Meditation is the heart of yoga and doing physical yoga makes it easier to meditate.
This was one of my initial motivations for getting involved with Hatha Yoga.
I wanted to be comfortable sitting in lotus so I could meditate.
Meditation is the listening mind,
The listening to infinite mind,
Mind.
And yoga is a way of learning to be in meditation all day long.
In other words,
Listening inwardly with a quiet mind for as many moments of the day as you can for the guidance and wisdom of the infinite mind,
The divine.
The way to listen inwardly for guidance from the infinite mind is by being attentive to your deepest impulses about what to say or think or do or be.
This,
Again,
Is like a wave seeking guidance from the ocean,
As though the ocean was something other than itself,
And then diving deeply into itself in order to feel out the answer.
The wave diving into itself,
However,
Is the same as the wave diving into the ocean,
For the wave is the ocean in specific expression.
The wisdom and guidance that comes from the infinite mind,
Then,
Will be experienced by you as your deepest impulses to do or be.
It's a matter of being still enough mentally so they can arise from the ocean's depths,
The depths of your being,
And float into your conscious awareness.
The practice of yoga,
Therefore,
Is the practice of meditation,
Inner listening,
Both in poses and meditations,
As well as all day long.
It's a matter of listening inwardly all the time and then daring enough and trusting enough to do as you are prompted to do.
Meditation,
Therefore,
Is many things,
Not merely sitting straight in lotus or any other meditation pose.
Primarily,
It's a way of coming upon the truth of who you are by experiencing what you are.
You practice not thinking long enough to feel the energy you are made of.
This puts you in touch with the natural joy of being and the actuality of conscious communion with the divine.
For me,
Meditation in action,
That is,
In the midst of daily life,
Always involves the realization that this moment,
Right now,
Is absolutely worthy of my fullest attention.
This means that here is where I am supposed to be,
And that this is what I am supposed to be doing,
And that you are who I am supposed to be with.
It always feels as though the whole world is right now,
And that this moment is the only time there is,
As though this room were the stage of the entire universe,
The only stage,
And you and I are the only people in the universe.
This can happen when you are sitting alone,
Listening to music,
Talking,
Painting,
Writing,
Making love,
Walking in nature,
Anything wherein you experience the joy of being you.
Meditation is a way of opening yourself to the intimations of the universe that flow through you constantly.
It is a means whereby you exchange your previously small definition or sense of self for that of an individualized expression of the infinite.
Meditation helps you realize that you are a spiritual personality essence,
And that your mind is part of the infinite mind.
And in the stillness of your quiet mind,
You learn to use your mind in a new and expanded way.
Having a mind is like having a library card.
With your library card,
You have instant access to all the knowledge within the library.
Meditation,
Therefore,
Is not something that you do for half an hour a day and then forget about.
It becomes your total way of being.
It is constant,
All day long.
This has often been talked about as the quiet mind,
And in a manner of speaking,
That is true.
It is quiet because there is less conflict.
Meditation is like a hot flame that burns clean,
Without a lot of black smoke.
There is just the hot flame of attention,
Which,
In a sense,
Is quiet.
In a sense,
Is stillness.
But in another sense,
Is the most energetic,
Focused,
Creative,
And powerful.
It is like an engine that is quiet because it is operating perfectly.
And it is more powerful because there is less internal conflict.
Usually when you hear about the quiet mind,
You think of dull,
Lethargic,
Less than high energy.
But the energy of stillness is anything but dull.
It is like a perfectly centered dynamo,
Spinning so fast it appears motionless.
There is something very alluring,
Attractive,
And important about being in that high energy,
No conflict place,
If only in moments.
It is there that you receive guidance about what to do to resolve the various conflicts in your life.
Therefore,
If you can enter into a meditative state by listening to music or walking in nature,
Then do those things,
Become familiar with it where you can,
And learn to be in it more of the time.
Listening to music,
For example,
Helps you be in the now.
And because it helps you be in the now,
It is one of the best ways of learning to meditate.
And if you are a musician,
Meditation will inspire you to make greater music.
And through your music,
You will be teaching people how to meditate,
How to listen,
And how to enter stillness.
If you are a writer,
You will find access to an infinite well of creative inspiration.
Meditation is not only something you do.
It is a way of being.
It is the way you do the things you do.
It is the art of listening on the run.
The art of listening inwardly for guidance from the infinite mind in the midst of daily life for as many moments as you can.
This changes all the so-called ordinary things of life into something extraordinary.
