If you don’t have the time to bring meditation into your life, then bring your life into meditation. Do whatever you do consciously and with intent.... When we live our lives deliberately, joy blooms.

Getting in touch with your inner self does seem like a lot of work when you are coping with the frenetic demands of a high-voltage job and an unending schedule of running a home. Suma Varughese opines that spiritual growth happens best in the midst of your daily activities for they provide the perfect opportunities for development

Yes, we know. You would love to get in touch with your inner self, but how do you fit it into a schedule of running a home, bringing up two children, holding down a high-voltage job, coping with friends, relations, a demanding social life and all the other ebb and flow of a frenetic urban life? Those of us who entered spirituality with both legs firmly fixed in the mundane are familiar with this dilemma. What? Do yoga, pranayama, meditation and go to work in the morning? And fit in reiki, creative visualisation and kundalini-raising exercises as well? And when does one write into the dream journal, gratitude journal, daily diary, do affirmations, get an ayurvedic massage, etcetera?

As all sages tell us, the reason for all human suffering boils down to just one thing. The mind’s compulsive swing from the past to the future and back again. Dwelling as we do in a cloud of anger, regret, worry, anxiety, nostalgia, yearning and recall, our awareness of the present is virtually absent. Bringing the mind into the now by doing whatever we do consciously is a great antidote to this human tendency. As people like Eckhart Tolle (author of Power of Now) tell us, there is no suffering in the present.

When we live our lives consciously or deliberately, joy blooms. So here’s how:

Conscious eating: As Thich Nhat Hanh observes, the whole universe is present in your plate of food. As you contemplate your meal, become aware of all the elements and people who contributed to its presence – the sun, wind, earth, water, air, the plants, animals and humans whose deaths furnished the soil it was grown on, the people who grew it and harvested it, those who sold it to you. Give thanks to all of them and above all, to the Creator of all that lies on your plate. Spend a moment simply dwelling on the food, taking in the colours, shapes and smells.

Breathe deeply. Now slowly, fastidiously, take your first morsel. Be aware of the taste and texture. Chew the food consciously and experience its descent into your gullet. Pause for a second and take your next bite. Resist the urge to hurry or to read a book or even converse while you eat. Simply be with the food. You will find that eating this way makes it a deeply fulfilling activity. And what’s more, your stomach will thank you for it. A welcome side benefit is that you will consume much less because you are eating slowly and therefore giving the brain ample time to signal satiety to the stomach. This exercise works best if you are dining on your own, perhaps at lunch on your work desk.

[Suma Varughese, a regular Verve contributor, is the managing editor of Life Positive magazine.]