THE alarm clock screams out loud till it is rudely put off. "Another lousy day," thinks Sheweta as she forces herself out of the bed. There is so much to be done — children to be woken up, dressed and fed before she can herself get ready to go and start another hectic day cramped in her small office cubicle.

Life for Arun, a young executive, no more seems pleasant. Immersed in work, he hardly has any time for his own self or his young wife. Professionally, he seems to be doing well but happiness at the domestic front totally eludes him.

Kiran is pregnant. She has given up her highflying job to gear up for motherhood. Her life suddenly feels empty and meaningless. "Am I nothing apart from the work that I do?" she wonders.

Similar is the mental and emotional state of millions who suffer from stress, anxiety, fear, frustration and loneliness. There have been occasions when each of us has got up from the bed feeling lousy, tired and wondering why life is such a drag.

However, there is a remedy for all such negative stress, anxiety and tension that we may be suffering from, a magic that can make our days a little more cheerful, our evenings a little brighter and our life a little more purposeful.

Well, the magic word is ‘meditation’. Meditation is that important tool which can bring zing and sparkle into our lives.

To understand how meditation works, it is essential to first understand what meditation is all about. Put very simply, meditation is concentration of the mind and relaxation of the body. We concentrate to get in touch with our inner self. We relax in order to drive out all stress and tension, which give rise to negative energies in our bodies.

Meditation implies taking the mind away from daily trivialities of life and focusing on something higher, something sacrosanct. It is the controlling of our minds and thought processes. Meditation does not mean emptying the mind of thoughts but harnessing the mind to think positive thoughts.

Even trivial matters — like the laundry that needs to be washed, the raise that you have to demand from your boss, the argument that you have had with your spouse, your child’s rude behaviour — result in stress. When mind is taken away from all these tension-creating matters and focuses on something higher, positive energy is automatically generated within us, cutting down greatly on our physical and mental stress levels. Physically relaxing the entire body also has a similar beneficial effect, leading to a soothing feeling of rest and peace. Accompanying this feeling of intense concentration and complete relaxation is a feeling of heightened awareness.

Down the centuries there have been many examples of saints having performed impossible tasks on the basis of their meditative strengths. However for us ordinary people meditation serves as a tool for better living. There are many techniques that can be used for meditation.

In order to meditate, it is essential to choose the right time. Mornings and evenings are usually the ideal time for practising meditation. If one can manage about half an hour of meditation after all morning rituals, it kick-starts the day on a positive note. However one should avoid meditating immediately after heavy meals. One should practise meditation in a quiet corner of the house, a garden or anywhere one feels peaceful.

For beginners the easiest and the best technique is to sit either cross-legged on the floor, back straight, hands on the lap — palm upon palm facing upwards, chin up, eyes closed or lie down in a position, to use the yoga terminology, in Shavasana. Shav literally means a corpse. So Shavasana would entail lying down on one’s back on the floor, eyes closed, legs straight with feet slightly apart, arms placed slightly away from the body, hands left loose with palms and face in the direction of the ceiling. After assuming the desired position, one should try to concentrate on one’s breathing, the breath flowing into the body and out of it.

During meditation, one should pay special attention to the manner in which one breathes. Our breathing during meditation should be diaphragmatic. The stomach should bulge out when we breathe in, and it should contract when we let the air out. The stress should be on the diaphragm rather than on the chest muscles.

One can begin with concentrating on one’s breath for about five minutes. The duration can then be gradually increased. Also one can gradually associate the breathing in of pure energy with positive life force entering the body. The breathing out of the carbon dioxide can be associated with the exit of all that is negative, petty, anger arousing and tiring.

One can gradually learn to move the concentration from breathing to the point between the two eyes, known in the Hindu philosophy as the third eye or the eye of the mind, the nerve centre of all mental and spiritual activity. By concentrating on the mind eye and meditating upon the infinite nature of the human mind, of the infinite nature of this universe and of the ultimate oneness of these infinite forces, one can gain insight into one’s inner strength.

If concentrating on something abstract proves to be difficult, one can create a mental image of The Entity one has immense faith in like a revered saint or God or even chant some sacred mantra that one believes in. Chanting of the single word Aum (the eternal sound) can be a good idea. Aum signifies, amongst many other things, the highly potent creative force. By chanting this word and feeling its vibrations, the individual can awaken in himself the same eternal and infinite force.

However, if such metaphysical mantras are not for you then create your own mantra. You can for example concentrate on such positive phrases like "life is beautiful", "I am full of peace and serenity", "There is light within me", "There is no fear, no limitations", "I am a wealth of possibilities", etc.

If you are stressed out with your environment, close your eyes and imagine yourself in a beautiful world, away from the concrete city structure. Imagine yourself in the cool shadows of tall, mighty trees, inhale the fragrance of the multihued wild jungle flowers, feel the cool slightly wet grass under your feet. Tell yourself, "World is beautiful, infinite and limitless and I am a part of this beauty, and infinite vastness." Meditate on this, believe in this and watch all the frustration vanish from your system.

Scientifically speaking also, researches have conclusively proved that meditation is especially useful for people suffering from ailments like stress, insomnia and high blood pressure. In many cases it is also being prescribed to patients suffering from more serious disorders like cancer along with other regular medical cure. It has been observed that it helps the patients develop a positive frame of mind.

So why wait? If you are under stress and your problems are choking you, make meditation a habit. Minor irritations will vanish. Fear will be driven away. Life will begin afresh on a confident note.