+ HEART OF THE ROSE +

Today I'm going to share a technique to strengthen our mind. I learnt about this from the book The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari by Robin Sharma. I haven't finish yet reading this book, maybe later I'll write my review on the book in the next post. The requirements for this technique are a fresh rose and a silent place. Natural surroundings are the best but a quiet room would also be nice.

Question : WHY A ROSE?

Answer : A rose is very much like life : we always meet thorns along the way. If we have faith and believe in our dreams, we will eventually move beyond the thorns into the glory of the flower.

My own review : The rose is just a symbolism with our own life. You can use other things which can relate to  your own life, as long as you follow the methods correctly. However, using natural objects are the best.

Now lets learn about the method:

1. Start to stare at the centre of the rose, which is its heart. Notice its colour, texture and design. Savour its fragrance and think only about this wonderful object in front of you.
2. It will be hard at first. You will found out that other thoughts will start entering your mind and distract you from the heart of the rose (in my case I keep on moving my head and look at other things, haha). This is the mark of untrained mind. Improvement will come quickly, but you must keep your attention to the object of your focus. Soon your mind will grow strong and disciplined.
3. The ritual need to be performed daily for it to be effective. After a week or two, you should be able to do it for 20 minutes without wandering onto other subjects. This is the first indication that you are taking back control of the fortress of your mind.
4. When you already get used with the technique, you will notice that you will feel far calmer. Worrying habits that plagues inside yourself will be erased. You will enjoy more energy and optimism. The most important thing is you will also observe a sense of joyfulness entering your life along with an ability to appreciate the gifts that surround you.

Lessons :

1. Either you control your mind or it controls you.
2. Never forget that there is power in silence and stillness. Stillness is the stepping stone to connecting with the universal source of intelligence that throbs through every living thing.