Traffic Meditation

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If driving in traffic makes you tired and you have been doing it every day of the week then you might have landed on the right page. The Traffic Meditation technique described here will help you with at least the following things after you reach your office from a traffic filled morning:

- Be less tired.
- Be less angry.
- Be less aggressive.
- Meditate while stuck in traffic instead of wasting time.
- Know the elusive feeling of love and happiness that most advance meditation practitioners talk about.
- If you have never meditated then even get you started with a very simple technique of meditation.

This technique will be more effective if your driving distance is at least 20 minutes in traffic and is best used in morning when you are driving in traffic on a highway. To start with it you have to understand that you normally drive pretty well even when you are thinking of what is happening in office, home, future, past, the girl that just walked by, the car that was nice, the car that was not nice etc etc. Your mind is too powerful to handle traffic situations pretty easily even when mentally it has taken you far away from the traffic. The technique is a two step process with two different elements in it viz. chanting and being in present. It is described below:

- Chant a word or two…Any two letter name will be good…..e.g. “Hari Om”

- Slowly repeat it while driving. A bit louder than what you normally talk and much slower than what you normally do, something like Haaarrrriiiiiiiii aaaaaauuuuuummmm. You can always say “harry home”, just lengthen the o and the m part of it. You should be able to feel the subtle vibrations in the stomach when you are saying the o and the m part of it.

- While repeating the word just pay mental attention to your body parts. Make sure you feel your hands holding the steering, the right foot on the accelerator or the break, the left foot on the car mat, your back against the car seat etc. This will help you focus your mind to stay in present.

- Your mind will keep going away to some other thoughts in present or in future. As soon as you realize that bring it back to the feeling your body part and your hand/hands holding the steering.

Do not give visual attention to the body parts as your mind needs it for driving. The mental attention that you have now focused on your body parts is only that part of your attention which till now you mind has been giving to the myriads of thoughts that have been keeping it occupied while you are driving in traffic. In essence you have snatched your mind from working on its own to what you want it to do. This is the training that your mind needs the most. The chanting of the word is helping your mind to be busy and the fact that your mind is in present by paying attention to your body parts will strengthen it further.

After you try it, pay attention to your mood, your thoughts and the smile on your face while you are walking towards your office after parking your car and see the difference for yourself :). The happiness and that amazing feeling of love that is oozing out of you will be with you for at least some time and if you are persistent with it then it will slowly creep in and take a permanent place in your life.

Wish you Happy and safe driving!