In my article love yourself, I mentioned about ways to make yourself happy, after all it is an inside job. And now you are a work in progress, how does one keep it maintained, you may have done the time spending in nature, you have indulged in having a healthy and luxurious meal, travelling by yourself, exercise, meditation, and yoga.

Nobody can make you Happy, until you are Happy with yourself first! – Anon

Of lately I have been questioning about love and what does it really mean, as humans we seek external love, yet we fail to seek it from within, I mean we are constantly seeking external validation rather than turn inwards to ourselves. After reading “How to be Love(d)” by Humble the Poet, what stood out the most to me was “Love the Verb”.

“WHY ME?” I ask nobody, but the seashore, wave after wave the incoming tide tries to get to my feet where I perched my derriere on the sandy beach. I ask again “WHY ME?”

In the Indian culture talking about SEX is a taboo. I never saw my parents affectionate with each other, yet they ended up having four children. My family is very conventional, and it was shameful and rude to talk about it. These things are spoken and done behind closed doors, between a couple married to each other. Most Asian cultures do not talk about sex and if heard talking about it the society perceives it as shameful. And in some cases, you can end up getting fined or some form of punishment.

2001-2004

The average age of the start of menstruation is 12 in a young female and the age when menopause begins is between 45 and 55 years of age, that is around 43 years on average of her life. In some cultures, it is ceremoniously celebrated and in some it is a taboo. Especially in the Asian community, it was/is frowned upon and known as dirty and disgusting, unbeknown that this is one of the signs that a woman is fertile and is a crucial part to advance with the lineage of generations.

From the moment a baby is born, parents or guardian take upon themselves to shape up the upbringing of their cherished bundle of joy, they build up the self-esteem and confidence of the child. Not only parents are responsible for the child, so are teachers equally responsible for governing the behaviour, confidence, and self-esteem of a child.

Good Health is key to a healthy living and in the pandemic; physical, mental, and emotional health have been repeatedly challenged. In cities especially where there has been limited space and parks have been minimal. Many living on their own in a one-bedroom flat with no human contact, only the internet for company. As the world goes back to the new normal, Aura took to the streets to talk to individuals who share their experience and how they deal with the issue daily. In the finale of the Pandemic series, we bring to you:

What is L.O.V.E? In times of the pandemic, an area touched is relationships and romance. Study shows that more and more single people are seeking their potential partners and are being picky at that. Not to forget the couples, partners and spouses, these two years of being in locked down, has either strengthened or weakened relationships and been a testing time for all. In the Pandemic series Aura shares short inspire tales of ordinary people living their extraordinary lives during the pandemic, focusing on the impact it has had on relationships and romance.

In recent news, Haider Malik, a 24-year-old graduate put up a pop-up stand outside Canary Wharf station with QR codes to his CV and a sign seeking his dream job in Banking and within 3 hours of networking he ended up with an interview and a job. Our lives have been touched by the pandemic in various aspects, from health to relationships to finances to socials to careers. Almost two years on from when Covid-19 began, has enormously impacted one and all. Aura shares short inspire tales of ordinary people living their extraordinary lives during the pandemic, this month we focus on the impact on finances and career changes that has affected many.

Arty and I go a long way, I have known her for donkey years and let’s just say I treat her as I would my kid sister, I took her under my wing. Been there for her in her highs and lows, when she was being rebellious and shut me out of her life for a brief period, and that time she needed to crash at my place for a short period of time.

I met Rajni (name has been altered to protect the individual’s identity) six years ago at an event. I was running late from my last meeting of the day and contemplated whether I should go for this workshop or just cancel it, however, there was a strong force that compelled me to go. Miraculously, I made it with seconds to spare before the workshop began, there was only one seat remaining and I noisily shuffled around to get to the seat and settled down. The girl sitting next to me smiled welcomingly and all the tension in my shoulders from rushing to make it on time melted away. I looked at her intently and had never seen her in the previous workshops, anyway during the coffee break she introduced herself as Rajni, she became a part of our study group and later our mere acquaintance turned into becoming good friends.

