Our chief guest Mrs. Kousalya Karthikeyan started the session with a beautiful quote said by Swami Vivekananda

“We are what our thoughts have made us. So take care about what you think. Words are secondary. Thoughts live; they travel far”.

which clearly emphasized the importance of thoughts in our life.

“Whether you think you can or cannot, you’re right”.

                                                     -Henry Ford

The greatest form of knowledge is knowing yourself. Knowing yourself starts with knowing your thoughts. Your mindset is nothing more than a compilation of your thoughts. Your thoughts have incredible power to shape your life and the lives of others, because your thoughts and interpretations of circumstances directly influence your beliefs, and ultimately, your actions.

To help us know the impacts of thoughts in our life, she gave an activity which included various questions about daily chores and helped it to group under three

       1.Facts or Rational thinking

       2.Real time experiences

       3.Cultural habits

and helped us in knowing about spontaneous thinking.

Often we come across statements such as, ‘You are what you think’, ‘Attitude determines altitude’, ‘I think, therefore I am,’ etc. Certainly, the emphasis here is on the mind and its ability to think, as thoughts shape our personality by influencing our emotions, actions and habits.

She also gave some ideas to manage  the random thoughts through some meditation ideas.

“Sit quietly with your spine erect, closing your eyes and focus on your breath. As you open your eyes, you say a phrase to yourself. “May joy fill my heart and may peace fill my life.”  I let the feeling of the words fill the spaces of my heart as I breathe in and out.”

Some Intentions to repeat it to yourself :

  • I am filled with gratitude
  • I listen more deeply when I don’t give advice
  • I feel vibrant when I exercise everyday
  • I practice yoga each day to stay centered
  • I nourish myself with healthy foods
  • I let go of gossip to nurture compassion for all beings

She also revealed the importance of team work in expressing everyone’s views and this session nearly benefitted 20 and more participants.