These are the guidelines from a Dental Foundation.

Do's
1. Brush your teeth after each meal and gargle after a sweet drink.
2. Eat protein rich food for prevention of dental diseases.
3. Keep your mouth free from food particles.
4. Remove any deposit, such as plaque, stains or tartar formation in your teeth regularly.
5. If a tooth falls after injury or accident, rush to a dentist keeping the tooth in salt water, as there is every chance of the tooth being fixed again.
6. After extraction of a tooth, it is better to replace it with an artificial tooth, except the wisdom tooth.
7. Take care to protect the enamel of your teeth. Use a toothpaste with flouride and use a toothbrush with rounded bristles. Discard a toothbrush when the bristles are bent.
8. Chewing raw vegetables, coconut kernel, carrot or cucumber helps to keep your teeth clean and free of food particles.
9. Each meal should end with a fruit. It helps to secrete saliva. The fibrous content and salivation helps to clean the mouth.
10. People with chronic skin ailments or pain in the joints should have a dental check up to rule out any septic focus in the teeth and gums.

Dont's
1. Avoid eating chocolates, biscuits or candies often as they may cause tooth decay.
2. Avoid drinking milk or eating sweets after a meal.
3. Take care of uneven teeth, as food particles get easily lodged between the teeth.
4. Decayed milk teeth should not be left untreated. Milk teeth should be preserved till their successors are ready to erupt.
5. Do not clean your toothbrush with hot water. Ordinary running water with a little antiseptic will do.
6. Do not breathe through your mouth. Keeping your upper and lower lips approximated, helps to keep gums healthy and also helps to have better aligned teeth.
7. Do not ignore bleeding gums. It is often the early signs of pyorrhoea.
8. Remember, bad breath cannot be cured by flavoured mouth washes alone. The cause should be identified and treatment should be given.
9. Do not ignore shaky teeth. They should be treated or extracted.
10. Smoking cigarette or chewing tobacco is bad for teeth and gums.

I used to question myself many times what are these chakras because I never understood them early, even till now. As I went through an article in one of the newspapers, it again made me think. I felt I got some answer atlast. It's from Paramahamsa Nithyananda and it says...
Every man lives in one of the seven chakras, the energy centres. If you are in the lowest level, that is the MULADHARA CHAKRA, you are caught in lust and desire. You worship a God who can grant all your boons. That is why God is understood as a giver of boons and is very popular. If not, you dethrone Him.
Next is the person who is caught in the SWADISHTHANA CHAKRA. You worship the God who gives confidence, who you believe will take care of you; you go behind the idols that have many weapons and many hands. You experience God as a protector. The third level person stays in the MANIPURAKA CHAKRA. You continuously worry and remain confused. You worship the God who gives clarity and peace. Next is the person who lives in the ANAHATA CHAKRA. Here, you are attracted towards the God who showers love on you. You worship the God who gives emotional fulfilment. Next, if you are raised to the level of the VISHUDDHI CHAKRA, the God of creativity or Energy appeals to you. You experience God as the creator. If you are centred in the AJNA CHAKRA, you are locked in the ego. Somebody in the egoless state attracts you: rishis, seers, sages, prophets and Masters attract you. The egoless man becomes your idol. In this chakra, the dialogue starts.
Only in the SAHASRARA CHAKRA, the communion happens. If you understand you are actually relating to your Gods and Masters from these chakras and that you need to go beyond this and catch the transcendental expression of the divine, all your problems will dissolve! If you are alert and aware, the Master can transform you. You just need to be passive for the alchemy to happen.

If you want to examine yourself, like what you are, click here.

These sites explain with Chakras paintings.
Indian Art Gallaries
Sahajayoga

Here are the snaps of Lord Ganesha taken after pooja was performed.

Lord Ganesha is Modaka Priya. A modak is a dumpling made from rice flour with a stuffing of coconut, jaggery and some other condiments. But still, there is a meaning of MODAK — MODA means happiness and K is a suffix. Modak means "That which gives (or brings) happiness". You can know more from this link Lord Ganesha.

