Calling it a day

Ask yourself, is the day really finished for me? Have I called it a day? Calling it a day means finishing the unfinished business and bidding goodbye to the day so that you are fresh and new to greet the morning sun of the next day. This is a beautiful expression, but how many of us can actually do it ? We carry all the worries and tensions of the day with us when we go to sleep. The day is still alive in the mind and it disturbs the sleep.
In fact, it can be a key to meditation.

What is meditation? It is nothing but a time when you can utterly relax into yourself, when you close the doors of your senses to the outside stimulus. You are alone in your innermost being, peaceful, at home.

In these moments, all that has become accumulated in the mind: the worries, the tensions or thoughts, are thrown out. And all that you have learnt, experienced, is assimilated. This churning is absolutely necessary for everybody, otherwise the mind accumulates useless junk and it remains there undigested. Every day before going to bed, finish the day that is still pulsating within you, do not carry it over the next day like an unfinished business.

Meditation functions like a double-edged sword: It assimilates all that is nourishing and throws out all that is garbage.

The old notion of taking extra time for meditation is outdated. Now, people need meditation that can be woven into their daily routine, which means they should be able to meditate while doing their job.

Sounds impossible? Not at all, if you do it the Osho way.

Osho has changed the whole structure of meditation and has created hundreds of short techniques for busy people. These techniques can be practised while you are working, talking, smoking, walking or doing any kind of activity. Because, basically meditation is not an activity; meditation is being aware of your activity. If you are watchful of your acts at physical, emotional and mental level, you are in meditation.

Breathing is a powerful tool we have, and it can be used intelligently for managing our emotions. If you are in a bad mood — Exhale deeply; as much as you can, throw the air out. With the air, the mood will be thrown out, too, because breathing carries the mood. And then expel the breath as far as possible. Contract the belly in, don’t inhale for a few seconds.

Then allow the body to inhale deeply — as much as you can. Again, stop for a few seconds. The gap should be the same as when you retain the breath out. Exhale totally and inhale totally, and make a rhythm. Immediately, you will feel a change coming into your whole being. The mood will disappear and a new climate will enter you.