By Balwant Sanghera
Peace of mind is one of the greatest gifts a person can have. This is more so in the current environment where life is extremely busy. In this process, sometime we fail to pay attention to our own health and well- being. The race towards getting more and more of material goods, prestige, property, money etc. is taking its toll. The growing number of physical, mental and emotional health issues is the consequence of such attitude and behaviour. In this context, it is relevant to review some of the strategies that may be helpful to us in enjoying life’s blessings more.
Music is considered to be food for the mind and spirit. Spending a few minutes every day listening to calming music can rejuvenate us spiritually and physically. Gurbani is a great store house of spiritual fulfilment and guide for a happy and contented life. Similarly, there are a variety of ways to calm our mind with music. It can be classical music or music of any other from. Listening to music is a great way to switch our mind from turmoil to peace and tranquility. At the same time, it motivates us to focus on the present. There are distractions all around us. From the moment we wake up in the morning till we go to bed at night we are constantly distracted by stimuli around us. However, often we fail to recognize that our ability to pay attention to the present is a great way to attain peace of mind.
A prominent Buddhist scholar, B.Allan Wallace has captured this paradox beautifully. He states: “We are living in a world that contributes in a major way to mental fragmentation, disintegration, and decoherence. We are always doing something and allow little time to practice stillness and calm. When we are at work, we fantasize about being on vacation. When on vacation, we worry about the work piling up on our desks. We dwell on intrusive memories of the past or what may or may not happen in the future. We don’t appreciate the living present because our ‘monkey minds’ vault from thought to thought like monkeys swinging from tree to tree.”
Jon Kabat –Zinn, the biomedical scientist who introduced meditation into mainstream medicine takes this concept one step further. He goes on to state: “Most of us don’t undertake our thoughts in awareness. Rather, our thoughts control us. Ordinary thoughts course through our mind like a deafening waterfall. In order to feel more in control of our minds and our lives and to find a sense of balance that eludes us, we need to step out of this current, to pause, to rest in stillness-to stop doing and just focus on being.”
We need to live more in the moment. Living in the moment-also called mindfulness- is a state of active open intentional attention on the present. In this state we become an observer of your thoughts. Mindfulness is one of the basic concepts of Buddhism, Taoism, Eastern and many aboriginal cultures. Ellen Langer, a psychologist at Harvard University and author of Mindfulness, puts it in these words: “Everyone agrees it’s important to live in the moment but the problem is how? When people are not in the moment, they are not there to know they are not there. Overriding the distraction reflex and awakening to the present takes intentionality and practice.” Rather than waiting for a better day to come, we need to live in the moment, enjoy it and to-day will become the day we have been waiting for.
There is an old saying that goes like this: Life is better when you are happy but life is best when people are happy because of you. Be an inspiration and always share a smile. You can become mindful at any moment just by paying attention to your immediate experience and by thinking of yourself as an eternal witness. Focus on the moment and enjoy it. This is an excellent way to start a brand new year. Have a happy and mindful 2016!
Balwant Sanghera is a retired School Psychologist and Community Activist.
