The skills you learn in your meditation practice - relaxing the body, becoming aware of the breath, resting the mind - are valuable not only during the actual time you are sitting quietly and meditating.  This was brought home to me when I watched a video of Martin Aylward, whose retreat centre in France was recommended to me by a dear friend. 
He makes the point that in Eastern monastic traditions, people don't "work" in the conventional sense; normally they also abstain from sex, and they don't have much to do with money, either.  This gives them all the time and space they need for their inward journey. 
Most of us, though, need to follow synchronize our spiritual path with our daily lives: working, being involved in relationships, paying the bills.  So don't think of your meditation practice as something you only do when you're sitting alone in silence. The very skills required for meditation, and the awareness and insights that arise from your formal practice, can transform your daily life. 

Last April I wrote about the five Tibetan Rites, and here I am again to say that they are very reliable!  Again I had stopped doing them for a while, but over the past couple of months my energy has been really low (so much so that I went to the doc and part of the problem was - ta-da - major vitamin D deficiency! Fellow northern Europeans, take note!). 
Along with resting and breathing and a homeopathic remedy from my doc, I decided to start the five Tibetans again, and to re-read THE book on them, The Eye of Revelation.  And things are looking up.  It's important to do them slowly; see Ellen Woods' excellent video. 
I did a workshop for my students on the 5 Tibetans last year? the year before? And one of them has been practicing them faithfully ever since - she looks and feels fabulous and full of energy.

We've been having guided meditation sessions at work every Tuesday for 20 minutes, with anywhere from two to 20 of us. So nice to see people excited about meditating, and going away looking refreshed and peaceful. Why not try it in your workplace?

Deva Premal and Miten will be at the Cirque Royale in Brussels on June 8 - can't wait!  Check out the beautiful video on her website of Deva singing the Gayatri Mantra all over the world.   

For the past couple of years, I've had an A4 piece of paper with the five remembrancs of the Buddha stuck up on the wall above my desk at work. I put it there after reading a thought-provoking article by Frank Jude Boccio in Yoga Journal. My thought was that having them in front of me on a daily basis should help me to absorb their truth over time.

Although I am by no means complacent about the prospect of becoming ill, growing old, dying and being separated from my loved ones, I do believe that awareness of these truths has seeped in, and (I hope!) helps me choose right action more often than not. And in yoga, as my teacher Veronica says, "Awareness is all!" 

                                The Buddha's Five Remembrances      
(Thich Nhat Hanh's version)
I am of the nature to grow old. There is no way to escape growing old.
I am of the nature to have ill health. There is no way to escape ill health.
I am of the nature to die. There is no way to escape death.
All that is dear to me and everyone I love are of the nature to change. There is no way to escape being separated from them.
My actions are my only true belongings. I cannot escape the consequences of my actions. My actions are the ground upon which I stand. 

Every now and then, I start practicing the Five Tibetan Rites again. Then I wonder why I ever stopped, because they always give me more energy and take away most aches and pains and any small nagging ailments.  

Although they're often presented as somehow part of yoga, strictly speaking they are not. The best book - i.e., closest to the original - that I have found is The Eye of Revelation and the best video demonstrating them is Ellen Woods'.

Try them and you'll see what I mean!