Meditation is not only for the monks (II)

In Part I of this article https://www.dhirubhai.net/pulse/meditation-only-monks-i-anshum-jain, I talked about how it struck me hard when I realized that I drove home for 90 minutes completely submerged in my thoughts. In other words, I was doing one important activity while my mind was completely elsewhere. Let’s delve into this little more.

 You will probably agree with me that ‘being completely present’ is becoming rare these days. We take pride in being busy, multitasking throughout the day, having lunch meetings, be in conference calls while driving, you get the point. Our minds are never at rest. The results can be frustration, arguments, delay in decision making, lost opportunities, getting fired or even breakup with your partner.

No, I am not going to suggest that we should one thing at a time, not have lunch meetings and schedule lesser number of meetings every day. This is simply not the reality of today’s work environment. While you can be little mindful about planning your day, you simply do not have all that control over your time. There are simply too many balls to juggle. So, what is the way out? How do we train ourselves to be less distracted, be more focused and be more ‘present’. Could meditating help? Kind of meditation which you can do 'on the go'.

When one thinks of meditation, an image of a monk typically in White or Maroon robe, sitting calmly in a serene environment with the eyes closed and an everlasting smile on the face comes to the mind. While most of us may feel blissful to be in such surroundings, the reality is that we do not have time, money and possibly desire to be in that state. That state is simply not accessible to most of us.

What is however accessible to all of us is the result mediation produces without having to make a trip to a Buddhist monetary in the foothills of Himalayas. Mediation is not about any specific posture, any specific routine or even any specific outcomes and is not a religious activity. For most of super busy people, meditation could simply be about deliberating slowing down, observing our breath, observing the passion in an employee who thinks he has a ground breaking idea, observing how a production line worker is sweating it out, observing your own likes and dislikes etc.

The kind of mediation I am talking about here is the one which empties your brain so that you new ideas can germinate. You stop compulsively ruminating while driving on the way back from work. You recharge your batteries so that you can go longer. The meditation I am talking about here is what you and I can do anytime anywhere. Mediation which is not only for monks. Mediation which works for a cab driver as much as the managing director of Fortune 500 business.

Here is a collection of few simple and short meditation routines which you can follow almost anytime anywhere. You do not have to follow a strict regime; you pick the one which suits the situation on hand. My experience suggests that you will start seeing results, that is you will be more relaxed, in matter of days.

Conscious breathing: Focusing on your own breath is probably the simplest and most powerful mediation. Your breath is the only companion which will be with you in good and bad times. Your breath will be with you until the very end. All you need to do it to observe yourself inhale and exhale couple of times. You can do this right after you get up, before you go to sleep, before you get ready for an important discussion, in between a meeting when things are not going as planned or before you start driving after a long day. You are likely to detach yourself from the immediate problem on hand, gain a larger perspective of the situation which will give space for new ideas and result into more fruitful discussions. As few as three conscious breaths can do the trick.

Eye contact: One of the reasons we do not connect well with others is because we let our ego connect with the other person’s ego. When egos interact, nothing good comes out. When you look into other person’s eyes with the unjudgmental look on your face, you dial the connection with the other person’s original self. Try this while talking to a difficult colleague couple of times and let the magic unfold.

Buddha smile: One of the reasons buddha looks so calm is because he wears a subtle smile on his face. Try to wear that buddha smile whenever you remember to do so, whether you are driving, listening to a presentation, or even typing an e-mail. Your breathing will slow down automatically, and you will feel at ease. At the same time, it will bring positivity to the room. Smiles can be contagious too.

Hear that sound: You are walking through the shop floor and hear noise that equipment is making. Can you be with that sound completely? Does it start low and then becomes loud? Is it intermittent? Observe that sound from beginning to end couple of times. You have just given your mind a 30 second break from compulsively thinking about the meeting you just had.

Enjoy that smell: While washing your hands, feel the texture of the soap, smell the scent of the soap and feel the water on your hands. Be fully there with the process of washing hands (or any similar activity). Do not judge anything, just observe. The process may not take more than 30 seconds however you would have given your racing mind a much-needed break. Meditation could be as simple as that.

Look at that: You are at a Red traffic light. Instead of worrying about your upcoming presentation to your boss later that morning, just observe the scene at the intersection. Look at how one car almost jumped the Red light. Look at how the driver behind you is getting impatient. Do that with a smile on your face. Just look at that. Don’t judge. You have just completed a 60 second meditation.

Feel that feeling: Your boss just rejected your proposal. You feel let down. Try to completely feel what you are feeling. You are not angry. You are having a feeling of anger. Feel that anger completely. Do not brush it aside. How does the anger feel? Does it have a color? What temperature is it? Does it have a sound? What is it? Just be with it completely for two to three minutes (use the toilet if you need space). You will feel much better afterwards and can take whatever action you are required to take next. Probably it could be as simple as reworking the proposal and seeing your boss again next week.

I encourage you to be creative and come up with your own meditation routines. The objective is to give you racing mind a momentarily break to focus better at task on hand, have more “present discussions” and feel good in general.

I would love to hear about your experience.