Meditation heightens our sense of awareness, allowing us to engage with, and appreciate the beauty of, the present moment, says Rajyogi Brahmakumar Nikunj ji
Many of us have certainly experienced this that our mind is always jumping ahead or lagging behind but it is never in the moment. WhyIJ The reason being its constant chattering or wandering, as a result of which it robs us of being in the moment and living a wholesome life. So, how can we live to the fullest when our mind is chattering to itself even while we are engaged in our daily activitiesIJ The simple solution to this problem is “meditation.” With meditation our mind becomes a useful instrument, instead of enslaving us with its constant chatter. Meditation helps us train our thoughts to stay in the present moment which in turn provides peace. Thoughts of the future or of the past prevent us from feeling the peace that is in the present moment. In other words, being totally focussed in the present means that you do not think about the past or the future, and are free from the negative emotions that accompany those thoughts.
Just like we cannot be taught how to sleep, it is not possible to teach someone how to meditate, because it’s so natural that it cannot be forced, but unlike sleep, it is to be practised by remaining conscious. We require a certain degree of will power to remain in the state of heightened awareness that occurs when we meditate. However, at the same time we do need to relax, letting go of all our expectations and desires. This subtle balance between the effort needed to sustain concentration on one hand and detachment from all distractions on the other is what is called the art of meditation.
Meditation is the cultivation of self-awareness. The effectiveness of our actions and interactions within our relationships with others begins with the quality of our thoughts and decisions. Self-awareness is crucial as it gives one the ability to judge his/her’s hold on our thoughts and feelings. In fact, the vast majority of people cannot even see that it is the “self” and not someone else who creates their thoughts and feelings. So when we fall under the illusion that others are responsible for what we think and feel, and, therefore, for what we do, we end up creating a stressful life, becoming dependent on external sources of stimulation in order to feel good. Meditation on a regular basis will gradually help one learn to lessen one’s dependence on external things for our feelings and begin to live an independent life. Meditation reconnects you to you!
Which really means restores your awareness, your real nature, which is calm, contented, yet dynamic and alive. To attain this state of relaxed awareness, we need to prepare ourselves by training our thoughts in the right direction. It is important to reiterate that meditation is a process, and as such, takes time. Hence, the need to have patience, perseverance and faith in ourselves in order to develop and deepen our meditation experience. However, it is crucial to remember that ultimately only you can teach yourself, as learning does not come from outside but needs to be cultivated from within. Even if you fall down numerous times while learning to ride a cycle, your parents won’t give up. The same is valid for meditation as nobody can stabilise their mind the first few times, but with practice it becomes a normal course of life.
Bhagwad Gita states that man can be his own best friend or his own worst enemy. But in order to be my best friend, I have to spend time with myself. I have to learn to love and respect myself so that I can love others and respect them as well. By getting to know myself and by keeping a watch on what is going on in my mind, I gently push the mind back on the right track. If during the day, I allow my mind to be negative or to have unnecessary thoughts, it would be a difficult task and I would end up struggling to meditate. On the contrary, if I make sure my thoughts are good and positive, it will be that much easier to have that elevated experience. Alas, it is not sufficient to just read about it, one needs to be practical as well.