 |
| Mary Jo Pokorski |
Taking the plunge on the journey of
meditation was quite a challenge. Honestly, I thought myself to be reasonably
happy in my life, but deep within, I knew I was overly sensitive, just hoping
for the best and fearing any blows that life would bring. I had been fooling
myself to believe I could keep everything under control, when in reality, I was
growing increasingly disquieted and unfulfilled.
I wasn’t interested in committing to
sitting in silence for 30 minutes and wondered what I was supposed to do with
my mind in that time: relax? Think about something? Not think about anything?
Yet, Vikas had told me many times that meditation would change my life, so I
finally said ‘yes’ and booked my place on his beginners program called ‘Meditation Made Simple’.
I came to class armed with misconceptions
and doubt, not to mention my negative past experiences, but after the first
class my eyes were opened to a basic and crystal clear understanding of what
meditation was and was not. We were
given different techniques that achieved different effects, a lot of wisdom to
open our minds and space to practice what we had learned.
I came away from Meditation Made Simple with all I would ever need to be happy and
yet, that first taste of meditation stirred something deep in me that I hadn’t
noticed before. My sense of unrest quietened and I was happier which was
wonderful. But something more, and truly amazing happened - My sense of living
an unfulfilling life started to change into an understanding that there was so
much more to life than just ‘living it out’ in a mundane way. My restlessness
became a budding desire to accomplish something meaningful with my life.
Meditation was showing me that there is purpose within us and that training the
mind was the path to get there. Vikas was opening my eyes to who I was, to the
working ways of life, and I loved it.
This brought me to the next level of ‘Meditation in Action’ with Vikas, where
I got the opportunity to solidify my practice and expand the study of the self.
Initially, this solidifying seemed tedious to me who was avid to know more and
to grow. But I soon realized a crucial aspect of this growth was to make sure
our bases were strong. This step reinforced the essential need for meditation
in me. It helped me establish mediation in my day to day life and reconnect to
the wisdom which would carry my life forward. Here I learned to trust my
teacher more deeply, I learned to accept he had chosen to do things in a
certain way for a reason, and that it was for our benefit without a doubt. My
life evolved; I grew more peaceful and stronger in the knowledge that I was
investing in myself. In a more practical way, I was living life more akin to
what it should be to be - genuine and with meaning.
Once this was complete, I was ready to
commit to the final step in my journey and take the ‘Masters of Meditation’ class with Vikas. This course blew my mind
away more than anything else I have ever done. Vikas Malkani opened us yet
again to some of life’s great secrets, or perhaps, it was only then that I
finally understood what he had been sharing with us all along: the secrets of a
life lived in joy, freedom and power, all repeated in different ways and in more
depth along the way.
His classes on meditation were a
masterpiece. I had fallen in love with life as it could and should be, and I
would never go back. My only option was to go forward and share what had
transformed my life, with others, which I now do as a Meditation Teacher certified by and teaching under the loving
guidance of Vikas Malkani.
I will be eternally grateful to him for
opening my eyes and heart.
Mary Jo Pokorski
