SPJIMR Alumni association recently organized a Madhubani art workshop in Singapore, so alum kids can learn the rich folk art tradition of India and also have fun. Mrs. Sundari, the wife of an alumnus, led the art workshop, to create awareness about the beautiful cultural heritage of Madhubani arts by teaching kids the subtle intricacies of Madhubani art.
Alums were also delighted to support their college’s prestigious mentorship programme Abhyudaya through this workshop. Abhyudaya is a 1.5 credit, year-long mentorship programme through which first-year MBA students at SPJIMR mentor bright, underprivileged children (who they call Sitaras) from the neighboring schools. Abhyudaya Sitaras had a concurrent session for the workshop. Connected over Skype in the session led by Mrs. Sundari and supported by Mrs. Vidya Sundaresan in Mumbai it was a unique experience for the Sitaras, where they were given a chance to explore their creativity and mold it into an art form.
Madhubani or Mithila painting is a folk art form, originated from Mithila region of Bihar. The paintings are traditionally based on mythological, folk themes and pastoral symbols. This exciting workshop helped discover the young artists in the children who took part in the workshop. Children learned various ways of creating Madhubani art. Alums thanked Mrs. Sundari for sharing her talent and knowledge.
Such workshops can play a very important role to promote art and culture in kids and also giving the opportunity to Womenfolk to share their talent with the world.
Womenlines appreciates SPJIMR Alumni association’s initiative of organizing a workshop to promote excellence in women and kids and also looks forward to more such initiatives.
Charu Mehrotra
Promoting Excellence in Women!
Womenlines welcomes ANJI HALLEWELL as an Influencer of Positive Mindset on the Womenlines panel. Anji is a Natural Strengths Coach, Trainer, and Founder of Hidden Lava. In her sharing for this month, Anji is talking about the importance of mindfulness-
I made an assumption that since I lived in Asia, those around me would have a good grasp of what mindfulness was. After all, it did originate from this continent. I assumed wrongly. Singapore is a multicultural, vibrant place that encourages innovation and professional development and because of this, there is a strong community of start-ups and innovation lead companies – producing one of the world’s stronger economies.
Like all educated societies, the emphasis has been on obtaining good grades to start your career on the right track. Well, that sounds good, right? Yes, of course, but what I am highlighting is the amount weighted towards it. There is something else missing from the equation for people to feel mentally and emotionally strong. When things get tough in life, work or personal, how have you been taught to cope with this? To suppress emotion? To brush over it and think positively? Or maybe simply to “man up”? These strategies are not sustainable and you will be left feeling dissatisfied, disgruntled or burnt out because too much emotional baggage builds up.
What drives success in life?
As much as, 80% of a person’s success in life is attributed to soft skills, of which a large proportion is believed to be emotional intelligence (known as EQ). “Emotional what?”, I hear you say. Well, you know what IQ is; think of this as the emotional version. Here’s the thing, emotion drives all our actions, period. Therefore, it is essential for people to self-regulate their own emotions to feel internal equilibrium and for them to thrive in life. It’s simple, feel balanced and strong on the inside; and the outer will follow.
Crack this and you’ll be one of those people who will just know the right thing to do and say, you’ll start making clearer decisions, you’ll get noticed for your fresh approach and people will want to be around you. Sounds like great leadership skills to me! So, how do you achieve this Holy Grail? Simple, learn how to adopt a mindful mindset.
What is the role of mindfulness?
It allows you to be aware of and to regulate emotions when they arise. It’s like any problem, if you address it early it can’t snowball into something bigger. Look at it this way, to hold on to emotion is like putting all your rubbish in landfill. Oh, and the landfill is your back garden. It’s not sustainable and it will just increase over time. It’s far better to dispose of your rubbish in a more conscientious way. Using this analogy is to recycle it into something new.
Mindfulness is to EQ; what education is to IQ. The core components, such as open awareness, acceptance, and choice reinforce the self-awareness and self-management quadrans of EQ. The more you flourish in these areas the more compassion is nurtured. Studies have shown that people with a higher EQ have a higher level of perceptiveness, which means they are more likely to be socially aware and to manifest better relationships. The link, they believe, is down to exercising self-compassion and compassion towards others.
