The Train's Lullaby

Imagine you are on a train journey, lying on the middle birth. It's night time and the train is dashing in 120 km/h. Somehow you could not sleep. There are a lot many factors keeping you awake till late at night these days. An unforgiving business client, a troublesome neighbor, a disobeying child, An aging parent, a budding back pain, or a bloating interest rate. An unending snore from the opposite berth is adding to your irritation. Yet, you cannot afford another sleepless night, you have got things to do in the morning.

There is fortunately a relaxation technique which can come to your rescue. It could make you fall asleep in minutes, if done correctly.

The technique is 'Move along with the train'. Wait, Aren't we already moving along with the train? yes, we are, but only physically. now, move along with the train consciously. The train is creating oscillations as it moves. Now, feel the oscillations, observe the vibrations in your body, and move along with it. Surrender yourself to the train, let your body become one with the oscillations moving back and forth, up and down throbbing along with the jerking and shaking of the train. You have become an infant and the train is the cradle singing you its 'Thadak, Thadak' lullaby.

Resist and be heated!

Why does this simple technique make you relax and fall asleep, though? Have you observed we have never been totally relaxed in life. Imagine for a moment, the train is our life. We have been throwing resistance to the train. If it leans right, we lean left. If it moves forward, we move backward, never giving ourselves up to the life. We have fallen out of sync with life. The resistance to the train(life) keep us troubled and turbulent.

An unfortunate side-effect of resistance is heat, says the material science. The more the object resists, the quicker it heats up. it's true of resistance to life as well. It makes us tensed, heated up, nervous.

Painting the world yellow

A question may arise now, and it's a valid one. If we don't resist, if we surrender totally to the life, if we go with the flow, then what happens to our own goals, ambitions, objective, aspirations? What is a life without a 'fighting spirit'? Doesn't it make us dull? Entrepreneurs, Market experts and motivational speakers hate the idea of 'going with the flow'

Aren't we supposed to rage against the fading of light, as Dylan Thomas puts:

"Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light"

Okay. look at the word objective. It means goal, purpose. Look closely. The word contains another word 'object' which means to oppose, to resist. Our very aim is the barrier. We are somehow not looking at the whole picture. Lets say a train is traveling to Mumbai from Chennai. if you start walking backward inside the train, do you think you can somehow reach Chennai? 

Whether we resist or surrender, the train doesn't care. It's going to take us to the destination. Then why resist at all? why not relax? why not move along with it? Why not be cuddled by it? Life has a destination of its own, ambition of its own.

Why don't we align our trivial goals to it? Why not wear yellow glasses instead of painting the whole world yellow?

Falling can be beautiful!

Speaking of resistance, we are reminded of Super-conductivity. When the conductor gets rid of its electrical resistance completely, a beautiful phenomenon sets in. The electric current is conducted through without any resistance and power loss. The current can circulate literally forever. The super conducting material is a boon to the industries. Same would be true of life. When we let go of our resistance, life current can flow uninterrupted in us.

Have you wondered why a waterfall is so majestic? The reason could be its non-resistance. It just falls without any inhibitions, any questions, and objections. and, so is the rain. To fall unconditionally is its beauty. Imagine the horror if rain having its own ambitions, to fall in certain places and not to fall in others. It never discriminates, It falls in the beautiful gardens of the earth, yet in the dirtiest ditches.

And, what's more beautiful than a wet leaf drifting aimlessly and peacefully along the currents of a river? Do you think the leaf would continue to look majestic if it had its own destination, deciding to go up current?

Have you realized this? sometimes I have. I would be searching for something in the house, tensed and agitated. I would be searching for a shirt, a book, sunglasses or my earphones. (yes, I am too lazy to organize things). I would fail to find my stuff and it would make me even more tense. I finally let go and gave myself some time to relax. 

I'd forget all about searching. In a relaxed mood later, I look at the shelf and the object is right there, right in front of my eyes. It was hidden in plain sight only because of my resistance.

so,

Relax!

Let go!

Trust the journey of life and witness the wonders it will reveal to you!

.    .    .