Recap of our Instagram Live with Shalini Sarena

Mindfulness is the much talked about therapeutic technique to stay mentally strong. It is a practice encouraged due to the qualities it awakens in you, and overall positivity it brings. Our live session with Shalini Sarena, entrepreneur, founder of women in tech and mindset coach, spoke to us about mindfulness practices, and how best to incorporate them into our daily lives.

Aara Health: What does mindfulness mean to you? And why is it such an effective technique? 

Shalini: Mindfulness is coming into full presence, and in the present moment. Meditation is a practice of mindfulness, it is about dropping any connection to the past or future timeline and being fully in the ‘now’. There are many ways in which you can meditate and the most common way to do it is through your breathing – inhaling and exhaling. Meditation does not have to be this large investment in time, it can just simply be enjoying a moment. Experience everything to the fullest. 

Aara Health: Touching on mental health a little bit, specially during the current situation, how has mindfulness helped you through this lockdown? 

Shalini: The whole world is going through something we couldn’t even fathom. Some people are either alone during the lockdown, or with their family members and aren’t used to spending all this time with them. Each scenario brings its own challenges. They key thing in how mindfulness helps you is that it does work to connect with your inner world. Everything we experience in our external is a reflection of our internal. So whatever triggers us in our external world, impacts how we feel internally. Our external world is giving us an opportunity through this lockdown to connect with our internal, and we can do this simply through meditation, or focused breathing. 

Even from an astrological lens, there is a lot of energy exchange in the world right now, and we as humans are at the center of this energy, because we are light and love. 2020 is the year of clear vision, and anything that does not fit with that is coming to the surface, and through simple meditation we can clear these mis-fitting vibrations, and obtain clearer vision. 

Aara Health: What is one way you incorporate mindfulness in your daily life? 

Shalini: One of the best ways to do this is through a routine. Your routine does not have to be anything complex, but something that you follow religiously every single day and take time to appreciate. But incorporating some kind of movement in your day. You just have to marinate in your own energy!

Aara Health: Can you tell us about practicing gratitude and how being grateful impacts us? 

Shalini: This ties into the concept of journaling, where we write down what we are most grateful for from each day. This opens your mind to notice things you may not have noticed or appreciated before, and this brings you closer to being mindful because you are fully experiencing and being present in the ‘now’. 

When you are in the state of gratitude, the universe says “you’re welcome” and gives you more back in return, and this creates a positive circle. When you feel the vibration of being deeply grateful for all the blessings in your life, the universe feels the love and faith, and it gives you an abundance of positivity and gifts back.