by Navjit Kandola
We are never truly alone.
Within our consciousnesses, we each possess a sense of “I”. The consideration of this “I” accompanies all of our decisions and actions. It is through this “I” that we interact, and express our interactions with the world around us. For example; “I am happy,” or “I do not like this,” or “I am afraid.”
I. I. I. We can go on forever on the subject.
But who is this “I”? What is its source?
And, if this “I” is me… then who am “I”?
This inquiry is more than just a philosophical exercise – it is in fact, a powerful, crucial step towards truly understanding the nature of our identities. By seeking the meaning of “I”, we explore the scope and context of our sense of “I” and also what lies beyond or before this “I”.
Exploring such a deep question involves digging past many layers of internal constructs and meanings. Just as it is with a child who keeps asking “Why?” after each answer they’re given – we, too must continue to inquire after each response. Eventually, we run out of answers for the child and arrive at an uncomfortable place. We simply cannot answer “Why?”. Somehow, something that started as a simple question sprouted wings and flew beyond the boarders of the intellectual mind.
Hopefully, we shall be just as lucky with our inquiry of: Who. Am. I?
Here we go.
Find a quiet place where you can sit, stand or move around without being disturbed by phones or people. Make sure that you have taken care of any physical or emotional needs before you begin. Make any further arrangements to be ready, and then consciously commit to truly focusing on the exercise ahead of you.
Now that you are ready, breathe into your body, and allow the inhalation and exhalation to relax your body and mind. Remember, you are alert, not passive. You may keep your eyes open, or you may close them. When you feel the moment is right, ask the question, “Who am I?”.
Listen carefully for thoughts or feelings that may be responding to your question. As each response or feeling arises, continue to seek the source of the “I”. Here is an example of what your inner dialogue may sound like:
Who am I?
I am me.
What is the source of “me”?
I am the energy in my body.
Who is the “I” in the body?
I am the thoughts.
Who is the “I” within the thoughts?
And so on, until you can truly focus on the essential component of the question ie the source of the “I” thought. This exercise can be exhausting for the mind because it is being pushed beyond what it “knows”. So if you need to, feel free to rest and continue your quest another time.
While you should always be patient with yourself, you must also be determined in your pursuit of this answer. Stick with your search, dig through those layers, take your inner learning further and further until you experience the ease and enlightenment that this ripe, light filled inquiry leads to.
Happy travels.
by Navjit Kandola
One of the easiest and best ways to still the mind is to move the body. You can dance, exercise, jump, or shake. Moving the body forces the heart to beat faster and flush the whole body with oxygen rich blood. It is this oxygenated blood that gives the body peace of mind.
Today join me in moving the body by shaking, wriggling and giggling. Giggling is part of the exercise in that we are moving the consciousness away from seriousness to creativity and play.
The outline below is just a suggestion, you can create your own moves and play within a time frame that works for you.
Here we go!
Before we start, you may want to find a piece of music that you can move to; something rhythmic and uptempo.
1. Find a spacious area where you can move your body and not be disturbed. Turn on the music. Start by standing still (feet shoulder width apart) and breathing into your body. Feel the expanse of your body from the tips of your toes to the top of your head. Stand tall and breathe deeply.
2. Now bend your knees slightly and slowly begin to shake your body up and down for a a couple of minutes. Shake your arms and legs, wriggle your toes and fingers. If you can move your neck and shake your head.
3. Observe your breathing and adjust it to meet your body’s requirements (longer, deeper, slower). Now begin to shake with a little more energy (if your body is up to it – otherwise continue with the gentle shaking). Do this for a short amount of time (15 – 20 seconds) and then return to the slower pace.
4. Now bring your awareness to your hips, thighs and buttocks. Just focus on shaking them as vigorously as you can. SHAKE! (10 seconds) and slow down. At this point, you may find yourself giggling or laughing especially if they wiggle and jiggle like mine! Have fun! Add a few silly moves to add to the laughter.
