Becoming Available to Grace

Question: Sometimes or in some places, I find it is very easy to access or feel Grace. At other times, it is quite difficult to be connected. How do I always stay connected to Grace?
Sadhguru: Grace is not something that you have to think about or talk about. You can be unconscious of Grace only if you are too full of yourself. When we say Grace, we are looking at that which is the basis of everything because you do not know how this solar system is held in place.

You do not know how the whole universe is held in place. You do not even know how you happened. You don’t really know how so many cells are staying together and making your life happen. If you knew, you would be able to create life right now. When there is so much that you do not know and everything is still happening great, it is obviously not an accident.

Whatever is making all this happen, we call that energy or force as Grace. How do you make yourself available to this. If you have a stuffy nose, the flower means nothing to you. If you are blind, light means nothing to you. If you are insensitive, nothing means anything to you. So it is a question of becoming sensitive.

Most people are ego-sensitive, they are not life sensitive. With a lot people, you have to be cautious about what to say and not say because they are horribly ego-sensitive. When the situations around them are up, they go up. When the situations around them go down, they go down. They have created an illusion of falling and rising within themselves. This is a very bad game. You must be disillusioned soon.

If you are truly, absolutely disillusioned, you will always be available to Grace. If you have no illusions of your own, you will wonder about everything. How can you not wonder about everything? How can you not wonder about your very existence? If you have no conclusions in your mind about anything, you will be soaked in Grace. Even now you are soaked in Grace, but you cannot enjoy it unless you are conscious. Grace is still working for you, but you cannot fully benefit from it unless you are conscious.

It is a medically established fact that if two people eat the same food, both of them will not get the same nourishment. It depends on your ability to draw sustenance from that. Similarly, all of us are in Grace, but it is a question of developing the capability to draw sustenance from that, so that this life becomes an expression of that Grace.
Unfortunately, people take in fantastic things into themselves, turn it into nasty nonsense and let it out. But look at the tree: you give it filth and it gives out fragrance. If you learn the way of the tree, you will exude Grace.

Ranked amongst the fifty most influential people in India, Sadhguru is a Yogi, mystic, visionary and a New York Times bestselling author. Sadhguru has been conferred the Padma Vibhushan by the Government of India in 2017, the highest annual civilian award, accorded for exceptional and distinguished service. He is also the founder of the world’s largest people’s movement, Conscious Planet – Save Soil, which has touched over 4 billion people.

GOOD PARENTING

by Pastor Suresh Dass Joseph
[email protected]

Dear reader, it is with great joy that we bring you the word of God. Today, I want to speak to parents, single parents, grandparents, guardians, mentors, spiritual parents, and anyone who wishes to become a parent. Because parenting is not easy. Then we have other people, the social media, the culture, telling parents how to raise a child, but not everyone is pointing the parents to God’s way of raising a child. The world mostly wants to produce children who are only successful and popular. But God brings up children who are prepared and saved. And God has given parents tools to do so.

Think of a compass. It does not tell you about the obstacles, storms, and the distance of a journey, but it does tell us the clear direction of your target. In the same sense, every parent needs a compass. Not some celebrity advice, social-media advice, but the word of God as a compass.

In the bible, we read (Luke 15) about the son who left home for the city, and lost all that was in his possession. While working on the farm, caring for swine, he remembered his father. Coming to his senses, he thought, ‘How many of my father’s hired workers have more than enough food to eat, but here am I, dying from hunger.
I shall get up and go to my father, and I shall say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. “

Here are 3 lessons we can learn about raising children from this parable as told by Jesus.

1. The world raises children to be liked, but God raises children to be led.
Often the world says, “let the children do what they like, or don’t correct them too much, or else you may hurt their feelings”. But God’s word reminds us that the rod and the rebuke give wisdom, and a child left to himself brings shame to their parents. It doesn’t say you should be abusive, but it does say, as a parent, to be present and purposeful in raising them because correction is not hatred. And what the world calls “trauma,” the bible says, it is training. Correction is love with a backbone and not a wishbone. Again, the scripture says, “whom the Lord loves, He chastens.”

So if God disciplines His children whom He loves, then how much more are we to raise ours with correction. And just like a compass, discipline is not rejection, but direction! When the son in the parable came to his senses, he remembered his father, and he knew how to get back home. He had the compass. And sadly, sometimes our children do drift away, even to a point where it looks like an impossible situation. But hang on. Stay in faith, for God is about to speak to that child. And remember, when God speaks, hearts change, and children come back home.

2. Godly parenting is not about control; it’s about covenant.
Some parents feel it’s their job to control a child. Those rigid rules, enforcements, and excessive power do not change the child’s heart. It only changes behaviour temporarily. But a parent under a covenant says, “I will cover you, I will pray for you, I will speak life over you, I will guide you back to God.” The bible says, “Direct your children onto the right path, and when they are older, they will not leave it.

