Mystic Mantra: Mindfulness for the modern man

Off late, the people in the Western world are increasingly adopting mindfulness and meditation as part of their daily routine to acquire peace of mind.

But most of the people who meditate regularly wonder why they start falling sleep during such a process of self-exploration. As soon as their body and mind relax, some sort of sleepiness begins to possess their being. This is quite natural.

The modern man, who has to adjust with city-life, with all its maddening speed, traffic and noise, has become unnatural. So the first thing that the meditation does, in the moments of relaxation, is to give him some good sleep that his body needs urgently. The environment we live in is not so conducive to meditation — not enough oxygen and prana-energy to keep us fully awake while we meditate. And to meditate in air-conditioned rooms, may be suitable to most people, is not equal to meditating in a forest or gardens.

So the first requirement for meditation is to let our body regain its naturalness with letting it fall into sleep. The body will keep asserting and asking for more sleep. Be kind to your body. For a few days, you cooperate with it and it will cooperate with you. In the beginning, the body may be fidgety also. Don't worry, continue with meditation. ultimately, it would be a rewarding experience. Recently, ABC news anchor Dan Harris has written a book, named Meditation for Fidgety Skeptics, in which he shared his own experience to highlight the benefits of meditation, which has become popular as Mindfulness.

Another neuroscientist Davidson suggests that one needs to part from his/her favourite gadgets and technology in order to achieve the benefits of meditation. Also, as one starts practising meditation, he would be easily able to manage things in spite of being busy. Today, meditation is being fully supported by the scientific researches highlighting the benefits of practising mindfulness to maintain a healthy body and mind.

Says Osho on this subject: “The world can come to a harmony if meditation is spread far and wide, and people are brought to one consciousness within themselves... My effort is to make meditation almost a science, so it is not something to do with religion, so anybody can practice it — whether he is a Hindu or a Christian or a Jew or a Mohammedan, it doesn’t matter. What his religion is, is irrelevant: he can still meditate. He may not even believe in any religion. He may be an atheist; still he can meditate. Meditation has to become almost like a wildfire. Then there is some hope..... It should be ecstatic. It should be enjoyable. It should bring a dance to people's hearts.”