The criticality of slowing down oneself

There were so many outstanding qualities I observed in him, but the one that struck me most was his poise. He was never in a rush. Even when there were ten people waiting, he would attend to them one by one. When he would conduct group meditation, he would take his time tofinish it well.

While giving an individual meditation session, he would take his time. Whatever task was given to him he would do it with absolute poise. When he cooked, there was love oozing in his movements. Even when he scolded us, there was poise and a lot of love. There was no element of rushing; he took his time in doing everythingso nicely.

Mulla Nasruddin was said to have demonstrated this quality to his followers with his signature humour. One day he was seated on his donkey, rushing through the marketplace. Followers and friends tried to hail him to chat every few metres, but he kept going faster and faster, replying ‘I can’t stop to talk now. Can’t you see I am busy? I’m looking for my donkey!’

This captures the human predicament. It is critical to slow down, it is critical to have time for those around us, and enjoy the beauties of life; it is critical to become conscious of the search and of ourselves as the seekers. So pause and try to remain poised, especially when everyone is rushing around you and there is pressure. Go into your heart, feel your centre and recalibrate yourself. Try to approach the task at hand with poise and grace.

What are some of the natural cycles that we follow in our lives? To start with, we have a very regular pattern of breathing – inhalation, exhalation – which goes on and on. Another rhythm is that of our heartbeat. Then there is something that happens behind the breathing pattern at a deeper level – the inflow and outflow of energy – and, of course, there is the daily cycle of activity, rest and sleep.

Finally, we will explore how we can be more in tune with the monthly lunar cycle. Only a healthy body can have a healthy mind and vice versa. A lot of people argue that a healthy mind makes for a healthy body, but without also having a healthy body, our mind will go crazy. ‘My legs are not working, my hands are not working and so many other things are not working.’ We go to doctors and start worrying. How will we build our destiny when we have already chosen a destructive path, simply by not following the natural rhythms? So it is important to understand these rhythms and be in sync with them.