Balanced Life
Half asleep I stumbled through the dark and found the alarm clock that was kept across the room so that I could not turn it off in my sleep. In its orange glow the time of four a.m. could be read.
After meditating on a regular basis for four years, I had become inspired to meditate very seriously. Despite the fact that I was in a demanding academic program, I was determined to devote my life to the attainment of self-realization.
I rose daily at four a.m., took a quick cold bath, did kiirtan (chanting) for fifteen minutes, followed by a one and one half hour meditation. Then I would do asanas (yoga postures) for about 20 minutes.
When all that was done, in my remaining 25 minutes, I would make and eat breakfast, make and pack my lunch, and run out the door to barely catch the bus.
I had classes every weekday morning from 7:30 to 12:30 and clinic most afternoons from 1:00 to 6:00. By the time I got home, meditated again for an hour and a half, did more asanas, and ate some dinner, it was time for bed.
Most students in the program were studying nightly many hours; I was lucky to study that much in the course of a week.
I kept this schedule for four months when I finally had to acknowledge that this was not a balanced lifestyle. I had experienced new depths in my meditation, but I was not giving proper attention to my studies. I still continued to meditate twice daily and to do asanas, but I meditated for shorter periods and adjusted my schedule to find time for daily study.
One of the oldest yogic symbols is the six-pointed star. It is the combination of an upward-pointing triangle and a downward pointing triangle. This symbol represents balance between one’s internal and external lives; the upward triangle representing action in the world and the downward triangle representing the inner pursuit of meditation.
It is not possible to escape your obligations in life. Those people who try to leave the world to lead a “spiritual” life eventually find that the very problems they were trying to leave behind have accompanied them.
The best approach is to meditate regularly while embracing and honoring your life. In this way, even if you can only spare a few minutes twice daily for meditation, there will be benefits to yourself, your family, and the world around you.