Pria Acharya

Pria Acharya is a mindful vegan mama, storyteller, and soul-rooted creator. Born in India, rising in the U.S., she blends ancient wisdom with modern clarity. Through film, books, and quiet rebellion, she helps others root deep, rise strong, and live aligned with compassion.

A New Year, a New Beginning

Finding balance, Finding Meaning, Finding Purpose, Goals, Outlook, Personal Growth Comments Off

Jan 102010

“Each year gives us new reasons to celebrate, new journeys to begin.”-unknown

This lovely saying is from the front of a card I keep on the board above my workspace, where it is always visible. It is also a very relevant saying as we begin the new year. I have refrained from making any formal resolutions. Instead, I try to be vigilant about any areas for improvement as they come up and take note to address.

January is International Life Balance Month (or quality of life month). It’s a great time to reflect on your life and think about the areas you want to see progress on. Maybe this will be the month and year that you do something about your passions. Maybe there is even a way to turn a passion into a side venture that can turn into something full-time. A recession can be viewed as an opportunity to really be doing something you want to be doing or at least make a start. I feel passionate about writing and being an entrepreneur. This year, I would like to go further with that interest.

What is holding you back? What can be done to get out of a rut if you find yourself in one? I have another quote on my board in front of me: “you will never really change your life until you change something you do daily.” This is very true and we have to aspire to trying to make any change, as minor as it may seem, EVERYDAY. Think about this everyday and be conscious of it.

Another quote I have on my desk, that I have had for many years, is by Henry David Thoreau on goals: “If one advances confidently in the direction of their dreams, and endeavors to lead a life they have imagined, they will meet with a success unexpected in common hours.”

I wish you all new journeys to begin and new reasons to celebrate. Happy new year!

Staycation vs Vacation

Finding balance, Travel, vacation Comments Off

Jan 042010

Over New Years, we decided to stay in our Denver vicinity and stayed at a hotel about forty-five minutes away from home for two days. It was fun and relaxing to have a short drive and check out “our backyard.” Although there seemed to be a lot of last-minute packing and logistics for a near-by trip, this was due mostly to having an infant and pets to manage while we were away.

We had considered going to the Maya Riviera in Mexico, but our lack of planning early enough had meant the cost would be about $1k a day, which seemed too indulgent and unpredictable with an infant. So we are hoping to do it later on, given enough planning and maybe getting a good deal.

We toured the Molly Brown House on the way to the hotel. My son had never seen it and it was a good follow-up to having seen her movie, “The Unsinkable Molly Brown” and “Titanic.” He received more insight into the town he was born in, which he appreciated. Seeing the home decorated for Christmas was a bonus. We learned interesting tidbits such as a local town, Arvada, having been the world capital of celery, and how the currently uncelebrated vegetable was a delicacy back then.

The Molly Brown House

We got a deal at the Embassy Suites and like the family-orientation of having suites with a dividing door to boot. The first night, on the 30th, my baby ended up sleeping curled up towards my husband’s arm pit after struggling with teething a few times during the night.

The next day, we enjoyed time in the pool, hot tub, gymn, Indian buffet across the street and catching a matinee of “Cloudy with Meatballs.” It was the first time we took our baby to a movie theater. She did fine overall, sleeping through most of it on my lap.

Since we normally are in bed by 10pm due to having an infant that has been getting up by 5am, we struggled to make it to midnight on the 31st. We promptly passed out after the ball dropped in NY, with our baby in her playpen next to our bed. We decided we don’t need to try to stay up anymore! After all, Denver is two hours behind NY, and we can pretend it’s midnight at 10pm.

A quick escape at the hotel on New Year's

It is nice to consider a low-stress staycation here and there. It is easy to find weekend deals at hotels in any city. One gets to check out their city and areas they may be too busy to explore at other times. Especially when a baby may not cooperate and their schedule must be accommodated, it’s nice to know that you are not spending a lot and didn’t spend a lot of time and energy getting there.

I look forward to future well-planned vacations with my family away from home along with staycations near our home when we have occasional opportunities on weekends. There is merit and room for both! Staycations can add more balance to our lives by giving us a mini break without a lot of expense or stress.

Colin and Maya 1.1.10

My Baby’s First Christmas

Rituals Comments Off

Dec 292009

It was great to be celebrating my 10 month-old baby’s first Christmas! There are so many “firsts” and I’m looking forward to all. It was fun shopping for her, although she would have been happy with wrapped-up paper and anything I don’t want her to get into.

Recording Memories

Children, Finding Meaning, Rituals Comments Off

Dec 222009

With the start of winter break for my preteen son, I am hoping to get caught up with scrap-booking his childhood pictures with his help. So far, there has been a lot of selling with not much buying. I showed him the end result, some of his baby pictures in the book, and how much he would enjoy them later, how HIS kids would not like to go through a chaotic pile of pictures.

