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I've been meditating a bit for a decade and half now. However, I've been searching for a nice Yoga school to also improve myself in it. Recently, I thought that I had found one by visiting its web-site. I went to its class in a nearby top hospital where it's conducted, however, their evening timing was incorrect since I found out there that classes are only held during mornings. I thought that this was general administration's fault which seems to be with several things in India and not of the specialist yoga teachers themselves. However, there was very high amount of pollution on the way and so I decided to not go there including in the mornings because by when the class would've gotten over, the traffic would've increased much and that which would've also kept me in that very high pollution that much longer. If you're concerned about pollution then I welcome you to also read and share http://www.healthfitnessindia.com/profiles/blogs/anti-pollution-mask-delhi-metro-police 

I just read "At Shell, a Grassroots Effort Aims to Nourish Innovation Via Meditation" http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article.cfm?articleid=3063 and that felt being a part of a great world and that humans are still pursuing greatness including for our world: 

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Knowledge@Wharton: Recently, we published a series of articles on a meditation program at Google, called "Search Inside Yourself," which makes an explicit connection between mindfulness, meditation practice and emotional intelligence. I wonder whether at Shell you view it in a similar light and if so, what implications that might have for the way your program is built?

Mandar Apte: Yes, there is definitely a link. From my perspective, the link is that we're all busy; we're all racing to solve challenges. As for innovation, you know, it's all about thinking of new things. One has to learn how to drop the old habits, the old ideas, the old concepts and it's like taking a pause from the business of today, a gap in your mind from the train of thoughts. That's what meditation allows you. It gives you tools and techniques to pause. And silence is the mother of creativity. So, if you can invoke that space of silence within yourself -- through any means -- it need not be through meditative practice -- it could be any other means that anybody chooses to adopt. That's the first step. The second step involves social processes and interpersonal skills. If you can invoke that quality of compassion or empathy in yourself, where you are not judging yourself, you're not criticizing yourself, nor are you judging somebody else, then I think there is a space for insights to be created. These qualities are crucial for grooming your own innovative skills and nourishing the innovation culture in an organization.

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I would keep sharing valuable readings and experiences on meditation in the posts. I welcome you to read and share if you like.

Best,

Shakti

http://www.linkedin.com/today/post/article/20130126183946-212158738-is-your-college-going-out-of-business and my comment:

May I help? First, I'm looking for study abroad programs to market in India and it would be great to work with others to help our world.

Now, when I remember going to USA for college from India, I had almost no idea that I would pursue Computer Science. I did have a computer and the Internet during high school years (around 1997) and that I was told by friends that I was the first in my extensive friend circle to have one. Having a computer perhaps gave me some thoughts of doing something professionally with it but I had no specific thought of studying CS. I had enrolled for Electrical Engineering primarily because my dad was himself an Electrical Engineer and that he had a related business (closed now and he also moved into CS) and that I was good enough in Science and Maths with some experience in dad's work and so perhaps had thought that EE would be great for me.

Within first year of college at Georgia Tech including after exploring much by meeting people of several disciplines and also visiting labs and talking to graduate students and professors, I changed to Computer Science and that over a decade, I've worked at some different companies including my own on some different things by applying CS. I still remember a top professor from EE in Robotics and another from Aerospace Engineering who both gave me (a 1st year student) their valuable time in personal appointments to share with me about their fields and the one in Robotics let me explore my interest in robotics by letting me work on a robotics arm at a lab under supervision of a graduate student and the one in Aerospace Engineering had a graduate student take me to lab and show me a helicopter and how the various disciplines come together.

Even though I keep learning online (in fact, I've a page http://slateandchalk.net/learnonline.html to help others learn online who might not be aware of these great resources), I believe that going to physical environments for learning has irreplaceable values. For my entire college years, I had a long distance relationship with my gf (who's ex now) and that even though we expressed greatly by using the technologies, the coming together was just something else. Regarding education systems, I've thought a lot and written a bit over the years. I hope to contribute increasingly to education and I wish that study abroad consulting work would also help me with increasing knowledge, experience, funds and contacts for the same.

