The beginning of the day sets the mood for the rest of the day for us. Mornings for most households are a hectic time – getting ready to go to work or school, packing lunches, preparing for the day ahead etc. An argument with someone during the work commute or even at home sets the tone for the rest of the day, and it keeps getting worse from there.
If we begin our day on a more peaceful and tranquil note, however, then this mood will stay with us for the rest of the day. This can be done by meditating first thing in the morning before any other activity of the day. There is a stillness in the morning – nature is still waking up, the atmosphere is quiet and there is a sense of rest and renewal. When we meditate at this time, we can call upon the divine / Guru to fill us up with peace and uplift us. As time goes on and we become more consistent in our meditation practice, this sense of peace grows deeper within us.
Even if we have a disruption or stressful situation of any kind later on in the day, the peace we have established within us doesn’t let us remain disturbed for a prolonged period of time. Our calm center radiates throughout our body and mind, and we regain the cool lost momentarily.
Having a tranquil center also helps us make better and more rational decisions that are not motivated by anger, jealousy or retaliation. We begin to radiate such a calmness that not only are our problems quickly resolved, we draw those people in our lives that help us evolve and who become collaborators on our journey inward.
Another phenomenon that occurs at this time is that our intuitive mind begins to wake up. The function of the mind is to absorb information constantly and provide us with data by recognizing patterns, warning us of dangers, making us aware of possibilities, and storing memories that it brings forward every now and then to keep us safe from emotional and physical harm. In short, the brain doesn’t create new thought it merely processes and repackages the information it gathers.
When we meditate, our intuitive mind – that we are all born with and use frequently as kids and that the logical mind has silenced since the former is unpredictable – starts to come awake. It starts sending us messages when we are in a moment of quiet. For instance, our day may be planned in a specific with certain meetings and the intuitive mind may say, cancel the last two meetings and do this instead. If we listen to that ‘voice’ and follow that direction, we will find that it leads to a solution or chance meeting with someone who helps resolve an old problem.
Our morning meditation fills us up with an energy that is vastly different from energy obtained through food sources. This energy is forceful, dynamic while also being peaceful. It keeps us feeling positive, motivated and courageous even under circumstances that are stressful and threatening. It also affects those around positively in a way that circumstances start working out in our favor. For instance, a difficult coworker or associate will become more flexible in their attitude toward us. We will be presented with opportunities that not only promote our progress but will also be less stressful.
Just as morning meditation provides us with energy and calm for the rest of the day, evening meditation acts as a sieve that filters out all the useless information we have gathered throughout the day. Contrary to popular opinion, the work of meditation is not to make you thoughtless but rather to make you aware of thoughts themselves and eliminate all those that are impediments to your progress. Our senses bring information to the mind throughout the day and it in turn processes all of this and retains a lot of it consciously and subconsciously. The evening meditation is a clean-up tool that rids the mind of useless information, false reactions and opinions, and distress. You go to bed with a light mind and wake up feeling re-energized.
It is important to note here that all these profound experiences can be achieved only if the meditation is sincere. If the practitioner is doing it out of a sense of acquired habit or formality, with their eye on the clock as they rush to start their day, then the meditation will have only a limited effect. Those who work should make the extra effort to wake up 30 minutes earlier than they normally do and meditate in an unhurried way. Those who stay at home, can meditate after they have wound up their early morning tasks of making lunches and sending people off to work / school / college. The first meditation must be seen as a new, precious opportunity given by the divine to become conscious and ascend to our higher selves.
As practitioners go about their day, they must also remember what Guru Siyag has said about spiritual progress, “Chanting is the key to spiritual transformation.” To begin the process of becoming a conscious (spiritually awake) being, the practitioner must chant Guru Siyag’s mantra as much as possible throughout the day.