All in all, it’s pointing towards mindfulness being highly complementary to a person’s EQ development. So, I ask you, is it a nice thing to know; or do you see this as an essential life tool? You decide.
If you are interested to find out more, why not attend one of my free previews – A Mindful Path. Register here https://amindfulpath.eventbrite.sg
Anji Hallewell
Coach, Trainer & Founder
+65 8408 5042
Womenlines welcomes Anji Hallewell as an Influencer of Positive Mindset on the Womenlines panel. Anji Hallewell is a Self-Mastery for Performance Expert. She is a Coach, Trainer, Author, Speaker and Founder of Hidden Lava.
Over the last 15+ years, Anji has worked with some of the world’s biggest brands in a variety of talent focused roles – teaching professionals the necessary tools to create levels of career success that was previously unattainable. Having personally experienced some of the high-pressure challenges facing today’s aspiring leaders, Anji’s passion is to empower professionals to rise to their highest heights. Anji’s talent for understanding behaviour and mindset has seen her emerge as one of the leading coaches in self-mastery and performance.
After spending years mastering the impact of behaviour on human potential, she brings a blend of mindfulness, emotional intelligence and positive mindset to create a sustainable transformational shift for clients to perform at their best.
Aside from her professional career, Anji has chosen to continually invest towards her own personal development, in areas such as Hermetic Philosophy and Intuitive Mastery, which have only heightened her ability as a professional coach and trainer. After experiencing a similar transformation in her late thirties, her mission is to empower others to transform into their best version, so they can thrive in both profession and life.
Want to open up your mindset to embrace positive change? Simply go to http://hiddenlava.com/freebies/ to access your free resources.
Other resources:
YouTube – Anji Hallewell (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVXjH-Dq7supK0wqv6EgIJg)
http://www.facebook.com/hiddenlava
https://www.linkedin.com/in/anji-hallewell-4717473/
Anji Hallewell
Coach, Trainer & Founder
+65 8408 5042
Womenlines welcomes Archana Amlapure, founder of Ojas yoga and wellness and a health coach, a certified Yoga teacher, Yoga therapist and sound bowl healer as an Influence for Yoga on Womenlines panel. Follow the yoga poses by Archana and get rid of that pain forever naturally.
Archana has served the corporate industry for twelve years, she finally decided to give up corporate career and explore inner self through Yoga and help people to find their life balance using Yoga as a tool. Her gentle teaching style makes her students at ease and comfortable in the class. She believes that Yoga is a way of life and aims to incorporate all aspects of Yoga into her teaching. She is very enthusiastic about learning new things and new ways, which makes her classes interesting, focused on mind body and soul wellness.
http://Www.ojasyog.com
http://Www.facebook.com/ojasyog
Instagram: ojasyoga0704
Linkedin: Archana Amlapure
Do you suffer from below symptoms very often and are you aware how yoga can help you to get rid of these problems?
-Acidity, Constipation, Bloating, Gas, Diarrhea
Have you realized that you may be observing what are you feeding your stomach but are you mindful what are you feeding your mind?
Of course, it matters, what food you eat. But it is very important to check what do you feed your mind? What are your thoughts and emotions? Your digestive system simply refuses to work when you are stressed, angry, tensed, fearful and in the extreme emotional state. In these situations, the Sympathetic nervous system is active which makes your blood pressure, heartbeat, pulse rate, sugar level goes high and it shuts down blood flow to digestion. This affects in decreased secretion needed for digestion, which affects the following-
– Increases acid in your stomach(acidity)
– Constricts intestines, which results in either constipation or diarrhea
– Causes esophagus in spasm which affects peristaltic movements
– Causes weight gain due food doesn’t get digested well in time
Here are 3 ways Yoga can be helpful to get relief from stomach problems-
1. Relaxation therapy
Relax your mind and body to bring balance to the nervous system, which will relax digestive system. Deep relaxation, Deep breathing (Read about Breath)and Meditation will help to relax mind and body and hence to reduce stress, anxieties, anger, and tensions.
Sometimes most productive thing to do is to relax.
