PRANAYAM

Pranayam or breath control is link between mind and body. Prana means life force and anayama means control .By focusing on the breath , the mind becomes calm and balanced. Pranayama implies mastering the life force within. By controlling the motion of the lungs or respiratory organs, we can control the Prana that is vibrating inside. Everything we do uses life forces or Prana. For most of us this vital energy is constantly depleted and never recharged. Pranayama also helps to connect the body to its battery, the solar plexus where tremendous potential energy is stored. When tapped this vital energy or prana is released for physical , mental , spiritual rejuvenation.

Inhalation supplies abundant oxygen to the body. Exhalation expels waste products and toxins from the body. Retention is holding of breath to gain control and prevent dissipation of energy.

Pollution , bad posture like hunching and slouching , stress and faulty living habits allows us to use only a fraction of our potential respiratory capacity.In shallow breathing or incomplete exhalation not all the toxic and waste carbon dioxide is emitted , hence , it continues to recycle in the respiratory system thereby reducing the amount of new oxygen available for avioli. All this results in fatigue caused by improper blood circulation and insufficient supply of oxygen to blood cells.

The longevity of the body increases as the rate of breathing reduces. In the animal world , there’s a strong correlation between the number of breaths and life span. For eg. The tortoise takes 3 breaths a minute lives about 180 years while monkey which takes 30 breath a minute, may live about 20-30years.

One should not practice pranayam after a heavy meal because it reduces concentration as food causes some blood and oxygen supply to be diverted into the stomach for digestion.

MARRIAGE QUOTES

I first learned the concepts of non-violence in my marriage.

Mohandas K. Gandhi

It is not a lack of love , but a lack of friendship that makes unhappy marriage

Friedrich Nietzche

Love is blind, but marriage restores its sight.

George C. Lichtenberg

All weddings are similar , but every marriage is different.

John Berger

If you want to sacrifice the admiration of many men for the criticism of one, go ahead, get married.

Katherine Hepburn.

A successful marriage requires falling in love many times , always with the same person.

Mignan Mclaughlin

A good marriage is at least 80% good luck in finding the right person at the right time. The rest is trust.

Nanette Newman

Marriage is the triumph of imagination over intelligence.

Oscar Wilde

A good marriage is that in which each appoints the other guardian of his solitude.

Rainer Maria Rilke

I think men who have a pierced ear are better prepared for marriage. They have experienced pain and bought jewellery

Rita Rudner

The goal in marriage is not to think alike , but to think together.

Robert C. Dodds

My advice to you is to get married . If you find a good wife , you will be happy , if not you will become a philosopher.

Socrates

Happy marriages begin when we marry the ones we love , and they blossom when we love the ones we marry.

Tom Mullen

MARRIAGE FACTS

India is a country known for its diverse culture and religion. Hence, each region follows its own rituals and customs of celebrating marriage. All of these rituals have some significance. The most common ones have been discussed below:

Mehndi :
During an Indian wedding both the bride and bridegroom put mehndi which symbolizes love. It is also a symbol of love between husband and wife. The bride has the name of the groom carved into the mehndi pattern.The groom is expected to find his name in the pattern. If he cannot do so, it is said that, the bride will control the marriage.

Jaimaal :
In Jaimal both the bride and groom exchange garland of fresh flowers in presence of everyone. It symbolizes that by mutual consent of parents, both boy and girl accept each other as husband and wife.

Tie Kangan :
In hands of both boy and girl kangan is tied because both are considered as Vishnu and Laxmi. Kangan consists of kaudi, moti, panna, loha ka chakra and pila sarson.

Saat Fere :
Agni is considered most pious in shastra, hence, the couples take seven circle around it. First the right foot is taken forward and then the left foot amidst chanting of pious Vedic mantras.
Four is Vishnu fere and three is shiva fere. Every phera or circle around the fire has got a specific meaning attached to it and denotes a solemn vow taken which needs to be followed through out the life.It means Dharma, Arth and Kaam achieved by female and Moksha by male. After this they become husband and wife for seven birth. .

Throw filled lota:
After marriage when the girl arrives at her new home she is welcomed by her mother-in-law with Aarti. On the main door she hits with her right leg a lota filled with rice. It conveys that she brings wealth and fertility along with her and that now she is the head of the house , food and wealth and therefore, the family responsibility is on her.

BREATHE RIGHT

We generally breathe only 1/5 th of our natural breathing capacities.Breathing wrong makes us vulnerable to illness both mental and physical such as allergies, coughing, shortness of breath etc. Breathing diet is as important for health as nutritious diet and exercise.

