Monday, October 7, 2024

Exploring the Soul: My Journey with Raj Yoga Meditation - Day 1

 Today, I embarked on a new journey by attending the Brahma Kumaris' Raj Yoga meditation course. It was the first of eight sessions spread over this week and next. With everything going on in my life, I have been feeling the weight of stress, and I was hoping this course would bring some much-needed peace and self-reflection.

The session began in a fascinating way. The teacher guided us through two meditations. In the first one, as we all naturally closed our eyes, I was able to immerse myself in the practice. After finishing, I found myself smiling, feeling a deep sense of peace wash over me—a kind of calm that I had not felt in a while.

Then, the teacher posed a surprising question: Was it necessary to close our eyes? She challenged us by suggesting that perhaps, by closing our eyes, we were limiting our connection to the soul. This led to the second meditation, where we were asked to keep our eyes open. It was an entirely new experience—meditating with our gaze open, allowing the external world to be part of the meditation instead of shutting it out.

The Tired Mind in Meditation

Interestingly, despite having coffee just a couple of hours before and a brief evening nap, I still felt tired during the second meditation. My body was awake, but my mind was fatigued—perhaps a reflection of the stress I have been carrying. Yet, amidst the tiredness, I also felt a sense of hopefulness. This meditation, with eyes open, was a challenge, but it offered a different kind of clarity.

I left the session feeling curious about what tomorrow’s practice would bring. There is so much more to explore and many questions to reflect upon as I continue this journey.  I am optimistic and looking forward to tomorrow’s session, hoping for more clarity and deeper reflection.

So Many Questions About the Soul

As I sat in quiet contemplation after the session, a flood of questions filled my mind:

  • Where do we come from?
  • If the soul is small dot of light, how does it choose which body to inhabit?
  • If the body is simply a vehicle, does it affect how quickly or slowly we progress on our spiritual journey?
  • Are souls finite or infinite? what would then explain increasing population? or is a population of some species increasing and some decreasing, keeping overall number the same?
  • Is there one type of soul, or are there different types of souls depending on which species of living being it uses as its body? So do all living beings—humans, animals, birds, plants—share the same type of soul?
  • If so, can we communicate with them, soul to soul?
  • Does the soul ever finish its journey, or is it an eternal traveler? Is that Moksha/Salvation? How does it know when it is nearing its completion of its journey?
  • With millions of thoughts passing through daily in our mind, how does the intellect filter and decide which ones to keep? Where has it learned its knowlege from? Does that knowledge carry from one life to another?
  • Do rejected thoughts remain with the soul, or are they discarded forever?
  • How does the soul absorb and learn, knowing what is beneficial and what is harmful?

These questions swirl in my mind as I continue this journey of self-discovery.

The Challenge of Seeing Everyone as Pure Souls

One of the teacher’s most profound teachings today was to look at everyone as a peaceful, pure soul, no matter if they have hurt us or brought us joy. This concept resonates deeply, but it also brings up an important question:

  • How do you reach that state of pure acceptance?

The teacher hinted that this might be achieved through conscious meditation, by continuously training the mind to see beyond human behavior and recognize the purity of the soul within each person. This is no small task, and I wonder how long it takes to reach that level of detachment and acceptance.

Looking Forward

As I continue with these sessions, I hope to find answers to some of my questions or at least start down a path toward understanding them. I am eager to learn more about the connection between the body and soul, the eternal journey of the soul, and the art of seeing everyone as a peaceful pure being.

I will keep reflecting and learning. In the meantime, have any of you ever encountered similar questions or experiences in meditation? I would love to hear your thoughts and reflections on the nature of the soul and its journey.



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Sunday, October 6, 2024

Reflections on the Foresight Journey: Building the Future, One Bold Step at a Time

 If you have known me professionally or personally, or have been following along, you know by now that I have had the privilege of diving into the world of Strategic Foresight over the past few years. It has been one heck of a journey—both exhilarating and challenging—one that has shaped not only how I see the future but also how I approach the present. Foresight is not just about predicting what is to come; it is about crafting the future you want, in a systematic, strategic, and creative way.

Looking back, I have always been curious and a bit of a dreamer when it comes to the future, but co-founding Horizon Z, IMI's first-ever global foresight team, catapulted me into a new realm. We were not just thinking about tomorrow; we were building it. And let me tell you, it was not a smooth ride the whole way—definitely not a piece of cake. But then again, when has the pursuit of greatness ever been easy?