2. Vajrasana
The only Yogasana/posture you can do after food is Vajrasana. After a heavy meal or if you can, after every meal, you should sit for at least 5-7 mins in Vajrasana. By doing this, whole blood flow is sent to the digestive system and hence it aids digestion faster. You can combine with meditation as well.
3.Apana Mudra
Apana Vayu or downward force at abdomen region is responsible and supports the functioning of digestive system. By doing Apana mudra, the flow of Apana Vayu can be controlled and balanced. It helps to regulate the movement of body toxins downwards and hence relives constipation.
To do this mudra, the tip of your middle finger and ring finger touch to the tip of thumb lightly, rest of the fingers remains straight.
4.Yoga Asanas
Yoga asanas help to improve blood circulation and relaxes the body. By doing certain poses like twisting, Vakrasana, Bhujangasana, Dhanurasana, Pavanmuktsana helps to stimulate digestive system by improving secretion of juices. It also helps to strengthen the digestive system.
-Archana Amlapure
Founder-http://Www.ojasyog.com
http://Www.facebook.com/ojasyog
Instagram: ojasyoga0704
Linkedin: Archana Amlapure
Womenlines takes pleasure to share ‘Entrepreneur of the Month’ Michelle Mcfarlane, founder of Business Women Network, Singapore.
Determined, self-driven and with a never to give up attitude Michelle Mcfarlane stands out in the crowd. BWN is her dream project and she has worked very hard to make it a reality.
BWN is about empowering women by bringing expat and local ladies of the community together and giving them a voice to share their passions, stories, achievements, skills and supporting women become successful entrepreneurs. The aim is to grow BWN throughout Asia and continue inspiring women, provide a network and platform with like-minded women of all cultures and background to come together to achieve goals and be among a community that supports and encourage each other through collaboration and the sharing of business contacts and opportunities.
Business Women Network runs monthly networking events for nearly 3 years now. All who attend meetings are given the opportunity to speak at the front of the room and give a brief description of their business, product or services. Once the introductions are over further networking occurs.
Read about Michelle’s interesting entrepreneurial journey in her own words-
1.Please share with our reader’s little bit about yourself.
My name is Michelle McFarlane, I am Australian, married, mother of 2 teenagers and have lived in Singapore going on 7 years. I own a few businesses, a freelancer, and property investor. I love anything business so can talk about that anytime and go out on the motorbike with my husband.
2. So when did you started this venture and what inspired or motivated you to take a plunge into this venture?
When I moved to Singapore 6 years ago, I was among many other women either starting or looking for a home business opportunity or upscaling a current business. After attending a few network groups it came apparent that there were many ladies in Singapore like me looking for opportunities, friendships and trying to make the most living overseas. This gave me the inspiration to start a group for women in 2014 to share ideas, learn more about different cultures, celebrate and embrace business growth and create a supportive network with a platform to showcase product and services. Since then we have grown dramatically and many more women have grown their business, collaborated and gain great supporting friendships.
3. Can you share with us some of the challenges you faced during your initial days?
Operating your own business comes with many challenges to managing time, learning new programs, hiring staff, balancing life and business, organizing events, meetings, attending outside events and much more.
Many challenges I have overcome is by talking them through with my husband (poor thing ha ha) and other professional friends and mentors, writing and planning things through, being organized and taking control of your own time. I have learned to stop and take a breath put everything in perspective, be true to my values and focus on my visions.
4. So how do you balance your personal and professional life?
Balancing personal and professional life can be challenging at times especially working from home. Having older children is easier of course because I don’t have toddlers to work around, however, I still do the cooking and cleaning and be on beck and call when my family needs anything, owning your own business gives you that freedom I guess. Managing your time the best way you can, set tasks for yourself and allow time to do them in. I share many milestones with my family to share and teach my children the importance of running a business, what it provides and the satisfaction it brings. Learning to say No to stay sane is something new business owners need to do to avoid burnout.
5. What would you suggest to other aspiring women who want to venture out on their own?
Starting a business takes a lot of preparation, planning and goal setting. It is well worth researching on the laws and regulations, join a community or network like BWN to ask other businesswomen about their experiences, contacts etc to help you get started right from the start. Surround yourself with positive and like-minded women who will keep motivated and inspired to help achieve your venture.
