Be A Meditator

Though building a meditation practice can take time and effort, deep down we get a feeling that we are on the right track. This deeper joy over time becomes more and more accessible to us and fills us more than fleeting joys. And when we have enough to give, our joy spreads to others. 

There are many games that include sudden pauses such as - London Statue, Musical Chairs (if practiced with silence) and so on. Such games may be used to help children become physically engaged and joyful. The gaps then can become meditative. One more way is to allow them to lie down (yog nidra) and just observe their body after an intense work-out at the gym. 

Certain practices such as Yoga Nidra (Progressive relaxation of the body until a state of silence is felt in the brain) increase the production of dopamine harmone in our bodies. This harmone is associated with happiness. Read more about dopamine here - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dopamine Source: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11958969/

Inspired by a passage from Conversations with God by Neale Donald Walsch Breathe. Breathe long and deep. Breathe slowly and gently. Breathe in the soft, sweet nothingness of life, so full of energy, so full of love. It is God's love you are breathing. Breathe deeply, and you can feel it. Breathe very, very deeply, and the love will make you cry. For joy.

Animals are always in the moment. If we observe them and respect their intelligence, we can learn a great deal from them  - including being present. 

"As yourself - What is love? And you will know something profound."  Art Credit:  https://www.facebook.com/Nitu-chhajers-Art-671303909636992/  

Our peace and happiness ultimately depend on our awareness. If we can be in awareness and our awareness is in service of life, then we will become progressively more peaceful. 

For many years, Jerry Seinfeld used to meditate during his lunch time. A friend of mine meditates in her car after she reaches the office parking lot every morning. Many offices these days have a prayer or meditation room in which people can go and meditate. What is your quiet corner where you can connect with yourself?  

If you meditate for 20 minutes, just before you go to sleep, then your mind will have several hours of undisturbed time during which it can stay in that state. If you meditate before you sleep, leave a comment. Let us know your experience.  The mind keeps on functioning even when we are asleep. It conjures up dreams. Meditation allows the mind to rest and rejuvenates the intellect. 

Letting ourselves become deeply involved in what we are doing in a given moment is a great way to prepare the mind for meditation. Name one activity you can do with more awareness and intensity today? 

“Reduced to its base, whenever you are overwhelmed by any emotions you lose all reason, you lose all sensitivity, you lose your heart in it. It becomes like a  dark cloud in which you are lost. Then whatever you do is going to be wrong.“ - Osho  Regular practice of meditation helps us remain equanimous and so take better decisions in our day-to-day life. 

To become good actors, we need to practice acting. The more we practice, the better we get. To become good athletes, we need to practice athletics. The more we practice, the better we get. Similarly, to know ourselves, we need to practice meditation and moment by moment awareness. The more we stay in the moment, the more we practice meditation, the better we begin to understand ourselves. 

Often when we start meditation we start getting insights and start thinking about the insights. We feel it is a good time to solve the problem we got the insight about even more. But I have found that silence is a better way to allow the solution to unfold. Let the mind rest and the soul speak - during meditation of course. 

Personal charisma is a function of presence with other people. If we are completely present with other people, we are able to understand them better and respond appropriately. Today, try to be a little more present with any one person you care about.

Sometimes a physical illustration of how to become aware of the breath helps children become perceptive of their breath. 

From an upcoming article by Dr. Newton - "As we add depth to our lives with the practice of Meditation, the quality of the life improves by leaps and bounds."

When children are full of energy it is difficult for them to sit in silence. A good time to introduce them to mindfulness is after exercise. When their energy has been spent, their mind will become peaceful. A time that is suitable for the child will help them get into the habit of meditating early in life.

Many athletes and coaches have spoken about the importance of being in the moment. One of the movies based on a true story that explores this theme is 'Peaceful Warrior'. It is the story of an athlete who returns back to competitive sport after a devastating accident. He learns to be in the moment.

As long as we continue our practice ... we are getting better and better

Creative visualization is one of the faculties that awakens within us when we continue to meditate. Perhaps it is the clarity a person gets when they have fewer thoughts. Creative visualization can be used for a variety of purposes including healing, planning, scheduling and even drawing :).

One day a child comes home with a black eye from a fight at school. When his mom asks if he counted to 10 before fighting, he says "Yes, but the other kid's mom asked him to count to 5." But this technique works. It works because consciousness heals. When we bring consciousness to action, we automatically start acting in our own interest. If we are conscious while driving, we tend to drive safely. If we are conscious about our calculations, we score better marks in Math. If we are conscious during interpersonal interactions, we are better at detecting whether we are successful with the other person. When people told us to count to 10, they knew that the gaps between the counts contained consciousness ... our best weapon against our own unwanted behaviour.  Consciousness or awareness can be achieved by regular meditation.                                                                                                                                                 

From pain to compassion, from anger to determination, from ego to self-respect, meditation transforms various aspects of our consciousness into their positive facets.

    Art Credits: Geeti Bhojnagarwala Pet owners often observe that their pet dog or cat will come and lie down beside them when they meditate. Maybe animals respond to the silences within the person.

Self work yields many results over the longer term. 

Credits: Quote is from 'The Art and Science of Meditation' by Dr. Newton Kondaveti and Chitra Jha. Do share your experience. I once meditated in a forest. It was a little scary, but observing the fear during meditation was good for me.

There is a story from the Ramayan about how Ravan approached Sita. She was protected by a sacred circle drawn by Lakshman. No one could enter the circle. If they tried, they would be burned. When Ravan approached, he took on the appearance of a Maharishi, a god man. He regaled her about her duties towards holy men, and soon Sita, thinking it was the right thing to do, stepped out of the circle to serve the (fake) sage. No sooner was she out, he took her away in his flying machine. This story is code for something that happens in our minds, during meditation. We fall for the 'meditational instructions' . We feel that thinking about meditation is Okay. But this is not so, it is also a thought, like any other thought. We have to be able to see through it and return to the breath, then the mind becomes silent. This post is inspired by a thread on reddit . Credits to Grumpitz  from Reddit.