Making meditation a priority.
When I was a young girl, a new world was emerging for women. Women had already won the right to vote years earlier. Society was beginning to accept women in roles traditionally held by men. They could become doctors, lawyers, and astronauts. As a woman-to-be, I was encouraged to think and dream big.
I was told, “You can do anything you desire. You can be anything.” And I believed that tenet. Unfortunately, in my young mind, I translated it to mean that I could do everything I wanted to do. I’m not sure whether this mistaken belief was born of the time’s social changes or if it came from something deeper.
It was decades later when wisdom dawned. I realized that I couldn’t do everything, but I could do anything—if I put my mind to it. More precisely, I realized, I can choose to do one or two things very well. Or I can do many things not so well.
On the Path to Spiritual Wealth
One of my life choices was to walk the spiritual path and seek enlightenment.
When Eastern meditation practices were introduced to the West, people noticed its pleasant side effects. Meditation affects the mind, giving us mental strength and clarity. Meditators are calm in stressful situations, and we make better decisions. Physical health benefits have been studied, and doctors commonly prescribe meditation to their patients.
But meditation can be so much more. In today’s world, so consumed with material wealth, many people have forgotten and foregone the attainment of spiritual wealth. This is the wealth which can bring deep and lasting contentment and a sense of personal success.
Achieving Spiritual Success by Meditating More
If the effects of meditation are so bountiful, why do so many people find it difficult to establish a meditation practice? Here’s a simplification of what people say to me: “Yoga tells us that we have countless lifetimes to attain that goal. What’s the hurry? There are so many interesting things to do in life. Let’s have some fun first.”
This, then, is the obstacle to achieving spiritual success: we think there’s plenty of time—and we have many other interests that require our time and attention.
I wish I could tell you that we can have our cake and eat it too, but it just doesn’t work that way. If we want to succeed, we’ve got to work at it. Some good karma might be involved, but focus, diligence, and time are required. If we lose our focus, we get distracted and lose momentum.
Examining and Establishing Our Priorities
Most people are simply “fans” of meditation. They believe in its benefits, but have many other interests, things that demand their time. These interests can be anything from watching television to social activities or various hobbies.
Having interests is not a bad thing. The problem is when we have so many interests that we don’t focus on any one of them. Our time gets frittered away. Life passes by quickly, and we awaken one day wondering, “Where did the time go?”
When we allow meditation to take a low priority, our spiritual aspirations become a secondary interest. Enlightenment gets further away. And if we don’t make meditation a priority, there’s a risk that it will drop off our to-do list altogether. Then meditation is nothing but a memory or passing thought—another “should-do” or “should-have-done.”
Devoted spiritual aspirants find joy in their meditation practice. We make meditation a top priority and never let a day pass without it. We understand that a day void of practice is lost forever.
Making Time for Meditation (An Exercise)
This article began with the description of how I realized a limitation: We can’t do everything we want to do—but we can do anything. Knowing this, we can decide what that “anything” is and apply focused energy to it.
If we spend too much time on our other interests, they become obstacles to our meditation practice. The goal of spiritual aspirants is enlightenment. That goal requires a commitment to meditation, making it a priority in our lives and dedicating our time to it.
The following exercise will increase your awareness of how you spend time on interests and activities that might be obstacles to your meditation practice.
- Close your eyes: Imagine your life and how you spend your time. Mentally walk through a normal day of your life. Think about where your time is spent. If you’re struggling to see where all your time goes, you’ll find many clues in your immediate environment: open your eyes and look at what’s on your desk or in your home.
- Start a list: Make an inventory of how you spend your time with a focus on your interests and hobbies. Nothing is bad or wrong. Treat everything equally—just witness and report.
- Sort your interests according to the time you spend on them, including the time you spend thinking or worrying about them.
This simple exercise will help build awareness of how you use your time. You can then decide whether it’s spent wisely, according to your greatest interests. I hope you’ll discover some surprises.