I would be doing the study abroad consulting work through my company Jeevika Socii Pvt. Ltd. in New Delhi which currently does recruitment work through its brand Career Partner http://www.careerpartner.in/. Jeevika in Sanskrit means what one does for a living and Socii in Latin means Allies. If there's anything that interests you in doing with me then kindly share with me. Thank You and All the Best! Shakti

Hi All,

During mid October, I decided to leave my gym then which has nice facility, equipment, and trainers and that I recommend it to people and so my reason to leave wasn't because of gym itself. So I went to a gym nearby that is an international chain of high repute to learn about it. I was told by the salesperson there that he was giving me a great discount and that it was only valid until the end of October. However, I couldn't join it for November because my gym then told me that I've to give one month notice for cancellation based on my contract and so I had to pay for the month of November and hence I also used the gym for the month which was nice. After some days, I searched online and found that the international gym had a special discount during November which was even cheaper than what the salesperson was giving me for joining the gym before November. I told the salesperson the same on which he said that he wasn't aware of it and that then he told me that he would check this with his seniors and that then told me that he would give me a discount, however, it was only available for a day or two and so I would've to join the gym soon to get the discount. I told him that I would let him know and that then I wrote on the Facebook wall of this gym on which I was told that the discount was for several days during the month. Perhaps the salesperson wasn't aware of the exact details. I also asked the salesperson and on the Facebook wall of this gym whether I could access two of its outlets whenever I want for the price of one on which I was told that for which I would've to pay extra which was much more than a small fees for me and so I decided to not join this gym even though it's nice.

During the same period, I was thinking of starting our Health and Fitness India network www.healthfitnessindia.com. I had also heard of Fitness First in Connaught Place in Delhi and that I visited there thinking that it's in the middle of the two outlets of the other gym that I wanted to use and so this gym alone should be somewhat fine for me. Moreover, I was going to visit Delhi at least some days a week to visit health and fitness related businesses to share about our network and that since I would be using Metro, I thought that Fitness First in C.P. should work out well. Moreover, I thought that I would learn how a top gym in India is and that perhaps would also meet more nice people.

Yesterday, the salesperson from that gym called and said that I hadn't spoken with him in a while (which was about a month ago) on which I mentioned that I had joined Fitness First. When he started to compare his gym with Fitness First, I told him that I realize that his gym's chain is a top one too even if all the outlets might not be of the same level and that when I asked him whether he has visited Fitness First and that he said that he hasn't then I suggested him that he should visit Fitness First to put his outlet (which is also nice) in perspective and that since I don't own any of these gyms, if any of his gym's outlets are overall more suitable later then I might even join it and that since he also doesn't own any of these gyms, he might even be working for another gym later or might even own a business. I think that a platform that can bring together the many different entities in health and fitness in India to connect, share, and collaborate with each other as well as possible would benefit all. In this regard, our Health and Fitness India network aims to bring together business owners, professionals, and enthusiasts in health and fitness in India to connect, share, and collaborate! Also, kindly note that business owners, professionals, and enthusiasts from worldwide are welcome to our network. It would be great if you would share about our network www.healthfitnessindia.com with people to whom it would be of value.

Best,

Shakti Saran

Hello Everyone,

Kindly let me share this with you:

"At least one billion people are undernourished while a staggering 1.5 billion people are overweight, including an increasing number in low and middle income countries," World Disasters Report-2011 by International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies stated. http://www.dnaindia.com/health /report_excessive-nutrition-ki lling-more-people-than-hunger_1590241

This report should be of value to professionals and business owners in health and fitness in India to motivate people in India to focus on their health and fitness. I'll keep sharing reports and articles of value.

Best,

Shakti Saran