Meditation- most powerful tool to remain calm in current crisis

A global pandemic is in full effect. Risks of infection are on the rise, stock markets are tumbling, the economy is on the verge of a global recession, and every business is facing uncertainty. It is now a matter for all of us to visibly demonstrate the qualities of deliberate calm and bounded optimism to remain relevant in our profession and business. When we think of calmness it implies squarely to meditation. Meditation is a process in which we shift from thinking to feeling. It is a journey from the complexity of mind to the simplicity of heart. Though we can easily remember an image or an idea, it is difficult to recollect a feeling.

Have you ever tried to recollect the taste of a meal you had many years back? You may vividly remember the place where you ate. You may even remember its ambience, but the actual taste of the food can never be retrieved. Why? It is because feeling is always in the present, in the now. Therefore, we cannot be happy with the feeling of a good meditation from eons back. Therefore, meditation is a daily phenomenon.

The simple way of practicing meditation which many a times we have witnessed wittingly or unwittingly is as under:

S= Stop when you feel anxious, stop.

T= Take a deep breath O= Observe what happens inside yourself.

P=Proceed for more awareness of yourself, and what will help you

We all know lot of benefits and impact of meditation. In current crisis, it assumes greater importance to remain calm. It is strongly recommended to do it one or two times daily. Even if you have not done in past, please do it now. You will find lot of clips of guided meditation in YouTube.

Similarly lot of applications is there which can be downloaded free for doing meditation. Sri Sri Ravishankar of Art of Living is facilitating meditation at 12 noon and 730 pm evening and every day in YouTube, Face book, Instagram and other art of living applications.

Daily more than two lac people from more than 100 countries join this online meditation. According to him, meditation is retiring from external world and going inward. He said that meditation is not concentration but deep relaxation and becoming effortless.

Recently he said three important aspects of meditation. 1. During 15 or 20 minutes of meditation, we should not expect anything 2. We do nothing. We should not make any efforts during these 15 or 20 minutes 3. We are nothing. Put all your ego aside.

Those who practice heart full meditation believe that what we feel radiate out affecting others. This is best way to send our love and care to those who are in need of it. The recommend practice is as under: “Sit comfortably and gently close your eyes. Bring the person you wish to send love to, in front of you. Feel your heart connecting to their heart. Gently send love and care to the person from your heart to their heart. Feel connected. “ “Metta Bhavna” is a five stage Buddhist meditation that helps to feel calm and to transform negativity into love, understanding and friendship.

How can we let go of hostile or negative feelings towards people we believe have harmed us or treated us unfairly or who have not reciprocated our love and friendship?

This Buddhist meditation helps in that by following these five steps I. Sit down, close your eyes, take some deep breath and send feelings of love, warmth, kindness and goodwill to yourself. Try to feel rather than think these emotions.

II. Now think about a friend, someone who is not your partner or relative and try to send even greater feelings of love and kindness to this person.

III. Then think of a neutral person, someone about whom you feel indifferent, and focus on sending them feelings of love, kindness and humanity.

IV. Next, think about someone difficult or even an enemy, someone you dislike profoundly and make an effort to send him or her same feeling of love, warmth, kindness and understanding.

V. To finish, bring these four people together in your mind – yourself, your friend, the neutral person and the enemy – and try to feel love, kindness, compassion for all four at once. Visualize this love spreading into your surroundings, your city, your country and the whole world Trust this will give you wonderful experience.

Simple philosophy of life is “Pyar do, Pyar Lo.” Give love. Get love. Love nourishes us. Love completes us. The Khusboo of life is love.