb5dc.jpg?updated_at=2023-03-31T06:35:19.917Z"
 alt="good-health4"
 />
 
 
 Alkaline green smoothies are full of nutrients, fiber and easily
 digestible vitamins. They have a cleansing and revitalizing effect. The
 more alkaline your smoothie, the more cleansing is the effect.
 
 
 Begin your morning with a super alkaline morning smoothie. 
 Prepare 1/2 – 1 liter of green smoothie. Drink most of it as your first
 meal of the day, and keep the rest for later. 
 When you are hungry, drink a glass of your green nectar and feel the
 vitality.
 
 <ul>
 <li style="text-align: justify">
 <img
 width="300"
 height="195"
 class="img-float-right has-img-center-in-mobile lazyload good-health"
 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/good_health5_8ff6d53d13.jpg?updated_at=2023-03-31T06:36:05.656Z"
 alt="good-health5"
 />1 avocado
 </li>
 <li style="text-align: justify">1/2-1 lemon including peel</li>
 <li style="text-align: justify">
 1/2 green pepper without seeds 1 handful spinach leaves
 </li>
 <li style="text-align: justify">1 dl olive oil</li>
 <li style="text-align: justify">1 cup of water</li>
 </ul>
 
 Place all ingredients into a high speed blender and mix until smooth,
 adding a little filtered water if needed for consistency. 
 Add Himalayan salt (or other healthy salt) if you like.
 
 Enjoy!
 <hr />
 <h5 style="text-align: center">
 Article and photographs by&nbsp;SIMONNE HOLM
 </h5>
 <hr />

Good health

Serves 4 persons<h4>INGREDIENTS</h4>1 big onion, chopped 3 cloves garlic 1 bundle of fresh parsley 1 handful of basil leaves (optional) 1 carrot, grated 1 stick celery, finely chopped 1 tsp Himalayan salt 1 tsp lemon zest 2 tsp lemon juice 1 tsp baking soda 1 handful of fresh herbs (or dry) ¼ tsp cayenne pepper ¼ cup of cooked rice, rice flour or chickpea flour (preferred) 2 cups dry garbanzo beans, soaked for 10 hours, drained and cooked for 45 minutes (keep the cooking water).<h4>MIX THE MAIN INGREDIENTS</h4>In a food processor or blender, pulse all the ingredients except the garbanzo beans and carrots. Mix to combine thoroughly. Add half of the cooked garbanzo beans and pulse. Add the rest the garbanzo beans and the carrots. Pulse until it forms a granular paste. Add the cooking water to dilute if necessary. Place the paste in a bowl and let it stay for 30 minutes in the refrigerator.<h4>SIDE DISH OF GREEN KALE</h4>1 bunch of green kale, chopped and steamed in hot water for 2 to 3 minutes, and rinsed in cold water. You can remove the stems or chop them and use them, too.<h4>SIDE DISH OF RED OR WHITE CABBAGE</h4>Finely chop the cabbage and marinate it in 1 tbsp of cold pressed olive oil and 1 tbsp of lemon juice for 1 hour. Then add a pinch of Himalayan salt.<h4>TURMERIC SAUCE</h4>1 cup cashew nuts, soaked for 3 to 4 hours 1 tbsp grated fresh turmeric (or powder) 1 clove fresh garlic ½ tsp grated ginger 1 fresh chilli ½ lemon zest 1 tsp fresh thyme (or dried) ½ tbsp extra virgin coconut oil or sesame oil (preferred) 4 tsp fresh or dry herbs mixed 1 tsp Himalayan salt ½ to 1 cup of the water in which the garbanzo beans were cooked Pepper to tasteBlend all ingredients.<h4>MAKE 6 CHICKPEA BURGERS WITH YOUR HANDS</h4>Pan fry in a skillet with 3 to 5 tbsp extra virgin cold pressed coconut oil for about 2 to 3 minutes on each side, until golden.ORPre-heat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius /400 degrees Fahrenheit. Place the slices on a baking sheet and brush on both sides with coconut oil. Bake for about 20 minutes.Assemble your plate. Enjoy warm or cold.<img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/chickpea_burgers2_8a5c306e0f.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-04T06:57:02.879Z" alt="chickpea-burgers2"><h4>TIPS</h4>Use whole salt, not refined salt. Whole salt is rich in many important minerals. Use cold pressed oils, as it is a healthy way to eat important fats. Use organic ingredients to avoid pesticides and chemicals.This is a delicious and nutritious recipe you can serve for lunch or dinner, or take to school or work.Take the opportunity to prepare your food with joy and love, and let your loving vibrations be a part of this life-giving meal to those whom you love. Thank you Mother Earth for providing us with great food.All the best, Simonnewww.alkaline-Institute.com<hr><h4 style="text-align:center;">Recipe &amp; photographs by SIMONNE HOLM</h4><hr>

Chickpea burgers with vegetables

<hr class="vertical-space1">
<h4>Serves:</h4>
2 persons
<h4>Ingredients:</h4>
2 big handfuls spinach 
 1 big lemon without peel 
 1 green pepper 
 1 avocado 
 A little peace of fresh ginger, grated 
 A nip of Himalaya salt 
 2 to 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil 
 1 tbsp hempseeds or chia seeds 
 1 cup fresh clean water (less water for a smoothie bowl) 
 Blend it all and add the oil last
<hr class="vertical-space1">
<img decoding="async" class="w-100 lazyload"
 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/Alkaline_Smoothie2_7df96cc9d5.jpg">

<hr class="vertical-space1">
<h4>Toppings:</h4>
Hempseeds and/or chia seeds. 
 For newcomers to an alkaline diet, add a little fruit, e.g. red grapefruit, watermelon or berries.
<hr class="vertical-space1">
<img decoding="async" class="w-100 lazyload"
 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/Alkaline_Smoothie3_dab1000e27.jpg">


<hr class="vertical-space1">

<h4>Replacements:</h4>
Green pepper = cucumber 
 Avocado = less water or more oil and more greens 
 Olive oil = extra virgin coconut oil 
 Spinach = any green leaves, salads and green kale
<hr class="vertical-space1">
<img decoding="async" class="w-100 lazyload"
 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/Alkaline_Smoothie4_5fc868fe1a.jpg">

<hr class="vertical-space1">
<h5 style="text-align: left;">Thank you Mother Earth for giving me this beautiful, nourishing, live-changing clean food.
 I feel the Earth, I feel the sun and the water and the oxygen all contributing to our life on Earth. I respect it
 and thankfully I prepare the food with all my love, and serve it for my beloved who will feel the light of the
 food. 
 -Simonne</h5>
<hr class="vertical-space1">
<hr>
<h4 style="text-align: center;">Photos and recipes by SIMONNE HOLM 
 <a style="color: #333333;"
 href="https://alkaline-institute.com/">alkaline-institute.com</a>
</h4>
<hr>

Breakfast alkaline smoothie

<hr class="vertical-space1" />
<h4>
 <spanundefined
 >SIMONNE HOLM is the founder of the
 Alkaline Institute. She helps people discover plant-based cooking through
 classes, retreats and her cookbooks. Here she shares a wonderful vegetable
 soup, rich in flavor and color.
 