Repeat the above steps a couple of times and then begin to slow down your shaking until you come to a stop. Place your hands on your belly and feel it rise and fall as you breathe in and out.
Now sit down and close your eyes to meditate. Meditate for as long as you would like and enjoy the whole body smile!
Here are some music suggestions:
Gabrielle Roth & The Mirrors (a bit serious)
Lady Gaga – Poker Face (fun, dancy)
by Navjit Kandola
I used to see a Sant (yogi) every day on my way to or from school when we were living in India. He was as pale as the buffalo milk I drank, and as tall and thin as a eucalyptus tree. He lived in a little cottage on the main road, just by the entrance of the long driveway that led to my family’s farm.
Most days, I would see him simply strolling about, walking almost in slow motion through the trees.
That’s how I remember him, and though some of the details may be fuzzy, what I felt when I saw him is absolutely clear: he seemed to be a part of something else, something I couldn’t name, and had not yet realized that I yearned for. He seemed neither to be rushing through life nor agitated by it, as most other adults appeared to be.
That Sant was one my first teachers in that he taught me, through his carriage, about grace in the body – that you could have time for life, and become utterly, harmoniously absorbed in it. I felt drawn to the possibilities he embodied as he glided amongst the trees.
I don’t think I ever spoke to him, but his influence on me was powerful. I took the experience of him as a piece of treasure, and tucked it safely away in my being. It has become my compass, a guide for how I wish to be in the world and within myself.
Today’s meditation is about embodying grace and wholeness in our bodies, in every posture, gesture and movement. Here we go.
Find a quiet spot to sit for a few moments for this exercise, and sit down.
Feel free to wiggle around until you are quite comfortable. Now take a couple of deep breaths and close your eyes, giving yourself a few moments to adjust to your inner awareness.
On your next deep breath, begin to scan your body starting at the top of your head all the way down to your toes. Look for any signs of tension/constrictions or discomfort. Are there any thought forms or conclusions that come into your awareness as you scan your body?
Take your time here to let your body “speak”, and listen to what it is saying to you. You may hear some thoughts like “I’m so tired,” or “I can’t do this.”. Be patient, and listen.
Now, inhale deeply and begin to release any tension or constriction within your body by exhaling. Continue to use your breath to release the tension/constrictions for as long as it takes to relax and quieten.
Take the time to stay within the still quietness of your body and mind. Meditate. Continue with your focused breathing.
When you are ready, open your eyes slowly, and remain still for a moment. How does your body feel? More centered? Balanced? Brighter?
Familiarize yourself with this feeling, and anchor into it as you move through the rest of your day. Continue to practice this meditation as often as you can, and observe the difference it makes in your movements, actions, and mood. The benefits are truly beautiful!
Navjit
by Navjit Kandola
When we are meditating, distractions come in many forms. They can come as dogs barking, birds chirping or neighbors talking. Body aches, a busy life and a chattering mind can further convince you to stop meditating. You give up before you’ve even started.
Distractions are small hurdles – easy to overcome when you know what their correct placement is in your consciousness. One way to create the “right” placement is to just let them be, i.e do not make up a story about them. For example, if you sit down to meditate and the neighbors start arguing, or a dark barks, simply let the sounds pass through your consciousness and keep your body relaxed. If something hooks you, let it for a while, and then return to your meditation. By returning to your meditation, you are showing your mind that this is where you would rather be “being”, i.e not the being with the dog barking or the neighbors arguing. You very gently embody your preference to your mind and body.
By exercising the muscles of our consciousness in deciding what or who gets our attention/energy, we heighten the quality of our experiences and relationships.
Here is a simple meditation to practice:
Take a couple of deep breaths and close your eyes.
Let your body and mind adjust and get comfortable. Continue with your deep, quiet breathing. Next, instruct your mind that there will be no talking, and that you will be focusing on just listening. These directions to the mind help the mind to orient itself in accordance with your wishes. You may have to remind it a few times through the exercise. That is perfectly fine.
