Sitars, serenity, and a global pause for mindfulness.
December 21, 2024, is almost here, and the world is preparing for World Meditation Day—a day when everyone, from toddlers with sticky fingers to grandparents with creaky knees, will attempt to sit still, breathe deeply, and master the ancient art of… doing absolutely nothing.
For me, this buzz about meditation stirs up memories of the seventies, when my attempts at mindfulness didn’t exactly win me fans.
Picture this: me, sitting “serenely” in the middle of math class, while my teacher’s glare practically burned holes in my aura.
“Are you asleep?!”
“No, ma’am,” I said, channelling all the Zen I could muster. “I’m meditating.”
She wasn’t impressed. Back then, meditation wasn’t trendy—it was just weird. But that was about to change.
The Beatles, of all people, gave meditation its big break. When they ventured to India to meet Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, they turned transcendental meditation into a global craze.
George Harrison, mesmerized by Indian culture, became a disciple of Pandit Ravi Shankar, infusing the sitar’s hypnotic tones into songs like Within You Without You and Norwegian Wood.
The sitar wasn’t just an instrument—it was a portal. Listening to those songs felt like hitching a ride to another realm, where incense burned endlessly, hippies swayed in smoky dens, and ashrams gleamed golden in the sun.
Then came Woodstock—the cultural explosion that shook the sixties.
It kicked off with Swami Satchidananda, the “Woodstock Guru,” blessing the festival with an invocation. And amid the guitar solos and mud-soaked crowds, Ravi Shankar’s sitar created a moment of magic.
As rain poured down, soaking the audience, Shankar sat cross-legged, his music weaving meditative calm through the chaos.
“It’s like watching music breathe,” one awestruck attendee said. For many, it was a revelation—a soulful pause in the frenzy of Santana’s riffs, Janis Joplin’s wails, and Hendrix’s guitar heroics.
But meditation isn’t all sitars and sunshine. Enter J. Krishnamurti, the quiet revolutionary of mindfulness. His teachings didn’t need mantras or rituals; they stripped meditation to its raw essence.
“All efforts to meditate is the denial of meditation,” he wrote in Meditations. “Meditation is the ending of thought. Only then is there a dimension beyond time.”
Krishnamurti believed meditation wasn’t something you did—it was something you became when you stopped trying.
While Krishnamurti’s insights pierced through the noise, Rajneesh—later Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh, and finally just “Osho” (possibly because his full name wouldn’t fit on a bumper sticker), took a flashier route.
Forget silent retreats—Osho collected Rolls Royces like some people collect sneakers. “Why choose between nirvana and luxury when you can have both?” he joked, driving home the point—literally.
Fast-forward to today, and World Meditation Day promises to be an unforgettable mix of peace, humour, and perhaps a bit of snoring (looking at you, lavender-cushion enthusiasts). Will it bring world harmony, or just serve as a collective excuse to daydream without judgment?
As George Harrison once said, “With our love, we could save the world.” Of course, he also said, “If everyone who went to Woodstock remembered it, it didn’t happen.”
And maybe that’s the beauty of World Meditation Day—a delightfully absurd, profoundly hopeful attempt at finding balance in a chaotic world. Whether through sitars, snoozing, or just sitting still for a change, December 21 could be the most mindful moment we’ve ever shared.
And this time, no teacher will scold me for “drifting off.” Instead, the world will join me in the greatest collective daydream ever attempted. Who knows? Maybe we’ll all forget it happened—Woodstock-style.
Listen to the Beatles song – Norwegian Wood.
Listen to the Beatles song – Within You Without You.
Listen to the 1969 recording of Ravi Shankar performing at Woodstock
WORDSOUPS 
I’m doing my part! Beautiful article!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks Sheila! 🙏
LikeLiked by 1 person
🙏
LikeLike
A very fun read, thanks for sharing.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks a lot. 🙏
Glad you liked it. 😄👍🙏
LikeLike