One of the eight ways that God manifests Himself in meditation is calmness. God also possesses a quality of peace, but calmness and peace are not the same. This is how Paramhansa Yogananda described the distinction: An early meditation experience is peace. Peace cleanses the mind of all worry and tension, bringing about divine relief like a weightless waterfall. More active and potent than peace is calmness. The devotee gains the ability to face all challenges in his life via calmness. The individual who can maintain composure in any situation, even in human relations, is unbeatable. Delusion’s inherent purpose is to arouse excitement. We erroneously equate excitement with fulfillment, which causes unease and stress while also keeping us far from God.
You feel a tremendous revivification of energy and consciousness the more you intentionally withdraw your energy inward through meditation. When you reach a higher level of tranquility, you start to experience something quite strong indeed. It is a consciousness-widening process that starts to liberate you from ego. Much more than a mere state of tranquility might be, it is nearly overwhelming. The ground in which cosmic consciousness starts to sprout forth in your consciousness is this profound stillness. Our minds are incredibly clear when we are quiet, and we have very sharp understanding that cannot exist without a profound inner stillness. The more tranquil you become, the more you will be able to see the cosmos reflected in you, according to Paramhansa Yogananda.
For complete relaxation of the whole body, first gently tense the entire body. Then relax and withdraw all energy from the body and remain relaxed, without the slightest physical motion. The complete absence of motion and tension from muscles and limbs is “relaxation.” Imagine that the body is jelly-like, without bones or muscles. When you can do this, you have attained perfect muscular relaxation.
The mind must manifest calmness. Where the worries and trials of everyday life are concerned, the mind must be like water, which does not retain any impression of the waves that play on its bosom. No matter how busy you are, remember now and then to free your mind completely from worries and all duties. Dismiss disquietude from your mind. Remember, you were not made for worries; they were made by you. Do not allow them to torture you. When you are beset by overwhelming mental trials or fretting, try to fall asleep. If you can do that, you will find upon awakening that mental tension is relieved and that worry has loosened its grip on you.
Tell yourself that even if you died, the earth would continue to follow its orbit, and business would be carried on as usual; hence, why worry? When you take yourself too seriously, death comes to mock you and remind you of the brevity of material life and its duties. Mastery in mental relaxation comes with faithful practice. It can be attained by freeing the mind of all thoughts at will, and keeping the attention fixed on peace and contentment within.