All these points, he was fine with, but the end result was that after initially organizing a few pictures by age, as requested, he wandered off to watch Jurassic Park Part III and suggested under his breath that maybe I do the scrap-booking instead. I thought he had a point in that it is MY hobby. He wouldn’t even know what to say next to the pictures as it is from my perspective and he wouldn’t remember what was going on in the pictures.

Still, I had hoped some artistic interest would call out to him. I’m hoping he will get more involved when I get to an artistic part. And I just need the help as I am still trying to finish his newborn pictures. His pictures are from a time when digital cameras were just starting to enter the scene. They were big, clunky objects. So everything I shot was developed, good or bad, that needs to be scrap-booked, since 1998. ***sigh*** I dream of being done by New Year’s so that I can try to get caught up with my daughter’s book. I don’t want to wait too long as it gets harder to figure out what to write along with the pictures. Plus her pictures are all on the computer, so I have to first get them developed.

Then of course there are all the pictures in between, vacations and so forth. Will I ever get caught up? I also have a birth-record cross-stitch that I started when I was expecting my son. It is barely 1/4 done and I hope to complete it for my daughter.

I enjoy the idea of recording memories. I picture my kids leafing through their books long after I’m gone, feeling like they have a better sense of themselves and my view of them as they were growing up. I know I would treasure something like this, and I imagine that they would as well. I love photography and scrap-booking my children’s lives seems like a meaningful utilization of my photographic interest.

It is possible that I’m spending way too much time and energy on recording memories rather than making them, but for now, I have to plod forward to satisfy the “Monk” (our favorite TV show about the obsessive-compulsive detective) in me. I hope I am rewarded someday by finding much meaning and comfort in my recorded memories.

I Have a New Sister!

Causes, Finding Meaning, Women Comments Off

Dec 172009

women_for_women_logo I have finally been matched with a sister in Afghanistan I’ve sponsored through Women for Women International. The organization has had a great response recently, so it too them a few months to expand and match sisters.

It’s such a great concept to get specifics on a specific individual one is helping. It personalizes world events that can be easy to shut off because they are not occurring in our neighborhood. In the future, I hope to get a letter from her that I can show my preteen son. I want him to know about a world beyond Ipods (what he wants for Christmas) and the latest video game system (another wish of his).

Sponsoring a female survivor of war through Women for Women allows me to feel more meaning in my life. Maybe doing so would allow you to feel the same. Unfortunately, there are many women that have had to struggle with the effects of war and could use a helping hand. Make a donation by the 31st for a tax deduction in 2009!

Click here now to make your tax-deductible year-end gift by December 31st.

The Annual Holiday Letter

Ettiquette, Outlook, Rituals Comments Off

Dec 162009

Ahh, that wonderful tradition of summarizing your life the past year and sending that out to everyone you know, is finally here! It’s been said that people either hate or love getting annual holiday letters. I’m a little suspicious of the people that love them.

The letters seem a bit “wrong” and in poor taste. At no other time would a press release from me about my wonderful life be appropriate, so why in a holiday card? It seems like a short-cut to building a relationship through regular communication and time together. If people were interested in minute details of our life, they would have already heard it through our relationship. If they haven’t, maybe they’re not interested?

I have felt that the old-fashioned etiquette of sending people personalized cards acknowledging the recipients’ life is best. It reinforces the relationships you are maintaining and building. Last year, one of my cards included a long heart-felt, hand-written letter to a friend offering support with his recent divorce.

The big event for me this year has been having my daughter in February. Therefore, any card I’m receiving should perhaps acknowledge the birth of my daughter! But no one will get a letter from me announcing this as they would already know that if they are in my life! As for any trials and tribulations, they would already know what is appropriate for our level of friendship! Sending out a letter outlining all this would be trying to replace the effort involved in having a relationship, where mutual events and feelings are shared as they are happening.

One could easily argue that holiday letters are not even good manners! Since when was talking only about ourselves good manners? As much as I like to write and share, I don’t plan to ever write the holiday letter and try not to groan too much when I receive the fine print and am compelled to read them.

If you do write them, try to at least be real and refrain from bragging about your wonderful life. I wonder what President Obama would say in his letter? “Guess what, I became president!” Top that. If you announce your promotion, you might depress the recipient who was laid off. It’s easy to not be sensitive in generic, one-size-fits-all holiday letters. Maybe try to be entertaining and funny if the reader is spending precious time reading your letter!

Best wishes to all who receive and write them, but especially to those that receive them.

Banking Dream

Finances, Saving Money, Simplicity Comments Off

Dec 152009

A company I’ve had great experience with, in contrast to Chase, is ING Direct. I’ve been an on-line customer since 2005 and love the simplicity and savings in time and money I’ve had.

Almost all my bills are automatically deducted from there. I just make sure I’ve got enough money to cover them and don’t have to take the time to mail bills. If anyone is still doing that, STOP! Why waste the time and postage? Conquering tasks such as bill-paying helps with having more balance in our lives.

This ritual is not fun for anyone and I don’t miss it at all. I see the amounts that go through, so can take action if I see an amount that seems unusual. I’ve also historically gotten a higher interest rate than I’ve seen, which has been going down steadily.

