Every day is a new game, a new song, a new journey, a new examination.
Our instrument is our consciousness. Just as an athlete prepares with stretching and warm-up exercises, a musician carefully tunes their instrument, a traveller packs their bags and a student studies for an exam, so our morning meditation prepares our consciousness so we are in shape for our daily game, song, journey and examination.
There are many reasons to meditate: all are good and valid. The important thing is that we do meditate – at least daily.
Meditation itself is a deeply enjoyable experience. Yet very few of us start meditation simply to enjoy the experience of meditation itself. Most embark on meditation in the hope that its practise will transform our consciousness, help us to overcome life’ s challenges and become a better, happier person.
The workshop of our consciousness is our daily life, our interface with the outer world. Our daily life challenges us with stress, tension and confusion; it presents as the problem which meditation must solve.
If we want to enjoy most delicious fruits, we must first pluck the fruits. If we want our day to be full of the fruits of meditation, it is essential that the first thing we do after waking in the morning is to meditate – before anything else.
If an athlete does not warm up, a musician doesn’t tune, a traveller neglects to pack or a student fails to study, the results can be disastrous. So can our day be, if we do not meditate first thing.
Morning meditation insulates us from life’s rough weather, while flooding us with peace, light and inspiration. We are tuned to play, enjoy and become the ever-new, soulful, sweet, thrilling and uplifting song of each new day.