In the real world, there are all kinds of things you hear about meditation if you listen to people who have busy, active lives as well a thriving meditation practice. When people grab a few minutes to meditate, the impulse toward action continues. There is an...
Some of the great Yoga Masters have compared the mind to a drunken monkey that has been bitten by a scorpion! You have such a mind, but when you allow the mind to do whatever it wants, you don’t really notice how mischievous it is. It is only when you try to keep it...
In this interview, one of Buddhism’s most respected teachers in the West, shares her initial experiences with lovingkindness meditation, and the value of beginner’s mind. Sharon’s belief in the power of meditation as a conduit to happiness is the subject of her book,...
In honor of International Day of Yoga (June 21) and World Unity Week (June 20–27), a beautiful meditation is offered by Nalanie Chellaram (director, Integral Yoga Gibraltar and Sotogrande and founder of Service in Satchidananda). You can watch and join in sending out...
People used to think that Yoga only meant standing on the head and doing some breathing techniques. But a very important practice is meditation—working directly with the mind. After all, the body is only a concrete expression of the mind. If you change the mind, you...
Learning to meditate can be overwhelming for some. The mind can feel less like a place of quiet refuge and more like Times Square. In this video, you can follow along with Yoga master Sri Swami Satchidananda's instructions (read by Saraswati Ishaya from the booklet,...
I have a friend who has told me, on multiple occasions, that she cannot meditate. Up to this point, I have failed miserably to convince her otherwise. I have used all the best quotes, like the old Zen saying, “You should sit in meditation for twenty minutes every day,...
Continuous meditation is meditation in daily life. It reminds me of the well-known tea ceremony in Japan. It’s a way of welcoming a guest into your home. And when the guest comes, you just give them a cup of tea, which we normally do, but in Japan, giving a cup of tea...
Meditation is something we should learn to practice, not just in formal meditation, but all the time. But, for our formal, sitting meditation practice, preparation is most important. Is there not a saying, “Well begun is half done?” We often don’t begin well. We don’t...
It’s nearly impossible to calm the waves of the mind completely, but we can learn to dive under them. You don’t have to make all the waves calm. The Bhagavad Gita says that the mind gets tossed like a boat on the surface of wavy water. It’s very hard to keep the mind...
In children, the mind is pure. It is the world that goes in and contaminates our mind, otherwise, the mind is always plain and pure, like a crystal. No mind is bad, no mind is dirty; it’s always crystal clear. But it is the proximity of the mind to other things that...
Meditation can be like watching a movie—if you simply observe or witness the thoughts, without any judgment, you will enjoy the show. Watching the thoughts is different from analyzing and judging them. A judge in the court is analyzing the case and judging who is...
A disciplined mind is your beautiful friend and a fantastic instrument. You’ll not only win God, you win everything, because when you automatically win God, you win the whole universe. An undisciplined mind can cause you to run here and there, chasing desire after...
Who needs meditation? Not those who meditate the moment they sit and close their eyes. If you are already restful and peaceful, why meditate? Meditation is a sort of medication that is needed only when you feel sick. It helps those whose minds are restless. So don’t...
You may be an experienced meditator. Even so I wouldn’t be surprised if many of you go through periods of a few days, weeks, or months, when for one reason or another you don’t get up in time to have a formal sitting. This is not unusual. And, you are not alone if you...
Introduction I was inspired to write this article after reading Tracy Cooley’s excellent Integral Yoga Magazine article. She describes running a 108 kilometer distance. Certainly, an incredible accomplishment, particularly as a Yoga meditation. I love to swim....