We all want a deep relaxation that refreshes us, so that we can be useful when we wake up, but when can you truly rest? Only when you have stopped all other activities. When you stop all voluntary activities like moving around, working, thinking, talking, seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting, etc., then only do you get rest or sleep.
In sleep, only involuntary activities remain with you, such as breathing, heartbeat, digestion, and blood circulation etc. But this also cannot be called total relaxation. Total rest can occur only in meditation. Now, the real question is, how can we deepen our meditation?
Three golden principles would be very useful to go deeper in meditation.
The first golden principle is achah: for the next 10-20 minutes, gently remind yourself, "I want nothing for few minutes." When you go to shower, you don't go with your robes on, right? You remove the robe, you remove your shoes and then go in. In the same way, when you meditate, keep aside all the wants in your mind. You can have all your wants or desires back after meditation. Taking a good look at one's desires and realizing that they are futile or nothing great is maturity, or discrimination, and that takes you deeper.
The second golden principle is aprayatna: ‘I do nothing.’ You just be. You do not even have to make an effort to think “I want nothing” and “I do nothing”, let there be just an effortless intention. A strong tendency to keep doing something, whether important or unimportant, becomes an impediment to meditation. All intentions, good or bad, trivial or important, need to be dropped for meditation to happen.
And the third principle is akinchan: I am nothing. You could be somebody-a lawyer, a doctor, whatever, but during meditation, you become a nobody. Whether you think you are someone great, you are rich or intelligent, or you think you are poor, not so smart, or weak, in either case, you cannot meditate. So just for those 20 minutes, be nothing. These three principles will help you calm your mind and deepen your meditation.
Now remember, meditation is not concentration. When you are being guided in meditation, don't listen to the instructions too intensely; that can make you tense and stiff. Just allow the instructions to float into your ears, and relax. That's the key to meditation. When our mind is uptight, all that we need to do is just relax and let it blossom. Meditation is such a delicate phenomenon, it takes months to intensify, but if you neglect it for a few days, it will wilt like a flower. Continue the practice till you realise that it's your very nature, and you cannot be without it. And remember, just like happiness is contagious, meditation is contagious too. If you are a good meditator, people around you catch on to it, catch on to your positivity. The vibrations from your meditation bring blessings not just for you and the people around you but even to your ancestors. It brings them relief, too. So it is upon us to meditate today and every day and free this planet from violence, tension, anxiety, and stress. (By- Sri Sri Ravi Shankar)
This World Meditation Day, on 21 December, join the world’s largest meditation event with the global humanitarian and spiritual master, Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, on his Official YouTube Channel. The historic celebrations commence on 17 December with Gurudev’s address at the United Nations in Geneva.