Lots of people find managing their money a challenge. The basic rules of money management are simple but planning and managing personal finances can be complicated as our lives are complicated. Here are a few pointers to help you make the most of your money before pressing that 'Buy' button:

At the age of 3, my Grandma made my acquaintance to God through prayers and singing hymns. This connection of being one with the supreme being is an out-of-this-world experience, as Dr Wayne Dyer quoted “You are an infinite spiritual being having a temporary human experience”. The authentic you (your soul) is having this amazing out-of-body experience to feel this oneness with the limitless source.

I met Mrs. Robinson (not her real name) at a social gathering, I guess a first impression is always a lasting one, my intuition picked a strong aura that said a lot about her. Now I am not much of a hugger but instinctively I gave her a big hug and she reciprocated my actions by returning the hug back, we held onto each other for a very long time, until someone approached us to take our seats. As the gathering progressed, I kept looking at Mrs Robinson every so often and at my next opportunity I walked up to her and started a conversation.

I had only heard of Nafisa Khanbhai and her charity work through friends and family, and only seen her photos on social media. Her non-profit charity work gives the assurance that 100% of all donations reach Uniquely Abled individuals in need of previously unaffordable needs such as wheelchairs, education, and food.

During a numerology or manifestation session, clients bring up the lack of connection with their other half. “He is emotionally unavailable at all times.”, “She doesn’t care about me anymore.”, “I always ask him where our relationship is headed, I feel so unloved.” The secret to lasting love is to know your and your partner’s Love Language! Dr. Gary Chapman talks about them in his book ‘The 5 Love Languages. The Secret to Love That Lasts.’ Towards the end of the book there is an assessment of 30 statements for Him and Her that tally up and give you your prime Love Language. What are these Love Languages?

In 2020 life changed in many ways - "stay at home, stay safe, save lives", binge-watching series on Amazon Prime, Netflix, etc became a way of life, the new norm.  After a day's work, my way to wind down for a couple of hours was to watch series that were light-hearted, one of which was called 'Made In Heaven' on Amazon Prime and is a story of two wedding planners in Delhi. There was one episode that took me back to 20 years ago but before I begin my story, there are a few things that I need to mention:

Bullying happens everywhere, among family members, in schools, at workplaces, on the streets. What provokes a bully to treat their victim with such hate?  A bully is perceived to come from a place of power, yet the crux of the matter is that it comes from that person's insecurities or in most cases from their troubled or traumatic background. Ultimately bullying happens when you do not fit in with their perceived criteria of “normal”. 

As I waited at the luggage hall near the conveyor belt for my suitcase after completing a long haul flight I couldn't help but notice a young lady struggling to lift her suitcase from the belt.

In the middle of the night when everyone slept, I lay on my bed as thoughts about love crept my way.

On Christmas day I received a call and got invited to join Anita and her family at her home for supper at 7:00 pm. I dressed in a maroon blouse and paired it with a pair of black trousers and black sandals. Accessorizing with a pashmina shawl as there was a slight chill in the evening.

The Splendid Park was a very heavenly aesthetic Park which also boasted beautiful landscape, water fountains were added into natural streams of water and the garden consisted of elaborate flamboyant plants and harlequin trees which added splendor to this breathtaking park. I was placed beneath a magnificent oak tree and this is what marked the beginning of a new chapter in my life.

My journey so far in this beautiful garden called "The Splendid Park" has been full of meaningful experiences and adventures. I know to you; I only seem to be an object but let me enlighten you so that you will see me from a different aspect. Before I take you through my journey let me take you back to where I hailed from and how I became a part of so many people's lives.

Today by words I choose to share the pearl of wisdom to enrich and enlighten your soul so carefully feel this mystical magic unfold. 

Once in a while in this journey of life there comes a time whereby you meet a person by chance who positively impacts your life. As I recall one such incident whereby without any expectations, I was able to learn a lot within a brief period of time. I had often heard a lot about the Sunset Point whereby people went to experience spectacular sunsets which made me eagerly curious to witness a spectacular evening unfold.