</h4>
<hr class="vertical-space1" />

 <spanundefined
 >The vegetables in this soup have many health benefits and they are low in
 calories and a great source of nutrients and fiber. You can also spice up
 the soup according to your taste by using more chili, fresh herbs and
 lemon juice for taste. Cook with joy and enjoy.

<h5 style="text-align: left">
 <spanundefined
 >Prep time: 10 minutes / Cooking Time: 30 minutes / Serves: 2
 persons
</h5>
<hr class="vertical-space1" />
<h4>
 <spanundefined style="color: #962121"
 >Ingredients
</h4>

 3 to 4 large fresh beets 
 1 big onion 
 2 cloves garlic 
 1 tablespoon ginger 
 1 to 2 celery stalks 
 1 big sweet potato or 1 carrot 
 1 to 2 parsnips 
 ½ to 1 teaspoon chili, fresh or dried 
 1 teaspoon Himalayan salt 
 ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper 
 1 liter water 
 1 teaspoon vegetable bouillon 
 2 tablespoons fresh herbs: thyme and basil (or 1 teaspoon dried herbs) 
 1 to 2 tablespoons of lemon juice 
 3 to 4 tablespoons cold pressed olive oil

<hr class="vertical-space1" />

 <img
 decoding="async"
 class="w-100 lazyload"
 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/beetroot_soup2_1_d14fcbbb98.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-08T08:49:38.258Z"
 />

<hr class="vertical-space1" />
<h4>
 <spanundefined style="color: #962121"
 >Preparation
</h4>

 Wash or peel all the vegetables and roughly chop them into similar sized
 pieces. 
 Add 1 liter of water to a medium pot, add the chopped onions and cook for 5
 minutes. 
 Turn down the heat, add the rest of the vegetables and cook for another 25
 minutes. The vegetables should be fully cooked. 
 Add the fresh or dried herbs and turn off the heat. 
 Blend the vegetables and water with the olive oil and lemon juice. Make sure
 that your blender can handle the hot soup, or let it cool first for a few
 minutes. 
 Taste with salt, pepper and chili. 
 If needed, warm the soup again after blending. It also tastes good cold.

<h4>
 <spanundefined style="color: #962121"
 >Presentation
</h4>

 Garnish with toasted seeds, fresh parsley, coconut creme or serve as it is. 
 To toast seeds: 
 Put ½ cup of pumpkin or sesame seeds in a medium skillet over medium heat. Dry
 roast them until they are golden brown, stirring occasionally, for 3 to 4
 minutes. Let them cool completely. 
 The seeds have many potential health benefits and have been used in folk
 medicine for thousands of years.


 To learn more about the Alkaline diet:<a style="color: #008000" href="https://alkaline-institute.com/">
 Alkaline-institute.com</a
 >

<hr class="vertical-space1" />

<hr />

<h4 style="text-align: center">Article and photographs by SIMONNE HOLM</h4>

<hr />

Beetroot soup

<hr class="vertical-space1">
Zucchinis, also known as courgettes, are
 delicious in many dishes. They are easy to cook and they can be eaten in many ways – raw, baked, stir fried
 and steamed.
Zucchinis are also alkaline-forming with
 their high water, mineral-rich in potassium and manganese, and fiber-rich contents. They also contain
 antioxidants and a lot of important vitamins like B, C and K. All in all, zucchinis are
 anti-inflammatory.
<h3>INGREDIENTS </h3>
2 medium
 zucchinis 
 1 tsp olive oil. 
 ½ tsp Himalayan or sea salt. 
 1 pinch of dried mixed herbs.
<hr class="vertical-space1">
<img class="img-float-left has-img-center-in-mobile lazyload" alt="Stuffed-zucchini"
 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/Stuffed_zucchini_6_432ac84375.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-10T08:39:32.727Z" />

<hr class="vertical-space1">
<h4>Filling
</h4>
1 big onion, finely
 chopped. 
 3 cloves garlic, minced. 
 ½ cup of black beans or green lentils, cooked. 
 2-3 tomatoes, finely chopped, or a can of crushed tomatoes. 
 Fresh herbs, 1 tsk oregano, thyme, basil, rosemary etc. 
 2-3 tablespoon olive oil. 
 ¼ tsp salt. 
 A little pepper and chili flakes.
<hr class="vertical-space1">
<img class="img-float-left has-img-center-in-mobile lazyload" alt="Stuffed-zucchini"
 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/Stuffed_zucchini_4_0e9613a01b.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-10T08:41:19.915Z" />

<hr class="vertical-space1">
<h4>Sauce</h4>
1 sweet potato, medium-sized, cut in thick slices, cooked. 
 ¼ cup of cashew nuts or sunflower seeds, soaked for 4 hours and rinsed. 
 1 tsk salt. 
 Juice of ½ lemon. 
 1 tablespoon onion powder.
¼ tsp garlic powder or 1 clove garlic. 
 1 tablespoon arrowroot starch. 
 Save the water from the cooked sweet potato to dilute the sauce.
<h4>Topping</h4>
A handful of fresh coriander or parsley.
<hr class="vertical-space1">
<img class=" img-float-left has-img-center-in-mobile lazyload" alt="Stuffed-zucchini"
 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/Stuffed_zucchini_2_2b2033e10b.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-10T08:42:29.671Z" />

<hr class="vertical-space1">
<h3> PREPARATION </h3>
Preheat oven to 390°F/200°C. 
 Prepare the sauce. 
 Cook the sweet potatoes and set aside. 
 Rinse the soaked cashews or sunflower seeds and blend them with a little water from the sweet potatoes. 
 Add the other ingredients to the mixture in the blender. 
 Blend high speed. 
 Dilute if necessary with the sweet potato water. 
 Set aside.
<h4>Prepare the zucchini</h4>
Trim off the stem
 ends and cut each zucchini in half, lengthwise. 
 Carefully remove the inside soft part of each zucchini using a small spoon. 
 Chop the inside part and save it.
<h4>Prepare the
 filling</h4>
Heat the olive oil
 in a pan, add the onion and cook for 3 mins. 
 Add the garlic and chopped inside zucchini and cook for 3 mins. 
<hr class="vertical-space1">
<img class="img-float-left has-img-center-in-mobile lazyload" alt="Stuffed-zucchini"
 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/Stuffed_zucchini_7_2a344a9d99.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-10T08:43:43.249Z" />

<hr class="vertical-space1">
Add the herbs. 
 Add the tomatoes, black beans or lentils, salt and pepper and for cook for 2-3 mins more. 
 Set aside.
<hr class="vertical-space1">
<img class="img-float-left has-img-center-in-mobile lazyload"
 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/Stuffed_zucchini_3_5662846bad.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-10T08:44:42.018Z" />