A closer view.

Our sweet little Pooja room with Lord Ganesha.

Snapshots taken when my husband was there.

Seagulls moving on and on

Fall rushes

A bridge connecting USA and Canada

My favourite snap

A view of moon in Canada

Colourful rushes

It reminds me of VIBGYOR. Guess what?

Night view of Canada

Ayurveda is one of the great gifts of the sages of ancient India. It is one of the oldest scientific medicinal systems in the world. It is also known as Fifth Veda or Pancham Veda. It just teaches us how to maintain and protect health, how to cure diseases and how to achieve longetivity.

Here is a good site to assess your body type (Vata, Pitta, and Kapha), since you need to eat right.
http://www.hotlib.com/articles/show.php?t=Ayurveda

And now, you can know more about Ayurveda from this site:
http://ayurveda-foryou.com/

Here are general tips for balance:
1.  In Ayurveda there are six tastes or rasas - sweet, sour, salty, bitter, pungent and astringent. Generally all meals should include at least a small amount of each taste.
2.  Eat in a settled environment when you are calm and relaxed.
3.  Always sit down to eat.
4.  Be silent while chewing.
5.  Minimise ice-cold food and drink.
6.  It is best to consume fruit (or fruit juice) separately from other foods.
7.  Enjoy a light nourishing breakfast and make lunch your largest meal of the day, with a smaller meal in the evening (3 - 4 hours before bed).
8.  Eat only when you are hungry and leave about 25% of your stomach empty as this will aid digestion.
9.  Wait approximately 4 hours between meals to allow adequate time to digest. This might be less between small meals and more between big meals.
10. Water should be avoided at least 15 minutes before food. The quantity of water after food should be small. Let it be drunk often.

You can know about Ayurvedic Therapies from this site:
http://www.goodhealthnyou.com/

This was one of my endless search. Atlast got some answers related to detachment. Felt like sharing the same and here are few points.

1. Even a fickle mind can be brought under control by the force of constant practice and detachment.  -  Lord Krishna
Here, practice implies incessant striving and repeated efforts. It's just like kids learning to write a few simple words and when they grow up, they just key in long passages effortlessly and fluently.
And, now coming to detachment. Does it mean sannyasa - renunciation? NO. Detachment means remaining aloof from all other temptations and attractions while striving to fulfil a chosen aim. That is, to retain interest and concern for the work in hand alone and to remain unconcerned about everything else - this is detachment. Since the goal of monks is self-realization, they have to renounce all the worldly things. And since the word 'detachment' has come to mean renunciation, whenever it is used today it is understood as becoming a monk and retiring to the forests. But this is not correct. Anyone engaged in accomplishing a particular goal is detached from other things to some extent.

2. The concentration that is developed through faith and love is the most natural; it involves no struggle and no strain.

3. 'Eka' is 'One'; 'agra' is 'tip'. Hence, 'Ekagrata' or 'Concentration' implies 'being one-pointed', putting all resources together in one place. Concentration of the mind is bringing all the scattered mental forces together and channelising the attention towards one object or aim.

Got back after a long long time. Met friends, relatives, watched movies,..... had a good break. Ofcourse, thought to key many things in between. But could not help myself. Many ideas yet to share. Let's start.

Frolicking
Relaxing
Interesting
Everlasting
Nourishing
Dancing
Sharing
Helping
Inspiring
Pleasing

Guess what?  :)    FRIENDSHIP.

HAPPY FRIENDSHIP DAY TO ALL OF YOU!!! (Belated wishes)

Saw this cute little poem in my cousin brother's place. Felt like placing it over here.

WORRY?

Worry never Climbed a Hill
Worry never Paid a Bill
Worry never Dried a Tear
Worry never Calmed a Fear
Worry never Darned a Heel
Worry never Cooked a Meal
Worry never Solved a Problem
but may well become a Problem
So Why Worry?