After having an extremely chaotic schedule, feeling exhausted and burnt out I decided to go on a much-needed solo deserving break. As I reached my destination and got off from the taxi I was approached by the porter who welcomed me and escorted me towards the reception area while wheeling my hand luggage.

I stepped into the train and hustled around, navigating my way to reach and occupy my seat. After confirming the seat number, I placed my hand baggage under the seat and sat down with a great sigh of relief. I was glad to have learned that this compartment was not cancelled.

"Sachi you don't have to be perfect all the time, the beauty lies within the imperfection I said to her."

As Ms Claire and I continued to sit on the bench in the garden a light breeze from the tall silk cotton tree shed away its beautiful large crimson flowers from its branches on us. A variety of colourful beautiful birds hummed and chirped as they relished the nectar from the flowers as we watched, making this moment very mesmerizingly magical.

On a cold January morning I made my way to the St Mary's Old-Age Home as early as 7:30am whereby I was entrusted as a volunteer at the Home. The waiting area was filled with natural light. The floor was fitted with lush wall to wall carpets. Two sofas and a side table were placed at each corner of the lounge. An elegant cut glass vase with a beautiful mix of pink tulips and white lilies was put on a very fine detailed wooden table.

On a late Sunday afternoon in December as I was seated on a chair by the window in my bedroom, I suddenly felt a gush of anxiety overwhelming me into a state of numbness that I wasn't able to shake off. As I was having a difficult time navigating myself away from these relenting feelings, I quickly got into my walking shoes and left the house to take a walk.

An experienced soul sister in the various industries she has worked in. The one that stands out is her exceptionally amazing experience in the Hospitality industry. She has worked as a waitress and a bar tender and now a mixologist in her family owned venture. This month our Chit Chat is with Rupi Kaur, who talks about who she is, mixology, bizarre attention seeking, worst date witnessed, her morning routine, and winding down.

A wonderful soul sister who is healer, a teacher, a tarot reader, a medium, a strong and selfless empowered woman who has an abundance of knowledge, there is never a dull moment in her company, it is an enlightening experience. She is all about self-love, self-care and brings about self awareness in others. A superwoman who does not need a cape to be a super hero. This month our Chit Chat is with Denise Jones, who talks about who she is, self-love, affirmations, her morning routine, and winding down.

She is all good that comes in a small package. This wonderful soul sister is a channel healer, a strong empowered woman who runs her own Women Meditation Circle (WMC). She recently became a Water Mastery©️ Healer and peaked my curiosity as to what this form of healing entails. And blow my mind it did. This month our Chit Chat is with Sermila Lindsey, who talks about who she is, past life regression, Water Mastery©️ healing, her morning routine, and winding down.

She began her journey with bollywood dancing, and went on to being a mindfulness and meditation teacher. Author of  Always With You - a true story of love, loss ... and hope, which went on to be a #1 bestseller on Amazon, and has written 2 more books - Online Dating @ 40 - The Nobheads, Nutjobs & Nice Guys and Happiness! Is It Simply A Mindset Shift? A TedX Speaker and a TV & Radio Interviewer. This month our Chit Chat is with Shalini Bhalla-Lucas, who talks about writing, mindfulness, couple's therapy, morning routine, winding down, and living the dream.

Humble, a word underrated now-a-days, but this gentleman oozes humbleness from his core. He knows his music and never fails to get the crowd going. One who plays a diverse genre of music from Afrobeats, to 80s, 90s, 00s music, to bollywood to electro and techno. His dedication, professionalism and punctuality set a high bar for others in his profession. This month our Chit Chat is with  Deejay SKILLZ, who talk about the profession, morning routine, winding down, and living the dream.

They come with an abundance of experience in the hospitality trade, be it a chef in a Café, a Barista in a coffee shop, a kitchen assistant at Universities or a bar staff at a pub. Moving on to creating a takeaway business "Koroga House" where they showcased their talent and love for homemade curries. It was time to break the barriers and test the waters and what a place to begin their journey in a patriarchy culture. This month our Chit Chat is with  Boss Ladies, from S FIVE 8, Bar, Lounge & Restaurant, who talk about the venture, morning routine, winding down, and living the dream.

