Finding Calm in the Eye of the Storm

Arriving at the stillness in the midst of chaos

Imagine a beautiful flower blooming in the garden. If you are running, you will barely notice it. If you are flying, then you would not notice either the garden or the flower. However, if you are walking and you pause, then you can appreciate the flower’s beauty.

To really enjoy something, you need to pause and take the time to observe. When we are moving rapidly, we miss out on many things. 

The movement of the mind is faster than any physical movement. Light may take years to reach a planet, but ones thought can be there immediately. When the mind keeps on moving rapidly from one object to another, one idea to another, one venture to another we are somewhat like a weathercock on a stormy night. Whichever way the wind blows, there we go. The inability to pause and be still is an epidemic that is widespread in humanity today.

Living without inner stillness means missing out on the very essence of life.

Some of you may push back saying that it's not possible to slow down. Some might suggest that slowing down is a sign of weakness and fatigue.

So, here’s an idea.

Is it possible to move at a high speed and yet be still?

Think of a wheel. The center of the wheel is steady, without movement, and the circumference experiences maximum movement. Similarly, the center of a tornado, the eye, is in utter stillness. If you want to be calm, position yourself in the eye of the tornado and keep moving along with it, and then nothing will affect you. When we center ourselves, the turbulent vacillations of the mind don’t affect us.

The idea of all yogic practices is to make the mind still and steady so that it can resonate with the stillness of the inner source within. When the outer stillness of the mind is able to match the inner stillness of the source, we become whole. We become centered. If we meditate regularly then in a short period of time, the mind evolves from thinking to contemplating in the most natural way. For example, when a little child adds 2+2, a lot of thinking is involved, but when the same child grows up, she can work on a complex math equation mentally. The shift from thinking to contemplation is natural.

The next advancement in the voyage of consciousness comes when neither thinking nor contemplation is needed, the answer comes to mind instantly, just like that. Going even further, there is a stage where one feels absolutely still and yet the mind is absolutely present everywhere! You don’t look for anything and yet, nothing misses you.

Absolute stillness is the same as infinite movement.

Say you go from Detroit to New York by car, it might take you 8 or 9 hours. If you take a flight, you will land in New York in an hour and thirty minutes. If you took one of those old supersonic flights, then your journey is over in minutes. However, if you were to fly at the speed of tachyon particles, the human eye would not be able to recognize the speed of your movement. You would be in New York and Detroit, both the places at the same time! Infinite movement makes you look absolutely still as if you went nowhere.

Why is this relevant? When we go beyond certain frequencies in nature, it seems as if there is nothing happening because of the enormity of the speed with which things are moving. You can think of it like a spinning top. When the top is spinning the fastest, it’s perfectly balanced and it looks as if it is not moving at all.

As we move inwards towards our center, something similar happens; we become subtler. As we become subtler and subtler, the frequency within changes. The 360-degree awareness is so rapid that it is almost real time. For example, even before the other person speaks, you have felt what they are going to say, understood and responded. Nothing is holding back your mind, or you can say that your mind is able to settle on everything simultaneously. You can be absolutely settled on your spiritual path, your business dealings, and your family responsibilities without becoming either disturbed or elated. Moderation becomes the hallmark of your existence. There may be hundreds of things that are demanding your attention, but if you can move from one to another at lightning speed, then why worry? What is there to stress about?

Everything is now an integrated whole. To achieve this state of wholeness is why we meditate. 

Takeaway Practice Tip: 

The next time, you find yourself having a challenging day, try this simple breathing technique to bring yourself back to a state of poise: 

“Close your right nostril with your thumb and take a slow, deep breath through your left nostril, breathing deeply into your abdomen and releasing the breath fully each time. Then continue to breathe like this eight to ten times through your left nostril.” 

Try it and see how this works for you.

Love,

Daaji