Create the habit of meditation

CHIRAG KULKARNI, Co-Founder and CMO of Medly Pharmacies in the USA, speaks with RISHIKA SHARMA about creating a regular meditation practice, so as to make it a habit. He also shares how meditation has benefited both his personal and professional life.

- RISHIKA SHARMA

Q: Hi Chirag. How did you get into meditation?

My parents have been practicing meditation since before I was born. I saw a lot of the values first-hand. Growing up, we used to go to the meditation center on Sundays; a lot of my life revolved around the Heartfulness practice, so when I had the opportunity to start meditation for myself, I thought it was well worth it and gave it a shot.

Q: We often try things because people we look up to, like family members and friends, are doing it. You were basically surrounded by people who practiced meditation. What made you stick with meditation for yourself?

I spent a good while in India, and learned from one of the Heartfulness teachers, Chariji. Learning from him first-hand was a good introduction, but I think what made me stick to it was slowly seeing some of the benefits that meditation offered.

Like with anything, when you start something, what keeps you going are the small wins that you see on a daily basis. In the beginning, it was probably the ability to sit for a few more minutes, from five minutes to ten minutes to twenty minutes, and more. I really started seeing the benefits of meditation after three to four months of practicing consistently. Small changes, like focus. I would get frustrated very quickly, and that started to improve. I noticed my patience starting to increase.