My daily practice

This new page includes the tools I use to cope with stressful situations to stay grounded and sane in the midst of chaos and madness. These survival mechanisms have made me feel more content and peaceful, less fearful, anxious and depressed compared to the way I was before stumbling on them on my journey of self-discovery and awakening.

I do not claim to be the inventor of these. Most are adapted from the spiritual practices of various cultures and faiths. For me, these are a marvellous blend of wisdom and techniques learnt from my Christian faith, my Buddhist yoga teacher Channa and the many spiritual authors I have been exposed to, like Eckhart Tolle, Wayne Dyer, Louise Hay, Brian Weiss, Caroline Myss, etc. As I did, you can adapt and modify these to suit your own circumstances, beliefs and lifestyles.

Gratitude: I start my day by expressing gratitude to the divine; I am grateful for yet another day in life, a miracle some may not wake up to witness.

Grounding: I remind myself to walk out to the garden at least once in the day, step outside and touch the ground barefooted, reconnect with Mother Earth for a few minutes and feel her heartbeat.

Presence: Throughout the day, I try to bring my awareness into the ‘now’, be present and witness whatever is unfolding in front of my eyes. You would be surprisingly pleased to see what you can observe. A couple of days ago, I stepped out to throw the rubbish, and there it was, a beautiful, playful white butterfly fluttering before me as if leading me outside. It disappeared for a minute, and as I walked back in, it came back hovering again as if guiding me back home. Utterly magnificent! It made my day, so try to spot the treasures in everyday life while doing the most mundane chores.

Mindfulness: As a term, mindfulness is easily interchangeable with presence. Its benefits are widely known these days. It is the psychological process of purposely bringing one’s attention to incidents transpiring in the present moment without judgement. It is a powerful tool to gently let go, manage stress and bring peace in our fast-spinning, modern world. Thich Nhat Hanh describes it as being awake and fully aware. You can integrate it into your daily chores, from washing dishes to cooking or eating. He reminds us that each moment holds within it an opportunity to work toward greater self-understanding and peacefulness.

Meditation: It is said that “Prayer is speaking to God. Meditation is listening to God.” There are different forms of meditation. As my yoga guru would say, you can meditate on anything, even while eating by witnessing the sensation of every step of the process, smelling the food, chewing and swallowing it. My favourite and easiest meditation is the breath – focusing on the breath. I try to do it a few times during the day, especially when I am stressed and anxious. It really relaxes me, anchors me and brings me back to the present moment. It involves inhaling a deep breath through the nostrils, following it as it moves through your body down to your extremities (hands and feet), holding it there for a few seconds and then drawing it all the way up to exhale through the nostrils.

Walking: If you can, try to walk during the day even if for half an hour. If not, step out to the garden and walk around for 10 minutes. Even gardening is a great mediative and therapeutic exercise, as I found while going through my cancer treatment. While walking, try to be aware of every step you take and your surroundings, try to see the world’s splendour in every little thing and being. Let your inner child wonder and explore as Louise Hay would say. Soon you will find you are spotting beauty, grace and liveliness in everything you come across and even recognising signs from above. You will see life in its weakest and strongest forms. It will fill your heart with joy and delight.

Prayer and connection with the Divine: At the end of my day before bedtime, I spend a few silent moments talking and listening to the divine. I light a candle and say a prayer and end it with a few minutes of meditation – inner silence. You do not need to create a temple or a church to be able to pray or recite the rosary unless you want to. It can be a simple prayer in which you give gratitude to the Divine – God, angels, master spirit guides, whatever you call on to connect with your higher self. Because of my affinity with Jesus, I tend to talk to him when I pray. I pray for the protection, safety and healing of my loved ones and extend it to the entire creation, asking for it to be free of pain and suffering.

Since the pandemic, I have been lighting a candle and offering a special prayer for our frontline health workers, who are risking their lives to save us. I ask the Lord to send bands of angels to protect them and visualise a divine golden light enfolding and shielding them from the virus. You can do this for your loved ones too, especially if they are at dis-ease or facing challenges.

One last strategy I have adopted to cope with the current situation, and other past challenges, is to minimise my intake of news and images of suffering. I found watching too much news on TV and social media disturbs my peace and causes extreme episodes of anxiety, sadness and anguish. I try to be up to date with what is happening but avoid being entangled in the narrative – the story.

Finally, be compassionate and kind to yourself and others and remember we all are in this together, and a kind word or gesture can long way and maybe save lives.

Blessings, peace and love to all.