Once a gentleman came to a doctor complaining that there was something severely wrong with him. He was hurting all over and was very sad but all the tests came out normal. The doctor said, “There is nothing wrong with you. Go to the circus and watch the clown there. He will make you laugh.” The gentleman said, “Doctor, I am that clown.”

Happiness does not come from a talent or skills that you develop. Unless you realize who you are, and what the nature of consciousness is through your introspection, happiness remains a far-fetched reality. The spirit of self-enquiry in the true sense which leads to meditation is absolutely essential in this quest for happiness.

We are often drained by our attachment to the material world. The 6th-century Indian philosopher and thinker Adi Shankaracharya has said that it is dispassion towards the ephemeral and connection with the eternal that brings true joy. He goes further and asks, ”What joy does detachment not bring?”

Yet another cause of misery for a lot of people today happens to be loneliness. The word for solitude in Sanskrit is ‘ekant’, meaning ‘the end of loneliness’. Loneliness cannot end by changing company, even if it is more sympathetic and understanding. It can only end when you discover your real nature for yourself.

Only spiritual solace can take you out of despair and misery. External pomp and show, wealth, admiration and adulation do not help deal with inner discontent. We have to lift our eyes above the mundane towards something higher. You can bid goodbye to misery by connecting with an altogether different dimension, which I would say is solidified silence, a bolt of bliss and a glimpse of eternity, which is in you as you. You simply have to tap into it.

There is little use in having a machine which you cannot operate without a manual. Spiritual knowledge is like the manual for life. Just like to drive a car, we have to learn how to operate the steering wheel, the clutch, the brake and so on. To move towards the stability of the mind, we must know the basic principles of our life force energy. This is the whole science of pranayama. When our prana or life force keeps fluctuating, our mind also goes up and down through the roller coaster of emotions.

This is where knowing the secret of breath can really transform lives. Breathing techniques like Sudarshan Kriya enhance our life force and centers the mind. The inner dimension unveiled by the practice of meditation deeply enriches us and its impact slowly spills over to all aspects of life. As prana rises in the body, one starts to feel a transformation as a direct experience and not as a forced mental exercise. One starts becoming happier, more creative and more in command of their mind and emotions.