deviousways

How to forgive, forget and, live a freer life What does it take to let go of prejudices, pressures or personal loss? How do you break free of bitterness for better things? And would you rather risk all, or rest on your laurels? Well if you haven't yet, start now, because forgiving those who hurt you and freeing yourself from fears or flawed feelings, can leave you healthier, happier. What you need to do is learn how to forgive, move on and grow on. But first, how do you learn to forgive? Dr Fred Luskin, a Senior Consultant in Health Promotion at Stanford University and a Professor at the Institute of Transpersonal Psychology, is the go-to man for that. Dr Luskin is globally acclaimed for his work as the Director of the Stanford Forgiveness Projects--an ongoing series of workshops and research projects that investigate the effectiveness of his forgiveness methods on a variety of populations. According to Dr Luskin, very few people actually choose to forgive when people hurt them...

Not long ago, Amy Vodraska was a 100%, bona fide grown-up. She was taking care of two kids, a husband, and a job and working toward her master's. Her nose was so pressed to the grindstone, it's a miracle it wasn't sharpened to a point. And then something happened. Amy Vodraska cracked. "It hit me that I was spending all my time doing what I was supposed to do. I thought, Am I ever allowed to have fun again?" So, in the midst of her all-work-and-no-play crisis, the Boonton, NJ, woman signed up for one horseback-riding lesson a week. She had ridden as a kid and had given it up in college. "As soon as I climbed back on a horse, I felt my shoulders disconnect from my earlobes--and I realized how much fun I had been missing," she says. Fast-forward a few years and you'll find Vodraska, now 43, riding and even playing tag in the ring with Sugar, her Royal Dutch Warmblood, at least four times a week. "Just putting my face in her shoulder makes me feel ...

No calorie counting, no food groups to avoid--just you enjoying each and every bite while the weight melts off. Sounds too good to be true? Read on.   When was the last time you dug into a plate of utterly flavorful biriyani without a sliver of guilt casting a lingering shadow? When did you last revel in the sensation of a chocolate truffle melting across your tongue or savor the sweetness of sun ripened strawberries? If you've been struggling to lose the weight that's slowly crept on you thanks to changing hormones and a stalled metabolism, your answer is probably "rarely" or "never." What if you could indulge in your favorite foods without a single thought for how many calories, grams of fat, or carbs they contain--and still lose weight? Well, Jena la Flamme, a weight loss expert in New York City, says you can do just that. The secret: Learn to work with your body's innate, biological need for pleasure. Indeed, science has shown that t...

The way to get through tough times? Start with advanced gratitude. When Sunil Jain sang “ kisi ki muskurahaton pe ho nisaar” (to sacrifice everything for a smile) at a 'Bathroom Singers' Musical event titled 'From Mug to Mike' in Bengaluru recently, it could so easily have been his ode to life and all things bittersweet. Singing is a passion for Jain, who hopes to get into playback singing next and even try scuba diving soon. So what's the big deal, really? Jain also happens to be wheelchair-bound. His disability, he says, has actually led him to discover his own special abilities so it is something he has always been grateful for. “After doing my chartered accountancy (CA), all the places I applied to rejected me, saying the job would be too physically challenging,” he recalls. So Jain started his own accountancy firm. Now he has seven people working at his firm. Jain, you see, is one of those people who believes that we must embrace whatever lif...