
Cultivating the Patience of the Gardener
by Sid Jordan
In this age of information “overload” there is a lot to mentally sort out in deciding what to give our energy to internally and externally. This interior and exterior landscape, the “Garden Entrusted to Us”, often becomes overwhelming to manage. Rumi, our standby poet, recommends, “A new moon teaches us gradualness and deliberation and how one gives birth to oneself slowly.” We need this meditative “deliberation” in gradual and regular doses to allow our intuition to surface and direct us. He goes on to say “Patience with small details makes perfect a large work, like the universe.”
Of course we are not taking on the universe but rather trying to figure out how to work from home in a Covid atmosphere or find a daycare for our child. Rumi ends his poem “New Moon” with the line, “What nine months of attention does for the embryo forty early mornings will do for your gradually growing wholeness.” He may be implying a “forty early morning” challenge to give attention to our mediation practice for your “gradually” growing intuition.
Meditation becomes an essential element in this process of making decisions as to how to apply our intuition to the myriad of choices we have to make every day. What to think, speak and do as life comes to us in this garden entrusted to us?
Meditative deliberation begins slowly, internally surrounded by competing emotions and distractions. Releasing the deluge of thoughts and focusing on our mantra we finally find some peace of mind and clarity. Taking the advice of my brother-in-law, the late John T. Edwards, who usually finished what he started, he said “Slow down, one step at a time and keep at it.”
To learn more about meditation, join us for one of our Silent Meditation retreats by going here.
Other Blogs Posts

Finding Unity – Within & Without
by Howard Nemon | Jun 16, 2020
You may be familiar with the story of the elephant and the six blind men, or a similar tale. As they inspect the elephant, each of the six men gain a different understanding of what the elephant is according to what they touch. One feels a wall, another a hose, a fan,...
Sattvic Recipe: Suran Kofta and Tomato Curry by Chef Sweet Baby James
by wellness | Jan 22, 2020
A special Sattvic diet recipe prepared for Prama Institute and Wellness Center by Chef Sweet Baby James of Blue Dream Curry House.

Diet for a Healthy Planet
by Howard Nemon | Mar 28, 2023
Howard Nemon Over fifty years ago, when Frances Lappé wrote her ground-breaking book, Diet for a Small Planet, the idea that the food we eat was significantly affecting our health and that of the earth was a novel, if not radical, idea. Not only did Lappé’s book...

You Are Worth It! – 5 min Self-Care Routines To Include In Your Day
by Prama Institute | Mar 20, 2023
You are an amazing human being doing amazing things all day. If you are like me, you want to keep doing those amazing things. I know it sounds like a cliche but, to keep moving you have to take care of yourself. I must admit, self-care did not come easy to me, I can give easier to everyone except myself. Although, through burnout and stress, I realized just how important self-care is.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Ramesh Bjonnes
Ramesh is the Director of the Prama Wellness Center where lifestyle is considered our best medicine. Ramesh is also a writer, yogi and workshop leader. He studied yoga therapy in Nepal and India, Ayurveda at California College of Ayurveda and is a certified yoga detox theraphist from the AM Wellness Center in Cebu, Philippines. He has taught workshops in many countries and is the author of four books, including Sacred Body, Sacred Spirit (InnerWorld) and Tantra:The Yoga of Love and Awakening (Hay House India).
