The Power of

Habits
Being a slave to a bad habit or
a servant of a good habit
– the choice is yours.
- Fred Van Amburg

We make our habits…

And Habits make us...
Director, Vedic Oasis for Inspiration, Culture and Education (VO
1. What are Habits? How are Habits Addictive?
What are the effects of Bad habits?
2. Why bad habits are bad, although they feel
good?
3. Understanding the Conscious & Subconscious
Mind
4. How to say ‘NO’ to Bad Habits
5. Power of Good Habits
 1. What are Habits?
Definition
1. Practice that is hard to give up
2. Mental Attitude

Examples :

Kleptomania of Queen Mary,

King George V
Dog’s tail
 ACTIVITY
BRAINSTORM TYPES OF BAD HABITS

SIMPLE SERIOUS GRAVE

Habits are Addictive

HABIT
Habits are first cobwebs…
….then cables

– Spanish Proverb
 Effects of Habit
Habits affect one’s destiny:-
Sow a ... Reap an action
thought
Sow an action ...Reap a habit
Sow a habit ...Reap a character
Sow a
…Reap a destiny
character
 2. Why bad habits are bad, though
they feel good?
No illicit relationships
By indulging in illicit relationships,
one loses…….
• Purity,
• Wisdom,
• Peace of mind,
• Self confidence,
• Cleanliness,
• Concentration,
• Determination
 Why bad habits are bad?

Meat-Eating
When the animals are slaughtered, their mind
are filled with Negative emotions of Fear and
Violence leading to Adrenaline secretion. Whe
we eat their meat, our minds become filled with
similar Negative emotions.
Why bad habits are bad?
Intoxication

Drugs initially give a feeling

of elation, but soon make
one glide down to
depression.

By consuming intoxicants,
your mind is not your own
anymore.
Why bad habits are bad?
Intoxication

It gives immediate
flickering gratification
without caring for the
most dangerous
consequences.
(sometimes even death)
 Why bad habits are bad?
Gambling
Gambling leads to……..

Daydreaming stripping us of
the mental energy to utilize
present opportunities.

Becoming Greedy to accumulate money.

One may beg, borrow, steal or
even go to the extent of murder.
3. Understanding the
Conscious and Subconscious Mind

Happy or
MIND Miserable?
YOU !
Calm or Positive or
Agitated? MIND Negative?

Active or Friend or
Lazy? Enemy?
 ACTIVITY
• Guess the emotions?

•Where are the emotions situated?

Fear
Disgust
Surprise
Happiness
Bhagavad-gita is appreciated by :
Scientists like Einstein and
Openheimer who quoted from
BG 11th chap when first atom
bomb was dropped
Philosophers like Henry David
Thoreau
Politicians like Dr.Radhakrishnan,
Gandhi, Abdul Kalam
Religionists like
Shankara, Ramanuja, Madva
Professors like
Dr.J.Stillson Judah
Theologians like
Thomas Merton
Extraordinary personalities
reflect on the Gita
Mahatma Gandhi (1869-1948)
When doubts haunt me,
when disappointments
stare me in the face, when
I see not one ray of hope
on the horizon, I turn to
the Gita and I find myself
smiling amidst
overwhelming sorrow.
Those who meditate on the
Gita will derive fresh
meanings and joy from it
everyday.
 Lord Krishna
taught Arjuna :
“You are not the
body; you are a
spirit soul.”
 Material View
Point

We are bodies made up of matter

We are no more than a chemical bundle.
Everything is finished at the time of death.
 Spiritual View
Point

We are not the material body of flesh and bones.

We are spirit soul, encaged in the material body.
We do not die when material body stops to function.
What is the difference between a living and a dead body?

THE UNSEEN DRIVER OF THE BODILY CAR

MOUTH TO SPEAK HORN TO SOUND

EYES TO SEE HEADLIGHTS TO SEE
HEART TO PUMP BLOOD RADIATOR TO SUPPLY WATER
HANDS & LEGS TO MOVE FOUR WHEELS TO MOVE

The Car cannot budge one inch without the driver;

The body is termed dead without the presence of driver, the
What is the difference between a living body and a dead b
Just as the bird is
trapped in the cage,
the soul is trapped in
the body made up of
five elements –
earth, water, fire,
Air, ether.