"The right way of breathing is to inhale gently and exhale a little longer than we inhale.Only when exhalation is deep that you throw out dirty air , increase the lung volume and create the right suction effect to draw in clean , oxygenerated air",says yoga acharya Shameem Akhtar.

Right Way: Breathe in deeply so that abdomen bulges when inhale and sucked in when you exhale. Use your abdomen rather than your chest. Regular practice of Pranayam enables body to get back into natural form when panicky. It also enhances will power and concentration.

Benefits of breathing right:

• Overall good health as it removes pressure from heart and let the maximum amount of oxygen into the body.
• Better metabolism hence effective in weight loss.
• Better mental focus because brain needs constant oxygen supply to remain fresh.
• Increases life span due to enhanced lung volume and less pressure on heart.
• More both mental and physical stamina.

Gym do's and don'ts:

• One should do cardio exercises like treadmill and swimming which maintains normal breathing.
• While doing weights never hold breath for long as it may increase blood pressure suddently.
• While doing bending exercise never hold breath.

Ideal Diet:

• Protein
• Iron: very good for lungs as it helps them to expand.
• Vit.C,Calcium,Magnesium and Phosphorus: good for respiratory system.
• Omega 3: lot of colour on the plate ( a rainbow diet ) is good.

Big Indian Fat Wedding

Welcome to the world of exotic and exclusive Indian glitterati Weddings.Today , weddings are becoming more fashionable and exotic . Rich Indians are splurging big on such special events .Special cities as venue are selected , palaces are booked , theme parties are organized and expensive gifts are given. Not only this such marriages are breaking all the physical boundaries to present the very best of global experiences to their guests. For example A Gujrati Merchant imported five tonnes of Tulips costing 2.5 euro each for the venue from Holland . Likewise for another wedding 50 kgs of special handmade Lebanese chocolates were imported. For another held at J W Marriot a special handmade wicker basket costing Rs. 3,000/- per piece were flown from south Korea to be used as welcome kit. For the same wedding cashews and pistachios were imported from Afganistan . Even as per kg costed $ 85 some 125 kg were imported .
To give a typical regional touch to the wedding lassi from Mathura , sweets from Calcutta or Paan from Benaras are not just ordered , but tailor made to give authentic touch .

Classic Definitions & Cool Meanings

1. Cigarette : A pinch of tobacco rolled in paper with fire at one end & a fool at the other.

2. Love affairs : Something like cricket where one-day internationals are more popular than a five day test.

3. Marriage : It's an agreement in which a man loses his bachelor degree and a woman gains her master

4. Divorce : Future tense of marriage

5. Lecture : An art of transferring information from the notes of the lecturer to the notes of the students without passing through "the mindsof either".

6. Conference : The confusion of one man multiplied by the number present.

7. Compromise : The art of dividing a cake in such a way that everybody believes he got the biggest piece.

8. Tears : The hydraulic force by which masculine will-power is defeatedby feminine water-power ..

9. Dictionary : A place where divorce comes before marriage.

10. Conference Room : A place where everybody talks, nobody listens & everybody disagrees later on.

11. Ecstasy : A feeling when you feel you are going to feel a feeling you have never felt before.

12. Classic : A book which people praise, but do not read.

13. Smile : A curve that can set a lot of things straight.

14. Office : A place where you can relax after your strenuous home life.

15. Yawn : The only time some married men ever get to open their mouth.

16. Etc. : A sign to make others believe that you know more than youactually do.

17. Committee: Individuals who can do nothing individually and sit todecide that nothing can be done together.

18. Experience : The name men give to their mistakes.

19. Atom Bomb: An invention to end all inventions.

20. Philosopher : A fool who torments himself during life, to be spokenof when dead.

21. Diplomat : A person who tells you to go to hell in such a way thatyou actually look forward to the trip.

22. Opportunist : A person who starts taking bath if he accidentallyfalls into a river.

23. Optimist : A person who while falling from Eiffel Tower says inmidway "See I am not injured yet."

24. Pessimist :- A person who says that O is the last letter in ZERO,Instead of the first letter in word OPPORTUNITY.

25. Miser : A person who lives poor so that he can die rich.

26. Father : A banker provided by nature.

27. Criminal : A guy no different from the rest... except that he got caught.

28. Boss : Someone who is early when you are late and late when you are early.

29. Politician : One who shakes your hand before elections and yourConfidence after.

30. Doctor : A person who kills your ills by pills, and kills you with his bills.

31. Computer Engineer : One who gets paid for reading such mails

DEADLY E-MAIL

A man checked into a hotel. There was a computer in his room, so he decided to send an e-mail to his wife. However, he accidentally typed wrong e-mail address, and without realizing his error, he sent the e-mail.