She has worked in the corporate world for 15 years, and has always had the gusto do more and thrive. She has always loved being creative and creates her own style that is comforting which puts others at ease. She creates opportunity and provides a platform for those who wish to break away from social pressures and address topics that are a taboo.  This month our Chit Chat is with  Kiran Kaur, Founder of Aura, who talks about Aura, morning routine, winding down, and living the dream.

She has an abundance of knowledge and experience with Candle Magick for over 10 years, she is well known for her craft not only working with candles, but tarot and astrology.  Her holistic approach is unique for every circumstances, no one client is the same and she caters to individual's needs. She supports small business and showcases their craft in form of candles and gifts.  This month our Chit Chat is with Shabanu Ismail, Candle Magick Expert, who talks about candles, the practice and  supporting animal charities.

She has an abundance of experience and well respected within the Corporate world for her skill, a hit with the youth and teenagers and their parents. Her approach is holistic and no case is the same, she helps individuals to enhance on their values.  This month our Chit Chat is with Shruti Shah, Life Coach, who talks about life coaching, life during the pandemic and pro-bono work. 

His love for nature and Wildlife Photography has no bounds, on many occasions he has spent hours on end to capture his master piece. The 20 year old never fails to surprise his audience and social media followers with his creativity. Never shy of supporting animal and wildlife charities by auctioning his photos and collaborating with other photographers, his last piece was auctioned for $10,000. This month our Chit Chat is with Harman Singh Heer, Millennial Photographer, who talks about photography, juggling photography and schoolwork and sound advice to fellow millennials. 

Her children's book "Jake's Joyful Bubbles" is a hit with not only the kids but with the adults too. My favourite part is the mindful exercises and meditation at the end of the book, I never knew that meditation could be so much fun. She is also a children's life coach and her methods are amzing and truly make a difference. This month our Chit Chat is with Michelle Arscott, An Author and Life Coach, who talks about writing, her spirit animal, her favourite childhood book and life coaching. 

His approach as a football coach to children as young as 4 to 16 years is more holistic. And another life he leads is as a Pranic Healer, you got to give it a go to understand this amazing experience. Conversations with this wise one is always enlightening, and a Eureka moment. This month our Chit Chat is with Sagar Lakhani, A Pranic Healer, who is not only humble but also has a great sense of humour, who uses analogies to patiently explain about Pranas, its origins, benefits and linking it to emotions, spirituality and Yoga.

A gentle soul whos love for God has no bounds. This month our Chit Chat is with Babatunde Adefila, the Zonal Minister talks about God, spirituality, wisdom and humans.

Having worked in the corporate world, she felt something was amiss and went on to pursue a career in Nutrition, dedicating her time and effort to receive qualifications so that she could enlighten others about their nutrition and living a healthy lifestyle. Her columns on the Daily Nation are immensely educational, along with her blogs that always have a message from her life experiences are a delight to read. This month in Conversation with Sona, the Nutritionist, Writer and Blogger talks about nutrition, writing, looking out for dragons and unicorns in the clouds to relax.

An award-winning Eritrean singer, songwriter and a producer born in Germany currently living in London. Performed at the Royal Albert Hall, Royal Festival Hall, O2 Arena alongside the likes of Justin Timberlake, the 1975 and London’s Philharmonic Orchestra. As an entertainer she has wowed her audience with her “Happy Monday” videos, her Shégitu dance class that empowers women and hosts her own show “Love & Music” on LYE TV. This month in Conversation with Lidiaana, the Entertainer talks about her passion for music, the pandemic, and her journey so far.

A self-taught Portrait Photographer who evolved from the old school reel to the new age digital. He has tremendous experience working with other well-known photographers in London and Warsaw which is also home. Held a successful Vernissage for his project “Cultural Landscape” and interviewed on ‘Heart of Poland’. This month in Conversation with Pawel Dobrowolski, the Portrait Photographer talks about photography, the pandemic and freezing cold water.

