Art of doing nothing!!!

Can you just do nothing? no movies... no gossip... no music... no gobbling... no thoughts???

If your answer is yes then you have mastered the art of meditation... Unfortunately, it is not a very easy art to master... our mind is so clouded with thoughts and to do lists that we never get a blank mind when we close ours eyes... in fact even when we are sleeping we keep thinking about things to solve or things to do the next day or things you did that day!

I hear, the hit novel "Twilight" was the result of thoughts working through the night!!! So, it is not a bad thing after all... it made Stephenie Meyer a whole lot of money... its just that sometimes you need to rest your mind to make sure it comes up with more ideas to either make you money or get you out of situations!

If you are aware of the 8 fold path in yoga, meditation comes after asanas & pranayama. There is no rule that you cannot learn meditation without learning the other steps... but there is a reason why it comes after you learn the postures & the right way of breathing. The eight limbs work together: The first five steps — yama, niyama asana, pranayama, and pratyahara — are the preliminaries of yoga and are concerned with reconditioning the mind. 

Even in the 8 fold path Meditation is taken in stages. It starts with Pratyahara, which is withdrawal of the senses and directing your attention inward. Dharana involves teaching the mind to focus on one point or image.  Dhyana, which is uninterrupted meditation without an object. Lastly, Samadhi, or absolute bliss. The ultimate goal of the eightfold path to yoga is samadhi. But that is far away if you are unable to sit in one place for 3 mins without thinking about what happened & what is going to happen.

Tips for starters:

• Its not magic... give it time... you will feel restless at first but you will have to let go & relax intentionally.
• When you start it is likely you will fall asleep while meditating... that is not the aim... you will soon get there!
• Set aside time to do it peacefully - mobile off, phone off, tell people you are busy & not to disturb you for 5 or 10 mins.
• Avoid your thoughts consciously... tell your thoughts that you are off for a while & you will be with them shortly... you will have 23 hours and 50 mins to be with your thoughts.
• Do a self guided meditation... concentrate on each part of your body as you breathe in & out.
• Make sure that you always relax after doing any kind of exercise (yoga, dance, aerobics, etc). Use this time to relax & meditate!
• Don't do it as a chore you will only hate it... Do it with an intention of relaxing your body mind & soul.

Once you start the process you will find more energy within you for the other things you have in mind!

Happy Meditation!