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Meditation

Calming a Turbulent Mind

Empty the cup.

—Zen master Nan-in

Y

our mind is a thought-generating organ. Thought
forms perpetually arise in your awareness. If you try to
stop your thoughts with the intention of creating stillness
in your mind, your mental activity may quiet for a few
moments, but it will almost certainly start up again at full
speed.
The activity in your mind is communicated to every
cell in your body. When your mind is turbulent, your
messenger molecules communicate turbulence to your
cells, tissues, and organs. If you can quiet your mind, you
can send messages of peace and harmony to every cell in
your body. To experience the real essence of yoga—the full

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