<hr class="vertical-space1">
<h4>Bake the
 zucchinis</h4>
Place the zucchini
 shells onto a baking sheet in a baking tray. 
 Sprinkle salt, pepper and chili on the shells. 
 Add the filling into the zucchini shells. 
 Add the sauce over the top and bake for 25-30 mins.
<h3>SERVING </h3>
Serve with fresh
 coriander or parsley. 
 Add chili if you like them spicy. 
 Serve them as an appetizer or side dish with a salad or quinoa.
<h6><a href="http://Alkaline-Institute.com">Alkaline-Institute.com</a>
</h6>
<hr class="vertical-space1">
<h4><img alt="Stuffed-zucchini" class="has-img-center lazyload"
 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/Stuffed_zucchini_5_9c0fa96703.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-19T05:12:13.019Z">
</h4>
<hr class="vertical-space1">


<hr>
<h4 style="text-align: center;">Photos &amp; recipe by SIMONNE HOLM 
 Illustrations by ARATI SHEDDE</h4>


<hr>

Stuffed zucchini

<h4 id="h-simonne-holm-looks-at-ways-to-develop-healthy-balanced-nutrition-using-the-80-20-alkaline-acid-principle">
 SIMONNE HOLM
 looks at ways to develop healthy balanced nutrition using the 80-20
 alkaline-acid principle.
</h4>

<hr class="vertical-space1" />


 In the book, The pH Miracle, Dr. Robert Young explains how our modern
 lives are suffering from imbalance caused by our dietary choices. He also
 explains how we can easily restore our health, getting the best nutrients and
 eating a balance diet, by finding the right combination of foods. If you would
 like to benefit from his exhaustive research, as well as from the works of
 early pioneers in the field, I highly recommend reading the book.



 The pH balance in your body plays a very important role in your health. pH is
 a measure of how acidic or alkaline something is, and an optimal acid-alkaline
 balance is necessary for the body to maintain a state of good health and avoid
 lifestyle diseases.


<div class="block-image">
 <figure>
 <img decoding="async" width="647" height="714" alt="new-biology2" class="has-img-center lazyload"
 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/new_biology2_88aa67565a.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-12T06:42:55.703Z" />
 </figure>
</div>


 The tissues in our body have an optimal pH range that must be maintained for
 the immune system to function optimally, e.g., the blood at the slightly
 alkaline pH of 7.365. Eating acidic, toxic, low-quality processed food and
 leading a lifestyle full of stress and negative thinking make the body create
 more acid than it can eliminate, and this then affect sour digestive system
 and body metabolism.



 So, in order to maintain the optimal pH of the blood, our bodies use alkaline
 minerals from our tissues. Once the alkalinity reserves in your tissues are
 exhausted, serious problems start. The body will be



 gin to leach calcium directly from bones and magnesium from muscles. And the
 excess acid in the body will be dumped back into the tissues for storage as
 the lymphatic (immune) system is overloaded. The body will retain fat to
 protect the excess acids from affecting the organs that sustain life. It is
 one of the main reasons for weight-related problems.



 This circle of imbalance will eventually lead to an oxygen-deficient
 environment in which bacteria, fungi, and yeast thrive. The body’s inability
 to remove its own waste leads to acidosis, the over-acidification of the blood
 and tissues.


<div class="block-image">
 <figure>
 <img decoding="async" width="700" height="501" alt="new-biology4" class="has-img-center lazyload"
 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/new_biology4_5b347db4b0.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-12T06:45:03.667Z" />
 </figure>
</div>


 Initial symptoms include low energy, allergies, premature aging, joint
 problems, inflammation, digestive issues, bowels irritation, reflux, weight
 gain, sleep problems, etc. These symptoms can later lead to chronic diseases
 like diabetes, inflammation, heart disease, osteoarthritis, cancer, and more.



 Fortunately, we can prevent imbalance and support our bodily needs by eating
 an alkaline diet that is full of nutrients, vitamins, minerals, fiber, omega
 oils, antioxidants, and plenty of water.



 The pH of our internal fluids affects every cell in the body, and blood is the
 most important tissue in the body that transports oxygen, nutrients, and water
 to the cells and eliminates waste products.



 It is quite easy to regain the proper pH balance within only a matter of
 weeks.


<div class="block-image">
 <figure>
 <img decoding="async" width="467" height="602" alt="new-biology3" class="has-img-center lazyload"
 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/new_biology3_71b6f32865.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-12T06:45:46.629Z" />
 </figure>
</div>

<hr class="vertical-space1" />


 Step 1:
 Understand
 what kind of lifestyle you live and what food you are
 eating.



 Step 2:
 Understand how
 your body works according to the pH balance and how to
 maintain homeostasis.



 Step 3:
 Take action.
 Break your imbalance and start eating a diet rich in raw,
 green, organic whole foods.


<h4>
 Daily Program for
 Optimum Health and Vitality
</h4>

<ol type="1">
 <li>Drink fresh organic green smoothies or juices.</li>
 <li>Drink more pure water.</li>
 <li>Eat organic green salads and nourishing dressing.</li>
 <li>Meditate to give your mind a break.</li>
 <li>Do breathing exercises for a few minutes daily.</li>
 <li>
 Move and get in contact withnature (parks, coast, forests, mountains, etc.).
 </li>
 <li>Sleep well – more than you think you need.</li>
</ol>


 By adding these to your life, you can return your body to astate of purity and
 balance.


<hr class="vertical-space1" />

<div class="block-image">
 <figure>
 <img decoding="async" width="700" height="388" alt="new-biology6" class="has-img-center lazyload"
 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/new_biology6_206bc24839.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-12T06:46:34.082Z" />
 </figure>
</div>

<hr class="vertical-space1" />

<h4>
 The 80-20
 Principle
</h4>


 Everything you eat influences your body’s pH balance. So, it is important to
 find the right balance between acidic and alkaline food. To achieve the
 correct balance, strive for a diet of 80% alkaline-forming foods and 20%
 acid-forming foods.



 In reality, most people are doing the exact opposite: eating
 20%alkaline-forming foods and 80% acid-forming foods.



 Make sure that meat, fish, potatoes, rice, pasta, and other acid-forming foods
 only make up 20% to 25% of what you eat. The remaining 75% to 80% of what you
 eat will be fresh vegetables and other alkaline foods.



 Keep in mind that each of us is a unique individual with different bodily
 needs. You need to be your own best expert and begin to recognize your body’s
 true needs.



 You can eat as many alkaline-forming foods as you like, as they contain
 important nutrients and have a low-glycemic index.


<hr class="vertical-space1" />

<div class="block-image">
 <figure>
 <img decoding="async" width="467" height="602" alt="new-biology7" class="has-img-center lazyload"
 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/new_biology7_9c2d437684.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-12T06:47:37.616Z" />
 </figure>
</div>

<hr class="vertical-space1" />


 Alkaline food is plant-based, gluten-free, sugar-free, and contains proteins,
 minerals, vitamins, antioxidants, and essential fatty acids. Alkaline fruits
 and vegetables contain high water content and mineral content, which increase
 the oxygen content of the body.