You don’t raise children by pressure; you raise them through your prayers and by your presence. It’s not just correction, but also connection. For the children may forget all the lectures, but they will remember your example of love and affection, and being present for them.

3. Always trust God to have the final say over your children. In this parable, when the son left home with his possessions, I can imagine the pain of the Father. Thoughts may have come to his mind, “Where did I go wrong? Why is he rebellious? Why is he far from God?” And sometimes, like him, it is easy to carry the guilt that your children are nowhere near where you want them to be. The world may have influenced them. Friends may have misled them, but the good news is that God is still the author of their lives. His word says, “The Lord shall teach all your children. That means God can reach them. He can restore them and bring them home.

As parents, I encourage you to keep praying for your children. Always speak life over them. “You are chosen. You are loved. You are more than your mistakes.” These are words that can shape their identity and future. Set some Godly boundaries. Saying “no” is not cruel because sometimes your “no” is the reason they survive.

The good news is that God’s grace is always available to you as you go about raising, praying, and believing for that child.
God bless you
Ps Suresh Dass Joseph
[email protected]

Strong Between Two Worlds  Redefining success, identity and wellbeing in modern migrant life.

By Rinchaal Patel,

Mindset and Relationship Coach,

YOLO Academy

When we talk about achievements on International Women’s Day, this is often measured by visible milestones like leadership appointments, entrepreneurial success, community recognition. Yet for many millennial desi women living in Australia, strength and achievement are expressed less through headlines and more through daily resilience.
The resilience is often found in reinvention, responsibility, and the ongoing negotiation between ambition and obligation.

Over the past two decades, Australia has seen significant migration from India, including a large cohort of millennial women who arrived as students, skilled professionals, partners, or new brides. Many have since established careers and families, contributing meaningfully to Australia’s economic and cultural landscape.
But behind professional progress lies a more complex emotional reality.
Reinventing Life from the Ground Up

For many desi women, arrival in Australia meant accelerated independence and adaptation. This was not just a practical adjustment but also a psychological one, and played a vital role in reinventing their identities.

Whether as a professional, they required local accreditation for their skills to be recognised or working mums, they changed their field of work for school hours friendly work environment or being at home to support the needs of their growing families, the resilience of desi women has been tested time and time again. This has required them to stretch themselves and be self-reliant.

Those who migrated for higher education or skilled employment often carried additional pressure to succeed, both for personal ambition and family expectations.
Yet alongside these challenges was determination. Many desi women entered sectors such as healthcare, IT, education, finance, and small business with clear objectives — financial independence, career progression, and long-term stability.
The Invisible Emotional Load

Professional achievement, however, has not erased emotional strain.
What is sometimes referred to as the “second shift”, domestic and emotional labour undertaken after paid work hours. For desi women in Australia, this burden can feel intensified by cultural expectations around caregiving, home-cooked meals, and community involvement. They are forever chasing the work-life balance that is frequently promoted in Australian workplaces, yet can somehow be elusive in our cultures.

Women speak of a persistent internal checklist: Am I doing enough at work? Am I present enough at home? Am I staying connected enough with family in India?
Technology may have reduced physical distance but not emotional responsibility. Regular video calls maintain closeness with parents and relatives yet also underscore absence from family milestones and ageing loved ones. The result is a sense of divided presence, belonging fully to neither place at any one time.
The Persistence of Guilt

A recurring theme in conversations with millennial desi women is guilt. Guilt for long work hours. Guilt for relying on childcare. Guilt for not pursuing career growth more aggressively. Guilt for wanting time alone. Guilt for not earning an income.

Much of this stems from cultural narratives equating sacrifice with virtue. Many women were raised to prioritise family needs above personal wellbeing. Rest was something earned after responsibilities were fulfilled, and responsibilities rarely felt complete.
In Australia’s more individualistic context, messages around self-care and boundary-setting are prominent. Yet adopting these practices can generate tension. Choosing personal time may feel like abandoning inherited expectations.

This tension contributes to stress and, in some cases, quiet burnout.
Mental Health and Evolving Conversations

Encouragingly, attitudes toward mental health are shifting within the community.
Desi women are increasingly open to counselling, peer support groups, and wellness practices. Multicultural health services report growing engagement from South Asian women seeking support for anxiety, work stress, and adjustment challenges.
Wellbeing strategies vary. Some draw on familiar cultural practices such as yoga and meditation. Others prioritise gym memberships, walking groups, or creative outlets. Informal networks: WhatsApp groups, community gatherings, professional circles, often serve as safe spaces for honest conversations about overwhelm.

Where previous generations may have normalised silent endurance, many millennials are reframing strength as the willingness to seek help.

Redefining Success and Balance

Rather than pursuing a rigid definition of balance, many women are adopting a more fluid approach. Flexible work arrangements, hybrid roles, and more direct conversations with partners about equitable domestic responsibilities are becoming increasingly common. Within households, subtle but significant shifts are occurring.

Children in migrant Indian families today are observing mothers who pursue careers while also prioritising mental health and setting boundaries. This modelling has long-term implications, shaping how the next generation understands gender roles and emotional wellbeing.