Meanwhile.....somewhere in Houston, a widow had just returned home from her husband's funeral. The widow decided to check her e-mail, expecting messages from relatives and friends.

After reading the first message, she fainted. The widow's son rushed into the room, found his mother on the floor, and saw the computerscreen which read:

To: My Loving Wife

Subject: I've Reached

Date: 16 Oct 2006

I know you're surprised to hear from me. They have computers herenow, and you are allowed to send e-mails to your loved ones.

I've just reached and have checked in.

I see that everything has been prepared for your arrival tomorrow.

Looking forward to seeing you then!

Hope your journey is as uneventful as mine was.

BRAINY STUFF

A television advertisement rightly comments on today's lifestyle " Thakna ManaHai ".We need almost supernatural power to handle effectively all professional,social and personal life .We make lots of efforts to keep ourselves physically active though we achieve most through mental application.Hence, few mental tips to live life full(king) size.
1.BrainVita,Do mental exercise: similar to physical exercises even our brain needs some fitness regime. Solving crosswords, puzzles or sudoku are some mental strengtheners.
2.Move your Body: Physical exercise enhances the blood flow and hence a good oxygen supply to brain tissues. A person gains mental alacrity.
3.Creating association: good memory reflects sharp brain.Try to associate things to remember names, events or figures.
4.Eat right: Indeed,food has a direct impact on brain .Fish, nuts, olive oil contains omega3 fatty acid which slows down brain ageing.Antioxidants found in brightly coloured fruits & vegetables and green tea also protects the brain cells.

Bringing F1 To India

The king of good times Vijay Mallya and Indian Olympic Association ( IOA) chief Suresh Kalmadi are gungho about bringing the motor sport F1 to India as soon as 2009-2010. Announcement by the IOA about Delhi being allotted an F1 Grand Prix schedule for 2009 have been made.

India needs to develop the infrastructure with the combined effort of the government and the private sector.The work has to start from the basic need to identify a site in the capital where the racing tracks could be laid. There's a huge shipping involved .9-10 jumbo jets for the cargo part have to be shipped. The roads , airports needs much improvement. Delhi will need to make provision of some 7000 hotel rooms.

Once successful , India will be able to make a place on the tourism map for one of the priveledged countries to host the Grand Prix. The sport has huge viewership next only to football world cup and Olympics. Moreover, its hold on an annual basis rather than every four years.

But there are quite many who are skeptical about this ambitious plan given the investments and logistics involved. The Motor Sports Association Of India ( MAI ) feels that the announcement is too premature . Nazir Hoosein , President, MAI , is of the view that F1 circuits don't make money until they are established. They will have to conduct bike racing etc. to keep utilising the track. Apart from the infrastruture there is expense on training. Moreover, its more of a five star event with elite people involved in it. Hence, similar facilities needs to be made available.

Will Kalmadi and Mallya be able to get India on the F1 track? It remains to be seen , but the announcement has certainly brought lots of cheers to the F1 enthusiasts.

DOMESTIC VIOLENCE

We often think that it’s the ‘meek ‘ or ‘subservient’ females who cannot stand for themselves are usually the victims of domestic abuse. Contrarily it can happen to one of the most bold ,smart and fun loving person maybe to you and me. Statistics show that one-third of women experience domestic violence at sometime in their life. It can happen to our relatives, neighbours, friends or someone we see in the theatre, malls, offices etc. Its difficult to identify such situation because usually females are quite uncomfortable to confide in their family or friends or are scared that their partner would come to know.
Domestic violence can involve threats, pushing, beating, choking, sexual assault or hit with a weapon. It doesn’t happen once a while but becomes a common affair. It shows as bruises or injuries or sometimes might result in serious accidents. The abuser on the other hand might appear to be quite well behaved and lovable publicly, but can display extreme violence in the privacy at home.
In India it’s even more prominent because of religion, culture, and family pressures which teach women to keep the relationship going at all cost. Besides, most of the women are financially dependent on their husband.
Domestic violence needs to be treated as crime .The females should stand up against it fearlessly and all the citizens should consider it their moral responsibility to inform the concerned authority if they witness any.