 The human body is designed to eat natural foods. And an alkaline diet offers
 an optimal way to bring yourself back to balance from any disorder, be it
 physical, emotional, or spiritual.


<h4>
 Alkaline Drinks are
 the Foundation of Health
</h4>


 The easiest and the best way to get more raw vegetables daily is to kick-start
 your day by juicing or blending your vegetables.



 A healthy daily intake is 6 to 9 cups of vegetables and fruits. Drinking a big
 glass of a green smoothie or juice daily will increase your greens intake by
 up to as much as 3 cups.


<hr class="vertical-space1" />

<div class="block-image">
 <figure>
 <img decoding="async" width="467" height="602" alt="new-biology5" class="has-img-center lazyload"
 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/new_biology5_7ab56b7928.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-12T06:49:12.784Z" />
 </figure>
</div>

<hr class="vertical-space1" />


 Using the balance principle, it is possible to create vibrant health,
 facilitate weight loss, and slow down aging.



 Apply the principle step-by-step and visualize a big plate of what you will
 eat during the day. It can help you to navigate toward more healthy alkaline
 food.


<h4>
 Acid–Alkaline Ratios
 in Food
</h4>


 1. 75%
 acidic: common in the standard Western diet


<div class="block-image">
 <figure>
 <img decoding="async" width="300" height="300" alt="new-biology8" class="has-img-center lazyload"
 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/new_biology8_4889b720ff.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-12T06:50:36.582Z" />
 </figure>
</div>


 Acidic foods rob your nutrients: low-quality processed, refined foods,
 nutrient, pre-packaged non-foods, fast foods, trans fats, genetically modified
 and oxidizing foods, sugar. They provide fewer nutrients to your body, but
 result in stress, toxins, and acidity.



 2. 50-50: a
 good start to a healthy lifestyle


<div class="block-image">
 <figure>
 <img decoding="async" width="300" height="300" alt="new-biology9" class="has-img-center lazyload"
 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/new_biology9_a69c1aff59.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-12T06:51:35.243Z" />
 </figure>
</div>


 Regain nutrients by adding fresh, unprocessed foods. Let fresh, organic fruits
 and vegetables make up more than 50% of your food.



 3. 70% to 80%
 alkaline food is the optimal balance for your health


<div class="block-image">
 <figure>
 <img decoding="async" width="300" height="300" alt="new-biology10" class="has-img-center lazyload"
 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/new_biology10_8cbe7b1d67.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-12T06:52:28.529Z" />
 </figure>
</div>


 Live fully recharged with 70% to 80% high-energy, fresh, alkaline, organic,
 whole foods, alkaline juices, smoothies, and water.


<hr class="vertical-space1" />

New biology

<hr><h4>SIMONNE HOLM is the founder of the Alkaline Institute and is dedicated to helping people to thrive on their health journey through creative food projects, cooking, and lifestyle. Here she shares a colorful nutritious vegetable soup that is simple to make and tastes delicious.</h4><hr>This is an easy way to cook a vegetable soup rich in flavor and color. The vegetables have many health benefits and they are low in calories and a great source of nutrients and fiber. You can spice it up as per your choice. Use more chili, fresh herbs, and lemon juice for taste. Cook with joy and enjoy.Prep time 10&nbsp;minutes. Cook time&nbsp;30&nbsp;minutes. Serves 2 people.<h4>Ingredients</h4>3 to 4 large fresh beets 1 big onion 2 cloves garlic 1 tablespoon ginger 1 to 2celery stalks 1 large sweet potato or 1 carrot 1 to 2 parsnips ½ to 1 teaspoon chili, fresh or dried 1 teaspoon Himalaya salt ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper 1 liter water 1 teaspoon vegetable bouillon 2 tablespoons fresh thyme and basil or 1 teaspoon dried herbs 1 to 2 tablespoons lemon juice 3 to 4 tablespoons cold pressed olive oil<hr><img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/healing_soup2_478ba93e64.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-26T07:49:29.983Z" alt=""><hr><h4>Preparation</h4>Wash or peel the vegetables and roughly chop them into the same-sized pieces.Add 1 liter of water in a medium pot, add the chopped onions, and cook for 5 minutes.Turn down the heat, add the rest of the vegetables, and cook for another 25 minutes. The vegetables should be fully cooked.Add the fresh or dried herbs and turn off the heat.Blend the vegetable soup with the olive oil and lemon juice.Make sure that your blender jar can handle the warm soup or first let it cool for another 5 minutes.Add salt, pepper, and chili to taste.You can warm the soup again after blending. It also tastes good cold.<h4>Toast seeds</h4>Add ½ cup of pumpkin or sesame seeds to a skillet over medium heat. Dry roast them until golden brown, stirring occasionally, for 3 to 4 minutes.Transfer to a plate to cool completely.The seeds have many potential health benefits and have been used in folk medicine for thousands of years.&nbsp;<h4>Assemble your plate</h4>Sprinkle the beetroot soup with toasted seeds, fresh parsley, coconut crème, or have it just as it is.<hr>When the Divinity at the center of every atom in our food resonates with the Divinity within us, food becomes a potent source of goodness. — Daaji<hr><hr>To learn more about the Alkaline Diet, visit Simonne’s website at <a href="http://www.Alkaline-institute.com">www.Alkaline-institute.com</a>