6. Is there any person who has mentored/supported/inspired you?
There are many people I have learned from, Tony Robbins, JT Foxx, Shaqir Hussyin, Brain Tracey and many others. My biggest support network and inspiration is really my family and Business Women Network. For every woman who posts their achievement or story in our magazine it always inspires me and gives me great joy on why I love doing what I do.
7. What do you have in the pipeline for your venture’s future development?
My future plan is to expand into more areas of Asia, grow our team of women to support even more women in business. I would like to offer more business services, collaborate with other businesses and offer women more opportunities to grow their network within BWNASIA.
https://www.businesswomennetworksg.com/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/BWNSG
Womenlines wishes all the best to Michelle for success in her entrepreneurial journey!
Charu Mehrotra
Promoting excellence in women!
A couple of days ago, actress Daisy Ridley of Star Wars fame declared on Instagram that like her onscreen persona, Rey, she too was fighting a prolonged battle of her own. She spoke about her struggle with PCOS, a condition she has been living with since the age of 15 when she was first diagnosed. In her own words, “I’ve tried everything: products, antibiotics, more products, more antibiotics) and all that did was left my body in a bit of a mess. Finally found out I have polycystic ovaries and that’s why it’s bad.”
So what is Polycystic Ovary Syndrome and why should you be concerned about it at all?
PCOS is a common endocrine system disorder among women of reproductive age. It is a condition in which a woman has enlarged ovaries that contain small fluid-filled cysts — called follicles — located in each ovary.
According to the PCOS foundation:
- PCOS is responsible for 70% of infertility issues in women who have difficulty ovulating.
- 5-10% of women of childbearing age are affected by PCOS.
- Less than 50% of women diagnosed, which means millions of women are left undiagnosed.
- Some studies have found that if a mother has PCOS, there is a 50% chance that her daughter will have PCOS.
- Postmenopausal women can also suffer from PCOS
Signs and symptoms
The symptoms of PCOS may vary from person to person. On a personal level, persistent adult acne or aggravated acne in teens and/or excessive facial hair growth could be caused by hormonal imbalances in the body, which in turn could be a sign of PCOS. Sleep apnoea (a sleep disorder where there are abnormal pauses of breathing during sleep) and mood swings or depression and anxiety could also be telltale signs.
For a medical diagnosis, your doctor looks for at least two of the following:
Irregular periods: This is the most common characteristic. Either of the conditions of prolonged periods or fewer menstrual cycles in a year or excessively heavy or scant periods could fall under the radar of PCOS symptoms.
Hormonal imbalances: PCOS often causes an elevated level of male hormones (androgens) in women that are physically manifested as aggravated acne, excess facial and body hair (hirsutism) and male-pattern baldness (androgenic alopecia).
Polycystic ovaries: Polycystic ovaries are enlarged ovaries that are surrounded by numerous small fluid-filled sacs or cysts as seen during an ultrasound exam.
What causes PCOS?
The causes of PCOS are largely unknown, but certain factors have been said to play a major role. Excessive insulin, the hormone produced by the pancreas that allows cells to use sugar (glucose), is one of them. Excess insulin might affect the ovaries by increasing androgen production. PCOS is also a hereditary condition and there are 50% chances of a woman affected by it to pass it on to the offspring.
Treatment: Weight and Nutrition
There is no actual cure for PCOS, rather it is something that needs to be managed. Therefore, treatment is more likely to be focused on the symptoms or effects of PCOS, like the treatment of acne, infertility issues and a guarded supervision over risks of diabetes and heart diseases.
Weight management is especially important in keeping PCOS in check. Overweight worsens insulin resistance and the symptoms of PCOS. In this wake, a proper nutrition plan monitored by an expert nutritionist comes in handy. Daisy Ridley confesses to have drastically cut down on dairy and sugar intakes (“except for spontaneous ice creams”), which is beneficial in keeping the acne away. Adding more whole-grain products, fruits, vegetables, and lean meats to your diet also helps lower blood glucose levels, improve the body’s use of insulin, and normalize hormone levels.
