Ayisha Qureshi

The first time I thought of writing a blog was when I realized that my mind was completely out of control. It actually had a mind of its own!! I have struggled incessantly for the past 03 years to manage it and it has taken me a while to realize that Mind is not the Master! (And that calls for a separate blog entry which will be coming soon.)

As the craze for meditation has increased in the past decade or so, I had my doubts, but there was also this thought: where there is smoke, there is fire. But I must understand how and why it works. What is it that meditation does? It was not before my mind actually became an unchained monkey that I was able to finally appreciate it.

It would be impossible for me to explain this phenomenon without referring to 2 valuable books by Eckhart Tolle: The Power of Now and A New Earth. I suggest read A New Earth first. That’s the order I read it in and it made all the sense. For those of you who have already read one of them, I urge them to read the second one.

These books introduce 02 important concepts that we must work with: first, we must live in the moment, in the NOW, if we want any peace of mind, and second, we must be mindful and aware of our EGO that is the root of all the unhappiness in our lives. This EGO works well and becomes stronger if we are not present in the moment. It is most powerful when it keeps us chained to our past and this past becomes a filter through which we see everything in the present and the future- we can never be free of our past. It also makes us worry about the future and we move further away from the present moment. The further we move away from the NOW, the more we oscillate between regret and anxiety, guilt and panic- all the negative emotions that would not exist if we just anchor our mind in the NOW.

This is where the role of meditation comes in: it firmly but gently brings the mind back from the past and the future into the present. This is the only moment that really matters. And so, very simply, it works. The more you practice meditation, the more you discipline your mind and the more you can keep it anchored. It helps you enjoy the present, leave the past behind where it belongs and move towards the future without worrying about it.

I have used quite a few applications to help with the meditation and the best that I recommend is HEADSPACE. After 10 free trials you have to pay for it but it is worth it, believe me!! I am thoroughly enjoying it and the days that I am regular, the benefits are obvious enough.

So go ahead…give it a try. There is nothing to lose. Find whatever works for you and do it. And I guarantee that you will not regret it!!