Healing Soup

<h4 style="text-align:justify;">SIMONNE HOLM shares an approach to eating that will reduce inflammation and nourish your body, and shares 5 simple recipes to help you do it! You’ll soon be bounding with energy and not feeling hungry all the time.</h4>&nbsp;For more vitality, aim to include high alkaline-forming, anti-inflammatory ingredients as often as possible. These nutrient-dense and energy-rich foods will rejuvenate your body and bring clarity and calm to your mind by reducing inflammation.By simply adding more fresh, clean greens and fruits to your diet, you can eliminate the need for hunger and calorie counting. Instead, focus on satisfying, vibrant meals that deeply nourish, leaving you energized and free from deprivation. This way of eating supports personal well-being, while also promoting a sustainable lifestyle in harmony with nature.<h4 style="text-align:justify;">Your food choices matter!&nbsp;</h4>Everything you consume impacts your cells and the environment. By choosing plant-based, unprocessed, organic, fresh foods, you create positive changes—not just for your health but also for the planet.<h4 style="text-align:justify;">Your health starts in the kitchen.</h4>It’s equally important to preserve cooking traditions and skills, as these empower you to inspire younger generations to embrace healthy cooking, habits, and living.At the start of a new year, many of us set <a href="https://heartfulness.org/magazine/are-you-eating-for-your-mind-body-and-soul" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">health goals</a>. Success depends on how realistic and sustainable it is to implement these goals. Studies show that the average woman tries eight diets a year. How can you balance a healthy and nourishing plate every day without thinking it is a diet?The key lies in incorporating nutrient-rich ingredients in your meals, making it easier to phase out unhealthy options like refined food, sugar, trans fats, and gluten. They are really no go! Raw fresh foods like kale, spinach, cucumber, and celery are great for smoothies, for instance. They are a simple and powerful way to boost your body, fast. Packed with energy, <a href="https://heartfulness.org/magazine/wheatgrass-juice" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">vitamins</a>, and fiber, they promote better digestion, provide your body with essential nutrients, and vitalize your cells.<h4 style="text-align:justify;">Why not start with a smoothie a day?</h4>Try my Alkaline Vitality recipes during the next five days and enjoy the health benefits and taste.I’m here to help you on your journey to vitality! Feel free to reach out with any questions. Visit my website for more inspiration today and discover some free guides. <a href="www.alkaline-institute.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">www.alkaline-institute.com</a><hr><h3 style="text-align:justify;">Basic smoothie template for ultimate vitality.</h3><ul><li style="text-align:justify;">80% leafy greens: Spinach, kale, and other fresh greens.</li><li style="text-align:justify;">1 to 2 cups of water.</li><li style="text-align:justify;">Healthy fats: Avocado, almonds, chia seeds, and oils such as olive oil, flaxseed oil, or avocado oil.</li><li style="text-align:justify;">Fruits with very low fructose: Lemon, lime, papaya, or tomato.</li><li style="text-align:justify;">Vegetables: Cucumber, celery stalks, or zucchini.</li></ul><hr><h2 style="text-align:center;">5 BOOSTING RECIPES</h2><hr><h4 style="text-align:justify;">Alkaline Ultimate Morning Smoothie</h4>Ingredients:<ul><li style="text-align:justify;">100 grams (2 big handfuls) of fresh spinach and kale.</li><li style="text-align:justify;">½ to 1 avocado (if in season).</li><li style="text-align:justify;">2 cups of water.</li><li style="text-align:justify;">¼ teaspoon Himalayan salt.</li><li style="text-align:justify;">2 to 4 tablespoons of oil (olive, flaxseed, or avocado) or chia seeds.</li><li style="text-align:justify;">1 lemon, peeled; you can use the peel without the white pith for extra zest.</li><li style="text-align:justify;">A few fresh mint leaves.</li></ul>&nbsp;<figure class="image image_resized" style="width:75%;"><img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/boost_your_vitality3_0c15748a2c.webp" alt="boost-your-vitality3.webp" srcset="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/thumbnail_boost_your_vitality3_0c15748a2c.webp 235w,https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/small_boost_your_vitality3_0c15748a2c.webp 500w,https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/medium_boost_your_vitality3_0c15748a2c.webp 750w," sizes="100vw"></figure>&nbsp;<figure class="image image_resized" style="width:75%;"><img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/boost_your_vitality2_82e75a364e.webp" alt="boost-your-vitality2.webp" srcset="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/thumbnail_boost_your_vitality2_82e75a364e.webp 233w,https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/small_boost_your_vitality2_82e75a364e.webp 500w,https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/medium_boost_your_vitality2_82e75a364e.webp 750w," sizes="100vw"></figure>&nbsp;Instructions:<ol style="list-style-type:decimal;"><li style="text-align:justify;">Blend all ingredients until smooth.</li><li style="text-align:justify;">Adjust the water to your preferred consistency. If using chia or flaxseeds, note that the smoothie will thicken over time.</li><li style="text-align:justify;">Enjoy a big glass fresh and store any leftovers in a glass container in the fridge for up to one day.</li></ol><hr><h4 style="text-align:justify;">Green Vitality Smoothie</h4>Ingredients:<ul><li>2 kale leaves.</li><li>1 handful of spinach.</li><li>1 cucumber.</li><li>Fresh herbs, e.g., mint, lovage.</li><li>1 lemon or lime (peeled).</li><li>½ tsp Himalayan salt.</li><li>3 tbsp olive oil.</li><li>500 ml water (or more as required).</li></ul>&nbsp;<figure class="image image_resized" style="width:50%;"><img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/boost_your_vitality4_28cc3e4a1e.webp" alt="boost-your-vitality4.webp" srcset="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/thumbnail_boost_your_vitality4_28cc3e4a1e.webp 117w,https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/small_boost_your_vitality4_28cc3e4a1e.webp 374w,https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/medium_boost_your_vitality4_28cc3e4a1e.webp 561w," sizes="100vw"></figure>&nbsp;Instructions:<ol style="list-style-type:decimal;"><li>Rinse the vegetables thoroughly and add them to the blender. If your blender isn’t very powerful, place the softer ingredients at the bottom.</li><li>Add water and a pinch of salt. Blend at high speed until smooth.</li><li>Add the olive oil and blend briefly to combine.</li><li>Adjust the water as needed to reach a drinkable consistency.</li><li>Drink a large glass immediately, and store the rest for later. It keeps up to three days in an airtight glass container. Enjoy this refreshing boost of vitality!</li></ol><hr><h4 style="text-align:justify;">Alkaline Papaya Smoothie</h4>Ingredients:<ul><li style="text-align:justify;">100 grams (2 big handfuls) of fresh spinach, kale, or a combination.</li><li>½ papaya (if in season).</li><li>2 cups of water.</li><li>¼ tsp Himalayan salt.</li><li>2 to 4 tbsp of oil (olive, flaxseed, or avocado) or chia seeds.</li><li>1 lime (peeled; you can also use the peel without the white for extra flavor) A few fresh mint leaves.</li></ul>&nbsp;<figure class="image image_resized" style="width:75%;"><img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/boost_your_vitality5_088b6b3c69.webp" alt="boost-your-vitality5.webp" srcset="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/thumbnail_boost_your_vitality5_088b6b3c69.webp 218w,https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/small_boost_your_vitality5_088b6b3c69.webp 500w,https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/medium_boost_your_vitality5_088b6b3c69.webp 750w," sizes="100vw"></figure>&nbsp;Instructions:<ol style="list-style-type:decimal;"><li style="text-align:justify;">Blend all ingredients until smooth.</li><li style="text-align:justify;">Adjust water for desired consistency and enjoy fresh. Store any leftover smoothie in a sealed glass container for up to one day.</li></ol><hr><h4 style="text-align:justify;">Kale and Cabbage Salad with Sweet Potato and Toasted Pumpkin Seeds</h4>Ingredients:<ul><li style="text-align:justify;">2 cups kale, finely chopped (remove tough stems).</li><li style="text-align:justify;">2 cups cabbage, finely shredded (green or purple cabbage).</li><li style="text-align:justify;">1 zucchini, julienned with a knife, grater, or mandolin.</li><li style="text-align:justify;">2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled, cubed, and cooked (boiled or roasted).</li><li style="text-align:justify;">¼ cup toasted pumpkin seeds.</li></ul>Dressing:<ul><li style="text-align:justify;">2 tbsp olive oil.</li><li style="text-align:justify;">1 tbsp lemon juice.</li><li style="text-align:justify;">1 tsp Dijon mustard.</li><li style="text-align:justify;">1 tsp grated ginger.</li><li style="text-align:justify;">Salt and pepper to taste.</li></ul>&nbsp;<figure class="image image_resized" style="width:75%;"><img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/boost_your_vitality6_a9d5012bc8.webp" alt="boost-your-vitality6.webp" srcset="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/thumbnail_boost_your_vitality6_a9d5012bc8.webp 234w,https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/small_boost_your_vitality6_a9d5012bc8.webp 500w,https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/medium_boost_your_vitality6_a9d5012bc8.webp 750w," sizes="100vw"></figure>&nbsp;Instructions:<ol style="list-style-type:decimal;"><li style="text-align:justify;">Prepare the dressing:  In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil, lemon juice, mustard, grated ginger, salt, and pepper until smooth.</li><li style="text-align:justify;">Massage the kale: Place the chopped kale in a large bowl and drizzle a small amount of the dressing over it. Massage the kale with your hands for 1-2 minutes to soften it.</li><li style="text-align:justify;">Assemble the salad:  Add the shredded cabbage, julienned zucchini, cooked sweet potato, and the remaining dressing to the bowl with the kale. Toss everything well to combine.</li><li style="text-align:justify;">Top with pumpkin seeds:  Sprinkle toasted pumpkin seeds over the salad before serving.</li></ol>&nbsp;<figure class="image image_resized" style="width:75%;"><img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/boost_your_vitality7_efdc4eb2a5.webp" alt="boost-your-vitality7.webp" srcset="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/thumbnail_boost_your_vitality7_efdc4eb2a5.webp 234w," sizes="100vw"></figure>&nbsp;<hr><h4 style="text-align:justify;">Chia Pudding with Oats and Cinnamon</h4>Ingredients:<ul><li style="text-align:justify;">½ cup of chia seeds.</li><li style="text-align:justify;">1 cup of water.</li><li style="text-align:justify;">Optional toppings: Ground cinnamon, oats, fresh fruit.</li></ul>&nbsp;<img class="image_resized" style="width:50%;" src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/boost_your_vitality8_4ad3f238c1.webp" alt="boost-your-vitality8.webp" srcset="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/thumbnail_boost_your_vitality8_4ad3f238c1.webp 125w," sizes="100vw">Instructions:<ol style="list-style-type:decimal;"><li>Soak chia seeds in water for at least 10 minutes, or until they form a gel-like consistency.</li><li>Add a sprinkle of cinnamon and mix well.</li><li>Serve as is, or top with oats and fresh fruit for added texture and flavor.</li></ol><hr><h4 style="text-align:center;">Photographs by SIMONNE HOLM</h4><hr>&nbsp;

