Mind Space
by Laura Plumb

"Nobody is a fool and nobody is wise… If you have space within your mind, then you become wise, and if you have no space in your mind, then you become 'otherwise'." - Shri Brahmananda Sarasvati

Recently I was expressing gratitude to my husband for our relationship, "because," I said, "it is one that appreciates silence."

I have always loved silence. Growing up I was blessed to have been regularly fed the silence of nature as well as that of holy places, including museums, temples, and churches.

I remember long summer nights when as children we would lay ourselves out on the grass and look up into the vast night sky. Did you do that? Do you remember that excitement and wonder? It was as if your whole body was listening while you felt the whole world glistening.

In those moments we entered into a silence teeming with life, light and mystery. What we saw, from an Ayurvedic perspective, was the vast beauty and intelligence of our own unique inner landscape. We experienced the central principle of Ayurveda that we are, each one of us, the microcosm of the macrocosm. Within in each of us is that same light, energy, infinite space, peace and intelligence, and we feel that when we come into silence.

In Ayurveda, too, it is considered essential for one's health to take moments every day to enter this silence. Just as good digestion and proper elimination is essential to physical health, so thoughts, ideas, feelings and experiences must be digested and released for optimal mental, emotional and spiritual well-being. Unless we cease our automatic compulsion of daily mental churn we cannot know true intelligence, let alone the love and peace that is the essence of ourselves. We must rid the clutter and create space in our minds if we want to have that clarity, wisdom, balance and that profound experience of being alive that we all truly seek.

When you practice silence and become aware of your own inner spaces, you see that silence actually is golden. It is luminous, radiant, living, expansive. It purifies and reveals itself through eyes that become whiter, skin that becomes more lustrous, bodies that become lighter. More importantly, it brings us peace in any chosen moment, contentment in relationship and fulfillment in our work. It helps us see the gold in every experience and the light in every heart.

Sitting in meditation for any duration can be difficult, especially for beginners. Here is a simple practice that can be done for any length of time.

Sit comfortably. You can sit on a chair or cross-legged on a cushion or on the floor. Just be sure you are comfortable and can maintain an erect spine for a period of time. Keeping the spine long and straight is essential to be successful at your meditation.

Resting your hands on your knees or thighs with palms turned up helps the shoulders relax. It is also helpful to bring the forefinger and thumb together. If they fall apart it is usually because we are drifting so it will remind you to come back to the practice.

Next, close your eyes and bring your awareness to your spine. Feel your breath breathing through you.

Now as you inhale begin to see light draw in and then flow down your spine to the tailbone. On the exhale, let yourself feel the vibration of OM move up the spine reverberating from the tailbone to the crown of your head.

Continue like this, repeating 18 times. If you lose count, begin again at one and repeat to eighteen.

Once you have practiced this regularly and are able to maintain your focus for 18 breaths, double it to 36. Once 36 is maintained with steadiness try to maintain it with clarity and concentration for 108 rounds (mala beads, with 108 beads can be helpful here). Once you have completed 108 allow yourself to sit and enjoy the silence.

Focusing on the breath is a tangible way of directing the mind inwards. Visualizing the spine with an inner eye and listening to the inner OM further help us grow inner stillness.

Transition times are good times to practice; ideally sunrise and sunset. Beginning your day with silence will help you through the day. Practice after work helps you transition gently into the evening.

Focusing on the breath will give you moments of inner stillness until you are able to sense that stillness in all moments. Then, sitting in silence becomes an absolute joy.

Laura Plumb
Yogic & Ayurveda
Deep Yoga

www.deepyoga.com

www.lauraplumb.com

Back to Articles Main