As less as 5-10% of weight loss can be instrumental in restoring a normal period and making your cycle more regular. It really is a very small price to pay for a much greater benefit. Like Ridley says, “From your head to the tips of your toes we only have one body, let us all make sure ours working in tip-top condition, and take help if it’s needed.”
Founder of Food ‘n’ Wellness, a food, and nutrition advisory company based out of Singapore. Meenu is a trained clinical dietitian & holds a Masters degree in Nutrition & Dietetics. She is registered with the Singapore Nutrition and Dietetic Association( SNDA). She specializes in providing nutrition advice with an emphasis on managing medical conditions like diabetes, cholesterol, acidity, thyroid, blood pressure and weight-related issues.
Visit http://www.foodnwellness.com
Mindfulness and productivity, these are the buzzwords in the present times. It can be the most useful tools for womenfolk as it can boost their multitasking ability.
Any woman, professional, entrepreneur, the homemaker can get the benefit from the correct usage of mindfulness and use it to enhance her productivity in work and her daily routine. We need mindfulness while working, dealing with family, we need to be mindful while managing ourselves, we need mindfulness while cooking too:).
My list has helped me a lot-
1. Break down to do list in subparts-
Normally we list out the whole big list and thus we get burdened with the no of ticks we have to make. If we can divide our list systematically, what time we will be doing which task, it will certainly take away the pressure and help us doing focused work on the present task.
2. Follow a day planner-
Womenlines offers a free download of ‘Day Planner of Excellence’ on its subscription. This planner can help to begin your day with right mindset as it makes you do certain tasks in the early morning which can help you to get into the right mindset for the day. Download it now to check it out.
3. Engage in creative activities over weekends-
Weekend time should be used to engage your mind to do creative stuff to destress yourself. Join dance classes, engage in some artwork or craft work with your kids, engage in some sports activity.
The ultimate aim is to constantly be aware of yourself and planning your time mindfully. Please do share what ways you follow to be mindful and increase your productivity?
Charu Mehrotra
Promoting Excellence in Women
As parents we all want our kids to do their best in their life and use their abilities as best they can. It is our responsibility to provide them with those resources which can help them to sharpen their brain power.
“Mind Power Series” is a series of three e-books created and designed for the busy parents in mind. e-Books are categorized under Math Power, English Power, and Brain Power. “Mind Power Series” shows parents how to tap into their children’s curiosity, natural talents, and creativity. This series is packed with activities to help children develop their thinking and learning skills and by doing the activities, the children will be practicing the many thinking skills. “Mind Power Series” is well grounded in research and practical experience of working with individual children ranging from 4 to 7 years
How is “Mind Power Series” special-
- It helps busy parents know their kids better by discovering and unlocking their individual gifts and creativity to develop their thinking and learning skills.
- Requires minimal supervision from parents who do not have enough time but yet love to equip their children with the knowledge and skills to become masters of their own learning. This series is written with this very fact in mind.
- It is not a book of theories where the parents have to crack their brain and waste precious time in finding suitable materials to bring out the best in their children but this is a series of well-thought activities which emphasizes on thinking skills to help your children think and learn the fun way.
Place your order to gift your child a creative resource to build the power of his mind.Visit Mind Power Series
Charu Mehrotra
Promoting excellence!
A migraine headache is a primary type of headache disorder which affects many people. Womenlines wants its readers to get rid of a Migraine naturally. Womenlines welcomes Archana Amlapure, founder of Ojas yoga and wellness and a health coach, a certified Yoga teacher, Yoga therapist and sound bowl healer as an Influence for Yoga on Womenlines panel. Follow the yoga poses by Archana and get rid of that pain forever naturally.
Archana has served the corporate industry for twelve years, she finally decided to give up corporate career and explore inner self through Yoga and help people to find their life balance using Yoga as a tool. Her gentle teaching style makes her students at ease and comfortable in the class. She believes that Yoga is a way of life and aims to incorporate all aspects of Yoga into her teaching. She is very enthusiastic about learning new things and new ways, which makes her classes interesting, focused on mind body and soul wellness.
http://Www.ojasyog.com
http://Www.facebook.com/ojasyog
Instagram: ojasyoga0704
Linkedin: Archana Amlapure