Boost your vitality

Smriti Krishna, M.Phil., Ph.D., GCED, is a research scientist who focuses on improving the lives of patients with cardiovascular diseases and promoting healthy aging. Her work&nbsp;has been published in many leading general and specialist journals. Currently, she conducts her research at the Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute and the Baker Department of Cardiometabolic Health, University of Melbourne, Australia.&nbsp;

Smriti is a strong community-oriented person with a long history of voluntary activities.&nbsp;She is an active member of the Australasian Mental Health Higher Education Committee, a Charter Member of the Emotional Well-Being Institute (UN Geneva), and a volunteer for the Heartfulness Institute.&nbsp;

smriti-krishna.jpg

Smriti Krishna

<h4>DR. SMRITI KRISHNA shares some reflections on the value of solitude and alone time during the pandemic. She reminds us of some ancient wisdom from both the Japanese and Indian cultures on how to love ourselves, spend time with ourselves, accept our imperfections, and celebrate life, even during a pandemic!</h4><hr>As I glance outside my apartment balcony in the heart of Melbourne, Australia, to the piece of sky above and a green patch that I can see through the high-rise buildings, I notice that the streets are unusually quiet. The occasional chirping of birds breaks the deadly silence. The sixth lockdown due to the pandemic has turned the city into a ghost town.Many who have been resilient throughout the past emergence of the pandemic are starting to feel the sand wash away from under their feet. Holding on to positivity and being resilient is becoming harder as each day goes by. Many are lonely and confined to limited physical and emotional spaces. Yes, there is a vast virtual or digital world out there where we can hang out and reconnect with anyone across barriers, but still, many people feel lonely.I have listened to my friends’ complaints that the lockdown has made them realize how lonely they were.Why are we so reluctant to spend time with ourselves?Loneliness is an experience which, when turned into a positive, becomes a divine practice. Solitude is an enjoyable phase to detach yourself from your body and allow yourself to heal the wounds that past experiences have inflicted upon you. The solitude phase is transformative and nonjudgmental. You might be broken from inside: a broken marriage, broken friendships, children being irrational and alienating, loss of career growth, a lack of personal growth and feeling stuck. But it is okay to be broken, it is okay to have failed. You are beautiful the way you are.How to make solitude a divine experience?The practice of meditation takes us to a stage where we learn to accept the things that comes our way in life. Yes, life may not have been rosy, and there have been lost opportunities and occasions of discrimination, but so what? None of that has changed who we are “inside.”<hr><hr><h5>The practice of meditation takes us to a stage&nbsp; where we learn to accept the things&nbsp; that comes our way in life.</h5><hr><hr>Many of us have been lucky enough to have a list of friends on social media, a group of friends to help us enjoy weekend parties, and school and university social media groups that erase international borders, all of which have brought us together in the time of the pandemic. Those are all good support systems. But you want to go beyond that and live fully in the present moment. That’s when you are left alone with your real self and that is when you start to love yourself without judgment.The Japanese art of Kintsugi puts broken pieces of pottery together with gold, which is a metaphor for highlighting the flaws and imperfections in a damaged art piece. However, we don’t need Kintsugi. It is okay to be broken, it is okay to have been hurt in the past, it is okay to carry scars that have healed only on the surface. The whole of our life may not be perfect, but the pieces are just as beautiful as they are whole in themselves. The broken pieces don’t need to be aligning perfectly. Every piece or experience in life is a story, and it is perfect the way it is.Hindu philosophy teaches that the gunas (a Sanskrit word meaning tendencies or personalities) are not the true “Self,” or Atman. So, practice Atma-Prema, or unconditional self-love – love of the Self that exists at the center of all of us. AtmaPrema arises from the realization that beyond our imperfections, beyond the titles and genetic lineages we carry, our fundamental inner being is pure and eternal.As lockdown continues, now is the time to put all those years of reading about meditation into practice. Meditate and enjoy time with yourself. Congratulate yourself on the amazing journey so far. Be your best friend!<hr><hr><h4>Illustrations by ARATI SHEDDE</h4><hr><hr>

How to love yourself

SMRITI NARAYANAN is a high school senior from Austin, Texas, who enjoys researching the various impacts music, the environment, and interactions have on the human brain. Here she explores the soothing effect of the sounds of nature.

