Dr Nisha Manikanthan, Doctor, Bangalore
My life used to be so different. I used to be trapped in my emotions and thoughts, identify myself with them and often be driven by feelings. Once I started meditating, my mind became a lot calmer. Meditation opened up an ability to relate better to others and myself. I began to intelligently deal with most of my emotional struggles of daily life. I found in myself an inner strength while dealing with difficult situations around me. Unlike earlier when I used to worry about everything, now I just knew what I had to do - and life has become so much more enjoyable.
Meditation has opened new ways of how I began to see myself and the world I was in. After my first meditation, I realized that I had been asleep my entire life and through the meditation I woke up and became alive. I could breathe in the beauty of the world around me. Slowly I found myself being in touch with my inner natural source, striking a right balance in life, getting a positive and larger perspective. This helped me function more healthily and happily – both on a personal and social level.
On the professional front, my practice as a doctor and counselor was further enriched with my newfound ability of having a deep insight into life, cultivating compassion and this made a real difference in the depth of my connection with my patients.
Today I also teach the Art of Living advanced meditation course and Sahaj Samadhi meditation course. I have seen meditation helping people from all religions, providing them with an opportunity to explore their spiritual side, irrespective of their belief system. People also share that they feel more capable to cope with life, feel more confident and stronger than before. For many people, meditation has been life affirming and motivates them to deal with the psychological and physical challenges that come with ill-health.
Meditation is like a wish fulfilling tree. It gives you whatever you want, be it worldly success or the bliss of being yourself and all that is of value in life - love, peace, joy, health, enthusiasm and contentment. It is a way of redirecting ourselves away from the mundane to the essential dimensions of life through humility and reverence. Every human life is precious, a pearl of creation. And meditation has the power to make millions of such pearls shine with a beautiful radiance.
