Journey Through Depression & Beyond
14th January 2017, the day I gave birth to my beautiful son, Musa. A day that is etched into the core of my being for a reason greater than the obvious. It is a day that catapulted me into an inner journey of self-discovery and one which I would like to share with you for the purpose that maybe what I write here will resonate with some of you going through something similar and maybe help you on some level. Read More
Stress & Spirituality
We are stressed out, feeling stretched, overwhelmed with life and unable to cope with the pressures of a high impact lifestyle. We are struggling to find balance in the chaos. We are living in a world which we have engineered to bring us every comfort and convenience to make our lives easier yet why are we still struggling on a basic level to find the wellbeing, peace and happiness that we so desire? What we are failing to understand is that all these states should not be a goal that we strive or work towards but rather the fundamental requirement from which we function and govern all of our affairs from. Read More
It Takes a Village
We have all heard that it takes a village to raise a child but I believe that it takes an equally strong village to raise an adult. When we enter into this world, there are people to take care of us and as we transition into old age and begin towards entering the final stages of our life, again we have people, community and family taking care of us. A community organically forms at these stages in which we naturally see as requiring the most dependence from others. As we navigate from childhood into adulthood, we become more and more independent. Read More
The Power of Meditation
Meditation is a practice which has been around for thousands of years yet is still a greatly misunderstood and tarnished by a number of myths and misconceptions about what it truly is. Most people associate meditation with a monk or a Zen master, sitting on top of a mountain or under a tree, cross-legged, eyes closed and in a state of stillness but we fail to understand that it is a practice that anyone can do and benefit from. There have been countless research done on the beneficial effects of meditation on our body, mind and spirit. Read More
Are you Taking Care of your Energy Account?
Before your feet touch the floor after a restless nights sleep, your mind has rushed through a multitude of errands, to-do-lists and daily chores which need to be done. Feeling exhausted at the mere thought of them, you want to crawl back into bed but know the kids need waking, lunches need preparing, breakfast demands need to be met and the school rounds need to be done. You rush downstairs and make your usual route into the kitchen to turn the kettle on. You go to grab the milk from the fridge, only to discover that your spouse has forgotten to buy it again. ‘Aargh!’ you scream, angrily banging your hand on the kitchen counter-top. ‘How many times do I need to remind him to buy milk? How am I meant to function without my coffee? The kids won’t have milk for cereal now either!’ Read More
Self-Image Success
What we become in life, what we do in life and what we have in life is based on the self-image we hold of ourselves. Our self-image is not the way in which we look in the mirror. This is a mere reflection of our external appearance. We live in the great social media age where we can hide behind many false personas and project an image of ourselves to the world which has no real correlation with who we truly are at the core. We may be able to hide behind makeup, snap chat filters, botox, designer outfits and accessories and may even be able to talk the talk and walk the walk of someone who is self-confident both inwardly and outwardly. However, we fail to realise that we cannot deviate too far from how we truly see ourselves on the inside; we cannot be greater than the self-image we hold of ourselves. Read More
Fill Your Cup First
‘Fill YOUR cup first’. The first time I read this in a book, it sounded very selfish. Synonymous to ‘loving yourself’, it sounded so wrong.
I strongly held the belief that we must sacrifice for others, and I lived by this. Even if it meant struggling and stretching myself on all levels – emotionally, mentally and physically. Sacrificing for other people and their happiness was the right and ‘Muslim’ thing to do.
That was until I began to challenge this belief along with many other beliefs I held and began to ask why I held them and what purpose they served.
God Almighty created me, like all the billions of souls created and we took our place in this world when we manifested into our physical bodies for a set time and purpose. We are a spiritual being having a physical experience. Read More
Heart Based Living: How Are You Contributing?
What is it about the heart which attracts so much study and interest? From the traditions of the old to the science of the modern day, the heart has been the topic upon which many have spoken, written and researched about.
Medically, the heart is known as a multi-chambered muscular organ pumping blood at high speed throughout the body. This definition is a far contrast from the emotional or spiritual context in which we use it in everyday life. When we feel in love our heart begins to skip a beat or leaps for joy; if we are rejected or hurt by others we are “heartbroken.” We are called “heartless” or “coldhearted” when we show little care or concern for others. Read More
How to Detach from the World
So we are in the world and we are here for a set time and whilst here in this temporary world, we are having a human experience. While here – we identify ourselves with the family we are a part of, the community we are from, the ethnic culture we belong to, the relationships we have, the circumstances and situations we are living through but in reality, we are none of these things. We are spiritual beings first and foremost which is having an experience of these things but as soon as our soul leaves our body – all of these identities which we have built up around us will dissolve and what will remain is our real essence – which is a soul, an awareness. Read More
Are Your Beliefs Empowering or Limiting?
The Elephant is the most powerful land mammal on Earth. Weighing up to 8 tonnes and standing as high as thirteen feet tall. With the ability to run 40 mph with that weight it proves its magnificence. It can carry up to 10 tonnes and is strong enough to rip branches off a tree. Despite its enormous power and strength, the elephant can be chained.
How can such a mighty beast be chained? If it can easily rip branches off a tree, a mere chain – no matter how strong would not have the ability to keep an elephant chained up. Yet to my surprise I learnt that the chain is a small one: a small chain fastened to a metal collar around the elephant’s foot is attached to a wooden peg nailed to the ground. This holds the elephant so strongly that it doesn’t ever struggle to break free. Read More