Meditation

Flavors of Meditation

It could be licking your favorite ice cream on a hot Sunday afternoon or watching the sunset on a white sand beach. Your meditation experience can be compared to anything, absolutely anything random on this planet!

We spoke to a few meditators who drew some very interesting analogies between their meditation experiences and things you could not even distantly relate to meditation! Let’s take a look.

1) Meditation in having a drink

Before I started to meditate, I would take alcohol to relax. Even though it can give you instant enjoyment, it can be harmful to your health if it becomes a habit. In meditation, there is not just instant relaxation but you also gain the ability to make better choices and connect with yourself, with regular practice. The feeling is much better. I’m glad I found a positive and healthy way to celebrate life – Anonymous (name withheld on request)

2) Meditation in dancing

When you become so relaxed and still in meditation, it just starts to flow naturally, just like dance. Then, meditation can become a dance with the nature, with the Divine, with yourself, with the whole creation – Ivana Mihalinec, Graphic Designer.

3) Meditation in falling in love

When you are in love, everything feels more exciting, more interesting and more alive! It’s the same when I meditate. I feel complete – Sarah Yost, Web Designer.

4) Meditation in watching a still lake

In a still lake, you can see the reflection of everything. Similarly, in meditation, I can see the reflection of all that is going on in my life – Anand Makan, Art of Living Teacher.

5) Meditation in laughter

Meditation frees you from stress, you are in a space from where everything looks like a play. When you are free from botheration, you can laugh from the heart. And also, meditation will charge you so much that you can’t help but laugh! – Plakor Kovacevic, Graphic Designer.

6) Meditation in SCUBA Diving

In both meditation and SCUBA diving, you go deep into a different world. Then, you slowly come up from the depth of the sea to the surface (and in case of meditation, from the depth of your Self to outside awareness) – Zoran Imsiragic, Graphic Software Expert.

7) Meditation in riding a bike

The feeling of calm and relaxation that I get from riding a bike on a wide, open road reminds me of my meditation experience – Sabareesh, Web Developer.

8) Meditation in playing a guitar

After knowing and practicing meditation, it struck me that meditation is a lot like playing the guitar. That transcendental state in meditation seems quite like the way I feel when I'm playing. It feels good to come home after a stressful day at work and just forget everything and invest time on the guitar. And I feel much better after, just the way meditation makes me feel – Vinay L Jadhav, SEO Analyst and Guitarist.

9) Meditation in combing

The only time you become aware of your scalp is really when you massage it with the teeth of a comb. Similarly, meditation adds layers of awareness to your life, which when used in the right direction can be very fruitful. Combing your hair gives you a pleasant appearance and so does meditation – Pranav Desai, Senior Auditor.

10) Meditation in night gazing

When I see the night sky, I feel the enormity of the universe; it feels like I'm connected to all those distant worlds. It fills me with the mystery that so many ancient humans have looked at this sky like I’m doing now and they have seen all that I’m seeing now. I feel connected to them and all over the planet, people are connected to me because they all can see it – Vikram Nath, Software Programmer.

11) Meditation in wearing a pullover

A pullover is what comes to my rescue in the extreme cold. And meditation is my savior against the storms of life – Soukumarya Bhowal, Student.

Inspired by Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar's wisdom talks

By Pritika Nair

 

ART OF LIVING PART I COURSE Discover Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar’s ancient secret to modern well-being

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