What happens when we master our thoughts???.

Do you remember the last time you spent time alone and got to know yourself?
No, not while driving or listening to music ??? even jogging doesn???t count. I???m talking about sitting still in a quiet place, without any external stimulation, allowing your thoughts to flow through without engagement, attachment or judgement; separation of the self from the mind, we inherently believe to be one. Through regular practice, we intuitively learn how to reclaim control of our mind, and thereby, our life. This ancient practice is called meditation.

I was first introduced to meditation through a book recommended by my older brother, The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari written by Robin Sharma. It???s a fictional story about a top shot lawyer that decides to give up his fame and fortune for a life as a monk. The book reveals many basic concepts about meditation and provides steps to begin the practice. During this time, I had just completed high school and was about to start my first year of university. Feeling very anxious, I began meditating regularly. Although I only meditated for a short period of time, 10-15 minutes before sleeping, I noticed significant improvements in my level of anxiety. After the first year, I slowly lost the habit of regularly practicing and was back to square one.
Over the past 10 years, I would sporadically meditate but the practice wasn???t regular. In the last 6 months that changed. Starting with 15 minutes a day, I made sure I meditated every night before I went to sleep. Gradually I???ve increased the duration I practiced with little effort. Since restarting my mediation routine, I notice profound impacts to my life, both physically and mentally. From improved sleep to increased levels of energy, all spheres of my life have reached new heights.
The benefits seem to have extended past just myself; my relationship with my parents, something that had deteriorated over the years, was re-stimulated. Before this, this relationship was non-existent. We???d be in the same house for many weeks at a time, but the interactions were kept to a minimum. The distance between us was never greater.
After returning to my meditation routine, it was as if a switch went off in my head, allowing me to reconnect and understand why I had been distant all along. It was the result of the mind, the master, keeping me, the self, a slave. Losing control over your thoughts causes you to develop illogical conclusions about the people and situations around you. Our thoughts at times have no bounds and only until we start questioning the validity and credibility of these thoughts can we look at life clearly. Once we master our thoughts, we master our lives.
Contributed by: Vithu Ganesanathan, Energy Engineer-In-Training at 3M Canada