I have a big day ahead of me today, a list of to do’s longer than my arm (and I have long arms) and lots of big decisions to make. So what did I do to get ready for it?

I rolled out of bed early and went for a bike ride and walk, then a jump in the pool; nothing special you might say. But what worked for me was the inner activity: I did my mantra unceasingly. When I sat down to breakfast, Julia, my partner, asked me what was the matter.

“Nothing,” I said, “I’m just very still.” And only then I noticed just how still I had become. In fact it was delicious. I knew what was ahead, but now I was on vacation. For a good hour my mind was on vacation and I was still.

Now, as I am typing this, I am ready for the day, invigorated and focused.

Using a mantra works best when you allow it to absorb all the other activities in the mind. Don’t suppress them, notice where the mind goes, be alert to the layers of thought underneath the mantra and then watch them go. It can also help to have a more complex mantra, a longer prayer, so the mind has to concentrate to not lose the thread. When you lose it, it is obvious and you can go right back to it.

Above all such a practice is about self- love. Be kind to yourself as you do it.

You can take such a mini-vacation many times in the day. It’s much healthier than a cigarette break; breathe deeply and feel good about it.

Ram Ram