SWAMI SIVANANDA

One of the practical reasons for meditating is to tap its power to solve problems that come up throughout the day. It is very much like getting momentum in a track event. While watching the Olympics on television for the first time, I was surprised to see how far back some of the athletes went to get a running start. In the pole vault one chap walked up to the bar, then turned around and strode so far back that I thought he had decided to go home. If you didn't know about the pole vault you might think, "What's the matter with this fellow? Instead of competing, he's running away." He's not running away; he's going back to get the momentum he needs for a really big jump.

That is the purpose of meditation, too. Instead of getting out of bed and plunging directly into life's maelstrom unprepared, you sit down for a half hour in meditation to get a good start. Then when you go out into the world, you have a good reserve of energy and security on which to draw.

Parvamani.