For many people, their commute to work is the most stressful part of the day. At times, it has been for me as well. There is, however, great advantages to incorporating driving in your spiritual practice. During our drive, we have a window of time when we are not distracted by other things, we have primary activity to focus on (driving), and it provides us with an opportunity for us to work with some of our biggest challenges (for me that’s patience and aggressive drivers).
Use Everything to Your Advantage. Use driving as an opportunity for practicing mindfulness. Use traffic to teach you patience. Use red lights as opportunities for meditation. And, use love to transform pain into bliss.
Having a destination is good, but it is more important to enjoy where you are along life’s journey. Most important shine!
The Keys to a Blissful Drive
Stay in The Present Moment
Breathing deeply relaxes you and brings you back into the present moment.
Remember, red lights and stop signs are not out to get you. They are there to remind you to slow down and come back to the present moment.
Practice Driving Mediation
Turn off the radio and slow down. Take a few deep breaths and focus on your driving. Be aware of the warm, loving presence in your heart and just go with the flow.
Use stop lights and other delays as opportunities for mini-moments of meditation.
Be Mindful
When a thought arises, ask yourself, “Does this lift me up?” If the answer is “No”, recognize it for the poison that it is and let it go. Then refocus your mind of something more uplifting, such as your breath, the loving presence of God, and all the things that you have to be grateful for.
Hold fast to your love as you move throughout your busy day.
Remember, your awareness of God comes first. Everything else is secondary. You will get pulled into the darkness from time to time. No worries. Just take a deep breath and return your attention back to the warm, loving presence in your heart.
Don’t Take Things Personally
If someone has a problem with you, that is there problem, not yours. Buddha asked, “If someone offers you a gift and you decline to accept it, to whom does it belong?” It belongs to the giver of course. Likewise, if another driver shows anger towards you and you do not accept it, to whom does that resentment belong? It belongs to the person expressing the resentment.
Stay Connected
When someone cuts us off, we may become angry. And in our anger, we become forgetful of God.
Forgetfulness of God makes life a living hell. However, remembrance of God brings us back to heaven on earth. If you want to live in the land of bliss, you must learn to dwell on God’s loving presence throughout the day. Like everything else, this a skill that we learn through repetition and practice.
Don’t allow life’s circumstances to pull you down. Use your problems as opportunities to come closer to God. When adversity strikes, well-up all the love within your heart. With that love, you have the power to transform darkness into light. And, as you radiate out that love, so too will the Heavenly Father give more love to you.
Over and over again, negativity will raise its ugly head. And each time you must make the stand: “No! Life is short and I do not wish to dwell in separation. I choose to live in the land of love. It’s my birthright and I claim it now!”
Claim every disturbance that does not get you upset as another victory for love.
Additional Tips for Driving Blissfully
When you first open your eyes in the morning, take a few moments to focus on the loving presence of God. Then carry that warm, loving feeling with you throughout the day.
Practice Gratitude is a great way of raising your vibration. During my drive, I often thank God for my good health, the health of my family, my job, food, shelter, good weather, etc. Most importantly, I thank God for His warm, loving presence.
Talk to God about any anything and everything. God will speak back to you in the form of loving thoughts (if you let Him). Ask God, if He has any inspirations that He would like to share with you. He usually does with me. All you have to do is be silent, and He will speak to you in the most warm and uplifting thoughts.
Sing or chant to lift your spirits higher. My favorite is chanting. Chanting is a combination of singing and praying. There are few words, so they are easy to remember the lyrics. My favorite chant is “Door of my heart” by Paramahansa Yogananda. For fun, try changing the lyrics to something that is more meaningful to you.
As you approach your drive from a more loving perspective, you will find that it sets the tone for a more positive day.
Quotes to Inspire a More Heavenly Drive
In the rush and noise of life, as you have intervals,
step within yourself and feel the loving presence of God.
Then, carry that feeling with you as you move throughout your day.
– Inspired by William Penn (1644-1718)
We must become so attuned to our inner goodness that it gets harder
and to get pulled back into the world of illusion.
He who loves, lives in eternity’s sunrise.
– Inspired by William Blake (1757-1827)
Feed your love
Starve the fear
Absorb that which is good and ignore the rest.
When you realize that you are connected to everything,
the world belongs to you.
As you walk and eat and travel, be where you are.
Otherwise you will miss most of your life.
– Buddha (600-400 B.C.)
Those in a hurry do not arrive.
– Zen saying
One never knows if by getting delayed in traffic or stopping to speak to a friend,
or turning down one street instead of another, we may have slipped some unfortunate circumstance.
– Inspired by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807-1882)
Negative thoughts are a reminder that we have gotten off track;
That there is a lesson of love to be learned in this situation.
Nature intended that we should need nothing external to live happily;
each one of us is able to make his own happiness.
External things are of little importance.
– Inspired by SENECA (4 BC – AD 65)
This world is but a dream.
But heaven is real.
It lives within your loving heart.
In disturbances,
We attain deliverance.
– Inspired by Kyong Ho (1849-1912)
Always maintain your awareness of God.
Copyright @ 2019. Mark Ellison. All Rights Reserved
Living in Heaven on Earth 