Standing in a long queue? Waiting around for a delayed flight? Doing some mind-numbing chore, over and again?
Wonderful! A golden opportunity to meditate…
While a rainy day may be useless for a parade, it offers the perfect chance for indoor games. Every situation which we find taxing, tiring or tiresome, can be turned around to our advantage.
A meditator is a traveller and explorer of the inner self: our inner self is our inner self regardless of what is happening to us or around us. Our journey of inner discovery always beckons with new avenues to be explored, new challenges to surmount, new vistas to enjoy. No matter what outer situation we find ourselves in, there is always a meditation technique that is applicable in the moment. In our spiritual life, every moment is a unique gift to be treasured, a golden opportunity for progress and growth.
Of course, not every meditation technique is applicable to every scenario: we cannot sit cross-legged in a moving queue, or start chanting loudly in the library. But no outer situation can take away our heart’s freedom, or our power of imagination; and any circumstance which challenges our mind’s focus, or threatens our control over our breath, is the ideal chance to practice and hone that very skill.
Mantras are endlessly adaptable and always applicable. If you do not know a useful mantra for the moment, create one on the spot, and put it to use right away, most likely in silence.
Hold fast to your life’s goal. Do not allow the mind to engage in negative responses: frustration, annoyance and grievance might all seem justifiable, but they smother our hearts’ sweetness and joy, thwarting our higher purpose. Keep the avenue to your heart always free and clear.