You chance upon this poster in the mall during the weekend. Or maybe your manager recommends you for a program, or a friend enrolls you on this course. Your partner practicing this regularly stokes your interest for it. Whatever the exact cause, your various trysts with meditation techniques and practices create a wonderful excitement about the meditation-space. Fancy books, brisk videos on YouTube, some intellectual discussions over dinner and coffee finally land you in a meditation program somewhere. You must have realized by now that there is this intimate space inside you which is longing to experience this transcendence. Here are some simple guideposts to help you embark on this great journey:
# If You Want to stay Happy, Sudarshan Kriya is the First Step
The SKY – Sudarshan Kriya Yoga – is a simple but very effective technique that uses natural rhythmic breathing patterns that harmonize the body, mind and emotions. The principle behind it is a no-brainer: different emotions bring on different breathing patterns within you. Using SKY, which is taught in the Art of Living’s Happiness Program, we can transform our emotions –from negative to positive - by changing our breathing patterns.
Studies show that Prolactin - a wellbeing hormone -significantly increases from the very first session of Sudarshan Kriya.
# A Calm State of Mind
When you go to sleep, you let go of everything about yourself. Your mind, your roles, your commitments, your thoughts! Otherwise, you cannot rest! Meditation requires a similar state of mind. Drop everything your mind is clutching onto. When you let go, meditation happens effortlessly. Drop everything for the next few minutes once you enter that state of bliss. The key to inner world is effortlessness. And effortlessness is effortless when you drop everything.
# Conviction and Faith
Did you realize that quiet confidence within you when you believed in yourself? It is a strong ray of light which has a laser like impact. When you believe, the strength comes naturally. And this applies to meditating too. Just like a weaver affectionately weaves his handloom, we have to approach meditation with a deep sincerity and conviction. A conviction that it will happen and it will have a beneficial impact on you.
#The Trickster
Your mind is a wily trickster. Hundreds of excuses will pop up telling why you shouldn’t meditate. Shielding your mind against these trappings and conditioning your mind to meditate is a skillful adoption to make your job easier. It is a challenging task but awareness will make it much easier. You need to condition your mind in such a way – “Come what may, I will sit with my eyes closed for the next 20 minutes”. Guided meditations can be of immense help here as they help you establish a flow and allow you to sit still with your eyes closed. Learning the Sahaj Samadhi meditation through a certified trainer helps you drop the concepts of meditation and lead you into the mind space. “Meditation was nice but my practice went irregular. But when I started pushing myself to meditate regularly, I could see myself evolving more and growing more”, says Santosh, a Management Consultant with a leading petroleum giant.
If you are reading an article about meditation, you surely have time to meditate. Think of all those minutes you waste every day on the internet or otherwise, you can definitely fit in 20 minutes here or there to give your life a boost! Mahatma Gandhi quips, “I am so busy today that I will meditate two hours instead of one.”
# Prepare to Meditate
Meditation is not a mere task. When you sit to meditate, it isn’t a crammed up time between two of your schedules. The 20 minutes of time you invest in your meditation is not equivalent to the waiting time while the dinner is being prepared. We need to get our body and mind to a state to start meditating. It is advisable to do some physical exercises like yoga postures, Surya namaskars and some stretches which help your body to warm up and then settle down to sit in meditation. Experts advise that you start your meditation with a pranayama.
Pranayamas (Breathing techniques) help regulate the prana (life-force) flow in body, which in turn allows you to settle down and start meditating. Additionally, these techniques help you flush the toxins and stresses which are released during our meditation.
# A Sacred Process
When you see a statue of Mahavira or Lord Buddha in meditation, there is a sacred aura which encircles us. Meditation is a sacred process. Give your skin a feeling of sanctity as you sit to meditate. Take a shower, change into a fresh pair of clothes and then sit down to meditate. If you are outside and can’t shower, it is alright. Using a mat which you do not use for anything else will get your mind into a zone of meditation. It is also advisable to sit for a meditation with an empty stomach. The best time to meditate is before your meals.
6 simple steps – that’s all it takes. What are you waiting for?
