10) A Step On The Path To Joy

Practicing serious, regular meditation is the most effective tool to help us take the first step on the path to freedom from the churning and turmoil of our monkey minds. 

The path of realisation and release, requires dedication and a determination to see it through. To begin with, practicing regularly at the same time each day may be difficult, and life seems to get in the way. 

However, if we just do what we can, without becoming critical of ourselves, yet persist in our practice, we soon find that meditation becomes easier, and we start to look forward to times when we have set for sitting in meditation. Gradually it becomes one of our most important daily routines and we organise our schedule around our meditation times.

Do not force it. Go with the flow. It is what it is, and changes happen when you are ready. If you force yourself to sit, you will struggle. When you really want to practice, you will reap massive benefits.

There are hundreds of different kinds of meditation, and a many of these simply provide a temporary escape. We meditate and feel good for a short while. However, within a short time we find we are once again launched back into mental turmoil. 

To really reap the benefits, we need to be consistent and follow a well-trodden path. The Himalayan Yoga Tradition is a wonderful place to start. Make a deal with yourself that you will make every effort to sit at a certain time every day, even if only for two minutes, but make those two minutes count. 

It helps to take advice from an experienced teacher, who will guide you through. Essentially we need to do two things: 

1. To understand, be aware of, and ignore the delusions and fictions of our monkey mind
2. To meditate daily

These two simple things can be the difference between a temporary reprieve and a deep, enduring peace that stays with you forever, seeing you through the ups and downs of life, providing a firm foundation that cannot be shaken. 

To begin with, as you commit to practicing these two disciplines, you will start to feel calmer, then you notice the beauty of life all around, then you feel real pleasure and joy from your new awareness, and finally a deep peace washes over you, permeating every cell of your body to its very core.