"if
the ocean
can calm itself,
so can you.
we
are both
salt water
mixed with
air."
--Nayyirah Waheed
I touched on the subject of meditation in my last post. It’s one of my favorite themes to write about, aside from #coffee, because for me it describes something basic to function properly in life: to be calm in the face of anything. Coffee does the opposite, but that’s life. We cannot have our cake and eat it too. Or can we?
What meditation is?
“meditation for me seeks to calm the mind, to be connected to your innermost being and be grateful to whatever life gifts you, it is a practice to remind us to be mindful of life and be connected to life itself.”
Everybody has his or her own way of calming the mind in different situations and personal circumstances; breathing and counting from ten to one in a stressful situation, rationalizing, that split-second before fight or flight, booze, cigarettes, etc.
Meditation is overrated
It is not the solution to all of our problems or a pre-requisite to connect to our “inner being” - the god-within. For me, we can do this by simply connecting to nature and the world around us, by acknowledging the circumstances in one’s life whether good or bad, to help an old lady across the street, to help a struggling sidewalk vendor, to say thank you to the taxi driver. These things can be done separately from meditative practice. However, meditative practice gives us a starting point that can guide us to do, to take the first step.
Being grateful is as much a gift to us as it is to the object of the gratitude. Thinking about it, I really feel good to be able to thank someone who did something for me or gave me a valuable lesson or just being there for me to listen. It is a gift that multiplies a hundredfold from the moment it comes up in our mind to the act of voicing it out, sound-waves traveling through the air, and reaching the other person and eliciting an emotional reaction. It is priceless. It is one way to living a #mindfullife.
More Than Meditation
”meditation isn't just about calming the mind; it is about connecting to the world outside and bringing the light of the Divine to shine on the world.”
Meditative practice is a solitary practice whether you are alone or practice with a group. The group energy helps create the environment to find success, inner peace, contentment, but the journey to find oneself starts with oneself. If I cannot find my true self, can I expect another person to find it for me?
Conclusion
Mahatma Gandhi said that changing the world starts with oneself. I agree with him. It is common knowledge that change is constant; we do not cross the same river twice, but how to incorporate this in the way we live our life is the challenge.
If the essence of self-development is to change for the better, does it have to be huge life-changing decisions every time? Can’t it just be small things, such as rearranging our desk or cleaning the closet or putting a note on the refrigerator to remind us how wonderful it is to be alive despite the circumstances that we are in.
The Japanese knew what they were talking about when the Kaizen philosophy was developed, which helped Toyota to become a 500 billion dollar company. The concept of continuous improvement loosely captures what we want to achieve in meditation: to change for the better.
Looking at it from another perspective, Oasis was right, we can “start a revolution from my bed”; starting the day with meditation or prayers moves the needle to the positive side of a great day. It sets the stage with clarity of mind and clearly defined goals for the day.
That’s it for now.
Thanks for reading through my ramblings about meditative life and thoughts about how it should be practiced. It is not the most exciting thing that can be talked about in a personal blog, but I get it. Some people will be able to relate to the post, hopefully, more than the usual. As my kaizen for today, I welcome suggestions and critique for improvement. I really do appreciate the time you have given to read my article today and wish for you a better day ahead.
Have a wonderful day everyone. Cheers!
*image is mine.