I am a bit absentminded. Even when I make it a point not to forget a particular task, it somehow slips from my mind. This habit puts me into a lot of trouble at times. What can I do to overcome it?( I do meditate)
—m, India
Dear M,
Here are a few things that might help you be less absent-minded:
1. Get some vigorous exercise on a daily basis – walking briskly and breathing deeply at the same time is ideal for energizing the brain. Yogananda recommended trying to exercise to the point of perspiration.
2. Avoid multi-tasking: do one thing at a time and give it your full concentration.
3. How much media stimulation do you get? Television, with its quick changes of images, is not good for the brain. It would be ideal to eliminate television altogether, if you can. If you can’t, avoid watching it late at night and reduce your watching to a minimum.
4. Make sure you’re getting enough sleep at night. If you stop using media late in the evening, this may help you get a better night’s sleep.
4. In Yogananda’s Energization Exercises, (which would be marvelous for you to learn) – one of the exercises is rapping the skull all over, to energize the brain. This is followed immediately by massaging the scalp all over by moving the fingertips in circles on the scalp, so that you actually move the scalp.
5. Watch your worrying. Fretting about things keeps your mind agitated, and then you aren’t paying attention to what you’re doing in the here and now.
6. Practice memorizing things, such as an inspiring poem or prayer by Yogananda or another yoga master.
7. Try to keep your mind centered at the point between the eyebrows as much as you can throughout the day.
8. Pay special attention when you tell someone you will do something. Before you agree to do something, make sure that it is a promise you can keep. Be sure to write it down and put energy into thinking how this will fit into your other responsibilities.
Blessings and joy to you,
Anandi
