In Meditation. Being Meditative.

I was contemplating on writing my blog this week while in travel mode and I was also observing how planning for travel can be meditative. I also had a little chat with my dear friend who hosted me in Barcelona about continuing our meditation practice. Indeed, travel can be so meditative.I’m sure we all have our different ways of continuing our meditation practice to remain mindful. In our active lifestyle, especially when you constantly travel it becomes quite a challenge to put aside time for Vipassna. I think a lot about my practice – but then the question is what is meditation for you?In our daily life we constantly see things. We look out, observe and we get to see things. We also look inside us and observe and we get to see things. It is a different matter whether we get to register these processes for ourselves.Travelling is one such thing. You see different things, different people, different countries, different culture. Travel also offers opportunities to look inside – within ourselves. Travelling broadens us, opens our horizon and in this process we get to reflect on ourselves. Although it depends how we synthesis this process into mindfulness and let ourselves evolve and grow.As you organize your luggage and go about packing for different cities looking at your itinerary – you focus and get mindful of your needs looking at weather conditions of your destinations, travel mode as well as people you are meeting.Travel also can be nerve wrecking – early morning flights, being on time in different time zones, navigating through different transits, and terminals, reading road signs in different languages, managing conversions in different currencies and so on and you get tired, jet lagged, etc etc. These are part and parcel of travel. And I’m not even mentioning about long queues, delayed flights or lost luggage or irritating co-passengers!Things are not always pleasant, however much you love to travel and enjoy meeting your friends in different cities. But then when you are in peace with yourself you are not rattled. You see through things and keep things balanced for you and your surround.I’m very mindful about all these. I am mindful of every kindness I receive and make sure to keep my ‘cranky ness’ due to travel fatigue under check. I believe you get what you transmit. And you can only transmit love and metta if you genuinely feel it from within. And to feel love and metta you need to be in balance – equanimity with you and your surround. And when you are in balance it is indeed such a joy to feel, to give and to be in joy!As I hop between different airports and adjust to different temperature conditions, you keep meditating and keep up your practice of mindfulness.Let there be loads of joy, love and metta in everybody’s life :-) Sending loads of love and metta to everyone!