Vipaasana

You might have heard about the word cognition from time to time in your circles. Ever really wondered what it is? What is Cognition?  Cognition is the process of THINKING which entails LANGUAGE, REMEMBERING, REASONING and INTELLIGENCE. LANGUAGE  is the process by which we will acquire information. REMEMBERING  is the process where we learn to store the acquired information. REASONING  is a process where we make logical conclusions about the stored information. INTELLIGENCE  is a process where we connect the gaps by adding creativity to the information. In further stages of life cognition can include PERCEPTION, EVALUATION and JUDGEMENT. When does cognition start? It was believed widely that children develop the ability of cognition only when they start learning a language, but today it has been proved that right from birth, an infant starts cognising the world around it. Can cognition be improved? Yes, cognition can be improved. Brain has a characteristic called...

  Normally anxiety is common among humans. But, chronic anxiety will affect the quality of life and can have physical symptoms on the body as well. What is anxiety? Anxiety is the body's natural response to stress.  Whenever we are in certain situations that we have not faced or are yet to face, there will be a certain degree of fear, nervousness and apprehension. Eg: First day at school, attending a first job interview, giving a public speech, moving to a new place, a new relationship, etc.  Normally it will not last very long. It will ward off when we come out of the situation. What happens during anxiety? It will boost up all the functions of the body to perform a particular task and achieve goals.  It will trigger the fight or flight mechanism and release a flood of chemicals like adrenaline. The pulse rate, the breath rate, blood flow and the oxygen supply to the brain and other parts of the body increases. But over a period of time after the task is done or the...

  The pursuit of mental peace or inner peace acquires importance at all times of life. But unfortunately we usually realise this only after a trauma. What is mental peace? It is a state of mind which is achieved from mental and emotional calmness, free from unnecessary worries, fears and stress. It is a happy and relaxed state of mind while doing karma or action. Why is it important? To enjoy the existence of life! If we are constantly complaining about everything around us, can we really enjoy this one life that we have? To develop compassion and tolerance towards others. Once we start accepting the diversity of others and ourselves, we can appreciate the life to its fullest. To get proper sleep! When the mind is peaceful, we can sleep without any worries and can avoid all the sleep related illness. To enjoy the happiness more deeply. Being happy is a state of mind which happens without our obvious consciousness. But being aware that we are happy can lead us to bliss. To impr...

Mind is a very powerful tool which can be shaped and used in many ways. It is often neglected and looked down upon as it does not show any symptoms in the physical body at least in the earlier stage. Attitude and mindset determines the person’s qualitative aspect of mind. We often neglect smaller things in life for example making our own bed, trying to learn small things like gestures, polishing our way of behaviour towards others, taking responsibility, etc. Many of these small things have the potential to create a huge impact on our personality. Observing and enjoying the smaller things for some occurs naturally while it comes from a constant and conscious practise for others. The smaller things will play a huge role in activating the reward system of the brain by motivating us to perform better and ultimately help us in taking control of our thoughts, emotions and actions. Once we start appreciating the smaller things in life, we develop an attitude of acceptance and tolerance. This...

     Credits : Aishwarya      Examination is a test conducted to evaluate the expertise of a candidate concerned with a subject. The examination system was introduced by the 'King of Sui dynasty' of China to select "able" candidates for the post of government services. Is the practice of proving our "expertise" through examination relevant in today's world?       In ancient India, the learning process took place throughout one's life. Gurus were considered as gods and revered more than parents. Civilisations were built, the country prospered and ancient Indians excelled in administration, science, mathematics, astronomy, art, medicine etc. Few drawbacks of the ancient system of education as pointed out by the British were that: women were not included in the Gurukuls or Vidyapeet and Varna or Caste system was created which led to evil social discrimination.      The British introduced the system of examination in India to ...

       As we tread along a new path towards medical healthcare, there is a need to re-establish diplomatic ties towards the nations around the world which portrays our empathy and leadership qualities. One such step taken by the government is Vaccine diplomacy.      Two vaccines related to COVID have been approved in India after confirming their safety and efficacy. India has formulated a rational vaccine distribution programme targeting and prioritising the frontline workers, the older population, vulnerable population with lifestyle disease and then to the general population. However, it would have been much better to release the vaccine in phases so that people are absolutely sure about the efficacy of the vaccine. With vaccination kicking in, everything is expected to go back to pre-COVID levels including the economy. But the V shape economic recovery is theoretical and it is difficult to expect such a recovery in a practical scenario.   ...

       India being a strategically important nation in the Indo-Pacific region must balance its strategic ties in such a manner that it does not lose its strategic autonomy. Strategic autonomy is the heart of todays geopolitics.      India has been more inclined towards the US in the recent years. This has created tensions among its neighbours. India is now seen as a staunch ally of the US which has led to some degradation of ties with its neighbouring countries. Being seen as an ally of any one country is not in the best interest of any country.      The closeness of India with the US has pushed away Russia towards China. China views India with hostility and this is evident from the border skirmishes happening. Neighbours such as Nepal which were hitherto close to India have found some ground of friendship with China when it solved some internal dispute in Nepal. Countries such as Iran have blamed India of being pressurised by the US. ...