One of my favourite meditations is one I learned when I heard Sri Sri Ravi Shankar speak once. What I like about it is that it’s so simple yet so profound.
You sit down in a quiet space for however long you have – five minutes or an hour. Then you close your eyes and for the time you have, you want nothing, you do nothing and you be nothing.
See? So simple.
And it’s profound because how often in our lives do we not want something? We’re always wanting things to be a certain way – even in meditation. And how much do we allow ourselves to do nothing. I mean really, absolutely nothing – not even think. And as for being nothing – we are so deeply embedded in our identity – mother, sister, self – and so invested in our personality… It’s quite a thing to BE nothing.
To Actively Be Nothing.
Sri Sri explained the ‘being nothing’ thus: If you are a woman sitting and meditating, that’s not it. If you are rich or poor, and sitting here meditating, that’s not it either. Be nothing means no identity, no body, no roles or attachments or obligations.
“Imagine all the people…”
You may say I’m a dreamer, but it is possible. And letting go of all that stuff that we always DO so actively is bliss – I mean, if you think abut it, we even do constantly while we sit quietly.
Just let it all go for the five minutes or hour that you have. Such a relief.
Sitting in the Is-ness like this makes me aware of myself in different ways. It helps me see who I am under all the roles, anxieties and expectations. It brings me back to basics.
And it makes me a calmer, more balanced mommy.
So I’ve attached a 15-minute meditation audio clip to this post if you’d like to try it.
Find a comfy seat in a quiet place (where the little blighters won’t interrupt you) and click on the icon below.