You might find that you spend time on activities without long-term value or don’t fit your goals. In that case, start making adjustments now. Gradually reduce those activities that aren’t serving your highest interests. Cutting back on habits such as social media and television can free up many hours per week. You’ll have more time for meditation, which in turn is guaranteed to enrich your life.
Chityānanda has been a disciple of Svāmī Gurupremānanda Sarasvatī since 1975. She teaches meditation and yoga as a spiritual path in Santa Cruz, California.
We have learned that Right meditation leads one to a pure mind and Truth.
Good morning,
Since I’ve been given notice I give out wrong information another angle gave notice.
I like the exercise, and it has gotten me to look and be aware of opportunities.
Thursday: Today I took the meditation chair to the laundry mat, not only was it convenient
I practised stillness, remembered Gurupremananda and meditated, nice.
Friday I’ve scheduled time (am)to take the chair to a church, to practice stillness, contemplate chant the Guru Gita and meditate.( Take some photo’s)
Tony
Thank you, Tony. It’s interesting to see how you applied the suggestions from the article to your own life and practice. Everyone’s different. Our life situations are different. We all need to find ways to apply the teachings and live by them. Namaste.
I thought this article was one of your best. It could easily be transferred to a multiple disciplines. Also, referring to the womens’ issues (can do anything is not the same as can do everything) catches our attention.
Thank you for joining the conversation, Richard. It’s nice to know which part of the post made an impression. Namaste.
Hello Svami. That is great advice to see and note where the time goes. Where we spend our time, intentionally or absently, will show our true desires and priorities. Thank You.
You’re most welcome, Rob. I’m glad you found the article helpful. Namaste.
Quiet Karma is a gentle reminder to stay on my path no matters what happens on the outside. Whether l’m this or that, happy or not so happy, I’m always the same in the inside, the Self. That’s the one thing I can always depend on. It took many years to understand this truth, but it takes a quiet mind to reveal it. Your spiritual savings account goes with you when you leave, so it’s wise, to accumulate rather than deplete, i.e. practicing simple virtues (kindness, positive attitude, etc.). And meditation to reveal its answers.
Thank you Svāmi Chityānanda for the reminder.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts, Sue. You’re talking about identifying with your inner Self, which is exactly what yogis aim to do. It’s a process, true, but well worth the effort. Namaste.
It has been my experience that most worldly interests tend to pull me away from “inner awareness.” This could be a very serious problem and one that could only lead to disaster. Meditation has given me answers about my true purpose in life and what things should be valued. It isn’t just having a living Guru that’s Important, but every day, following His instructions and continuing the work of installing Him in my heart. I’m learning more and more about this process and I am finding that anything I put my mind to is facilitated.
Thank you, John. You just said, in one paragraph, what took me a whole article to explain. Good job! Namaste.
Thank you for this posting. Starting and slowing and then re-starting seems to be a fact of life. But the important thing is to get back on track and never give up. I was never a “great practicer” in music as a child, but I never gave up. I always returned to the practice room. The results now speak for themselves. Likewise, I always resume my practice of meditation. If it goes on hold for awhile I get back at it with enthusiasm. The result is that I continue to steadily learn and gain new insights. I accept I am not some perfect dude and it’s ok. But I will never give up. Your article reminds me of how I spend my time and my priorities. Spending time reading and rereading your articles is time well spent. Thank you.
Thank you for your thoughtful comment, Modesto. I appreciate that you shared your experience about keeping up your music practice. I think it’s the same with anything. Sometimes we tend to separate our worldly activities from our spiritual activities without realizing that the same qualities of dedication and persistence apply to them all. I found your comment personally helpful. I know that I need to practice and study writing to become better at it — just like you with music or meditation — with enthusiasm. Thank you for that, and also for your nice note about rereading the articles. Namaste.
An excellent suggestion on how to determine how I am spending my time as well as how to find where best to refocus!
Thanks
Thank you, Richard. It’s so easy to lose focus in today’s world. It requires constant vigilance! Namaste.