by Lorin Roche
Meditate on the joy of takeoff.
As the engines wind up and the plane acceler-
ates down the runway, this is a great time to
savor the sensations throughout your body.
It’s a thrill. Delight in the feeling of your body
being pushed back into the seat and being
slightly heavier as the airplane lifts up into the
air. Sheer power!Experience the exhilaration of flying.
Being up in the air traveling through space is
intrinsically ecstatic, and an interesting situ-
ation for meditation. Patanjali’s Yoga Sutra
mentions flying: kaya-akasayoh sambandha-
samyamat laghu-tula-samapatteh ca akasa-
gamamam. If we take one small molecule of
meaning from this, we could evolve a practice:- First cherish the sensation of being in your
body, resting in the seat. - Then simultaneously be aware of moving
through space at great speed. - Now delight in the wonder of these two
marvels, your body + motion through space. - Enjoy a sense of lightness and freedom.
Orient yourself to where you are going.
Part of a healthy meditation practice is a
review of your to-do list –– the items on your
list are simply tasks or activities that make
your world a better place. Whether you are
traveling for work or pleasure, envision a
place where you are likely to be. It may be
that conference room or even the beach, and
visualize being there in a relaxed state.
In this way, through using simple yoga
skills you can upgrade your flying experience
for free. You can feel first class in your body
even if you are in economy.* The 3 billion number is the total number of passen-
gers, and a frequent flyer is counted many times. So it’s
not like half the world’s population flies every year.** Yoga Sutras 3.42. kāyā akāśayoḥ saṁbandha
saṁyamāl laghu tūla samāpatteś cā ākāśa gamanam.
“From samyama on the connection between the
body and space, and from unity with the lightness of
cotton, there is movement through space.” – Chris
Chapple, Yoga and the Luminous (2008).Lorin Roche began practicing meditation in 1968 as
part of scientific research at the University of California,
Irvine. He was trained as a teacher of meditation in
1970 and has been teaching and researching medita-
tion ever since. Lorin has a PhD from the University
of California where his research focused on the
language meditators use to describe their inner
experiences. He is the author of The Radiance Sutras
and Meditation Made Easy. With his wife, Camille
Maurine, he wrote Meditation Secrets for Women.
Lorin and Camille train meditation teachers world-
wide; their course is registered with Yoga Alliance.
For more information, visit: MeditationTT.com