How a course in silent meditation helped me succeed at work
Yes, you read it right.
Silent meditation.
One might ask: Isn’t it obvious that you are almost always
silent when you meditate?
Yes, but what I mean by silent meditation is the SKY Yoga
technique gifted to us by our guru Sri.
Vethathiri Maharishi, one of World's most
simplified meditation techniques.
I learned it over a two-day course at Chennai along with Swamiji in 1985.
We stayed silent for two days.
We did not utter a word, made no gestures or
facial expressions, and committed to spending 8 to 9 hours a day
meditating and introspecting between 9 am and 6 pm
(with a few breaks in between).
Imagine a day without your phone or any internet connection.
A day without communicating.
A day without anyone you know around you.
A day without saying a single word.
Now multiply that by ten!
That is the SKY Yoga Introspection course.
It is by far the toughest thing I have done in my life and
one of my most significant achievements.
The effects of SKY Introspection are life-long, in my opinion.
You do see a change in your personality on the third day
when you walk out of the center.
But over the months and years that follow, the change can be dramatic,
depending on your practice.
You begin to notice an internal shift, a shift only you can feel at first,
and then at some point the world starts to take note.
The Introspection and Meditation technique has brought some
very meaningful change in the way I think, the way
I operate and the way I engage with people.
Specifically, here are the benefits:
Acceptance
The fundamental premise of Introspection is acceptance.
It teaches us to see and accept things as they are,
instead of how we want them to be.
This means that no matter how magical or miserable a situation
may seem, we accept it as it is.
We confront it in all honesty.
We don’t cling onto it, hoping things will never change,
nor do we long for a rushed demise.
Unlike other forms of meditation that help us identify and stop
certain thought patterns, or calm the mind using
chants and visuals,
SKY Yoga trains its practitioners to focus the mind on observing
the most subtle physical sensations of the Kundalini force within.
It’s believed that these sensations are the root cause
and the trigger of our thoughts and emotional reactions.
By recognizing these sensations at their conception, instead of
letting them develop and take us over, we can change our
thought patterns to minimize agony and live a more joyful life.
Applying this principle in my work has made life so much more peaceful.
I was often in a race to improve work situations or manage people’s
egos or get bogged down by difficult relationships with colleagues.
Acknowledging and accepting that nothing lasts forever makes me
view life in a different way.
I no longer stay grouchy for days.
I try to complain less and constantly remind myself
of the impermanence of situations.
Response versus reaction
By learning to step back and observe, you learn the art of responding
rather than reacting.
I had suffered from being reactive throughout my entire life.
I gave a lot of importance to instant reaction.
But that meant not giving myself time to think, reflect, introspect,
and then act.
I learned the process referred to as “response” only after
meditating during the course.
I remember the days when I would immediately lose
my cool if someone in my team did not meet a deadline or
something did not go as planned.
Reflecting on some of these traits has transformed me into a
better people manager and a more rational individual.
Decisiveness
In today’s fast-paced environment, it is essential to
make decisions quickly.
One needs the ability to think clearly, strategize, and
execute effectively.
SKY Yoga made me more observant and sharp and has enabled me
to see things as they are.
Over the years, I have seen a tremendous improvement in the way
I make decisions and the clarity with which my mind can think.
Effective communication
Silence can be so powerful.
Less is more.
Two days of not speaking a word was unimaginable for an
immensely talkative person like me.
That’s exactly what made the challenge of maintaining
silence more attractive.
It is during the silent meditation hours that it dawned
on me that effective communication isn’t about the number of
words we speak.
Instead, it is about the way we articulate our thoughts.
I have always needed to be an effective communicator.
I consider this skill to be my core strength, and meditation
has helped me sharpen it.
Humility
SKY Silence Meditation was both an eye-opener
and a rude shock.
It keeps me grounded even when I travel first class
to some of the most exotic destinations in the world.
It reminds me to count my blessings while dining at
star restaurants or spending a week at the most
luxurious hotels around the globe.
It is a constant reflection of how nothing in this world
is permanent, none of it is tight, or anything to get hung up on.
It's just causes and conditions doing what they do,
manifesting through the body.
Going into SKY Yoga, I had strong opinions about
relationships, morality, routine, and personal choices.
Walking away on day two, I felt detached from so many
of the preconceptions upon which I had built my identity.
But it didn’t feel like a loss.
It felt like a new beginning!
Visit SimplifiedKundaliniYoga.com
Awaken Your Kundalini.
Meditate on your Life Force.
Experience Bliss.
Be Blessed by the Divine, Krish Murali Eswar.