Do not even listen, simply wait. Do not even wait, be quiet, still and solitary.
The world will freely offer itself to you to be unmasked.
It has no choice, it will roll in ecstasy at your feet.' Franz Kafka
With the hectic pace and demands of modern life, many people feel stressed and over-worked. It can feel like there isn’t enough time in the day to get everything done. It can also feel like however much we do it is never enough. We can become tired, frustrated and feeling constantly under pressure.
It can also be difficult to control our mind as it is constantly affected by external circumstances. Being so closely attached to the things on a round us can lead to mood swings. We get excited about something but can then feel let down or disappointed.
I’ve found that I am easily affected by the people and things happening around me – often referred to as being an ‘empath’. I can feel at the mercy of my emotions and not in control of how I feel leading to extreme highs and lows.
Many of us try to juggle lots of different things and can find it difficult to switch off. We might find it difficult to be fully present in what we are doing in the moment and the mid starts wandering ahead thinking about what we need to do next or tomorrow. This can also lead to anxiety as we worry about future situations and events.
So if we’re all so busy how can we find time to stop and meditate? As an old Zen saying goes: You should sit in meditation for 20 minutes a day, unless you're too busy; then you should sit for an hour.
This is because it is exactly at the times when we feel too busy, over stretched and that everything is a rush, that meditation can help. By making our minds calmer and more focused it will create the space and time we need to take step back, to slow things down and get a clearer perspective.
Meditation can also help us transform our minds from negative to positive, from distracted to peaceful, from unhappy to happy. When the noise of distracting thoughts subsides our minds can become still and a sense of contentment naturally arises from within.
And this practice and its’ effects can help us to cope with everyday life. It allows us to approach situations with a different outlook and response. Rather than reacting to external events and letting them affect us we can take a step back and observe. We are able to develop a mental equilibrium rather than oscillating between the extremes of excitement and despondency. Difficult situations become easier to deal with, we feel warmth towards other people and our relationships improve.
I've found that meditating in the mornings using pranayama helps clear my mind and feel calmer about the day ahead. By focusing on any difficult situations or relationships and thinking positively about these, becoming aware of the connection between us all, I have been able to find a real sense of peace and love. This can then help create more positive interactions.
An activity can itself become the object of meditation, when we are completely focussed on what we are doing. When we carry out activities with complete awareness it can completely change the nature of the activity and make it easier for us to be more present in our daily lives.
As well as the positive effects on our mental and emotional state, meditation contributes to our physiological well-being. It decreases the metabolic rate, lowers the heart rate, improves blood pressure and reduces cholesterol levels.
What’s not to love?
To find out more about different meditation techniques take a look here: http://www.healthandyoga.com/html/meditation/meditationtechniques.aspx