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?

Getting in touch with yourself does seem like a whole lot of work. There are spiritual practices and practices. According to some adepts, there are as many paths as there are people, because all of us have to get there, remember? Therefore, there are even rituals for people who have no time for them!
One of them, popularised by the great Vietnamese monk, Thich Nhat Hanh, is called Mindful Living. 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.

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.

Measured walking: Do this walk anywhere. From your house to the lift, lift to the car, or bus stop, from one cabin to another, while putting baby to sleep – whenever you need to walk. Walk with awareness. Bring your consciousness on the pressure your feet exert on the floor, the movement of your toes and knees as you lift your foot, the position of your hands, your torso, the muscles at work. Be aware simultaneously of your breath and follow its movements while you inhale and exhale. Be luminously aware of your body in motion and the vitality that courses through you.

Mindful breathing: This is the jackpot, the humdinger. If you get this right, then you’re home and dry. For your breath is the link between your body and spirit. It is directly linked to your state of mind. When you are angry or agitated, you will breathe faster and more shallowly. When you are relaxed, you will automatically take deeper breaths.

Watching your breath is the time honoured way to meditation. However, your breath is always with you and technically you can watch your breath any time, anywhere. You don’t have to sit cross-legged on a meditation cushion.

In the beginning, stay with the breath when at leisure, such as travelling, for instance, or while your colleagues are droning on. Gradually, attempt to keep one eye on your breath no matter what the activity. It is a surefire way of keeping your hold on your emotions and state of mind. Your awareness of your breath will make your activities naturally meditative, naturally centred. No matter how hectic the going, this will keep you unhurried and tranquil.

Accepting yourself: Another way to grow spiritually in the midst of your daily life is to do what J. Krishnamurti recommended: watch your feelings, thoughts and reactions. Become aware of your habits and conditioning. The next step is to accept what you see, even the most unflattering aspects of your personality, for all of it is you. This practice, which admittedly takes time to yield results, will help you to rise above the conditioning that has created the present you. Once you have made yourself aware and have accepted all aspects of yourself, you will have effectively come to terms with your past and future. You will naturally be in the now.

Everyday spirituality: And finally, spiritual growth best happens in the midst of your daily activities for they are your opportunities for growth. Dancer and seeker, Mandakini Trivedi says that her dance performance is her biggest sadhana. It enables her to dance with the same commitment and devotion before an audience of five as well as 500, and accept both praise and censure with equanimity. Everything that comes our way is spiritual practice. A missed bus or train is a lesson in acceptance, an uncooperative colleague, a lesson in tolerance and big-heartedness. Illnesses, deaths, job losses, all hold out signal lessons for us to master. Life, after all, is all the spiritual practice you need.

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