Live every moment of your life consciously, not unconsciously. Carry out every action of yours with complete attention and not as a matter of habit. Be aware of yourself, right from the time you wake up in the morning until the time you go off to sleep. Most people are in the habit of rushing through your life without being conscious of the present. There may be times when you drive to work through busy traffic and reach your office, and only when you park your car you become aware of the fact that you have made the whole journey from home to office, navigated through heavy traffic, without even being aware of your actions. This is unconscious living of the beautiful human life that has been gifted to you.

If you observe your actions consciously, you often find that you are either living in the past or in the future, the present is mostly forgotten. At times, you unconsciously relive the painful memories of the past, and suffer the pain with the same magnitude that you had suffered in the past. Sometimes, you find yourself dwelling on happy moments of the past and feel extremely joyful by reliving those moments. In the bargain, the present moments of your life are unknowingly lost, and can never be regained. Therefore, it is necessary for man to cultivate the habit of living in the present, especially so because the past is gone and the future is yet to come.

Life happens only in the present moment. Train yourself to live with awareness and alertness, and with a witness attitude. Be more of an observer during all happenings of your life; do not get emotionally entangled in the happenings. Conduct every action with dedication and integrity, with sincerity and compassion towards all. By consciously cultivating the habit of living in the present, and developing ourselves to be a witness to all happenings in life, without getting unduly perturbed, we become successful in maintaining physical, mental and spiritual health . Living with awareness from moment to moment induces spiritual awakening.

As a test to yourself, carry out a small exercise in awareness. Take a brief walk from your home to the shop. When you return home, try and remember all the people who passed by you, during your walk. Jot down from your memory the names of those people who you have crossed or encountered. Practice this exercise for a week, and you will observe the progressive difference in your awareness level. You will find yourself becoming naturally attentive, and living in the present. Try any other exercise which can help you to focus your awareness on the present moment. Make a commitment to yourself to live attentively from moment to moment, for the rest of your life. As you live with awareness, your mind becomes disciplined.

This human life is a precious gift from God. Spiritualize every action of yours. Sanatana Hindu Dharma is based on the natural laws of the Universe, offering our gratitude to the Divine on a regular basis, all through the day, for every activity we undertake. One very unique feature of our culture is the reverence we have towards all creation –people, animals, nature. Our scriptures teach us that everything is interconnected and interdependent. This profound belief has been practiced by our people in simple ways through the daily recital of various invocations, chants, mantras, shlokas, etc. that have been passed on to us, from generation to generation. Incorporate these mantras into your daily life, whereby all actions performed during the day, are offered wholeheartedly at the feet of the Divine. This is way to conduct our lives, in complete awareness, performing every action as an offering to God. 

• Early morning, upon waking up, rub your palms together, invoking thedeities residing within the palms, seek their blessings for all the activitiesthat you may undertake during the day, by reciting this shloka:

Karaagre Vasathe Lakshmi, Karamadhye Saraswati

Karamule tu Govinda, Prabhaate Kar Darshanam

• While taking bath, invoke the waters of the sacred rivers, and with complete gratitude, seek their blessings through this shloka:

Gange cha Yamune chaiva Godāvari Saraswati

Narmade Sindhu Kaveri jale asmin sannidhim kuru

• While taking meals, express your gratitude to the omnipresent God who exists in the food, inside the devotee and also in the hunger, through this shloka:

Brahmaarpanam Brahma Havih Brahmaagnau Brahmana Hutam,

Brahmaiva Tena Gantavyam Brahmakarmasamaadhina

• Before starting any activity, recite the Shanti Mantra:

Om Sahana Vavatu, Sahanau Bhunaktu,

Sahaveeryam Karavavahai, Tejas Vinavadhi Tamastu,

Ma vidhwishavahai, Om Shanti Shanti Shantihi

• At the end of the day, before sleeping, recite this shloka:

Kaayena vaacha manasendriyairvaa,

Buddhyaatmanaa vaa prakrteh svabhaavaat,

Karomi yadyat-sakalam parasmai,

Naaraayannayeti samarpayaami

My blessings to you all. May you all attain the Ultimate.

-Guruji