It’s hard trying to meditate every day. The chatter and constant movement of our mind, the momentum of habits and the addictive patterns of thought, make sitting still, breathing slowly, stepping back from it all and disentangling ourselves very difficult. Just as a small cloud can veil the light and power of the sun, or a few fingers covering our eyes can hide the whole world from our sight, in the same way the mind hides the inner light of the heart and the soul.

Don’t give up. The spiritual Masters talk of the ‘cosmic game’, the ancient struggle between darkness and light, ignorance and knowledge, the journey of the soul back to its source, to yoga or oneness with God. Meditation is the space between things that allows this knowledge to grow. You can read a thousand books, but you will only find there what you already know, and very little of what you read will remain. The real progress lies in cultivating silence, stillness – here lies the doorway between the finite and the infinite, the space where knowledge, insight, understanding is experienced first hand.

Start small. If you’re just starting out with your practice, sit for five or ten minutes once or twice a day. Just watch your in-and-out flowing breathe, trying not to get captured by the thoughts and feelings that come into the mind. Let the mind be an empty sky, thoughts just a tiny bird crossing the sky, not important, leaving no trace. Don’t have any expectations, just keep training the mind to become obedient and one-pointed. You have begun an inner journey, and one day it will take you to some wonderful destinations – but don’t think or wish for this, just enjoy the journey itself.

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Videos

Sri Chinmoy on the basics of meditation

Meditating on nature with flute music

Getting started with meditation