A Broader Reflection

International Women’s Day provides an opportunity not only to celebrate visible accomplishments but also to acknowledge layered realities.
Millennial desi women in Australia are professionals, caregivers, entrepreneurs, and community contributors. They are also individuals navigating complex identities across two cultures.

Their strength lies not simply in endurance, but in adaptation, in balancing heritage with independence, ambition with wellbeing, and responsibility with self-definition.
As Australia marks International Women’s Day, their stories serve as a reminder that empowerment is not a fixed achievement. It is an ongoing process, shaped by migration, motherhood, career, culture, and personal growth.

And for many millennial desi women, that journey continues- resilient, reflective, and increasingly self-directed.

Knowing You Will Still Be OK

Life has a quiet way of reminding us that nothing remains exactly the same. Sometimes the shift is gentle. Other times it arrives like a sudden turn in the road we did not expect.
Life throws many curve balls. The question is not whether change will come as it always does. The deeper question is this, what does your sense of security truly depend upon?
Is it the freedom to be yourself within a relationship, or the invisible tie that slowly asks you to lose parts of who you are just to keep something intact?

True connection does not require the loss of self. In fact, the healthiest relationships are those where two whole people walk beside one another, not where one disappears so the other can remain.

The Fragility of Life

When we are young, life often feels endless. We imagine the people around us will always be there, that the rhythms of our days will continue unchanged.
Yet as we grow older, a deeper awareness begins to settle in. Life is inherently fragile. No person, no moment, no experience stays forever.
This realisation can feel confronting at first. But it can also be profoundly awakening.

Life truly is short.

Fortunate are those who walk beside us a little longer on this path. And those who cannot stay still leave their imprint in quieter ways. Sometimes they walk in the shadows of our memory, supporting us in whispers we can still feel when we pause long enough to listen.

When the Heart Begins to Close

There are moments in life where something inside us begins to harden.
Perhaps a disappointment, a betrayal, or a loss that felt too heavy to carry at the time. Slowly the heart becomes guarded, the mind begins to avoid what hurts, and what once flowed naturally becomes blocked like a heavy rock sitting in the middle of a river.
In the PEMA Mind and Motion philosophy, these moments are not signs of weakness. They are signs that the emotional system is trying to protect itself.

Yet protection can quietly turn into isolation if we are not careful.
Because when the heart closes completely, the very experiences that could heal us connection, love, laughter, all struggle to find their way in.

A Vedic Lens on Impermanence

Ancient Vedic teachings speak openly about the impermanent nature of life. Rather than resisting it, they invite us to see impermanence as a teacher.
The Bhagavad Gita expresses this wisdom simply:
“As a person sheds worn-out garments and wears new ones, so the Self discards old forms and enters new ones.”

The Bhagavad Gita 2.22

From this perspective, change is not a loss of life’s meaning. It is the movement through which life renews itself.
Understanding this does not remove sadness or grief. But it allows us to hold them alongside gratitude for what has been.

A Gentle Reminder

Within the emotional discovery with the research informed Mind and Motion Cards, the Change card often appears when someone is standing at an emotional crossroads.
It does not tell us what decision to make. Instead, it offers reassurance that even when life shifts in ways we did not plan, something essential within us remains steady.
The deeper message of this card is simple yet powerful:
Knowing that if life changes, you will still be OK.

Sometimes the most healing realisation is recognising that our strength does not come from controlling every outcome. It comes from trusting our ability to meet whatever life brings.

The Gift of the Present Moment

Time waits for no one. This truth can feel confronting, but it can also become the greatest invitation of all, to fully appreciate what exists right now.
Enjoy the conversations, the shared meals, the laughter, the quiet companionship of simply sitting beside someone you care about. These are the moments that quietly become the memories we carry forward.

Tomorrow sometimes never comes.

Holding onto regret can quietly drain the life from the present. The heart becomes heavy, and energy that could be used for connection gets trapped in the past.
But when open hearts meet open hearts, something remarkable happens. Life feels lighter, authentic and real.

Conclusion

Change is inevitable. Relationships evolve, seasons shift, and people move through different chapters of life.
But the deeper truth remains, we are more resilient than we often realise.
When we allow ourselves to stay open to life, to connection, to the present moment we discover that even through change, something meaningful continues to grow.
And perhaps that is the quiet wisdom life offers us again and again:
Nothing lasts forever.
So love well.
Speak kindly.
And be fully present while the moment is here.
Explore Further

The Mind and Motion Cards offer guided reflections like this to support your personal growth journey. These tools are designed to complement, not replace, professional support.

For more resources or to purchase the deck, please visit
https://www.monicapema.com/mindandmotiondeck
Monica Pema | Integrated Wellness Expert
MSc. Psychology

“From Passion to Purpose in All Walks of Life”
This article is intended for self-reflection and general education only. It is not a substitute for professional medical, mental health, or psychological care.