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However, people often say, "I know the benefits and I tried, but I just could not do it. My mind would not calm down.
The more I tried to empty my mind, the wilder my mind became. Maybe meditation is just not for me."
Everyone is the same: Our mind wanders and often has negative emotions. Ironically, this is why we really need to
meditate, and why meditation can help us in our daily lives to cultivate tranquility, joy, and resilience.
The approach that works best for me is to contemplate a specific and tangible situation. I look at it in two ways as I
meditate. I consider how it can make me more aware of truth or reality. In addition, I consider how it reinforces
enduring principles that contribute to quality human life.
To cultivate awareness, I meditate on one or another of these
maxims, choosing the one that best applies to the situation:
1. The world is yin and yang; we are all different .
2. Everyone is seeking his or her best interests or happiness,
including ourselves.
3. Nothing is personal.
4. The meaning and purpose of life
As for principles, I work on the following:
1. Gratitude
2. Kindness and love
3. Acceptance of differences between self and the rest of the
world, and acceptance of imperfection in life.
4. Forgiveness
5. The golden rule
There are no fixed ways to apply these maxims and principles:
You can apply one maxim and one principle on one day, and apply
another on the following day until you apply all of them. Or, you
can apply more than one maxim and principle to the same
situation. However, one maxim and one principle may be easier
for beginners.
Dr. Yang in Santi Standing Posture
Here is the routine I went through this morning: I started with
gratitude, still immersed in the rewarding feeling of reading the
warm and encouraging comments on evaluations from participants at Kripalu. Contemplating those comments, I felt
grateful for all of my generous and kind teachers: Grandmasters Yuan Shiming, Wu Xiubao, Zhang Xitang, Gu Liuxin,
Chen Zhaokui, and Feng Zhiqiang, Drs. Karl Rosengren, Wojtek Chodzko‐Zajko and other professors at the University
of Illinois.
I then thought about how questions from participants in my classes and seminars and discussions with them have
improved my understanding of Taiji and Qigong, which has led me to develop as a teacher. I felt grateful for that, and
for the support I receive from family and friends, which sustains my resilience in pursuing my dream.
Then I switched to the practice of awareness, asking myself whether there were any negative emotions in my mind? I
often focus on the most painful situation I'm facing because such situations can drain significant amounts of energy. I
believe that when something or someone is causing negative emotions in you, it is you who needs to improve.
Sometimes negative emotions can be so dramatic that they lead to acute anxiety, insomnia, or loss of appetite.
Compared to that, today was an easy one. I had to admit to myself that I was bothered a little bit by a gentleman
wearing earphones singing loudly next to me in the subway while on my way to teach at the New York Open Center
last week. He was a special person; in addition to the singing, he would suddenly hit the pole in front of him in an
excited way which startled a few passengers. Some of them were annoyed and their facial expression further
10 Yang-Sheng (Nurturing Life) Volume 2, Issue No. 1