Photo by Brooke Lark / Unsplash

Over a period, I have read articles, watched a number of telecasts and also read contradictory reviews about food. It baffles me to think what's right and what's wrong.

For eons candles have been used for various religious ceremonies and have also been used by people with various cultural backgrounds. Often candles are used to celebrate birthdays, romance, during meditation or just a form to relax and also during memoriam of those who have passed on.

WHAT IS MEDITATION?

Time to time if it wasn't by reading, often I came across the word manifestation through friends or from random people. At first, I couldn't fathom how manifesting can bring my desires into fruition until I decided to venture into this magical journey.

                                                                                       Photo by Jesse Goll

Photo by John Hain

The word Archangel is derived from a Greek word whereby the word Archi means highest, chief, most important and Angel means a messenger of God. When put together it means the highest messenger of God.

In the last article I parted with knowledge of my interpretation of what is a chakra, how to distinguish each chakra, went in depth with the Root Chakra and manage blockages.  Let us familiarize ourselves with 2 more chakras this month, the Sacral Chakra and the Solar Plexus Chakra.

Have you ever wondered why you might often be feeling low, feeling a lack of energy, unwell or frozen with pain? Is it possible that there could be a block in one or several of your chakras?

Did you know that we have 60,000 thoughts in a day? And did you know that out of those 60,000 thoughts, 12,000 are focused on what could go wrong? And these thoughts are repeated every day. No wonder the life you wish to have is always a stone throw away, but never a part of you. Pam Grout, the author of E Squared, Nine Do-It-Yourself energy experiments that prove your thoughts create your reality. This month it’s all about “Abracadabra”, create magic with your thoughts.

“What comes to mind when you look at yourself in the mirror?” The self-talk, the critique comes out firing all guns blazing. We start considering the mirror our enemy and spend the first 10 minutes each morning scrutinizing all the flaws we think we have, all the nips and tucks we could have if it were affordable. But why do we succumb to the pressures of what the society perceives to be “perfect”? Imagine a world where we all looked the same, almost identical, boring, right? But NO! each one of us are here with our own unique identity, character, including our appearance.

Many end up feeling stuck in their journey of life, out of all tried and tested techniques out there, some connected with Ho’oponopono. In 2011, I was reading a lot of self-help books, yet I felt like there was a missing piece to the puzzle. “Do you know about Ho’oponopono?” asks a friend, one day over coffee, my answer to her question was with another question, “Is there a new series on channel 5?” Little did I know what I was about to discover, that day was going to change my life.

In the book Wishes Fulfilled by Dr Wayne Dyre, he mentions about “I AM THAT I AM.”

Last year, I came across a post on Instagram about a gratitude jar. The curious cat in me wanted to know more about this as I am all up for trying out all the mindful techniques and exercises out there.

Ingredients:

Ingredients:

Ingredients

Ingredients

Curry – as known worldwide being part of Indian cooking. The authentic curry is made with spices, onions, tomatoes and fresh chilies. This month we bring to you Lamb Curry by Bindu Parekh.

Ingredients

Ingredients

Ingredients

Ingredients

This March edition we bring to you Baked Aubergines.

Ingredients

We kick off 2021 with a vegetarian dish that is quick and easy to make. Mushroom, Spinach and Ricotta Swirls.

After the indulgence during the festive period, January is generally the month to follow and strict fitness regime and diet plan. What also has been trending over the years is Veganuary. This month we share a healthy recipe of Vegan Salad.

Ingredients

Keeping with this month’s theme, lets enhance on the Root or Base (Muladhara) chakra, the chakra is all about grounding, safety, and protection. I love a colourful pallet and all chakras are enriched. Be it the red bell pepper, the orange colour of the carrot, yellow in lemon, green chilies, violet in the aubergines. This month we bring to you the Red Root Salad with red onions and beetroot as the main ingredients, suitable for Vegans too.

Peas & Orzo Salad