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“Are you sure you’ve got the recording right?” the middle-aged Indian guru asked.571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdSRa7qv1nP
“Yes, it has been extrapolated from your brainwaves,” the neurobiologist said. “I have even adjusted the psi element. It’s clearly audible now.”571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqsiZ9inrEU
The Indian guru listened for a few seconds and nodded approvingly.571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2PB3wfGVRB
“Very well then,” he said. “I’ll try it during my next class, and we shall see what happens.”571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXWBMdNrR14
***571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUkgRPHTkcD
Pranayama. You never know how much the world hates you until you try it. And it’s always reserved for the last fifteen minutes of the class. Some people like it. Some people love it. Not me. I find it hard to stand still even for one minute. I’m a dynamic person. 571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp0RXqoMw5t
Or so I thought until recently when I realized I was getting overweight. My office work and my lifestyle didn’t help me stay physically active. Then my cholesterol went up, and my heart began to have bad days. Then, of course, I went to see a doctor and, at his recommendation, ended up here. Well, he didn’t specifically recommend me yoga. But this place was by far the most conveniently located. Also, the time of the classes harmonized well with my work schedule. It wasn’t expensive, either. 571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgzbIWCD0VE
I’ve been coming here for over a month and have to agree there are some positive results. My waist has shrunk by a couple of inches, I sleep better, and the chest pain is almost gone. Most of the class is not bad, and the Indian guru is a good teacher. 571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC9cs4nZBLK
We keep switching among various positions, or asanas, as the yogis call them, maintaining each one for several seconds. This improves blood circulation, stamina, strength, and flexibility without putting too much stress on a tired heart like mine. It’s the perfect complement to the daily pills prescribed by the doc. Everything is fine until we get to the seated meditation in padmasana, the lotus position. And now we have just come to that part again.571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlr8DQ43WX4
I can hear the master in front of the class, talking in a soft voice: 571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5bAEiumJH2
“Relax, breathe slowly. Close your eyes and let your mind expand. Let it become one with the Universe. Let it understand that you are one with the Universe.” 571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYRIaLWSJf0
Stretched in a half-lotus stance, as the full lotus looks way beyond what my joints could ever accept in matters of torture, I try to follow his advice. I’ve closed my eyes but can still see him with my mind, seated comfortably in a lotus position in front of the class as if it were the most natural thing in the world. I bet he could even sleep like that. 571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2AUdbB8YsX
Suddenly, an unusual humming fills the room. So that’s what the speakers he has brought today were for… Wait, it’s not a humming! It’s more like something rhythmic, something with a slow beat. The master’s voice breaks in again:571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbxrSlNwqSN
“This recording is designed to help you loosen up and reach the alpha state of meditation. Just relax and let it go through your bodies and minds.” 571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjrSGFpiPrB
Relax... That’s easy for YOU, but how can I relax sitting like this? For me, relaxation is lying down on the couch and watching a good movie. Well, I’ll keep trying. Not that I’m putting too much hope on it…571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHYG80Jhtl6
Relax. Expand. Be one with the Universe. Be ONE. 571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfciXbhSUGJ
A couple of minutes pass. Something unusual seems to be happening. The slow rhythm of the sound is pouring into my brain, distorting space and time. I can feel the room and the rest of the people meditating. I can feel the people and the birds from outside. I can feel the trees and the insects. There is a red ant near the left wall. I can sense the ant moving, disoriented, looking for the chemical trail to take it back to its nest. And then it happens. I get somehow inside the ant’s primitive brain. I am myself. And I am the ant, looking for the way home. A mischievous idea comes immediately to my mind. What about paying a visit to my master in this form? 571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT8uaUqjXb2
The whole room has become an extension of my body. This makes the job easy. As the ant, it only takes about two minutes to reach him. I climb onto his clothes and discover a small hole that gives me access to his skin. I climb down on the inside of the fabric, avoiding touching my master directly until I come close to his buttocks. The right side looks more accessible. With a powerful bite, I inject all my venom into his body. The master doesn’t move. He feels it disgraceful to abandon his meditation with a jolt and a scream. Still, the pain is there. In my mind, I can see him turning red but continuing to sit still in the lotus position. 571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ15JXsLFzKI
I guide the ant away back to its colony. The beats continue to fill the room, the city, the Universe. I am one with the Universe. I am ONE... 571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3fmZLZ96Mc
***571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJww6tpUtMH
The class has ended. The people are leaving one by one. 571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5c3rvNPTVa
“Please wait,” the master says, looking at me and narrowing his eyes. “I want to have a talk with you.”571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLzR1EgcOL2
He knows what I did. And he knows that I know that he knows. Three minutes later, everybody else has left. We are alone. 571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJQUKNpSAAZ
The master examines me fiercely: 571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgQ6eogvfvr
“Don’t ever do that again! You thought it was a good joke. But this is a dangerous game! You can harm other people a lot. And you can harm yourself. Do you understand?”571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQHeFXQpceo
“Yes, master. I’m very sorry...” 571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy0pLwqck0G
The master’s expression changes into something slightly friendlier. He adds:571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5NnYVAUqWB
“Well, you have potential. Come back tomorrow one hour before class. I’ll teach you a more advanced meditation.”
571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdTbglFOUSV
(c) Marian C. Ghilea, 2018-2024
ns 15.158.61.20da2
