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Can meditation change the way you react to people and stress? Here’s what an expert says

Can meditation help you stay calm during stress and negativity? An expert explains how daily practice can reshape the mind and improve emotional balance.

By Pritha Chakraborty

May 09, 2026 15:09 IST

Meditation is not limited to a quiet room or a fixed hour of practice. According to HH Saint Sundar of the Aathman Awareness Centre, the true purpose of meditation is to carry inner balance throughout daily life, even while interacting with the world around us.

Explaining the deeper meaning of meditation to News Ei Samay, HH Saint Sundar says that regular practice helps a person maintain mental composure and emotional stability amid everyday challenges.

Meditation is more than closing the eyes

“Initially, we have to practice meditation for at least 1 hour every day,” HH Saint Sundar explains. According to him, this daily practice helps restore mental equilibrium that often gets disturbed through conversations, social interactions, stress, and emotional experiences.

He compares meditation to healing the body when it falls sick.

“When the body is unwell, we take medications and rest to heal the body. Similarly, when the mind is hurt, we have to do meditation to heal the mind,” he says.

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However, he also stresses that meditation is not merely about sitting silently with closed eyes.

(Representational Image) Meditation is not escape from life, but learning to stay unperturbed within it. AI Generated

“Mere closing of one’s eyes is not meditation,” he says, adding that proper meditation should be learned under the guidance of a realised Guru or master.

Staying within the inner self

One of the key teachings shared by HH Saint Sundar is the importance of remaining connected to one’s inner self during daily activities.

“Whatever works we do or whoever we speak to, we should always stay unperturbed,” he says.

He explains that people often become emotionally involved in gossip, opinions, and external distractions. Over time, this affects the mind and changes its natural balance.

“Our mind is like water. It always takes the shape of the container,” he explains.

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According to him, constantly absorbing other people’s negativity, anger, or attachments can disturb mental peace. A meditative person, therefore, should avoid unnecessary involvement and remain inwardly calm.

How positive thoughts shape a peaceful mind

HH Saint Sundar also points out that the human mind naturally remembers negativity more strongly than positivity.

(Representational Image) The mind heals through meditation just as the body heals through rest. AI Generated

“Even if someone has done a 100 good things to us, our mind will always remember that one negative thing,” he says.

To overcome this tendency, he advises people to consciously think good, speak good, and do good for others. According to him, maintaining a positive frame of mind helps the mind become “an obedient partner and an exceptionally good companion.”

“When our mind is in a positive frame, we will stay in the meditative way all the time,” he concludes.

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