Sunday, April 21, 2019

(R) READING AND OTHER HOBBIES (#AtoZChallenge 2019)



It was difficult for me to find time for hobbies with busy office schedule. I was working on a business plan simultaneously. The weekends were reserved for completing the pending work and doing household chores. Exercise and meditation had to be squeezed in the schedule as well. 

With pregnancy, I took a detour. I deliberately reduced the workload and I started paying attention to various hobbies -

1. Reading - I have always loved reading fiction and non-fiction. To manage time, I listened to audiobooks while commuting to and from office. I also have a kindle. Still, I enjoy reading a paperback book. 

I finished reading the following - 
a. Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari
b. Inner Engineering by Sadhguru
c. Adiyogi by Sadhguru
and I am still reading the following - 
d. Homo Deus by Yuval Noah Harari
e. Autobiography of a Yogi by Paramhansa Yogananda

I have provided Goodreads link in case you want to know more about these books.

2. Listening to a Guru - My family members suggested that I read Indian Epics like Ramayana, Mahabharata, Bhagavad Gita during this phase so that spiritual and sattvic thoughts dominate my mind. But I wanted to listen to someone narrate these universal stories to me. 

The role of Guru in Indian tradition is very important. I am glad that I found one in SadhguruI started listening to stories and anecdotes from these epics narrated by him on YouTube! There are a plethora of such videos that have been narrated and uploaded by others as well.

3. Painting - I love to paint sometimes. I took the help of online tutorials to draw. 

I painted an Elephant and Owl in acrylic and kept it in the main hall of my house.




I also learned to paint using soft pastels and drew Lord Krishna and Lord Ganesha. I hope you like it. 


I have framed Lord Krishna's painting and kept a red flute near him since he loves to play the flute!


I even tried glass painting for the first time! I have kept Money-plant in that bottle now.


4. Cooking - I had to take precautions that I do not eat outside and I had to find ways to satiate my food cravings and hunger pangs. I started cooking my favorite dishes with more enthusiasm - learning the nitty gritty from online food blogs.

It is said mother and child share an intricate bond from the time the baby is conceived in the womb. Mother's state of mind affects the child's state of mind and growth. These hobbies enriched me with positive thoughts and helped me stay focused in the present moment.

What are your hobbies? Do you find time to pursue those? Please share your thoughts! 


(These AtoZ Challenge posts pertain to my thought process, physical and mental changes, stress levels & mechanisms to cope, perspective, journey and experience as a first-time mother who has yet not delivered her baby.)

Read ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOP, Q


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13 comments:

  1. Kislaya,

    I do believe the way a mother feels affects baby on board. I'm glad you're pursuing your favorite passions/hobbies. With my first pregnancy I worked outside the home and had little time to anything. By my second and third pregnancy I had my hands too full with small children. My interests all got put on the back burner. It wasn't until two-thirds of my kids had moved out before I began working my hobbies back into my life and then in recent years I rediscovered my favorite passion in art again. I hope you can keep your hobbies going after the birth of your child. You are a talented artist. I like your painting, especially the owl. My oldest daughter has a thing for them. :)

    A2Z The Little Mermaid art sketch series with 'Ray-Ray'

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  2. Mother's state of mind affects the child in the womb.and hence our ancestors prescribed listening to bhajan and religious discourses. I love to read books. Am reading ,'Kafka on the shore'by Murakami.. cooking has become a passion now.I want to start embroidery.

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  3. Lovely paintings! And I agree, listening to old stories in spoken word is often better than reading them :)

    The Multicolored Diary

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  4. Your paintings are fabulous! I'm glad you've been able to carve out some time to pursue what delights you at the moment. I think finding time for everything is always an ongoing challenge, but even just taking a brief amount of time to devote to what nurtures and nourishes us is a wonderful investment in our well-being.

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  5. I love your paintings. You have a real talent. I, too, listen to audio books on runs to courier rare blood in rural areas. I even have 28 audio books of my own novels: 2 of my fantasy bear, Hibbs, in which his innocence gets him into and out of many troubles. :-)

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  6. Wow! I love your paintings... especially the soft pastel ones! Beautiful shades yaar! Which pastels do you use?
    Find my S post @ Simple Living For Happiness | Simplify Your Life in Just 3 Steps

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    1. Thanks Chicky!
      I have used Camel's soft pastels- 36 shades. You can find it on Amazon Soft pastel

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  7. You are so talented Kislaya. Those painting are amazing. And I'm glad that you have read so many amazing books. I'm looking forward to May, a month where I intend to read more and write less.

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  8. Wow! Way to go girl. This series will be a beautiful keep sake for your little one. I used to do a lot of oil paintings before I had kids. The last one I did was when I was pregnant with the first but I left it incomplete. It's six years now and still incomplete. Life after kids is a new incarnation. I read autobiography of a yogi everyday during pregnancy. Just few minutes before I left home for the delivery, I opened random page from the book and happened to read the lines from the outwitting the stars chapter about the birth of a child.

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  9. Amazing paintings girl! You have a hidden talent in painting. Don't stop even after the baby.

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  10. Your elephant and owl are stunning. I was drawn to your post on reading but those caught my eye. I'm also very much into audiobooks. If you're looking for anything in the sci-fi/fantasy arena come check me out. - Dragons & Spaceships

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  11. I do some similar things... like to read... at the moment reading a lot of academic stuff, listen to inspiring talks - I admire Sadguru and keep listening to Ted Talks, love to sing. Admire your paintings

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