I felt even more validated for my banking choice when I recently read an article in Money Magazine stating we should have an emergency saving account in ING. Making sure we have at least an emergency savings account is a goal all should try to achieve to feel some basic semblance of balance. Leave a comment if you are interested in joining the bank and would like a $10 referral bonus.

The more simplicity we have in our lives, the more balanced we feel.

Business Banking Nightmare

Finances, Saving Money, Small Business Comments Off

Dec 092009

Where should I begin with my business banking nightmare at Chase?! I just cried over them I was so frustrated and violated! After fees on my business checking that made no sense (for inactivity – nowhere in their documentation does it state this as a concern), I closed the account, moving funds to the savings until I could transfer to another institution. Today I noticed a fee on the savings. When I called about it, I was told I needed a minimum balance. When I asked what that was, they put me on hold for a while (they don’t know??) and came back with $10k. Agggghhh!!! They even said it says in “their notes” that I was informed. It doesn’t say that in MY notes!!!

They stated that the only place this is stated is in their employee info. Customers aren’t privy to this information??! I already have a BBB report started from the checking issue and now I am to contact the CEO’s office. I already know how that will go. This is so sad for anyone struggling to start their own business in these economic times. You would think the government would be doing everything they could to encourage banks to be good to their small business customers! I wanted to pass on this caveat to anyone starting a business and looking for a bank, don’t consider Chase!

Be Proactive

Finding balance, How to find balance, Personal Growth Comments Off

Dec 022009

Stephen Covey is one of my favorite authors, and his book, “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People” is a classic that everyone should read. It made a significant impact on me and I aspire to practice these habits. I read and own the book, went to a class on the topic, and have the video tapes of the book and habits for my kids.

Habit 1 is to be proactive. The big point he makes with this habit is that we have choices in life that determine the outcome we end up with. If we didn’t like a particular outcome in the past, we can choose according to the outcome we want in the future. He points out that we design our life by these choices, so that life doesn’t “happen” to us. Being proactive is more than taking initiative. It is also about taking responsibility for our lives and responding to events and circumstances based on our values rather than reacting. “Instead of blaming circumstances, conditions, or chance for our behavior, we choose our own responses and make our own decisions.”

Exercising this habit also means using proactive language such as “I can” and “I will” rather than reactive language such as “I can’t” or “If only.” Focusing on what they can control is an important aspect of proactive people. Understanding how we spend our energies is a big step towards being more proactive.

Sources: Stephen Covey, Franklin Covey

Meditation Techniques

Alternative Medicine, How to find balance, Meditation, Self-Care Comments Off

Dec 012009

Many of us know the effectiveness of meditation for many aspects of our lives. Some benefits include more energy, a calmer mind. What some may not know is that meditation increases levels of melatonin. This hormone helps our immune system and also promotes restful sleep, slows aging and cell damage, and even inhibits cancer cells.

Managing our lives to make time for meditation requires organization and planning. I know that I have had a challenging time fitting it into my current life with a newly-crawling, nine-month-old infant who likes to be up by 5am to be nursed. My day starts early and there is not a break to be able to quietly meditate by myself. My husband and I have talked about trying to squeeze in some meditation together in the evening, which has not transpired yet. Once the kids are put down to sleep by around 8:30, we are left with about an hour before we are ready for bed (the next day will start by 5am!). I will need to consider maybe trying to get a few minutes in when my baby naps, along with my shower, food, and everything else. What I want to get in during this limited golden 1-2 hours a day is increasingly ambitious. So much so, I forget to do things like have lunch, which I remembered today at 3pm.

Regardless, I commend all of you who can manage any time for meditation. It is best in the morning, as close to your waking up time as possible and before going to bed. A few minutes any time during the day is better than none. There are many types of meditation, including the following two types.

6-7.09, CA 042a

Mindful Meditation

Find a quiet place to sit, either on the floor or chair, keeping your head, neck, and back straight, yet not stiff. Try to keep your mind in the present.
Become increasingly conscious of your breathing, feeling your belly rise and fall and noticing each breath change.
Notice your thoughts come and go, without judgment, trying to use your breathing as an anchor. Keep bringing your mind back to your breath.
At the end of your allotted time, sit for a few minutes becoming aware of your environment and slowly getting up.

Relaxation Response

Find a quiet place to sit comfortably and relax your muscles.
Choose a word or phrase that has special meaning for you and helps you feel peaceful. If none come to mind, try “Ham Sah,” a Sanskrit mantra meaning “I am that.”
While breathing in, slowly state the mantra, making the sound “hammm” as you breathe in and “saah” as you exhale, as if you are sighing.
Breathe slowly, pausing after inhaling and exhaling.
Don’t judge how you are doing and when thoughts intrude, simply return to your repetition.
When ending your meditation, focus on your breathing and sit quietly, slowing becoming aware of your environment and getting up gradually.

Source: About.com: Alternative Medicine

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