From Crafting Futures to Being Intrapreneurs

One of the most transformative aspects of this journey was getting to work as an intrapreneur within a corporate giant. We had the spirit of a startup, but with the resources (or should I say stability) of an established company—a balance that gave us space to innovate but also came with its own set of hurdles. And trust me, we hit plenty of them.

But that is where the magic happens, isn’t it? When things get tough, that is when you learn about resilience, design thinking, and the power of a growth mindset. And through it all, the biggest lesson I learned was this: do not get too attached (After all, one of the first things they teach in foresight and design thinking is having strong beliefs which are lightly held!! Easy to say, much difficult to practice, dare I say...).

Letting Go: A Foresight Team’s Struggle

As a foresight team, we were the first ones in with the ideas, partnerships, and projects. Sometimes it felt like putting our baby up for adoption, wondering if anyone would care for it as much as we did. The reality? Most of our projects—90% of them, to be a bit precise—either got killed, delayed, or put on hold. Painful? Yes. But necessary. We had to quickly learn not to dwell on these losses. We could not sit around mourning an idea’s premature death. Instead, we had to move forward, planting the next seed and getting the next idea rolling. It is a practice in resilience, creativity, and above all, learning not to hold on too tight.

The Futurist’s Toolbox: Owning the Future

One of the absolute highlights of this journey? The chance to design and build our "Owning the Future" workshops. I had the privilege of interviewing some incredible futurists—each conversation like a mental fireworks show, sparking new ideas, igniting fresh perspectives, and pushing our team to think bigger.

From forming signal scanning clubs to the exhilarating moonshot team exercises (highly recommend this from Google’s X, by the way), it was like getting a brain workout on steroids. We explored forecasting, backcasting, and built scenarios for a variety of possible futures—each one more exciting and sometimes terrifying than the last. But, we did not just look at the what-ifs; we looked at the how-to’s: how to harness our strengths, adopt new processes, and position ourselves to outwin the competition. It is one thing to dream up the future; it is another thing entirely to own it.

If you are stuck in a rut with your team, or looking to push boundaries in your own thinking, give the moonshot exercise a try. It might just be the creative shakeup you need to break through the ordinary. Here is a link to run this moonshot exercise with your teams: Moonshot Exercise.

The Burnout Lesson

Of course, the journey was not all adrenaline and brain-bending exercises. The intensity and pace were, at times, overwhelming. There were moments when my managing partner/co-founder and I found ourselves burnt out—and I mean literally. We both spent our times in the hospital, and it was during those moments of forced reflection that we learned perhaps the hardest lesson of all: take a pause.

Sometimes, even in the middle of a high-speed project, the best thing you can do is stop and reflect, no matter how counterintuitive it may feel. Those pauses were crucial for recharging, recalibrating, and ensuring that we were still on the right track.

What’s Next: Dreaming Forward

As I look back on these past few years, I cannot help but feel that this has been the perfect preparation for the next step in my journey—becoming an entrepreneur (some day, some day who knows maybe?..😜). All the tools, processes, failures, and successes I have encountered have carved out a path that leads me closer to this dream.

And so, I leave you with this: keep dreaming. Keep pushing forward, even when things get tough, even when your “babies” get left behind. Because the future is wide open, and there is so much more to create.

What About You?


Now, let us make this a two-way conversation. I would love to hear from you:

  • What is one future trend you are curious or excited about? (For me, it is about how AI will impact our world and life, our interactions—will it be the cure for all our problems or create more of them?)
  • Have you ever had to let go of a project you believed in? (There are a couple of projects I feel proud of, and as I see some potential weak signals (don’t go by the words, here in context  weak  signals are a good thing) on the horizon, I feel a moment of pride knowing that it will eventually become a reality, even though the ownership might be someone else’s. But that is where the art of letting go, and resilience and bigger humanity comes into play)

Looking Forward
In my next post, I will be diving into some exciting scenarios for the future—visions for life in 2030-2040. I will also share some weak signals I have spotted, those little whispers of change that tell us the future is coming faster than we think. Stay tuned, because you will not want to miss this one!


Curious to learn more about foresight and future?  Here are some interesting reads and people/futurists/institute to follow:

Books and Materials - 

My Favorite Futurists:
Futures Learning Institutions and Thought Leaders:

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