YOGIC MINDFULNESS

 “Touch your inner space, which is nothingness, as silent and empty as the sky; it is your inner sky. Once you settle down in your inner sky, you have come home, and a great maturity arises in your actions, in your behavior. Then whatever you do has grace in it. Then whatever you do is a poetry in itself. You live poetry; your walking becomes dancing, your silence becomes music.” – OSHO

Yogic meditation, the alignment of body, mind and soul is the need of the hour in the stressful pandemic times.

Yoga clears away the restless energy and prepares us to meditate and reach a state of blissful joy and enlightenment.

 Meditation is not about emptying our mind and stopping our thoughts, it is about changing our relationship with our thoughts. One does not have to run away from the daily life and life’s realities to realize yogic mediation. But it is living the world with the full understanding of the self and the world around us. It is the hunger to be connected to the soul. Meditation is not concentration, it is deep relaxation. It is going from movement to stillness and sound to silence.

Meditation is not something apart from life. To be choicelessly aware of things around us (like watching a butterfly being carried along the wind) is part of meditation as the eminent philosopher J Krishnamurti observes. He further describes mediation is to know oneself, not only superficially, but the whole content of the inner, hidden consciousness. Without knowing all that and being free of its conditioning, you cannot possibly go beyond the mind’s limits. That is why the thought process must cease, and for this cessation there must be knowledge of oneself.

One may follow the Noble Eightfold Path, the path of living in awareness taught by Buddha or the ways by Patanjali, or the Thirteen Mantras or Zen ways or any other path. All roads take us to the path of ultimate joy and happiness.

All paths cultivate attention and awareness and research shows that meditation can bolster concentration. Enhanced memory and an ability to regulate emotions can help people with anxiety and depression. Meditation increases social connection and reduce loneliness.

 Mindfulness is to be aware of the current moment in a focused non judgmental way. Different medical experiments have proven the benefits of meditation in treating various ailments from depression, anxiety, sleep disorder, heart health etc. It also brings in a sense of hope, contentment and joy, brings calm to otherwise chaotic day and clears the cobwebs and makes thinking crystal clear.

We are here to improve ourselves and continuously reflect and grow to become better version of ourselves. By improving ourselves we can create a better environment for us and others to live a better life. Counting one’s blessings when feeling any discontent or sadness like what we all are facing these days in the pandemic times. Letting go what you cannot control gives you real peace of mind. Practice kindness, show gratitude and listen to your heart. And see your worries and insecurities shrink away.

 Mindfulness is effortless alertness and being in the present moment. It is not an extravagance but a prerequisite to have sustainable relationship with oneself and the world around us.