Smriti-Narayanan.jpg

Smriti Narayanan

<h4>SMRITI NARAYANAN is a high school senior from Austin, Texas, who enjoys researching the various impacts music, the environment, and interactions have on the human brain. Here she explores the soothing effect of the sounds of nature.</h4><hr>Think of the soft pitter-patter of raindrops and the gentle tumbles of a stream nearby. Think of the shrill chirps in a birdsong and the whoosh of the leaves blowing in the wind. What do you associate these sounds with? How do they make you feel? These sounds of nature invoke a sense of comfort and ease. This is something common to all people, but why is it so? Actually, there’s a science behind why these sounds make us feel relaxed.A study conducted by Buxton, Pearson, Allou, Fristrup, and Wittemeyer (2021), published by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences furthered the theory that natural sounds relayed a positive correlation to quantitative and measurable health benefits. The study identified 36 publications in which “decreased pain, lower stress, improved mood, and enhanced cognitive performance”1 correlated with listening to natural sounds.From this, they identified an environment in which there was decreased human disturbance – parks. Environments with reduced noise pollution allowed people to perceive animal, water, and wind sounds. As the researchers looked more deeply into various sounds, they found that water sounds had the largest mean health benefits and positive outcomes. When they compared natural sounds to human noise, they found a similar outcome. Their results demonstrated the calmness and joy brought to those who experienced and perceived the sounds of nature.Having more calmness and joy in one’s life can lead to reduced stress, anxiety, and brain fog. In environments with increased human noise pollution, such as cities, towns, and suburbs, we don’t perceive sounds in our environment because our attention is focused on other singular sounds or sights, like a voice or a person. Human-made sound is referred to as noise whereas environmental sound is simply natural sound. When we do get the chance to listen to the sounds of nature, it’s almost as if we’ve taken a pause from the world around us.One reason why humans find the sounds of nature soothing is because of their connection to music.The basic elements of music are derived from sound and rhythm, which are found in nature. Take, for instance, a bird song. The sounds of the bird create a song, just as notes connect to make a song on an instrument. Rhythm is seen in nature through drops of rain hitting the ground. If you listen to the peck of the woodpecker, you will find a rhythm. Many renowned musicians like Vivaldi, Beethoven, Handel, and Debussy were inspired by nature. If you’ve ever listened to Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, you can distinguish the different moods of music used to portray the change in nature. Essentially, we’ve discovered that music and nature are one. The music we find soothing today wouldn’t exist without nature-derived sounds and rhythms.<hr><img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/power_of_sounds_of_nature3_700x466_b2c1200ed0.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-13T05:44:33.386Z" alt=""><hr>In addition, the way humans interpret the soundscape can have an effect on emotions.Studies have shown that nature can affect the psychological development of an individual. Though it is important to note that not all sounds affect humans in the same way. Due to various experiences and memories, different sounds can evoke different emotions. Various sounds can evoke certain recalls in the human mind, correlating to positive (and sometimes negative) feelings. The way in which our mind reacts to these auditory stimuli is what we show through emotion.<hr><h4>Natural sounds have an overall positive effect&nbsp; on human health. The long term benefits of stress relief&nbsp; and reducing anxiety are numerous including sleep improvements,&nbsp; reduced muscle tension, and an overall better quality of life.</h4><hr><hr><img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/power_of_sounds_of_nature2_700x176_1230b7df08.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-13T05:46:22.845Z" alt=""><hr>Kanha Shanti Vanam, an ashram in Hyderabad hosting the world headquarters for the Heartfulness Institute, is an ecological paradise where you can resonate with inner and outer nature. The Green Kanha Initiative aims to utilize this space to nurture biodiversity and this is accomplished through the conservation of hundreds of endangered and indigenous species of plants and animals. In addition to being a meditative space, Kanha Shanti Vanam has become a conservation site and home to these flora and fauna. Here people can experience the sounds of nature all around them whilst practicing meditation. If you’re looking to implement natural sounds into your meditation and mindfulness routine, you may consider visiting this ashram.<hr><img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/power_of_sounds_of_nature4_700x466_95c584f423.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-13T05:48:29.997Z" alt=""><hr>For the most part, we’re able to say that natural sounds have an overall positive effect on human health. The long term benefits for stress relief and reducing anxiety are numerous, including sleep improvements, reduced muscle tension, and an overall better quality of life.Some strategies for accessing natural sounds on a daily or weekly basis are to take some time to step outside, be away from the bustling sounds of an urban environment, and connect with nature. Whether it’s in your own backyard, the local park, or a national park, the sounds of nature surround us. If you don’t have the luxury of stepping into nature, there are thousands of relaxing audios and natural sounds found on streaming platforms. By simply implementing any one of these strategies, you could take small steps towards daily stress and anxiety relief.1 <a href="https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2013097118#%3A~%3Atext%3DThe%20results%20affirm%20that%20natural%2Csound%20and%20low%20anthropogenic%20sound">https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2013097118#%3A~%3Atext%3DThe%20results%20affirm%20that%20natural%2Csound%20and%20low%20anthropogenic%20sound</a><hr>

The power of the sounds of nature

Snoopy

You win

Socrates (470-399 B.C.) was a Greek philosopher from Athens who is considered to be the founder of Western philosophy. He was among the first moral philosophers of the ethical tradition of thought.

Socrate_du_Louvre.jpg

Socrates

Wisdom begins in wonder

Sofia is a French spiritual teacher, Sanskrit scholar, writer, biographer of the 14th Dalai Lama, co-author and translator with His Holiness, specialist on Tibet, and translator of Kalachakra from Sanskrit. She is the coordinator for UNESCO’s International Day of Conscience with Love for Peace on April 5.