Not knowing their

real identity as the soul,
the people spend all
their life in polishing
the cage – pampering
the body, without
feeding the soul.
Can you say how?
 The soul is covered by
gross and subtle coverings

Gross body :
Earth,
Water, Subtle body
Fire, Mind
Air Intelligence
Ether False Ego

Soul:
Eternity
Knowledge
Bliss
 Mechanism Of
The Mind
THE SENSES
I ntelligence
EYES
The Decision
Maker
NOSE

Mind TONGUE

Storehouse Of Habits, EARS

Unfulfilled Desires,
Previous Experiences SKIN
 CHARIOT OF THE BODY
INTELLIGENCE SOUL

MIND

5 SENSES
 ACTIVITY
• Can you see how difference how
the “MIND FEELS” and
the “INTELLIGENCE THINKS”?
•Whose side will you take?
 Your choice will
mould your Future

Life is made of choices

Choices decide our future
Habits activate choices
Where do we get our scripts from?
• The kind of BOOKS we read

• The kind of MOVIES we see

• The kind of MUSIC we listen

• The kind of FRIENDS we keep

 GIGO principle

• Garbage IN – Garbage OUT

• Positivity IN – Positivity OUT
• Negativity IN – Negativity OUT
• Good IN – Good OUT!
4. HOW TO SAY ‘NO’ TO BAD HABITS?
Handbook of Religion
Oxford University Press,

Harold G. Koenig (MD),

Michael E. McCullough (PhD) and
David B. Larson (MD)
reviewed more than 2000
published experiments that
tested the relationship between
religion and
everything from blood pressure,
heart disease, cancer and stroke to
depression, suicide, psychotic
disorders and marital problems.
Handbook of Religion
Oxford University Press,

People who attended a spiritual

program at least once a week lived
average seven years longer than
those who don't attend at all.
Handbook of Religion
Oxford University Press,

Religious youth showed

significantly lower levels of drug
and alcohol abuse, premature sexual
involvement, criminal delinquency
and suicidal tendencies than their
nonreligious counterparts
Handbook of Religion
Oxford University Press,

Elderly people with deep,

personal religious faith have a
stronger sense of well-being
and life satisfaction than their
less religious peers.
 Handbook of Religion
Oxford University Press,

Koening’s Conclusion: "A high SQ faithfulness to

God appears to benefit people of all means,
educational levels and ages."
Robert Arkin (Psychologist)
Ohio State University explains:
“The cycle of materialistic
pursuits is disappointing and
exhausting in the long run and
can make people perpetually
unhappy.”
How to say ‘NO’ to Bad Habits?

Bulletproof Armor
Comes from
SELF CHANGE
SUSTAIN AND ABSTAIN METHOD (SSS)

- STARVE BAD HABITS

abstain from BAD people and BAD objects.

- SUPPLEMENT GOOD HABITS

sustain with GOOD association and GOOD objects
sustain through introspection and self correction

- STAY AWAY
from tempting environment and association.
Putting on
the Armor
How to Change Your
Thinking

THINKING

Changes come
from observing
logically in
every situation

THINKING
H o w t o C h a n g e Yo u r
Behavior?

BEHAVIOR
Changes take….
1.True assessment,
2.Determination &
3.Discipline

BEHAVIOR
 S t e p s To w a r d
C h a n g in g B e h a v io r
The New YOU!

BEHAVIOR

4. Unconscious Competence

3. Conscience Competence

2. Conscience Incompetence

1. Unconscious Incompetence
 5. Power of Good
Habits

Mind Control through Meditation

Sharpen Intelligence through Wisdom literat

like Bhagavad gita

Eagerness & Association

Prayer and practice

Replace bad habits by good ones