An excerpt from Chapter 1 of a book (A Beginner’s Course in Meditation) by Devaki Groulx:

Who Needs to Meditate?

Your life is hectic, to say the least. From the minute you get

up until the heavenly moment you drop off to sleep, your hours

are full – TOO FULL! By the time you’ve gotten yourself and

your family out the door, put in a day’s work, coped with the

daily responsibilities of domesticity, relationships, finances and

the like, you have no time left for yourself. Sometimes you’re so

stressed out, so pulled at from both ends, you feel like a taut rope

beginning to fray and maybe even to snap.

 

Perhaps another scenario suits you better. You’re pretty

happy, things are going well in your life, you have wonderful

friends and family, but somehow you feel that time is flying

away. Life is passing you by and you’re not quite sure what

you’re doing here or are supposed to be doing, Eating, sleeping,

going to work, attending social events – that can’t be all there is!

 

Maybe things are NOT going well. Your relationships are

in trouble, you hate your job, and nothing is the way you would like

It to be.

 

If any of these scenarios sound familiar, you are ready to

learn to meditate. Meditation is so simple and basic. It has

brought results such as peace of mind, tranquility, clarity

of thought, confidence in oneself and humanity and a sense of

life to thousands all over the world. You can learn to

live life as it should be lived, regardless of your race, religion,

colour, sex or financial situation. You don’t have to be a

religious or mystical person. Meditation is for all.

 

I personally know hundreds of people including students,

business people, teachers, politicians, factory workers, artists,

athletes and members of every profession you can think of who

make meditation a daily practice in their lives.

 

I, myself have personally taught hundreds of people to

meditate, and most of them didn’t think they could do it! Practically

all had results almost instantly, and the rest noticed it  very soon after they

made it a regular practice. My husband and I, in the last 35

years, have taught every age group from youngsters to

octogenarians. The only prerequisite is the willingness to set

aside at least 10 minutes a day. Everybody, including you, can surely find 10 minutes, which

could be the best time investment you’ve ever made.

Later, you can gradually increase the time.

 

Before I explain my step-by-step plan, let me tell you how I

got started on this road to a better life. I was 19 years old and

had a very nice, comfortable middle-class existence in a large,

interesting city. I was fortunate enough to have travelled a lot

with my family. I had lived abroad and seen many exciting

places. I had wonderful friends, a supportive family and a career

all picked out – I was going to be an actress!

 

So, what was the problem? I couldn’t explain it, but

SOMETHING was missing. There was a deep gnawing feeling

deep down inside me that I couldn’t identify. I just kept feeling,

“There has got to be more, doesn’t there?” Over and over I asked

myself this question. I pored through books on parapsychology,

the unexplained, the mystical and Eastern thought. It all made

perfect sense to me, especially books and articles written by great

literary minds who had turned to the Eastern idea of meditation

in spite of their Western upbringing.

 

Then I met a very charming and charismatic woman who had

been meditating for years. She had a certain indefinable quality

of peace and inner wisdom that I felt I wanted to have too. So,

gathering up all my courage, I asked her if she’d show me how

to mediate. She was so happy to help me and explained things

immediately. I knew she had a meditation teacher named Sri

Chinmoy – I was familiar with his work, as I had been reading

some of his books.

 

What she showed me was so simple I couldn’t believe I’d see

any results. She told me to practice every morning and evening

for 15 minutes each time. The specific technique she showed me

I will reveal to you later in this book. Because I want so much

to be like this lovely lady, I followed her instructions and had

immediate results. I was amazed. Things happened so profoundly

to my inner self, which I had just begun to discover, that I

changed my entire life.

 

I contacted my friend’s teacher, Sri Chinmoy, who was then  not very

well- known, but soon became a highly respected  and revered spiritual teacher. He accepted me as his student. This was almost 45years ago. Since then all the techniques I have learned and later taught  to others, have come from him and his vast inner knowledge of the

higher Self. I am grateful that I can share them with you.

 

Now let’s step on to the road of self-discovery, to inner peace,

happiness and purposefulness through heartfulness meditation.

 

next installment:  LEARN TO RELAX