Message #17051

[Jitendra Hydonus]

I used to get up very early in the morning when I lived in a monastery and meditate with another monk. There is definately a sense of peace about it. Sometimes though we would 'nod out'. That is fall asleep in sitting position and the head falls forward a bit. It is a very bad habit to get in. We used to help each other stay awake by making noises or throwing a pillow at one another since there were pillows and comfortable chairs at the back of the chapel. There are many good reasons to meditate with other people this being one of them. We usually started meditating between 2 and 4 A.M. depending on when we woke up and would continue till 'arati' took place at 6:30 A.M. It was a Vivekananda monastery. I stayed there for quite a few years.

After all those years of practice and training it is much easier and a habit to wake up early in the morning and start my practice.
Meditation early in the morning helps give protection and guidance for the rest of the day. It is hard for me to think of waking up now without meditating and praying. When i see others do this it reminds of the mistake they are making by letting the world completely get hold of them - and not God/Spirit- at the start of the day. It sets the day off for only material perceptions instead of spiritual insights.

However in the wee hours of morning there is a silence that surrounds everything. You may just hear factories trains or car motors way in the distance. If you are really fortunate there will only be sounds of nature- the wind and trees. Birds or a deafening silence from which the sound of om oozes out. In this stillness you may look in a pool of insights as they surface in your consciousness... helping you solve and understand the events, people and situations around you.

Jitendra