Now, slowly, begin to listen to the sounds around you by opening your listening consciousness. Listen to the quietest sounds, and then switch to the most distracting. How do you feel? Is your mind being pulled in many directions because a sound triggered a gazillion associations?
Breathe. Observe. Listen.
Practice letting the sounds move through you. The key here is to stay relaxed – both in mind and body. Continue breathing and listening.
As you continue to listen, your consciousness will become drawn to something much more nourishing than the sounds and distractions. That is inner quietude. Allow yourself to move towards this experience and sit in meditation, here in this inner quietude. Sit here for as long as you would like, and then when you are ready, take a couple of deep breaths and open your eyes.
Fantastic! Now, as you move about your day, consciously practice placing sounds and distractions in their correct placement in your life.
How sweet the sounds!
by Navjit Kandola
Instant energy: how to switch your inner light on
Some days, just the thought of focusing on breathing exercises or meditating can seem like too much. Everything else needs your attention – right now! The demands of deadlines, meetings and family life keep you on a tight leash. Your adrenals pump adrenaline and cortisol to help you cope with the stresses, and there’s no ‘slowing down’ in sight.
For such days, this simple, light exercise will create some breathing space for you. Light is an essential ingredient for your health and wellness, so connecting to it is just as important as eating well or exercising.
Here we go.
Close your eyes and take a deep breath. Take a few more breaths until you feel a subtle shift – a quietening or calming sensation. Now, imagine with every breath you take, your body is beginning to fill with light. Let the light fill your whole body. Keep breathing and filling with light. What does the light feel or look like? Is it like a morning sun or a deep, golden hue? When you feel full, let this light radiate out of you into the entire room, and out further.
Now, open your eyes and keep breathing and connecting to the light. Imagine you are like the sun; radiant, warm and energizing. Take another deep breath into your body, and allow yourself to step back into your life with the light inside of you, and know that you can switch on this light whenever you like.
Remember to turn on the light several times a day to energize your body, and to remind yourself that you can be nourished on the go from within.
Light is on!
by Navjit Kandola
Meditation changed my life.
When I was young’un, I had no idea that all I had to do was close my eyes and quiet my mind to feel solid, connected and whole. I didn’t know that so much of what I was seeking was within myself. Meditation opened that door for me.
Meditation is really quite simple and easy. It is you being you whilst sitting, walking, talking, cooking etc. You, at ease with yourself.
In this fast-paced world, we often forget that ease of being. We find ourselves uncomfortable and fidgety, out of sorts with our lives, relationships and work. While we search for answers on the outside… the truth pulls us to the inside. There are a gazillion ways to meditate, and you may unwittingly practice a few yourself.
I’ve decided to start Monday Meditations for Mindfulness because I would love to meditate with you.
Each Monday, you’ll find a new meditation exercise. Each one will be brief and very easy to practice within your busy daily schedule. You’ll be surprised by how quickly your meditation muscles will grow and strengthen!
Let’s begin.
Here is this week’s meditation:
Sighing
This is a very simple and effective technique for beginners or long time meditators. In fact, our bodies perform this technique naturally…
Take a deep breath and let out a deep sigh. Let your body release the tension through the exhalation, without feeling any embarrassment or self-consciousness. If you are feeling shy or resistant, you can start off by inhaling deeply through your nose and exhaling through the nose fully.
Do this several times until you feel a shift in your body and mind. The shift can be experienced as a sense of stillness and peace, or the calming of the chattering mind.
When you are ready, sigh audibly – it really does make a difference to the whole body.
Sighing allows the lungs to fill up, open the chest and make more room for your heart.
As you breathe more deeply you also bring in more life-affirming oxygen into your blood
and thus decrease the ‘squeezing’ that lack of oxygen creates. There are so many benefits to this.
See how your body responds and consciously note what other benefits you experience.
Thanks for joining me for this week’s MMMs! I’ll meet you back here next Monday.
Love,
Navjit
