Gifts from Stillness


This morning I had a terrible headache which has been going on since yesterday. So, I did my daily yoga set which is what really helps me handle the stress and the amount of hours that I work on a computer. To my relief, after doing a few of the exercises I felt the headache easing away. After I finished doing the yoga I sat there in a kind of a daze. The sun was streaming in through the window warming my cold feet; Gurbani music was flowing into my ears; and I sat there staring at my feet, feeling a bit detached from my body. I was savoring this stillness of “not doing”, and just letting all the urges go of needing to do “xyz”. My life is very action oriented and always busy. There are always a million things to do, so I find myself always “going”, trying to keep up with the never ending things that come at me. The reality is that this is always the case and probably always will be. This daily cycle of “have to do” tasks I think can sometimes make one lose track of what is most important. Sometimes we need something to break the routine and allow us to step back and see the bigger picture. Or it could be to give you a kick in the butt to take action towards something you have been thinking about but putting off. In my case getting sick was a bit of both.

So I sat there thinking and staring, asking myself, “What is my lesson? What am I learning?” from being sick this time. I was sitting there waiting for THE message. Nothing came…so I just continued there. Eventually thoughts started to flow in my mind; and then a few revelations came to me….of what I needed to do. In this stillness I was able to see things from a difference perspective, and get a glimpse of the bigger picture. It came so much easier in this stillness. I probably wouldn’t have gotten to this point without getting sick and being forced to break the cycle of “must do” tasks. It forced me to stop and look inwards. Sometimes we have to go through terrible times and feel miserable to wake up out of the “routine” and see what is most important, and then actually make a change.

I find that everything in life can be a lesson and something to learn from. You just have to be conscious and pay attention to what it is. So often you might feel a victim of something, or wonder why God would do something so tragic or terrible. I see it all as part of God’s way of keeping everything in balance. Every day you have choice of how you perceive something and how you react. You can act from emotion/ego or you can act from consciousness and intuitiveness. Is the glass half full or half empty? That’s up to you how you perceive it. I don’t think it is a matter of just being positive or negative in a situation. It is more about seeing the bigger picture and learning something.

Ok, I officially feel like I’m preaching, which is not my intention. I just wanted to share what I have experienced and how I process things in my life. My hope is that the lessons I am learning will help others as well. I am in no way perfect, and am going through many of the same challenges as you all. I just think that we all have lessons in our own lives that we can share.

7 Responses to “Gifts from Stillness”

  1. Antonia D'Onofrio says:

    Iidentified so much with your comments. The treadmill can take a person away from what really matters. When you turn around a nd look, poof!, so much has passed by.

    And I am glad you chose the picture of a lotus.

  2. And thank you very much for sharing!

    So many people will recognise this, because we all get these lessons.
    I wish you a wise and gentle recovery and please take your time. That is one of the lessons too, we can not push things, we have to accept that “slow” is better and beautiful.(….mmh, well most of the time that is)

    Have a nice and little-bit-more-healthy day, Gurumustuk Ji.

  3. Manpreet says:


    Wise words.. and at a time when I really needed them…

    Thank you :)

  4. Gurpreet Singh says:

    Vahegurooo..I hope you feel better Gurmukh Pyario.

  5. Sat Dharm says:

    Sat Nam Gurumustuk: I need your help. Which is the kriya you’re doing? I’ve been spending a lot of time in front of the computer too and the effects have caught up with me too. I got a terrible cold for two weeks and I also have had headaches. Thankfully it is going away after retreating myself last weekend in our Guru Ram Das celebration in Mexico, but I really feel I need to do some especific kriya to neutralize the effects of being almost entire days in front of the computer. I will really appreciate your help. ;)

  6. Well… I’m back in the office. Feeling much better today.

    Sat Dharam, Every day I do the “Awakening Yourself to the Ten Bodies” Kundalini Yoga set. It’s a great morning “tune-up” set. If I don’t do this set I really feel it in my body.

  7. Sat Sri Akal
    Gurumustuk Singh Ji. Its good to know you are feeling better. It was nice visiting with you. We all loved being in Espanola .Kids even got a picture in front of “Yogi Bhajan Memorial Highway”.Regards to Joginder Singh Ji.
    Kuldeep Singh