SOFIA-STRIL-REVER.webp

Sofia Stril-Rever

<h4 style="text-align:justify;">SOFIA STRIL-REVER shares her experience of the Mahotsav in Kanha Shanti Vanam at the United Nations, during International Day of Conscience with Love for Peace on April 5, 2024. Her call to action is to turn planet Earth into planet LOVE.</h4>Heartfelt greetings dear friends,Would you believe me if I tell you that I’m coming from another planet? As you know, our thoughts create our reality, therefore according to our different mindsets, we inhabit different worlds within a single world system. A couple of weeks ago I was invited by the Indian government to a gathering of spiritual leaders bringing together 75,000 participants, at the Heartfulness world headquarters near Hyderabad. There I landed on planet Love.Every corner was bursting with positive energy, innovation, and creativity. I was surrounded by a community of visionaries and doers, shaping together the future. And the best part? Feeling inspired to reach higher with love in action.Planet Love isn’t la la land. I have the good fortune of personally knowing global icons of love and they are the most realistic and pragmatic people. Why? Because they are connected to the primal, the vital reality of love that I experienced early in life, at 17, when I joined a modern saint, Sister Emmanuelle in her Cairo slum.There I saw with my own eyes the power of love changing radically the lives of 40,000 people and turning their slum into a nice neighborhood with a new generation of girls becoming doctors, engineers, lawyers, etc. Imagine if we were all Sisters Emmanuelle here! Imagine if in these UN buildings, the thousands of experts and diplomats started their daily sessions with Gandhi’s talisman and a commitment to uplift the lives of the most vulnerable. The whole Earth would be planet Love.We can make this happen. With conscience and love elevated at the level of global leadership, we can make a U-turn and shift from our civilization based on the ordering principle of short-term profit at the expense of the living, to a civilization based on the ordering principle of love and care.Historically, the drafting of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948 marks the rise of a global human conscience. Some have told me it’s a mistake to speak of the International Day of Conscience, and it should be the International Day of Consciousness, so it may be useful to recall the respective meanings of consciousness and conscience.<hr><h4 style="text-align:center;">With conscience and love elevated&nbsp; at the level of global leadership,&nbsp; we can make a U-turn and shift from our civilization&nbsp; based on the ordering principle of short-term profit&nbsp; at the expense of the living, to a civilization&nbsp; based on the ordering principle of love and care.</h4><hr>Consciousness refers to the cognitive and reflexive processes at the root of language, concepts, symbols, and the ego. Conscience is mentioned in Article 1 of the 1948 Universal Declaration. It’s our innate sense of ethics that served as the foundation of human rights in the aftermath of World War II, in a world that had betrayed its conscience. But over 75 years later, the world keeps betraying its conscience. At the individual and the societal levels, the cause is a decentering of our conscience from its original caring nature, which modern psychology calls prosociality. As a result, conscience normalizes the atrocities of war, social and economic injustice.&nbsp;<img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/Love_for_Peace2_d8caafe3f6.webp" alt="Love-for-Peace2.webp" srcset="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/thumbnail_Love_for_Peace2_d8caafe3f6.webp 145w,https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/large_Love_for_Peace2_d8caafe3f6.webp 800w,https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/Love_for_Peace2_d8caafe3f6.webp 800w," sizes="100vw">&nbsp;<hr><h4 style="text-align:center;">Loveforce can be learned, and I guide people&nbsp; to experience it in the “Be the Love” protocol&nbsp; based on the traditional inner sciences of the mind and&nbsp; recent findings in social and affective neurosciences.</h4><hr>We could say that conscience and consciousness are the yang, the masculine energies of the mind, while love and compassion are the yin, the feminine energies of the mind. In our male-dominated societies, we are conditioned to develop a yang mindset that rationalizes increasing militarism and a criminal world economy benefiting hardly 20% of the human family, while wrecking the planet.This International Day brings together Conscience and Love as foundational for Peace, so it was compelling for me to initiate with you its celebration. A few years ago, when mega fires circled the globe, making Earth a graveyard of countless animals and plants, I contemplated Gandhi’s words,&nbsp;“Be the change you wish to see in the world.”&nbsp;It then dawned upon me that this radical change is love and I responded to him with,&nbsp;“Be the Love you wish to see in the world.”Love is usually equated with individual feelings and emotions. But love is also a collective force for social justice and human evolution, as Martin Luther King Jr. promoted in his struggle for civil rights, under Gandhi’s inspiration. And MLK took up the Indian term Satyagraha, which he translated as “strength to love.” That I render as “Loveforce.”Loveforce can be learned, and I guide people to experience it in the “Be the Love” protocol based on the traditional inner sciences of the mind and recent findings in social and affective neurosciences. With heart-focused meditation, we can significantly contribute to a culture of global collective care. As humans, we were born to channel the cosmic energies of life and transform life force into Loveforce. We were born to care for one another and all living beings on the Mother planet.&nbsp;To conclude, I invite us to make every day of our lives a day of Conscience with Love for Peace. And on future International Days of Conscience, let’s pass the torch from East to West, one time zone after the other, with celebrations and messages posted on giant screens from Australia to California. Together with our younger friends, let’s kickstart a global intergenerational movement to turn planet Earth into planet Love. Thank you.&nbsp;Excerpts from a talk given at the UN offices two weeks after the Global Spirituality Mahotsav. International Day of Conscience with Love for Peace is held every year on April 5.<hr><h4 style="text-align:center;">Illustrations by ANANYA PATEL &nbsp;</h4><hr>

Conscience with love for peace

Soham Desriaux lives on Réunion Island, a French Department in the Indian Ocean, known for its volcanic rainforested interior and beautiful beaches and coral reefs. As well as his photography, he also has a YouTube channel, SkyView by Soham, https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCORo5m_7RK7qwWQT0BzJ18g showcasing the natural beauty of his homeland.

Soham.jpg

Soham Desriaux

<hr><h3 style="text-align:center;">A PHOTO ESSAY</h3><hr><h4>SOHAM DESRIAUX lives on Réunion Island, a French Department in the Indian Ocean, known for its volcanic rainforested interior and beautiful beaches and coral reefs. At the age of 15, he is already sharing his creative flare for photography and multimedia, showcasing the natural beauty of his homeland.</h4><hr><img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/Soham_nature2_03dec41bc5.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-10T04:32:56.236Z" alt="Soham_nature2_03dec41bc5"><hr>I have always been passionate about photography.&nbsp;I have so many friends and am very active in outdoor activities. I never really realized the importance of my mum’s advice, when she used to say that I should learn to be joyful and satisfied in my own company. I should feed my well-being when I am alone as well. However, during this confinement, this came to be, as I had no choice but to learn how to be well and joyful – alone.<hr><img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/Soham_nature3_c6dab8c1d4.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-19T06:44:12.217Z" alt="Soham_nature3_c6dab8c1d4"><hr>I tried to be creative in a safe way. I decided to use my love for photography. For these macro photos, I have used my phone and a home-made macro lens I built by dismantling an old broken camera.&nbsp;I am blessed to live on a beautiful island, where we have many endemic flowers and insects. I’m fascinated by how inanimate things come to life after the rains, and in the early morning dew.&nbsp;<hr><img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/Soham_nature4_d3f2150e54.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-19T06:45:10.718Z" alt="Soham_nature4_d3f2150e54"><hr>What I have learnt through this period of quarantine is that I am never alone; nature can be a great companion. I can be quiet and full of joy and wonder.&nbsp;<hr><img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/Soham_nature5_2eab7d576a.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-19T06:45:59.041Z" alt="Soham_nature5_2eab7d576a"><hr>I also have a YouTube channel portraying the aerial drone videos I have produced: SkyView by Soham <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCORo5m_7RK7qwWQT0BzJ18g" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCORo5m_7RK7qwWQT0BzJ18g</a><hr><hr><h4 style="text-align:center;">Article &amp; Photographs by SOHAM DESRIAUX</h4><hr>

Home› Contributors