On International Yoga Day, Discover a Simple Meditation Practice for a Joyful Life

All around the world, we are on our feet from dawn to dusk and even well into the night. Men chase jobs, careers and money. Women also chase careers and in addition run behind their men, children and homes. Sandwiched between the two, children run after their parents, their education, extracurricular activities, friends and their electronic gaming gadgets.

Is that all? Aren’t we dismissing our huge elderly population who are flummoxed at the speed of the race? They are neither able to appreciate the activities nor determine the endpoint of each participant. The elderly often wonder whether there would be winners at all. When they look at their grandchildren, they are baffled by the disappointed expressions written all over the faces of the little ones.

Why such disappointments, failures and unhappiness all around? It looks like all of us are doing our jobs diligently but most of the time we are not satisfied. There are a few of us who manage to overcome the situation and regulate our minds, but many succumb to modern-day stress. The result is jealousy, anxiety, fear and unhealthy imaginary competition; and this inefficiency triggers negativity and conflict among the human race. Thus humanity is losing out on the higher values of life such as love, compassion, brotherhood and peace. In this maddening race, there is not just loss of human values, but also loss of respect for our fellow beings and ourselves.

In the past, in all the cultures and races in the world, spirituality was a natural part of life and it taught us to look inward at our abilities, talents and also our mistakes. Spirituality was woven into every activity of the human race. From the art in ancient places of worship, to the nature of worship, extending to creativity of an everyday life, it was there staring at us boldly. But the gaps set in slowly as we seem to have moved away from that natural life of peace, calm, love and joy.

Now, can there ever be an awakening of our soul? One solution to all our problems seems to be in the practice of Yoga as it helps to unify the mind with the creator. Why Yoga?

Yoga will not only point the end point of our maddening race but also help to build tranquility in our minds. How?

One can take up any form of Yoga – Yoga of the body (Hatha Yoga), Yoga of the mind (Raja Yoga), Yoga of selfless action (Karma Yoga), and so on.

Raja Yoga, or meditation, helps in feeling an inner peace and sense of joy. I have personally practiced a system of Raja Yoga known as Heartfulness, which is a simple way to approach the heart to experience the love and divinity inside us. It is a simple meditation that can be practiced by anyone in the confines of one’s home, and the 10 Guidelines for Heartful Living instill ethical living and harmony among humanity.

Within a few days of practice I noticed a significant change in my state of mind and a rejuvenation of the heart. It has helped me to bring in harmony and happiness. My experiences and feelings during Heartfulness Meditation are mine. To observe the benefits for yourself, please try it. The proof of the pudding is in the eating, as the old proverb says.

On 21 June, to commemorate International Day of Yoga, please join Daaji, the global guide of Heartfulness in a session of relaxation and meditation. Register here – http://en.heartfulness.org/international-yoga-day/

This article is written by Lalitha Sai, a writer based in Chennai, India. She is a journalist and has 25 years of experience in leading news dailies. She is now working as a consultant and head of operations of content releases in a private company. She is a also a practitioner of Heartfulness meditation since few years.