Q: Could you advise on what is the best way of going into meditation. And is there any kind of special music which can enable you to access that space better?
(Ritu Kumar: Fashion designer from India (Recipient of the Padmashree in 2013))
Gurudev: Meditation is very simple, and it just takes a couple of days to learn. Once you learn it then you can do it on your own. Then you can do it anytime and anywhere you want. But only before meals, okay! What happens during meditation is our metabolism slows down; whereas after food our metabolism goes up. So it is better to meditate two to three hours before food, or after a good meal.
Meditation is good, it makes our body strong, health better, mind clear, and our emotions become softer and positive. It improves our intuitive ability, improves our vibrations, and brings such a positive energy around us. There are so many benefits to it.
Q: I think I am addicted to meditation. Is it bad to be addicted to something awesome like meditation?
Gurudev: You can’t say that you are addicted to compassion, it is a wrong word to use since it is an integral part of your life. Similarly, you can’t say that I am so addicted to being clean; I am addicted to brushing my teeth. Just like brushing is dental hygiene, meditation is mental hygiene.
Yes, you should not be obsessed with it. Suppose you could not meditate for one day, do not make a big issue out of it by getting upset or angry; never mind. Once in a while, like once in two years, it is okay. You should not feel guilty about it. However, missing meditation should not become a regular thing. Missing it three times a week is not very advisable.
Q: If our consciousness is so powerful, then why doesn’t it heal our body ailments and why do we need doctors and medicines. What is the role of the soul in the body.
Gurudev: Body heals, not just with medicine. You give someone medicine and do not let them sleep, then see if the body heals. Impossible! Deep rest is required, and meditation is one such rest.
Our body is not used to meditation from the very beginning, or due the circumstances and surrounding, the conditioning of the body is such that medicines also have a role to play. That is why Ayurveda is also a part of the Vedic wisdom, and not just mantras and yoga. Yoga and Ayurveda both have an equal share is keeping the body healthy.
Q: As a meditator, I know that meditation has an impact on the people around me. So then is mediation the biggest Seva (Service)?
Gurudev: Does it mean that you should just sit and meditate and don’t do any seva at all? No, I don’t accept that. You should do seva also, and meditation is also essential.
Q: I am normally a peaceful person. When I am meditating, I feel that I am just talking to you. Out of 20 minutes of meditation, I can meditate only for 1 minute and the rest I feel I am talking to you. Am I dreaming this or are you really talking to me at that time? Sometimes I open my eyes slightly to see if there is someone.
Gurudev: It’s okay. You can do the 2% meditation. Look, sometimes, with eyes closed, we start dreaming and get transported into the fantasy world of our mind, which is called the Manorajya. With eyes open, we are in the outside world. In between the two is silence. Not too much of the outer world and not too much of fantasizing also. We need to meditate in between these two.
